Scott & Kayley

30 Week Ultrasound

2012-01-25T12:18:00.006-06:00

We got to see the baby today and he has grown so much! Here are the highlights:

-he has lots and lots of hair
-he was folded in half the entire time with his feet around his face
-he was smiling and sticking his tongue out
-when they poked him trying to get him to move away from the cord he would frown and stick out his bottom lip. So sad :(
-he weighs 3.5 lbs and still measures a week big (at this rate he'll be over 8 lbs- eek!)
-it looks like he has my nose and Scott's mouth
-his cheeks are already super chubby! I love a fat baby!

Now we really can't wait to meet him!

His sad face :-(

That is his foot next to his face, and his hand is behind his foot

Happy again

Nursery Progress - The Crib!

2012-01-17T17:59:00.005-06:00

Scott and I have been working hard getting the nursery ready - it's been so fun! We have pretty much everything for the room, things just need to be put together and there are still things I want to make. The crib is totally completed though- now all it needs is a little guy to sleep in it!

(I love Winston guarding the crib in this picture)

Some lovies waiting for the baby- Thanks Cheryl and Nana!

After searching EVERYWHERE and not being able to find any bedding in these colors (that didn't cost a million dollars), I decided to make my own. Then I decided this job should be left to a professional to avoid having it all fall apart. I found Noeske Notions through one of my favorite design blogs, Copy Cat Chic. I am SO happy with the finished product- they did an amazing job. I did tackle the crib skirt on my own using this super-easy tutorial from Young House Love. The fabrics can be found here:
Yellow Stripes: Premier Prints Lulu Stripe
Crib Skirt: Dwell Studio Boteh Jade
Gray Damask Ties and Piping: Dena Medallion in Gray

And of course, last week I got the new Pottery Barn Kids catalog and they now have a gray and white bumper. But I'm still in love with ours :-).

As soon as we finish the rest of the room, Marci is going to come take pictures with her fancy new lens!

A New House for A New Baby

2011-12-16T14:41:00.008-06:00

As much as we loved our condo and really LOVED our neighborhood, it just wasn't baby friendly. The 2nd bedroom was loft-style, so there would have been no way to shut out sound or light and no door to keep the kitties out. Plus, parking in the parking garage and taking an elevator up to our place with a baby AND groceries (or whatever else) sounded like a lot of work I wanted to avoid if possible. We moved into the townhouse the day after Thanksgiving, and so far we're still in love!

Marci came over with Addie and Preston for some lunch and took all of these pictures- thanks, Marc!

Preston testing out the baby's new chair

Miss Adeline

The entry way- to the right is the dining room (which is currently full of boxes, so no photo :)

The tree skirt I made with this tutorial

And, the baby clothes we've collected for our little guy so far :-)

Thanksgiving

2011-12-07T18:41:00.005-06:00

I love, love, love Thanksgiving (and especially because Christmas is the holiday that follows!). I love the family, the food, and getting to use my Grandma's China. A few hours after dinner with my family, it was off to another dinner with Scott's family. I think we each gained a million pounds, but that's what Thanksgiving is for- right?!

Thanks for letting me steal these photos, Marci!

I got all of these table decor ideas from Miss Martha Stewart.

I'm so happy our little guy will have cousins to grow up with :-)

Speaking of our little guy ... here's the latest update on his bump! This is at 21 weeks, and at 23 weeks he is even bigger!

Tiny = Way Cuter

2011-11-11T19:15:00.004-06:00

Whoever says boys aren't fun to shop for (I was one a few months ago) is wrong!

I can't resist tiny shoes when I'm out and about, especially if they're on sale. Even Scott fell in love with the little leather high-tops, and he doesn't usually get super excited about stuff like that.

I was at Nadeau hoping to find a yellow side table, and I came home with this sweet chair instead. Just looking at it makes me happy! Now all it needs is a baby-sized pillow. :)

Finally!

2011-11-09T16:48:00.006-06:00

I had been DYING to feel the baby move and was asking everyone I know who has had a baby when they felt their first baby flutters. During weeks 16 & 17 I felt what I thought might be baby- but wasn't really sure. Then FINALLY on Halloween, when I was driving I felt some definite movement! I was so excited I started crying! :) Scott didn't think it was fair that I was hogging all the baby-feeling. But then, later that weekend, Scott and I were at a movie when the baby started moving like crazy and Scott was able to feel him too! He didn't move hard enough again for someone on the outside to feel until this morning. Now (at 19.5 weeks) his movements are strong enough that I feel him moving around all day long and I love it!

I started taking pictures every week just for us to look back on, but decided to post them. We haven't taken week 19 yet but I feel like the belly has grown a lot since last week.

Other pregnancy news: I finally broke down and bought some maternity jeans. They came last night, I've had them on all day, and they are so comfortable I could sleep in them too. I got the Gap "Always Skinny Jeans" with a full panel (right now certain washes are on sale from $79 to $29-$34). I couldn't bring myself to pay 80 bucks for jeans I'll only wear temporarily before, but after seeing how well they fit and how comfortable they are it seems sort of worth it now ;).

Our 20 week anatomy scan is next Monday and we will see if the placenta moved so life can go back to normal. Keep your fingers crossed!

Looks like we're having a baby ...

2011-10-21T17:22:00.005-05:00

We had an ultrasound today and now that I'm at the end of the 16th week they were able to confirm that our peanut is a boy! We're so excited! A few weeks ago when the doctor first told us that he suspected we were getting a boy I was a little nervous- I just feel like I have way more experience with little girls. Now I'm all geared for a little guy and can't wait for him to get here! I hope he is as good a big brother someday as Scott was to his little sisters and as my big brother was to me!

Today we got to see all of his little fingers and toes and it's good to know they're all there :-). During most of the ultrasound he had his legs all scrunched up with his arms spread out above his head. We were wondering why he didn't scoot up so he'd have more room- silly little guy! Here are some of his best shots from his 16 week shoot:

My 1st Trimester Staples

2011-10-10T17:43:00.006-05:00

These guys were my best friends during the 1st trimester:

(this is partially to help me remember my pregnancy details, so it might be boring :-)

Even when I felt really, really sick, they still sounded oh, so good. Sadly, none of them are very good for you or provide many nutrients. I'm thankful for my pre-natal vitamins and that I was able to keep them down! :) I know the pickles are cliche, but they're the only thing I've really craved so far. And on the days I felt the very worst and the thought of tomato soup, wheat thins, or top ramen made me gag, pickles still sounded delicious! It was so weird! Once Scott stopped and bought a big (46 oz. to be exact) new jar on the way home from work, and by the time he came home from work the next day, they were all gone. That was the last jar we bought because I decided it's better to just not keep them in the house. Luckily, I didn't feel that bad every day, and most days felt decent enough for at least the first half of the day to eat some normal food too.

Always off the list: chicken (over the last week it's been okay to eat again), sweets (these are okay some days now), hummus, mayo, and mini Babybel cheeses. Just the smell or sight of these made me feel sick. Some of them I got sick right after eating, and some (the sweets and the mayo) I have no clue why I've hated so much.

Usually loved: sushi (cooked of course!), bean burritos from Lupe Tortilla, subs (with steamed meat), and Greek yogurt with blue agave and/or fruit mixed in.

Now that I'm into the 2nd trimester I'm starting to feel a lot better. I hardly get nauseous anymore as long as I keep something in my stomach and I feel like my energy is coming back. And, I'm back on track trying to eat healthy foods again!

Baby Boy Nursery

2011-10-04T19:50:00.008-05:00

While on bed rest I had lots of time to browse the internet. Our doctor is pretty darn sure we're having a boy, so I've been thinking about what I want to do for the room since his "boy" prediction at 8.5 weeks! (if the bebe ends up being a girl, I'll just swap out some of the blue accents for pink- but will keep the rug either way!)

I want colors that can convert to a big-kid room later on, and didn't want a themed room because I couldn't decide on one I wouldn't get sick of. We're kind of excited so we already bought the chevron rug, crib, and plane mobile- and I LOVE them all! Here's what I've come up with so far ... thoughts or suggestions?

Here is where to find the goods (links go directly to products):

Crib: Pottery Barn Kids (on sale right now!)
Airplane Mobile: Pottery Barn Kids
Rug: Urban Outfitters (it keeps selling out so you just have to watch for it)
Dresser Knobs: Anthropologie
ABCs Pillow: Pottery Barn Kids
White Dresser: Ikea (the Pottery Barn topper fits on it and I found one of craigslist for $25 vs $125!)
Yellow Side Table: Urban Outfitters
Gray Glider: Little Castle
Crying Print: Etsy- Sycamore Street Press
Elephant Print: Etsy- Sarah Jane Studios
Crayon Art: it's a DIY project

Just Hangin' Out

2011-09-30T17:25:00.005-05:00

A scare on Tuesday night led to a not-so-fun trip to the hospital and a week of bed rest- BUT, everything is going to be perfectly fine and at least we got to peek at the baby again. I love the crossed legs and little nose. Looks like we're both just hangin' out. :-)

Baby News!

2011-09-26T17:59:00.005-05:00

I think everyone who follows my blog is also friends with me on facebook- so this is probably old news! :-) We're expecting Baby M early April 2012 and are so thrilled! At the last ultrasound we were amazed to see the baby wiggling his/her fingers and arms and was even shaking his/her rump from side-to-side at one point! The doctor said we have one active baby on our hands- I think it might be because I worked out right before the appointment. We (especially me) cannot wait to find out what flavor we're getting so we can stop with all the his/her business. Our doctor is convinced it's a boy, and the nurse said he has only been wrong twice in the 5 years she's worked for him. We'll see! I'm 13 weeks now, so only 3 more weeks until we find out!

happy 3

2011-08-08T11:39:00.005-05:00

We've come a long ways since our start and I can't wait to see where we'll end up. I still love to look back through all the love notes from his proposal.

I'm so thankful for my wonderful Scott and our 3 years of marriage!

Voting is Open

2011-06-27T19:41:00.000-05:00

on minted.com, so please go vote! Thanks!

Vote for my
design on minted.™

see more from Kayley Miller

vote for me!

Check out my competition in Christmas cards and wedding invitations at Minted.

Apothecary Water Tank Bargain

2011-05-24T21:26:00.006-05:00

I've wanted one of these cute water tanks from Pottery Barn for a long time but never wanted to spend $60+ on one. Tonight after dinner Scott and I wandered into World Market and found a super cute one for $29! Then, if you sign up for their free rewards program you get $10 off. I'm so excited to use mine! :)

Pottery Barn $79

World Market $19
(after $10 off coupon for signing up for their free "Explorer" program)

If you don't have a World Market near you- you're still in luck because you can order it online here.

Photography Workshop

2011-05-17T15:06:00.004-05:00

So, I tried to figure out how to use my new camera on my own, but it was too frustrating. So I signed up for an online workshop that was recommended to me by a friend and I LOVE it. Click here for more info. I went from being totally irritated with my camera to totally in love with it. Here are some of my favorite pictures from my assignments, and the last ones are from my final project- a shoot with my sweet little sis Hope.

Condo Tour

2011-04-25T16:30:00.008-05:00

8 months later I have pictures to post ... I just didn't feel like it was "put together" enough before. You can see the before pictures here. There are still things we want to do/furniture to replace, but it's coming along!

entry

This picture hanging in the entryway is one of my favorite things, EVER! These are my great-grandparents when they were young and the love notes they wrote to each other. So sweet ;)

family room

where we eat :-)

one of my favorite things in the house- the refinished buffet that we bought here

And now onto our room

these are the dressers we bought on Craigslist and refinished.

There's a little upstairs loft that we use as an office/craft room. I'm still learning how to use my new camera, and I can't figure out how to get a picture of this room because I can't back-up enough! Maybe that's what these wide-angle lenses I hear so much about are for? So you can get an idea- here's the loft from downstairs.

Slumber Party with the Girlies

2011-04-09T14:08:00.019-05:00

I've been feeling like a horrible aunt lately because I'm their only adult aunt in Houston, and I don't do enough with these sweet kiddos!

So I decided to have Ella and Addie over for a sleepover! It was really fun, so we'll have to do it more often. I managed to get LOTS of pictures for once!

We started off with a trip to my favorite park in the Heights. The girls loved it and had the entire place to themselves for a few minutes. Addie told me that "these swings rock!".

Next, it was back to our house to make some pizza! Uncle Scott came home while we were getting the dough ready, and everything is more fun when he's there ;-).

It took Winston and Samantha a little while to get used to our new guests.

Ella LOVED my vanity and putting on lipgloss ... such a girl!

After dinner we went to my favorite places: Candylicious and Chocolate Bar (they're right next door to eachother). Candylicious is seriously the cutest candy shop and the girls had such a hard time picking something out!

Then it was time for manicures complete a flower on each nail...

And a movie before bed.

In the morning we took them to get doughnuts, and Marci came to pick them up! It was short and sweet, but hopefully they had as much fun as Scott and I did!

Easter Banner Download

2011-03-23T16:47:00.005-05:00

I made an Easter banner for us and thought I'd be nice and share ;-). But first, here's a picture of a sleepy Winston.

Click HERE to download the PDF to print it out. You'll just need 4 sheets of cardstock, some scrapbook paper, and 8-13 feet (depending on how long you want yours) of ribbon.

Enjoy!

New Pictures!

2011-02-20T21:32:00.004-06:00

Scott and I hadn't had any new pictures taken since our wedding- so we were well over-due! Our friend Lynn is an amazing photographer and always fun to shoot with. You can see more of his work at www.lynnlanephotography.com. Here's what he got!

And our very favorite is this one:

Look familiar? We loved this picture from our engagements with Marci that we had to try it again! ;-)

Winston & Samantha Miller

2010-11-27T16:01:00.008-06:00

The newest members of the Miller household:

Winston & Samantha

My grandparents had a stray mom cat and her kittens in their yard that they've been feeding. All of the kittens are SO cute! My grandpa caught all of the kittens except for Samantha and they warmed up to people really quickly. Then on Thanksgiving morning he captured Miss Samantha too. My grandparents had been watching the kitties while they were living outside, and Samantha and Winston were buddies- so I'm sure they were happy to be reunited. Don't feel bad for the mama cat; my grandparents are adopting her.

There were also two gray kitties that are SO CUTE ... they are little buddies too:

And a little black and white girl, also SUPER cute! My parents took her.

Winston is the runt of the litter and is really mellow. He isn't as playful as the others, but does play around with Samantha. He's a major sweetheart and just started purring yesterday morning. Now he purrs every time you touch him ... even if you're just picking him up to move him really quickly. He likes to sleep in the litter-box which Scott and I think is so gross. We're trying to break him of that habit! He's a little explorer and wanders around the house checking everything out. Samantha follows him around and it's pretty cute :).

Samantha has only been away from her mom for a day and half and is still getting used to people. She still hisses almost every time we walk up to her. She thinks she looks scary, but is really more cute than fierce. She purred for the first time yesterday too, but has only done it twice. When she knows we're watching her, she does the army crawl thinking we won't notice her. The first night we brought her home she just walked around the house crying ... it was so sad! Finally she let Scott hold her and fell asleep on his lap. She's been doing a lot better and has already improved so much! She LOVES to cuddle once she warms up to you, and is constantly finding Winston to cuddle with him too. We can't wait for her to fully adjust so we can see more of her sweet personality.

My grandparents decided the gray pair and white pair couldn't be broken up- and for good reasons. They are best buddies and do everything together- especially sleeping. It's adorable!

Aren't they cute??

MORE Christmas Cards :-)

2010-11-10T20:32:00.003-06:00

This time I'm using the darling Yarbrough family as my models. Photography by Cheryl Joy.

www.pinkcoconutdesigns.com

I'm Addicted to Making Christmas Cards

2010-11-01T22:26:00.001-05:00

Salad Obsession

2010-09-13T22:13:00.003-05:00

I've been on a big salad kick recently and found two that Scott and I LOVE... so I thought I'd share. Enjoy :-)

Greek Salad

Romanine lettuce (chopped) - 6 cups
Tomatoes (chopped) - 3 cups
Red onion (chopped) - 1 cup
Cucumber (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Green pepper (chopped) - 1/2 cup
Feta cheese (crumbled) - 3 oz
Olives - 16 to 20
Olive oil - 3 tbsp
Fresh dill (chopped) - 3 tbsp
Fresh parsley (chopped) - 1/4 cup
Lemon juice - 1 tbsp
Garlic (minced) - 1 clove
Oregano - 1/2 tsp
Salt - 1/4 tsp

Directions

Mix together the olive oil, lemon juice, oregano, parsley, dill, garlic, and salt.
Mix the lettuce, tomatoes, red onion, cucumber, green pepper well.
Add the dressing to the salad mix and top off with feta cheese and olives.

Apple Walnut Salad with Cranberry Vinaigrette

1/2 cup chopped walnuts
1/4 cup cranberries
1/4 cup balsamic vinegar
1 cup red onion, chopped
1 tablespoon white sugar
1 tablespoon Dijon-style prepared mustard
1 cup vegetable oil
salt and pepper to taste
10 cups mixed salad greens, rinsed and dried
2 Red Delicious apples, cored and thinly sliced

Directions

Preheat the oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Spread the walnuts out on a baking sheet in a single layer. Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven, or until lightly toasted.
In a food processor, combine the cranberries, vinegar, onion, sugar, and mustard. Puree until smooth; gradually add oil, and season with salt and pepper.
In a salad bowl, toss together the greens, apples, and enough of the cranberry mixture to coat. Sprinkle with walnuts, and serve.

And... we actually took a picture!

Meet the New Condo

2010-08-19T20:25:00.005-05:00

Our new 2/2 condo that is close to everything! :-)

Another Move for the Millers

2010-08-01T00:22:00.004-05:00

Update:

We're moving again! Less than two weeks ago at a family dinner Scott and I started toying with the idea of renting out our house in Katy and moving closer to downtown. We both work far away and end up hanging out on the other side of town too... so we've just been spending way too much time in the car. We decided to post an ad for our house on good ole craigslist, and had a lease signed in no time. The new couple moves in on the 15th- we are so surprised by how fast it all happened. Since things just seemed to fall into place we feel like we're making the right decision.

So where are we going? We don't know yet. :-) We are super interested in a condo in the Montrose area and should know for sure where we'll be living in the next couple of days. Crazy, huh?! We're feeling pretty spontaneous right about now.

Here are pictures of the new chair rail and paint some of you asked for. Good work Scott and Kevin! As usual, the color is off. My new goal is to learn to take good pictures. :)

So it's been awhile

2010-06-20T16:22:00.003-05:00

since I last blogged. I haven't even logged into blogger in several weeks... blogging is the first thing I stop doing when life gets hectic. I wish I could be as good about it as Marci! I did design a few new plaques before deciding to temporarily stop selling them because of a lack of time. :) The colors on the cupcake canvas look pretty true, but the other two are totally off- especially the yellows.

Here's what we've been up to:
-In mid April I left my office job and went back to being a nanny again... I LOVE the family I work for and their sweet baby girl
-Scott has still been working a lot, and has been the top producer at his company the last couple of months
-I went to California with the family I work for
-We finished re-doing the entry way and painted the office
-We had our first weekend guests come to visit us from Dallas
-We've had lots of family activities (several birthdays from my family's side and a graduation from Scott's side)

I think that's about it :) My mom found this hysterical video and I just have to pass it along:

Yuan Family Funeral Fund

2010-05-06T18:12:00.003-05:00

I just added a link to the Yuan Family Funeral Fund on the top left of my page. My brother-in-law's sister Brittany and her husband just lost their sweet 10 day old baby. For more information, see Marci's post here and here. Please keep their family in your thoughts and prayers.

Modeling on Fox Morning News

2010-04-26T20:01:00.002-05:00

This morning I had a super fun experience ... I got to model a prom dress designed by Dalia MacPhee on the Fox Morning News! Dalia's other work can be seen here. She had a really fun personality and her spunk definitely comes through in her designs. I LOVE all of her dresses!

Here is our clip:

Scott and I were cracking up watching this for the first time a few minutes ago. At the very end, I thought we were totally done and started stretching. But it turns out we weren't really done at all and I was stretching on live TV while I was supposed to be standing there smiling. Oh well :)

Quick Trip

2010-04-19T21:35:00.003-05:00

Last weekend Scott and I went on a quick little trip to Dallas. We FINALLY went to Sprinkles and got these:

(sorry but that's the only picture I took the entire weekend!)

We stayed with our friends Peter and Emily Andrew. Scott worked with Peter in the Dallas office and Emily took my position with the family I worked for when we moved. We went to the movies, out to eat, shopping, and just hung out.

On Saturday morning we found that someone had broken into our car through the front passenger window to steal our GPS- and that was a bummer :( Luckily, Peter knew how to change out windows so we only had to pay for the new glass. We should have learned our lesson when by brother Mack and his wife Cheryl had the same thing happen to them when they were in town for Christmas. The moral of the story: NEVER leave your GPS in the car! Even though they are pretty cheap now, apparently people still break into cars for them.

It was sooo fun to get away for a little weekend- it was a much needed trip! Thanks again for having us Andrews- you were great hosts and we had an awesome time!

A Special Lunch Date

2010-04-12T20:43:00.003-05:00

Today I was lucky enough to go eat lunch with my sweet 5 year old niece, Ella. When I called her last night to see what she wanted, she didn't even hesitate to choose "a cheeseburger happy meal with chocolate milk"... so cute. :) It was fun to see her at school with all of her little friends.

All of the kiddos were talking our ears off and kept asking me if I was her mom or her sister. Ella kept saying "nooooo- she's my aunt!". Then one little boy asked "are you still a kid... or are you a grown up?". I told him I was a grown up but that I hadn't been one for very long. :)

I'm so glad we live in Houston now- doing things like this is so fun!

New Designs

2010-04-10T20:35:00.005-05:00

A pink and green traditional design for the gals

And a new elephant for the guys (I recently had another jungle order- but this time we needed a 4th design so now there's an elephant to add to the mix).

I hope everyone is having a great weekend! ;)

A Baskin Robbins Nightmare

2010-04-08T12:36:00.000-05:00

Scott and I went to the Baskin Robbins located at Fry Rd. and Grand Parkway last Saturday (the 3rd) to buy an ice cream cake for his birthday. He picked out one that was $34 (which I already thought was too much- I mean it wasn't from Cold Stone or something!). After the girl rang us up and had already charged our debit card, the receipt said we had just paid $39. The receipt said that the cake was $34, and then there was another $5 charge. The girl told us that because the cake had decorations on it, it was another $5... that would have been nice to know before we paid. Shouldn't a $34 cake COME with a little chocolate drizzled on the top?!? Being frustrated that we weren't told ahead of time that "decorations" cost another $5 and not wanting to pay $40 for a small cake, Scott asked if we could get a refund. The girl went in the back and came back saying the manager was on the phone, and that as soon as he was off he could come do the return.

A few minutes later another girl came out from the back saying the manager had just left (knowing we were there waiting) to run some errands and would be back in a half hour or so. We were just thinking- are you serious? So we waited. About 40 minutes later they told us the manager was now at HEB buying milk and bananas. There were a million bananas sitting on their counter. A little over an HOUR after we purchased the cake the manager came back to give us our refund. And he was rude. It wasn't until Scott politely asked the manager to notice the over an hour difference in time between the purchase and return and that a formal complaint would be filed with Baskin Robbins that the manager made a snide comment about how it wasn't like he left to go to the movies or something. For those of you who don't know Scott- it takes a lot to get him frustrated and a ton to make him mad- and he was mad. Wouldn't you be? I was proud of him for staying calm and being really polite to all of the people who worked there even though the experience was nothing short of ridiculous!

Can you believe it? We won't be going to Baskin Robbins EVER again! :)

Birthday Boy

2010-04-01T05:50:00.001-05:00

Today is Scott's 26th Birthday!

We're not doing much to celebrate until this weekend. For his birthday dinner tonight he requested Marci's Thai Chicken Curry recipe. Scott LOVES curry! Afterwards we're either going to a movie or to the new Nordstrom Rack that just opened in Houston (seriously- why'd it take so long to get one here?!) for some birthday shopping! Happy Birthday Scott! Thanks for being so fabulous! :)

Busy, Busy, Busy

2010-03-16T12:21:00.002-05:00

I wish I could do this right now (have a million arms). I wish I could leave my arms at the table painting an order, send my head to the couch to watch my favorite shows, and send my legs out for a run. haha. OR- wouldn't it be great to be a vampire like Edward and not have to sleep?!

Before we graduated, Scott and I were so excited about all of the “free time” we would soon enjoy... I don’t know what we were thinking! Since we've merged into life in the real world our free time has pretty much disappeared. The reason I haven’t posted in such a long time is because we’ve just been SO BUSY! And we don’t even have kids yet! :) Since we’ve moved to Houston I’ve had lots of artwork orders and lots of modeling jobs- which is good but makes for a hectic schedule when I have a full-time job to top it off. Scott’s been putting in lots of hours at the office like we knew he would at the start of his career and then comes home to lots of household projects. When you add working out, our church callings, and socializing to the mix it can be overwhelming trying to get everything done. We’re excited to be home owners but it definitely is more time consuming than living in an apartment... especially now that the grass (and weeds) are growing.

We have been doing some fun things too though- like going to the Rodeo 3 times (two times it was work-related) and seeing Alice in Wonderland in 3D... posts to come soon! I’ve been a major blog slacker and have lots of catching up to do on everyone else’s blogs too. Hope you’ve all been well and are enjoying Spring. :)

It's a Jungle Out There

2010-02-18T20:30:00.009-06:00

After visiting Africa, Marci has always known she wanted to have a jungle nursery at some point. She had me paint these jungle plaques for Preston's room after seeing these animals she liked.

I took pictures and added them to my Etsy store and website. Recently I think jungle rooms have become super popular (which is good for me and my plaques :)! I've been seeing jungle artwork everywhere... I just got another order for some jungle art... this time to match the baby's bedding. Here is the bedding:

And here is the finished product:

My friend from BYU, Mitzi, just had a baby and he has a jungle room too. Mitzi painted the cutest little plaques for him:

(She also has an Etsy store with super cute knitted baby hats...check it out here)

The Masquerade

2010-02-12T20:53:00.008-06:00

It is always fun to get dressed up and go out with your honey... add yummy hors d'oeuvres, music and friends and it gets even better!

Before we headed out... Thanks for your help mom and Hope!

The ladies: Des, Me, Michelle, and Sherri

The guys: Greg (Michelle's hubby), Scott, and Cleveland (Des' hubby)

The music:

The masks:

And us just having a good time:

I hope you're all impressed with how many pictures I took! :)

Hooray for Pictures!

2010-02-11T07:04:00.002-06:00

They're up! And I'm on the homepage this week :)

Get the Valentine's Bouquet Dress here

And get the Be Mine Shrug here

Tonight Scott and I are going here for his work and hopefully I'll remember to take pictures. We've never been to a ball before!

A New Gig

2010-02-10T12:02:00.001-06:00

A few weeks ago I went to a casting for a modeling gig and met a really cute girl, Virginia. Virginia models for a boutique/store called Francesca's Collection- and she forwarded my info onto the company. They had me come in for a test shoot, things went well, and now I'll be going there every Monday! My office was nice enough to let me leave for several hours every Monday.

I'm excited about this because modeling is something I LOVE doing- it's just really fun! It's great to break up my regular work week with some "girl time" trying on tons of cute clothes and accessories.

I haven't seen any of my pictures back yet (I'll post when I do) but here are some of the other girls...

Virginia:

Ximena:

and Didi:

The store has super cute stuff- you should check it out :)

Date Night

2010-01-27T10:05:00.004-06:00

Saturday night Scott and I went on a date to the Houston Temple.

It was the first time we'd been back to this temple since getting married on 08/08/08.

It brought back happy memories :) Brother and Sister Steward were even there... Brother Steward is the cute man who married us- and his wife is a doll too.

After we went here

to get two of these

They are to die for- I ordered off the kids' menu and was still super stuffed!
It was a simple, but fun night.

Dinner Guests

2010-01-18T17:40:00.006-06:00

Scott and I really enjoy having people over. We had people over for dinner all the time in Utah... but since moving to Texas it hasn't happened as frequently. I think at BYU there were just SO many young, married couples that it was easier to get together. Last night we had our second guests over for dinner since moving into our house. It was our first time having people over who have kids (a 5 year old girl and baby boy) and it went really well! Our house isn't exactly kid-friendly since we don't have any toys or anything. McKenzie was SUPER well-behaved and even ate the food I made. :)

We had Marci's yummy Creamy Italian Chicken, with asiago cheese bread and a feta cheese salad.

Here's the table all set to go (these are our first cloth napkins so I had to document the occasion:)

Recently we painted our brass chandelier black to make it look wrought iron (thanks for the idea, Marci and Diane!)

Scott's parents gave us their old buffet, and we refinished it and put new hardware on it. Scott's grandma was going to toss the gold mirror above the buffet- but I LOVED it!

My Marathon Picture!

2010-01-07T12:26:00.001-06:00

It came!

I got to order one... but I really wanted several of them. This one is the only normal one and the others were pretty goofy looking. Scott and I had a good laugh looking through them. The different colored bibs meant different things...
Green= marathon relay runners (I think each person does between 5-6 miles)
Purple= 1/2 marathon runners
Blue= first time marathon runners
White= "seasoned" marathon runners

In the picture you can sort of tell how gross the weather was that day. I think it's fun to look at all of the people in the background- there is one super tall girl in the blue shirt... she must be like 6'2"!

A New Entry for A New Year

2010-01-06T20:36:00.007-06:00

After:

Before:

Just in case it looks like all we did was paint the door black:

1) Replaced the light- it was GROSS- and came straight from 1983 (the house wasn't even built yet then, so we're not sure where the light came from?)
2)Added a peep hole
3) Added a knocker because the door is pretty plain :(
4) changed out the cheapo, peeling knob for this pretty one!

And Finally- The Dallas White Rock Marathon

2009-12-28T18:50:00.005-06:00

My marathon was December 13th and it was quite the experience. For a few days afterwords I was sure I'd never run another- but I already think I will. Not anytime soon... but someday. :)

Everyone told me that the marathon would be easy compared to the training, and they were totally wrong. It was horrible! To make a long (4 hours and 20 minutes) story short, it was supposed to be in the low 60s and sunny, so I dressed for that and so did everyone else. It ended up staying in the low 40s the entire time and misted until the last 40 minutes of the race. I was FREEZING the entire time. My entire body kept getting tense because I was so cold, and I think that's where my problems started. My hands were numb so I couldn't get by bites of power bar out of their bag. Then, around the 20 mile mark I just fell apart. Everything hurt SO bad, especially my right knee. This was really frustrating for me because my left knee was the one that gave me problems during the training. I stopped and cried for a minute at one point because I was just SO frustrated that I'd been training so hard for 4 months (somewhere around 550 miles in 4 months!) and wasn't doing as well as I was hoping to... and I couldn't remember why I had even wanted to do a marathon in the first place! Obviously I finished, but it was really hard. I was hoping after all of the training and with the adrenaline rush of the race and so many people that it would be more enjoyable. It really does feel great to accomplish this goal that I've been working so hard towards, and that's what makes me kind of want to do it again. Maybe my next one will be more fun :)

Anyways- my time was 4 hours 20 minutes even... a 9.9 min/mile pace. My goal was anywhere between 4 to 4.5 hours- but I was really hoping to finish more around 4 hours. It was crazy busy there. There were over 20,000 runners! Only around 5,000 were doing the actual marathon, and the others were doing the 1/2 marathon or marathon relay. Here are some pictures Scott took of the day:

Me (in the pink) about to cross the finish line

All of these people are runners! It was so packed at the beginning you could hardly even move

A gross picture- but hey, it documents the day :)

I really owe Scott a big thanks for being so supportive- he made me wheat pancakes with peanut butter on top the morning of every long run, gave me lots of massages, and was always really encouraging when I was having a hard time. Thanks hun!

Next up- the big move!

2009-12-28T18:39:00.005-06:00

Here's how Houston welcomed us:

It was snowing like crazy! But we were just happy to finally be moving into our house.

We've pretty much gotten settled. We still need to hang pictures or shelves in a few rooms and the two extra bedrooms are just stuffed full of boxes that don't need to be unpacked yet. We've already made several changes to the house and our weekends will probably be full of house related projects for the next 50 years. :) Here's what we've got so far:

Our first housewarming gift from our friends Sarah and Hayden!

Mack and Cheryl's BeAuTiFuL Wedding

2009-12-28T18:16:00.004-06:00

I'm going to start with the first thing I've missed blogging about. Mack and Cheryl's wedding was BEAUTIFUL and so "them". It was really nice having the whole family in Florida and we all had a lot of fun staying in the beach house together. Here are some of my favorite pictures from the weekend and you can see and read more about it on Marci's blog here and here.

This is a candid one of them- I think it's so cute!

The sisters

The gorgeous bride with her darling flower girls

Isn't this cute?

At the reception-me with one of my favorite teachers from high school- Mr. Blythe. He was the "sponsoring" teacher of the Young Republicans Club Mack started in high school and has stayed close to him since.

While we were in Jacksonville, I was able to see my best friend (since we were 15 years old) Amanda. Scott and I went out to eat on St. George Street with her and her husband, Patrick. The day before the wedding Amanda took me, my mom, and my grandma to a craft show downtown. It was SO fun to see her, but reminded us that we don't get together enough. It's hard when you live so far away!

I have a good excuse

2009-12-17T21:22:00.006-06:00

for being such a slacker with the blogging... moving, the marathon, starting a new job to name a few :) The camera cord hasn't shown up since we got here so I can't upload any pictures. Hopefully we'll unpack it soon and then I'll have lots to catch up on.

In the mean time- there were LOTS of people to cheer on the runners during the marathon. There were some pretty creative signs and these were some of my favorites:

"Find your happy pace"
"Don't stop now...everyone's watching"
"You paid money to do this to yourself"

House & Ice

2009-11-24T12:18:00.007-06:00

Sorry for the delayed update-but yes, we did close on the house on Friday! It feels good to have the keys in our hands (and garage door openers! :)

Today I took Sarah to this thing called Ice at the Gaylord Texan (great name-huh?)... they go every year. It was AMAZING! There was over 2 million pounds of carved ice in the exhibit- and was only 9 degrees inside. I'm so thankful I now live in Texas where there are very mild winters! Here are some pictures- sorry they're not great because I took them with my phone.

My favorite part

Me & Sarah

Ice Slide

This evening after work Scott and I are headed to Houston to ride with Marci, Mike, and their kiddos to Florida for Mack and Cheryl's wedding!

December 5th is the Day...

2009-11-05T09:52:00.010-06:00

we're moving to Houston!

First of all, I just want to clarify something on the title of my post, "Property Virgins No More"... Property Virgins is the name of a real estate show on HGTV that I LOVE and I thought everyone had heard of it. Apparently not, because my mom hadn't, and she thought the title was really weird. So I just wanted to explain in case anyone else was thinking it was weird! :)

Even though we close on the house on the 20th, Scott can't start working in his new office until the 30th (so we can't move before then) and I can't train my replacement at work the week of Thanksgiving. The plan is to have me train my replacement the week of the 30th, move at the end of the week, and then we'll be official Houstonians! :)

I'm excited that TWG is having movers come do all the work for us- it will make the moving much less stressful. The crew is coming that Saturday morning, boxing everything, loading the truck, driving to Houston, and unloading that evening.

Here are some pictures I took of the house while we were there last weekend.

We can't wait to trim back the plants- you can hardly see the house!

The little porch I love

The kitchen by far needs the most work. We want to paint the walls and refinish the cabinets right away. Eventually we're going to put a cabinet above the sink, and get new counters and appliances. And the back splash has got to go too :)... at least it's neutral colors though.

This will be fun to decorate for Christmas

The entry (needs new paint too)

This might seem silly, but I'm really excited to have an actual entry. In our apartment (and every other apartment I've ever living in), you walk right into the family room with a little square of tile around the door. I guess I'm just looking forward to having a "real" house and a new space to decorate! :)

Today I Broke My Record

2009-10-24T22:55:00.003-05:00

of my longest run!

Today I had to run 15 miles, which is the furthest I've ever gone in one run (my previous record was the half marathon I ran with I was 15)... and it was hard.

I was tired and sore everywhere. When I was finally done, the thought of running for another second seemed like torture- I don't know how I'm supposed to do another 11.2!

Next Saturday is 16 miles so I guess I'll just try that and see how it goes. Any marathoners out there have any advice or words of encouragement? I need it :)

A 30 Hour Weekend

2009-10-16T09:19:00.003-05:00

I'm "babysitting" for my nanny agency at the fair this weekend in a Good Housekeeping/Ikea tent... I'll be coloring with little kids for 15 hours straight on both Saturday and Sunday so wish me luck :( At least there will be another girl there. We're going to be best friends by Sunday night!

On a more exciting note- we close 5 weeks from today! Woohoo!

Property Virgins No More

2009-10-07T09:16:00.010-05:00

Introducing our First House

(I can't wait to get some better pictures)

It was a long, stressful process with two other offers besides ours...

but on Nov. 20th we can call it our own!

We have big plans for this little house

view from dining/family rooms to entry and office

we love the fireplace

I was just going to put a link to the listing, but thought it might be a good idea to not post our address online! So here's the description:

"Beautiful, move-in ready home in a great gated community. 3 bedroom/2 bath with bonus room for 4th bedroom or home office. Lots of ceramic tile throughout, large master suite with garden tub and shower in bath. Located in a secure, gated community with full time guard on duty, neighborhood pool and sports fields, fruit trees in backyard along with extra large patio. Great location near Westpark tollway, I-10, and Grand Pkwy. Highly rated Katy ISD schools."

Here's the floorplan:

The best jogging spot EVER!

2009-10-04T16:40:00.001-05:00

This weekend I had to run 11 miles- and I was really in need of some new scenery. Yesterday morning Scott and I went to White Rock Lake which has a path going around the entire thing that lots of people have told me about. It is also where my marathon will start- hence the name "Dallas White Rock Marathon". Scott sat in the grass and read so he was in heaven.

When we got there a race was going on- there were TONS of people running with their numbers on. I ran anyways though... and there were other people running and biking on the trail that weren't in the race. Well I had been running for about 2o minutes when I got to their finish line. One other lane was open that I should have gone through, but a herd of bikers was coming from the opposite way and I didn't want to get ran over by them so I just went through the other lane- the race lane. As I ran through I felt bad because all of the people were jumping up and down, cheering, yelling "way to go!", there was a photographer taking my picture as I crossed the finish line, and "my time" was flashing on a big sign! I didn't know what else to do so I just kept going- they were probably thinking "what the heck?"... at least it gave me some good motivation for the rest of my run! :)

I really, really liked running there. The trail is asphalt so it's better for my joints than running on the concrete sidewalk I usually run on, there were TONS of people out (even after I passed the part of the trail where the racers were) so I felt really safe, and there was a lot to look at to keep me from getting bored to death. I saw:
-a bunch of ginormous mansions
-people kayaking
-a sailboat race,
-a group of chubby ladies hula-hooping (my favorite- I couldn't help but smile)
-a fitness bootcamp with their instructor yelling drill sergent style
-a police officer every few minutes
-fishermen
-a dog park
-a million other runners/bikers/walkers/rollerbladers

So if you live in Dallas I highly recommend you go check it out!

I LOVE this time of year!

2009-10-03T22:14:00.004-05:00

We got the Halloween decorations out, it is cool enough outside to turn off the AC and open the windows (at least for today), we had Chicken Brunswick Stew for dinner, and Thanksgiving and Christmas are right around the corner.

I love, love, LOVE it!!

Chicken Brunswick Stew from Southern Living

*we loved it- but it's really "oniony" so you might want to put less of them in if you're not a big fan. And it makes TONS- so I froze about half.

Ingredients
5 cups chopped onion
6 (4-ounce) skinless, boneless chicken breast halves
2 (14.5 oz) cans no-salt-added cream-style corn
2 (14.5 oz) cans no-salt-added diced tomatoes, undrained
1 (14.5 oz) can no-salt-added chicken broth
1 (12 oz) bottle chili sauce
1/4 cup butter or stick margarine, cut into small pieces
2 tablespoons Worcestershire sauce
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
2 teaspoons dry mustard
1/2 teaspoon freshly ground pepper
1/2 teaspoon hot pepper sauce
*be sure to use the hot pepper sauce that contains whole peppers packed in vinegar rather than the red-colored sauce.

Directions
1. Place onion in a 4- to 6-quart electric slow cooker; top with chicken. Add corn, tomatoes, broth, chili sauce, butter, Worcestershire sauce, vinegar, mustard, pepper, and pepper sauce; stir well. Cover with lid; cook on high-heat setting 1 hour. Reduce to low-heat setting, and cook 6 hours or until chicken is tender. Remove chicken; shred and return to stew. Ladle stew into bowls sprinkle with additional pepper, if desired. Yield: 9 servings (serving size 1.5 cups)

Per Serving: CAL 302 (22% from fat); PRO 21.6 g; FAY 7.5g (sat 3.6g); CARB 38.8g; FIB 4.6g; CHOL 58mg; IRON 1.6mg; SOD 1,216mg; CALC 51 mg

We're Moving!

2009-09-29T08:40:00.001-05:00

To Houston!

Scott's company is opening a new office in Houston this December- and he is one of the guys moving there to get things going. We're SUPER excited since we have so much family there! I'm especially excited to get to see more of my cute nieces and sweet little nephew,

and Scott is especially excited about this step in his career. It looks like we'll be moving sometime around December 19th...just in time for Christmas.

Marathon Training Update

2009-09-28T08:42:00.005-05:00

I'm still planning on running the Dallas White Rock Marathon on December 13th. I'm really excited about it because over 10,000 people will be running and the route goes through nice neighborhoods so I think the combination of atmosphere with so many people doing it will make it easier.

I'm getting to the point in training where my Saturday runs are getting pretty long- this weekend I had to do 10 miles. So, I either had to drive around and "plant" water bottles along where I'd be running, or get some sort of hydration belt. I went to a store called Run On! in Coppell and they were SO helpful! I ended up with this belt by Amphipod:

I love it because I can turn the bottles horizontally, slide them around the belt, and the belt is totally adjustable unlike other ones they had. The bottles pop in and out really easily. I started with it around my hips but after a mile or so it started moving around. I stopped and tightened it and wore it right around my waist and it didn't move at all... I was surprised! I felt pretty dorky running around with water bottles strapped to me- but hey, at least I felt good! :)

A Happier Ending to the Car Drama

2009-09-28T08:17:00.002-05:00

Scott is so smart- on Saturday he rolled the windows down then un-did the fuse that controls them so the car guys couldn't roll them back up. The car passed since having windows that go up and down isn't a requirement and they couldn't see that they were tinted. It just stinks that we had to pay another $40 to get the inspection done again... but at least we didn't have to get the tint taken off.

Thanks for all of your nice comments- they really made me feel better :)

Two "Too Bad" Car Days

2009-09-25T12:13:00.003-05:00

The past two days have been so frustrating that I just want to abandon my car somewhere and start taking a bus.

It started yesterday morning when I went to leave for work at 6:40am and one of my tires was totally flat. So I was late to work because I had to stop at a gas station and put air in the tire so I could at least make it there. 3 of my tires were pretty bald and Scott and I were planning on having them replaced within the next two weeks anyways, but I ended up doing it yesterday. After I called each place I would look up the type of tire and read reviews on it. I went to a Discount Tire store because they gave me the 2nd to lowest price with one of the better quality tires. I was so proud of myself for handling this all by myself because normally my dad, or now Scott, would do something like this for me.

On the phone the guy I talked to said they were really slow and that he'd have me out within 20 minutes. So I got there and showed one of the guys the type of tire and price I had been quoted on the phone and he said that was the wrong price. After over 30 minutes of us going back and forth with prices and me almost leaving because he was trying to tell me I was going to have to pay $150 more than the price the guy gave on the phone he finally "found" a tire that was in the price range I wanted. It was so frustrating! What was the point of calling all the places if they don't even give you the right price? I will never forget to get the name of the person I'm talking to again.

I was at the tire place for over an hour and a half. A few hours later I left to go pick Sarah up from school (she's in 5th grade). A cop and I passed each other going the opposite way, and then in the rear view mirror I saw him make a u-turn, get behind me, and turn on his lights. I was thinking "what the heck???" I was going UNDER the speed limit! Officer Wormley (the grossest last name ever) said he was pulling me over because "this (as he pointed to the sticker in the bottom corner of the windshield) is expired". I thought he was talking about the registration, which I just renewed for 23 months last month... but unfortunately he was talking about the inspection. My car has only been registered in TX since last summer- until then it's always been in FL. I didn't know this when I got pulled over, but last summer Scott took my car to get an inspection. I thought newer cars didn't need inspections. I told the stupid cop all of this and asked if I could just have a warning because I didn't even know I was supposed to get it done and his response was "don't lie to me"... can you believe that??? Well at this point I was just so frustrated because everything that happened that day had been building on each other so I just burst into tears- and then he laughed at me which made it worse. So I was late picking up Sarah which really stressed me out, but at least she didn't care. I hate Officer Wormley.

So today I went to get my inspection. I spent another $40 on the dumb car to have the guy come in and tell me that it failed because one window is 4% too dark. I was just like are you serious?!?!?!?! Can't you just be a little bit nice and give me a flippin break? I mean- why did I have to get an inspector guy who does his inspecting job so thoroughly?? :) So now I have to go to a window tinting place and have them take the tint off and then go back to have the inspection done.

Sorry to go off on a big rant but I just needed to get this all off my chest! It was just way too many irritating experiences, combined with spending a lot of money, all tied to my car for a two day period! :(

Real Beauty

2009-09-22T11:54:00.001-05:00

I saw these on Cheryl's blog and thought they were both really interesting

Project Runway

2009-09-04T15:32:00.002-05:00

Remember that fun shoot I did for a local designer- Shirin Askari? Well the season of Project Runway that she's on just started 3 weeks ago- and so far she is doing REALLY well... she's won two weeks in a row! Here is a link to her site and her is her Project Runway profile. The show comes on at 10pm Thursdays on Lifetime.

The Cutest Thing I've Seen in Awhile

2009-08-25T10:06:00.003-05:00

Last week I had off of work so I went to Houston for a few days. It was really fun to take a random trip like that- I felt like I had WAY more time to spend with everyone!

I had ordered a baby gift from my mom, and while I was there picked it up. Aren't these the cutest little things ever??

She has more pictures of other design options on her website and Etsy store. Since their computer crashed, I doubt she's had time to add these ones though...so you can just contact her or place a "custom" order on Etsy!

One Year and Counting

2009-08-10T18:53:00.012-05:00

So it has been an entire year since Scott and I tied the knot on 08/08/08!

Scott went all out for our 1st Anniversary celebration and knowing I love surprises kept the entire thing a secret. All he told me was that we were going out of town and what sorts of clothes I needed to pack. I could tell he really put tons of time into researching different places to go and had it all planned out perfectly for us- from stopping to get the bagel I love from Einstein's on the way there to having everything timed out just right... he is such a cute guy! So here's how our weekend went:

We left a little after 7:00 on Saturday morning. I still had no idea where we were going. After we'd been driving for an hour or so, Scott told me that first we were going to the San Marcos outlets in between Austin and San Antonio. We each had an "allowance" to spend- and I was SO excited. I hadn't been shopping in a long time and it was a much needed trip! :) After the outlets, we were headed to the San Antonio River Walk where we would have dinner and stay the night.

Scott told the Marriot it was our first anniversary before we got there, and they were nice enough to upgrade us to a better room with a balcony overlooking the river. Here's the view from our room:
While I was getting ready we had the door open so we could listen to the live music from outside- it was such a fun atmosphere.

A limo came and picked us up from the hotel (I hadn't been in one since prom) and took us to Boudro's.
They're known for their meats, and their yummy guacamole that the servers make fresh at your table for you! Here we are in the limo:

And at our table:

After dinner we walked around the river and got ice cream. We both loved it there!

I was so proud of my short hair fitting into a side bun and then I didn't remember until the end of the night when it was all messed up to have Scott take a picture:
The next morning we enjoyed sleeping in and then took a boat tour before heading home in time to watch Design Star.
It was such a fun weekend- we really needed a little "getaway"! Scott kept joking that he had to make it a great trip because he had to give me a reason to stick around for a second year... and I think I just might!

An Action-Packed 4 Days

2009-08-06T20:30:00.007-05:00

Wednesday-Saturday of last week were quite busy for Scott and I... we had three groups of out-of-town guests come!

First, on Wednesday, was my dad and Scotto. My dad had a business meeting in Dallas in the morning so they made a little man-trip out of it :). After work Scott (Miller) and I met my dad and Scott (Miner...having two Scotts is really confusing sometimes) at the copy-cat restaurant of Cafe Rio.

It's a place called Costa Vida and the menu is EXACTLY the same- including the sweet pork! Afterwards they came back to our house with us and watched a movie.

Then, on Friday, one of my favorite friends, Whitney, from BYU came to Dallas! Her husband had been working in Tyler, TX all summer, and they just started their road trip back to California where they're from. We went to eat at one of my favorite Mexican restaurants, Chuys. I just love Whitney so much and it was so fun to have them stay with us!

The last set of out-of-towners was Scott's family. Again, I failed to take any pictures. We went here

and here

and finally, here

Let's just say we were really stuffed by the end of the weekend :)

I think I have a new addiction...

2009-07-28T20:59:00.006-05:00

it's photoshop. Since buying it in April, I really haven't played around with it at all. I finally started looking at some online tutorials about an hour ago and look what I just did!!!:

Ok what about these ones of Scott and I (we went to downtown Fort Worth last weekend and loved it- it's a whole other post I need to do :) I followed the instructions on fixing the lighting and tones or something- I don't really see an improvement.
Before:

And after:

There is more to come- I promise :)

Photo Shoot for One Talented Girl

2009-07-08T17:59:00.013-05:00

Two weeks ago I had a little photo shoot for a local designer's website (the girl in the pic above). When I arrived bright and early for hair and makeup (5am on a Saturday!) I found out that she was recently on Project Runway! Her work was AMAZING and very practical in my opinion- her designs will flatter most figures and are really unique without being so outrageous that the average person would never wear them. So watch for this adorable up-and-coming girl, Shirin Askari (www.shirinaskari.com). She's in the cycle starting sometime in August.

Look at how neat her stuff is... I couldn't believe she made this skirt BY HAND!

Here's another dress of her's I loved and she also designed all of these cute hats and hair accessories:

And these pictures show two more outfits:

The photographer, Don Mamone, was really great and SO easy to work with- he does lots of weddings and I highly recommend him to anyone in the Dallas area (I'm pretty sure he's also willing to travel)! :)
www.donmamonephotography.com

Happy Father's Day

2009-06-21T11:33:00.007-05:00

Happy Father's Day to my dad who...

-always got us candy bars in the morning before school
-helps me with my resume
-always took me to Urgent Care when I'd wake up crying in the middle of the night with an ear infection (this happened a lot as a little kid!)
-was always so goofy that all of my friends loved him
-proofread my papers for school
-let us live off of fast food when mom was out of town
-took me and Mack to Discovery Zone on Saturdays
-ran my first race with me
-drove me to and from college before/after each semester (24+ hour drives)
-always works hard to make sure everyone in our family has everything we want and need.

I love you dad and thanks for everything you do!

First Overnight Guest

2009-06-15T18:22:00.007-05:00

This weekend was another first for Scott and me- we had an overnight guest who isn't a relative...although he practically is a brother to Scott!

Kevin is Scott's best friend and has been since they were kids- they grew up together in Katy, Texas. From what I hear, they were always getting into typical boy-trouble together. Kevin was Scott's best man at our wedding, and this weekend was the first time we've seen him since last Christmas.

Kevin makes really good bread and brought us a loaf of cinnamon-raisin-walnut bread. It was SO good. I think it's pretty cute that this 25 year old army guy makes bread (yes ladies, he's still single ;)

Friday night we out to eat at a Japanese restaurant- I love those places. Not only is it entertaining to watch them cook/put on a show- but the food is SOOOOOO good. I always eat WAY too much and feel miserable afterwards... but it's worth it.

Saturday we hung out at the pool and then that night went to a Jazz festival in Colleyville and stopped by downtown Historic Grapevine.

Thanks for coming Kev- we had so much fun with you!!

My Favorite Lullaby

2009-06-10T22:03:00.005-05:00

Yesterday I heard this song on a Disney CD of lullabies- and I don't think I've heard it since the last time I watched Dumbo as a kid (a different version though). I just love it and think it has the sweetest lyrics. I thought I'd share it since it seems like everyone is having babies these days! (Marci's little Preston, and then Mitzi and Melia are both having boys this fall :)

If the link above isn't working- try this one

Tour of Our Dallas Apt.

2009-06-07T18:26:00.006-05:00

I just got off the phone with my best friend, Amanda, and she reminded me that I still need to post pictures of our new place. We barely finished getting the 2nd bedroom put together and just replaced our TV about a week ago too. We feel pretty settled in now though!

Living Area

My sewing/art table- one of my favorite spots in the whole place!

The other side of the "office" :)

Our room

My make-shift vanity

Pictures from the BIG Event

2009-06-05T17:29:00.003-05:00

Here are some pictures from my big presentation- the one I gave in front of over 1,000 people! (I hope I never have to do that again!) Unless of course I get another $5,000 :) If you missed my posts on my experience with BYU's Business Plan Competition you can click here, here, here, or here!

Update on Pink Coconut Designs: I still need to learn how to use Photoshop before I can move on. I need to be able to change the colors of the plaques around before I have them mass produced in Asia. Once I have that all figured out, I need to give my website a makeover and then launch it all!

Giving a summary of my business plan:

And, being presented with the big check:

The Newest Member of the Family- Preston Michael

2009-05-27T18:39:00.005-05:00

We had so much fun in Houston this weekend. It is SO nice to be a quick 3 1/2 hour drive away! It did take us much longer than that because of holiday traffic... but we're still not complaining. I have to say my favorite thing about Preston is his stylish hair. It looks like he got a haircut or something- it's short on the sides and back and then long on the top. Marci just brushes his hair after his baths and then it goes all messy looking on its own- he has just got natural style I guess!

Here are some pictures from this weekend- some of them I stole from Marci (as usual)...thanks!

giving Miss Adeline a manicure and pedicure- complete with flowers and butterflies:

Scott and I with Preston (Scott joked that we should use this pic. for our Christmas cards)

Preston and I at Grammy's house on Memorial Day

Scott teaching Ella how to play "Paper, Rock, Scissors" sorry his eyes are only half open :)

Getting "Preston Sugar" at Marci and Mike's house

Welcome to Texas

2009-05-25T21:39:00.002-05:00

Here's what we saw on our way to Houston on Friday and I just had to take a picture through the window- only in Texas!

Getting Acquainted

2009-05-22T09:47:00.002-05:00

Scott's office had a "happy hour" last Friday so all of the employees could get to know Scott and the other 9 new guys at his office. There were yummy appetizers and free drinks which didn't apply to us... it was fun getting to meet the people he spends his days with. Who you work with makes such a huge difference on how satisfied you are with your job! :)

Tomorrow after work we're going to Houston to meet baby Preston!

A New Favorite: Mooyah

2009-05-21T21:34:00.003-05:00

So Scott and I pass this little burger joint on the way to church and were wondering if it was any good. Then at work, two of Scott's coworkers said that the burgers from Mooyah are better than In-n- Out... so then we had to try it.

Everything was really really good. I'm not sure if it's better than In-n-Out though, because I haven't had a burger from there since last October. Scott liked Mooyah better because you can "customize" your burger. Check out their website to see if there's one anywhere near you- it's worth the drive ;)

Happy Mother's Day!

2009-05-10T09:32:00.007-05:00

Happy Mother's Day
to my mom who always puts her family before herself,
who would sit with me as a child when I was sick and play with my hair and scratch my back,
who made treats for my class at school, soccer team, etc.,
who always made my Halloween costumes and helped me plan my dream birthday parties,
who taught me the study skills I used through college,
who stayed up with me all night after I broke up with my first boyfriend,
who is always there to confide in and get advice from,
who always encourages and supports me in everything I do.

Thank you so much for being such a great mom!!

We Made It

2009-04-30T23:28:00.006-05:00

One of the ways I plan on spending all my new free time that won't be spent doing homework and studying (yay!!) is to update my blog more often and stay on top of everyone's blogs as well.

Graduation itself was pretty boring- as my family can attest... but the rest of the graduation weekend was so much fun. It's always fun getting together with family- especially when we don't get to see each other all that often. We ate at our family favorite, Cafe Rio, after the graduation ceremony and then everyone was so great with helping us pack. Thanks you guys! Here are some picture from graduation- they aren't that great and I wouldn't post them if they weren't the only ones I have to document our "special occasion". Those hats and huge tent-like gowns have to be the most unflattering things to wear ever!

By Saturday night we had everything all packed up...even the bed... but Scott said his air mattress was at least a full size one. Close to midnight when we went to blow it up, we sadly realized that it was not a queen or full- but a TWIN-sized air mattress. We tried to sleep on that, since we had accidentally packed all our pillows but one, and all but one thin blanket. It was freezing, (it was snowing while the guys were loading up the truck) and that combined with us not really fitting on the mattress didn't get us off to a very good start the next morning. Thanks to energy drinks we made the 13 hour drive to Hays, Kansas where we both got a great night's sleep and then made it to Dallas the 2nd day in 8 or 9 hours.

We're pretty much unpacked and settled into our new place and LOVE it here! It is warmer, our apartment is better, we love the area, etc. I thought the stuff on the mantel looked really cute- and then when I uploaded the picture everything- especially the little red clock- looked so small. What do you think? I'll take some more pictures as soon as we have things more set up. I'm SO excited to be within driving distance of family too- I'm planning on going to Houston the weekend after Preston is born to help Marci with him and the girlies- it will be so nice to be there for exciting times like these!

Two Full Fridays and One Long Post

2009-04-13T13:07:00.007-05:00

It's been awhile! I'll start with two Fridays ago (the 3rd)... it was a FULL but fun day!

It started out with a rehersal for the BPC (Business Plan Competition) final event where I presented my presentation.

Then I was on to the Founders' Conference Luncheon. Every year BYU has a Founders' Conference for all of the people that have donated large amounts of money to the Center for Entrepreneurship. The Founders are all people that went to BYU and have now "made it big" with their own businesses. So on the 3rd there was a luncheon for many of their wives, and these are the ladies that donated my prize money. The food at the luncheon was SO yummy, and they had a guest speaker present "How to Host a Mocktail Party"- that was fun too. I had to give my presentation to all of these ladies- and at the end when I was thanking them for their generosity I started crying! I started crying hard too. I was all "it would have taken me so long to get to this point without the money you donated to the program"... I'm not even sure if they could understand me. But afterwards I got some hugs and some of them placed orders so I guess they didn't think I was too unprofessional for crying to them! I don't think I would have cried if the men were there though. :)

After the luncheon I had to go to the BPC'S final event that went all afternoon. Here the teams for the main, big BPC competition were presenting their final presentations and getting questions from the judges. It was really fun to watch/listen too. There were over 1,000 people in the auditorium... I'm SO GLAD my final judging was in front of less than 10 people! After the groups went I had to give my presentation again. Lucky me went through 3 microphones and 2 power point clickers! They all kept breaking on me. That is by far the largest group of people I have had to speak in front of! At least when I was done I was presented with one of those HUGE checks. :) That was pretty exciting.

After that Scott and I went out to eat with Natalie and Jared and their cute kiddos. We ended up hanging out at their house all night long (and inheriting more artwork, throw pillows, etc.- thanks Nat!) because they were leaving the next day to go out of town for 3 weeks. We'll only see them one more time before we move- so sad!

Ok, so now onto last Friday (the 10th). I went to Dallas to look at some places to live- my parents and Hope took me to look at some apartments and I ended up signing a lease!! The apartments are in the Las Colinas area which Scott and I feel like is right in the middle of things. All around the apartments everything was nice and new so I'll feel safe there too. :) The picture below is of the model (I stole it from their site)... but the apartment we got is EXACTLY the same. It is actually right on top of the model. We love it because it is on the top floor so no one will bug us from above, but no one will be under us either so we don't have to worry about being quiet. The building our apt. is in only has 4 apartments on each floor, so we'll only be sharing one wall with a neighbor.

Anyways, that's the craziness that has been going on around here. It is such a relief to have our housing situation all figured out- and hopefully my job too. We hope everyone had a great Easter yesterday!

Happy Birthday Scott!

2009-04-01T13:28:00.003-05:00

Today Scott is 25! April Fool's Day is a pretty fun day to have a birthday. :) Here's to my sweet, witty, thoughtful, intelligent, humorous, and selfless hubby...
HaPpY 25tH biRtHdAy SCoTt!

Seriously, it's pretty much April

2009-03-31T01:00:00.003-05:00

I checked the weather just now and this is what I found:

This is so annoying, I don't know if I can take it anymore! I'm so sick of being freezing cold and having to put on 50 layers of clothes just to go get the mail, and the streets being full of gross brown slush that makes driving the scariest thing ever, and my shoes getting ruined from the salt, and seeing cute spring clothes being advertised everywhere while I'm still wearing Uggs everyday!! I mean- everyone else is enjoying nice weather, and we're stuck here still having stupid snow storms. When I leave here in four weeks I'm never coming back unless it is between the months of June and August... I think that's the only time of year Utard is safe from snow.

Thanks for letting me vent :)

Poor Annie

2009-03-30T11:26:00.003-05:00

Natalie sent me this picture this morning- this is how she found little Miss Annie when she went to check on her while she was in time out.

And the Winner is...

2009-03-27T00:49:00.003-05:00

PINK COCONUT DESIGNS!!! Can you believe it??

Here's part of the letter I got:

"Congratulations to . . .

PINK COCONUT DESIGNS!!! The WINNER of the 2009 BYU Home Based Business Plan Competition.

Thank you all for thoughtful and very professional presentations. Each one of you exhibited passion and excellence in your ideas, solid answers to the challenges, and a realistic capability to perform on your plans. I believe the judges responded to Pink Coconut Designs in a consensus, because they seemed best poised to implement their plan quickly and effectively."

The prize is $5,000, and I'll get the award next Friday (the 3rd) at the Founder's Conference Luncheon, where I'll give a shorter version of my presentation. Then, later in the day I have to (actually I don't mind that much :) give a third presentation, this one even shorter.

Thank you to all of you who said little prayers for me today, because I was so CALM!... which is pretty impressive for me considering that I feel like dying when I get called on to say the prayer in Sunday school!

I will keep everyone updated on what happens next! :)

Color Issues

2009-03-24T14:25:00.005-05:00

So I finished Taylor Jane's plaque... and am SO frustrated after trying to take pictures of it!!! I tried everything- taking pictures outside in all sorts of light, using all different flash settings on my camera, etc. The colors look so much better in person! The darker pink has a purple-ish tint to it in the pictures. And the letters in her name are a bright apple-green, and they look mossy in the pictures.

This picture shows the colors of the letters best:

But this picture shows the colors overall a little better (it's still no good though):

I'm a Finalist!

2009-03-23T16:29:00.004-05:00

This is a little late- I found out on Friday. I'm so excited though! This Thursday I give a 15 minute presentation to the judges, and then they can ask me questions about the business plan. I'll be presenting sometime between 10:00-11:30, so please say a little prayer for me!!

I needed some more samples to bring with me, so I made this new design over the weekend... it matches Miss Taylor Jane's room, so after I'll paint her name on it.

Cross Your Fingers

2009-03-19T20:26:00.003-05:00

I turned in my business plan on Tuesday...wish me luck!

Now Scott Needs...

2009-03-08T22:07:00.003-05:00

Scott and I just did the same thing with his name as we did with mine below- and his results were even more hysterical!

1. Scott needs nude models. hmmm. I wonder why!?
2. Scott needs to ask himself how he would have handled an officer who put concerns for a friend over the demands of a job. Then he needs to punish himself. yea- he really does.
3. Scott needs a new liver. that's too bad.
4. Scott needs a real serious butt chewing. I'm not even sure what that is :)
5. Scott needs a ride. this one is a little boring.
6. Scott needs to decide who to spend his life with. I'm confused- I thought he already decided that in August???

Kayley Needs...

2009-03-06T13:35:00.003-06:00

I saw this on my sister Marci's blog and had to try it! You google ("your name" needs) and post the first six. They're pretty funny to read!

Scott and I haven't been up to much at all- just swamped with school stuff. I'm entering BYU's Home-Based Business Competition and that is taking up a TON of time too! It will be SO nice to be done with school FOREVER!!! (for me at least. well-at least for a loooong time)

1. Kayley needs extra help in any areas due to her being a preemie. sad

2. Kayley needs to know you love me and this has not been a casual fling but a long-term relationship. getting juicy...

3. Kayley needs to enter the Forbidden Forest to rescue the sword and save the kingdom. interesting.

4. Kayley needs to make numerous trips to the doctors and hospital for her condition that's too bad

5. First, Kayley needs to regain her strength and enjoy her agility competitions and dog shows next year. again, interesting.

6. Kayley needs to be at school um- not really.

wow I feel smart

2009-03-01T17:26:00.002-06:00

Last spring Shade had a big sale at Provo High School and I bought a few things there. It was outside- so you obviously couldn't try anything on, and clothes were just organized by size. There was this one black short-sleeved shirt that I got, and it never fit quite right. The fabric was always all bunching and puffy around my stomach. I kept the shirt anyways- and every now and then wear it under things.

Now, almost a year later, I got to a review session and the TA is wearing the same EXACT shirt in brown- but she's like 5 or 6 months pregnant. All the sudden it all made sense- and I felt like a moron for going around wearing maternity clothes.

Dallas, Texas... HERE WE COME!!!!!!!!

2009-02-25T19:58:00.006-06:00

I'm SO EXCITED right now I can't even contain myself! Scott got a job in Dallas!!! It was nice to have the Idaho one as a back up- but we are just so ecstatic about Dallas! My family lived there for a couple of years when I was in elementary school and we loved it! The company is Texas Wasatch Group (the go by TWG) and Scott will be a personal-lines insurance broker. The founder of TWG graduated from Harvard Business School and was a Director (Senior Partner) at Bain Consulting- and is also LDS. The pay is great and we'll only be a few hours from family... how much more perfect could this be??

I did it...I actually chopped it off!

2009-02-24T20:56:00.003-06:00

By the time I got to my appointment at 3:00 I still didn't know what I wanted to do. But I figured... it's just hair. It will grow back. It's really not that big of a deal- it's not like I'm getting a boy haircut that will take forever to grow back. So I went for it. I love love love the girl that does my hair. We've become friends and have done things outside of the salon so she really knows me. I'm convinced that is the key to a good hairdresser- since she knows me and my personality and everything it's like she can read my mind! If you live around Provo and want to give her a shot at your hair- she's Charisse at the Metropolitan Salon on University (right around 200 N). Anyways... here's my new do!

Hair Help Please

2009-02-23T22:11:00.002-06:00

Sorry for posting so much in the past 24 hours! I need some opinions though... I've been thinking about getting my hair cut now for a looong time. But- I've been "growing it out" for such a long time that I'm worried if I cut it I'll end up regretting it! The style I'm thinking of going with is the long bob- pretty much like what Marci just did to her hair. That way it'll still be long enough to pull back and everything. I need help quickly though- my appt. is tomorrow (Tue.) at 3:00!

Some Inspiration

2009-02-23T14:27:00.005-06:00

I LOVE this room...everything about it

Scott the Manny

2009-02-22T22:11:00.007-06:00

In the past few weeks Scott and I have gone over to the McQuarrie's to babysit a couple of times. Natalie needed someone to watch the kids on Saturday morning, and since I couldn't Scott went instead. He was a little nervous to have all three of them by himself...it was his first time watching them alone. He was asking me for tips on what they like to eat, the girls' nap time routine, etc. the night before :) Apparently he had nothing to be worrying about because things went so well he is now going to watch them a couple times a week!

The kids love him because they have so much fun when he's there- he plays with them until they're completely worn out! He chases them and throws them up in the air pretty much the entire time (that's something I will only do for about 5 minutes before I'm ready to move on). Here are some videos from Christmastime of Ellie being thrown... and sorry I could NOT figure out how to rotate the clip- it was so frustrating!

Last week Natalie gave us two pieces of artwork that they weren't using anymore. We LOVE them! They have made such a HUGE difference in our house. Here they are:

The one in the kitchen is our favorite! We're both really going to miss Natalie and Jared and their kiddos when we move :(

Doherty Lecture

2009-02-12T22:41:00.004-06:00

For one of my classes I could get extra credit if I went to this lecture by William J. Doherty. I went just for the extra credit- but ended up really loving the entire thing! If you don't know who he is, you can click here...apparently he's a pretty big deal :)

So here's what I have to say about his FaBuLoUs lecture:

The topic of William Doherty’s lecture was “Parenting Wisely in a Too-Much-of-Everything World”. He started off by discussing how things move down. The example he gave was with limos. Years ago if someone got to ride in a limo on their wedding day it was probably their first time being in one. Then, getting a limo for prom became common, then getting one for a sweet 16, then for a 7 year-old kid’s birthday party, etc. I got picked up for a limo for a friend's birthday party... I think she was turning 11 or 12?

We watched a clip from the Today Show in which a family with three kids had eight activities combined on Wednesday nights. The issues that Doherty pointed out about this are that there is no “whole family” time, no eating dinner together, no feeling of belonging and being loved by an entire group, no sibling interaction, and no learning of social skills that occur during unstructured play/activities that don’t occur during structured times. He pointed out that the parents’ response of being happy with a day like this proves that over-scheduling is a social norm.

Some interesting facts that Doherty talked about are that time in religious activity is down 40%, family vacations are down 28%, two-thirds of teens and 30% of preschoolers have televisions in their rooms, one-half of American families have the TV on during dinnertime, and that children in families that eat meals together three times a week or less are two-and-a-half times more likely to be over-weight or obese in childhood. Another fact I found interesting was that family mealtime influences academic achievement more than school, studying, sports, church, or art activities.

My favorite part of his lecture was when he talked about how we need to treat our children more as little citizens that are expected to contribute (i.e. chores, doing their homework so the teacher doesn’t have “dumb the lesson down” the next day in class) than as little customers. He said our goal is not to win-over our kids and make them like us. Doherty said that it doesn’t matter if our kids hate us during their teens because we don’t let them do things their way- but that it matters more how they’ve turned out by the time they’re 25.

I think this is so true! And sorry mom for giving you such a hard time when I was a teenager!

A Financially Fabulou$ Friday

2009-01-30T16:15:00.002-06:00

Ally & Tygh - 1/24/2009

2009-01-25T22:06:00.006-06:00

Yesterday my really good friend, Ally, got married and last night Scott and I went to her reception. She & Tygh have been good friends since she was 14! At the reception there were a bunch of pictures of them together when they were both really young- it was so cute.

When I first moved to Utah I had a really hard time finding nice girls. Ally was the first girl that I met here who is really just a genuinely great person. She is so sweet and beautiful both inside and out. Tygh has a lot of the same qualities as Ally- he's one of those people who you can't help but like right when you meet him.She looked so gorgeous yesterday and she & Tygh were so happy- Scott and I are trilled for them :)

Here is one of their engagement shots:

Here they are cutting and eating their cake (Tygh smeared it ALL OVER her face... but I was laughing too hard to get a picture of that):

The bride and me:

Scott & me:

Pizza & Movie Night

2009-01-18T16:12:00.005-06:00

Last night Scott and I had our friends the Camps over (Tyler and Nina) for pizza and a movie. They're both from Houston too :) One of my goals is to be better about taking pictures of actual activities (I'm good at taking pictures of our place or of things I make)... but once the fun started the picture-taking stopped. Therefore, the only picture you get is of the table before they came over. We served a feta cheese salad with the pizza shown, and a pineapple, Canadian bacon pizza. The Camps have a larger movie selection than Blockbuster, so they brought over a bunch and we watched Catch Me if You Can. It was a fun night!

Cute and FREE Blog Templates!

2009-01-17T15:20:00.009-06:00

This site had some REALLY cute ones as well

Meet Lulu

2009-01-10T18:23:00.008-06:00

So it's been quite awhile since I've posted! Scott and I had a GREAT Christmas and loved spending time with our families and relaxing. It was so warm there that we didn't even care that it was gloomy most days. I finally read all of the Twilight books and am in love with them- I just got over wanting to be a vampire :) I'm mad at myself because I went the entire trip without taking ONE picture... but Marci documented our visit pretty well- thanks Marc!

So now we're back in snowy Utah with 4 months until we graduate... WE CAN'T WAIT! I'm a little nervous about this last semester because I'm taking 20 credits on campus and then a 3 credit class online. I've never done anything close to that, but I've also never gone to school without having a job before. I'm no longer a nanny for the McQuarries- I just don't have time.:( I'm now a TA for one of my old design professors for a whopping 3-4 hours per week!

Anyways- on to the purpose of this post. I talked about the dolls my ward is making for our Bishop's trip to Africa (for the story click here). I took what Scott and I had started of our doll to Houston with me, and finished her with all of my mom's fun supplies. Her dress is made out of a fabric that is like a really really thin raincoat (I don't remember what it's called) so that she'll be easy to clean off! When she was complete my mom and I were in love with her and my mom thought she looked like a "Lulu".

Here is Lulu hanging out in our white chair:

I made her some bloomers and our Bishop told us that the little girls like it when the dolls have a heart. :) I really wish I could be there to see the girls get their first dollies!

Tomorrow Lulu is coming to church with us and I'll have to leave her there so they can get her ready to go to Africa. I have to admit that I'm kind of attached to her now. I hope she makes someone happy!

Our Elf Dance

2008-12-16T20:49:00.003-06:00

After watching the elf dance that Marci made of their family for the millionth time I decided to make one for Scott and me. It's not as funny as theirs' though :)

Send your own ElfYourself eCards

Rocks vs. Dolls

2008-12-14T21:31:00.004-06:00

Our bishop and his wife are part of a humanitarian group that goes to Africa every February. I guess a few years ago when they were there the little girls in Kenya had rocks wrapped up in rags that they were carrying around as their baby dolls... I was so sad when I heard that! I think my favorite things ever when I was younger were dolls- I asked for a new one every year for Christmas. But there's good news- since that year the group has organized other groups of people to make dolls for these little girls. So tonight Scott and I went to an activity at our church to get started on the dolls. It was so much fun- and making her clothes and hair and face will be even more fun! Scott spent a lot of his time making the doll this little necklace made out of sea shells... it'll be cute. Here are some dolls they had to show us as examples:

If anyone would like to make one, let me know and I'll copy my pattern for the body and mail it to you. They're super easy and really cheap too.

So It's Been Awhile

2008-12-11T00:53:00.004-06:00

I've been super busy recently because the semester is wrapping up- but by next Friday it will all be over! Here's our update:

Last week Scott got a job offer for the position in Idaho Falls- so the chances of us moving there are much higher now. But there is still another semester of recruiting to go so we'll see what happens there.

I tried to trim some of my hair that looked really unhealthy... it was just supposed to be a few hairs and then all the sudden the left side of my hair was about an inch shorter than the right. I tried to fix it but it was just getting worse, so I stopped and had Charissee fix it. She knows what she's doing and I don't, so I'll never try to trim my own hair again! Except for bangs- I can do those :)

I finally made a Design-her Gal (I've been wanting to ever since Stacie posted about hers) a little bit ago and here she is:

So what do you think? Does she look like me?