Remember when I used to post a lot?

What happened to those days?  I dunno.  I miss those days though.  Looking through old blog posts and remembering that I used to write and blog about all the things we did and the places we went and the things we were doing.... I got sad because I don't do that anymore.  Well- I am going to try and change that.  I am going to write about us more.  I am going to make a new commitment to tell our life story more regularly.  So- here is what has been going on the last little while:

A couple of weeks ago we were in the mood for waffles.  Of course we didn't want to MAKE the waffles, so we went to IHOP to indulge.  While we were waiting for our food, we played the "see who can push the sugar packet across the table and get it to hang off the table the farthest without the packet falling or flying off the table" game.  We haven't played that in a long time.  I won... SEE:  

It was a fun time.  We enjoyed our breakfast for dinner.

I love to paint my nails and I haven't been posting about my latest "designs"... so- here are a couple of designs from the last couple of weeks:

About a week and a half ago we had one of our cats (Spock) come into the house to visit us one evening.  We haven't had them in the house for quite sometime but we let them mill around for an hour or so in the evening.  Well- I decided to let Spock spend the night in the bedroom that night.  We were petting him and Harrison noticed that his back paws were in bad shape.  It looked almost as if a few of his claws had been ripped out.  OUCH!  They were bloody and very painful looking.  Well we decided that he was going to be an inside cat while we let his paws heal up.  Well- he is LOVING the fact that he is now an inside cat.  He is quite well behaved too!  He sleeps at the foot of my bed almost the entire day and night... unless he is sleeping in the bay window downstairs, the chair at my sewing machine table, or waking me up at 5:30am when my alarm goes off (he is in my face and mewing until I get up).

I have also been doing a few sewing projects.  I have finally overcome the fear of my sewing machine and I have really enjoyed the feeling of accomplishment when my projects turn out AMAZING!  So- here are some before and after shots of my new kitchen and dining room curtains.  I am quite pleased with them:  **DISCLAIMER:  There isn't the best lighting in the kitchen/dining room really EVER so these pics are pretty crappy looking but you get the picture (oh- and don't mind the dirty dishes in the sink... hey- we live here and we are kinda messy)

And last but not least- we have decided what we are going to do with our NASTY and beyond repair parquet wood floors.  I saw this idea via Pinterest.com (my new fav social networking site) and I about died with excitement.  Paint the wood floors!  So simple... so awesome looking... and about a tenth of the cost of replacing the floors!  So- Harrison practiced in the downstairs coat closet.  Now- these are NOT the final colors for the kitchen/dining room... BUT they are still awesome!  We are however using the chevron pattern.

Now I know there are a lot of peeps that will see this and think... HOW COULD YOU DO THAT TO WOOD FLOORS??!!  But folks- we can do what we want!  Ha.  But really- the floors cannot be repaired or refinished.  So- we decided to paint them.  Its a great idea.  It really is.

Oh- and one more thing.  I am reading the most wonderful book.  I have been feeling sort of different lately and kind of weird.  I couldn't really put my finger on it until about a month ago.  I decided that I needed to be happier.  I don't really feel depressed but I just feel unhappy.  I feel like I could be a much more positive person and an overall happier person if I just set my mind to it.  So- I went to Barnes and Noble the other day to look in their self-improvement section.  I haven't read "self-help" books since I was a teenager and read 7 Habits for Highly Effective Teens  and Chicken Soup for the Teenagers Soul and other LDS self-esteem books.  Anyway- I thought I might find some good reads and something inspiring.  Well- I went straight for the "H" section to see if I could find something on Happiness.  Well- a book jumped right out at me.  It is called The Happiness Project.  It has been a wonderful book!

I am about 1/3 of the way through it.  I have highlighted the CRAP out of it too!  There is so much good stuff in it.  All sorts of ways to become a happier person... to become your best self.  I am very much enjoying it.  I suggest everybody read it.  

Well- I think that is a good update for now.  I am going to be better at posting about what the heck we are up to in our "daily" lives and not just what we did for birthdays and vacations.  I miss blogging often.  I guess I just felt like we weren't interesting anymore.  Well- I was wrong.  We are totally interesting!  We are awesome!  We are blog worthy! 

Search for the missing song

So I decided to switch my songs from Myspace (yeah, it's still around) to Soundcloud. Soundcloud is a much better set up and seems a lot better. But anyway I started looking for the three songs I had recorded on my computer recently and I was only able to find two of them. Which is troubling because you may remember this post where Jaala is laying down her vocals, and it is clearly on my laptop.

 But for some reason that file is nowhere to be found. It seems to have vanished into thin air. And of course Myspace is so esoteric that there is no clear way to download it from their site.

At any rate, things are going well in the therapy/grad school world. I had a meeting with a fellow student this evening for a project we have teamed up on and we were able to talk about some troubling things about our lives as well as come up with some pretty awesome sounding ideas for our project. All in all, even though we stayed an extra 3 hours at school it was fun.

A girl, a sewing machine, and an hour to spare.

So what is a girl to do with an hour on her hands, a sewing machine, and an old shirt that her husband is getting rid of??  Well, I will tell you.  You make a cute pencil skirt out of it!  That's what!


I found this really awesome tutorial and thought to myslef, "Self- you need to stop being afraid of your sewing machine.  You need to stop being afraid of messing up and failing.  You need to just get down and dirty and start a fun project and see where it takes you!"  So here it goes:

Harrison's shirt that was in the donation bag

I chose this shirt mainly for the pockets.  The pockets were the coolest part of the shirt.

And viola.  This is the finished product.  A very awesome pencil skirt!  I really am in  love with it.   

I learned a couple of lessons though.  The biggest was seam allowance.  One of the lessons of a beggining sewer I suppose.  I used one of my favorite pencil skirts as the pattern and I didn't even THINK about making it a little bigger to "allow for seams"... so when it was all said and done... the skirt was too small.  It doesn't fit around my large and in charge buttox.  Oh well- I know for next time.  I am going to send the skirt in the mail to my skinny sister though :)

Well folks- find an old mens shirt and give it a new life! 

Harrison time

As part of the student loans we will get in the fall there is a stipend for a new computer. The computer Jaala uses is as old as our marriage and is finally beginning to show its age. Jaala has decided she wants a laptop, but now the question is which computer will fit her computer usage style better.

or

Jaala is close to choosing a Macbook air for its cool factor, quickness, and portability. I know this is a first world problem but does anyone have any advice for switching over to macs or not switching? or any other pertinent information.

embarrassing

Thankful Thursday- Special Edition

This week's Thankful Thursday will be dedicated to one thing and one thing only.  Two days ago (July 5, 2011) my entire family became a forever family.  What does this mean you ask?  Well, earlier this year my parent's were able to adopt 3 beautiful children and added them to our family.  Plans were made and they were sealed to my parents for time and all eternity in the LDS Jordan River Temple in Utah.  They were sealed to my parents in the very room that my parents were sealed to each other in exactly 28 years ago.  What an amazing anniversary present, huh!

What a great day for our entire family!  Our eternal family went from 9 to 12.  The above picture shows 11 out of 12 family members.  Our brother, Charlie was not able to attend the sealing... since he is in the United States Air Force and was not allowed any leave time from his station in Washington State.  We missed him greatly.  However, it is pretty amazing that we were able to have 9 out of 10 children present.  The best part of the day is... we were able to get permission for our ENTIRE family to be present in the temple together.  All 11 of us were able to be in the actual sealing room.  Now that was an amazing thing.  To see our entire family (minus Charlie... wah) dressed completely in white was such a powerful and amazing thing. 

I am thankful for my membership in The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints.  I am thankful for the knowledge I have of the Plan of Salvation and the knowledge and belief that my family will be a family FOREVER... not just until "death do we part".  This knowledge gives me peace and comfort.  I am thankful for my entire family and the opportunity to be in the temple with all of them.  It really was an amazing thing to be a part of. 

What are you thankful for this week?  Tell me in a comment!

Love ya all!

Just call me Martha... well... almost

Well- about a month ago, Harrison texted me an awesome picture.  He had my brand new Bernina sewing machine in the back seat of his car.  Now this isn't just any sewing machine you see... Bernina is a very respected brand in the world of sewing and I would venture to say that it really is the best brand out there on the market today :)

Anyway- this gift was made possible by SO many people.  Harrison set up a gift fund through my facebook and email account.  He sent emails to all of my friends and family letting them know that I would really like a sewing machine for my birthday this year.  Well- the generosity of my dear friends and family was overwhelming.  With their help, Harrison was able to purchase my machine.

I got the machine and set it up and.... got scared.  WHAT AM I THINKING!?!?  I was so afraid that I would mess it up or break it.  I have taken a few classes to "get to know" my awesome machine (actually they call them "sewing computers" now... give me a break) and I really am enjoying it!

I have made ONE project so far :).  I made a really fun garland for my fireplace.  I had thread and I had felt pieces... so here is what I came up with.

I hope to start getting brave and actually making REAL things.  Let me know your ideas.  I would love to hear them :)

Thankful Thursday

Well- it's been a really freakin' long time since I have posted a Thankful Thursday.  I believe it is FAR past due.  So here we go:

~~Antibiotics... yeah- with a fever and cough and a job and no extra money... working for a Dr who can prescribe the Z-Pack is pretty awesome.  Whatever has been ailing me for the last 8 days seems to be almost gone!

~~Kitty Antibiotics... well we have had 2 sick kitties the last week.  Although very expensive, I am thankful for medicine for our feline friends to get better (even if it does look like gravy in a little bottle.... eewww)

~~My Mother... I finally got my AWESOME birthday sewing machine and my mommy has been a lifesaver!  She is the best seamstress I know and she has a bazillion times more knowledge about such things as I do... so she has been so helpful.  I am sure she is tired of me calling her every 4 hours with calls such as "I zig-zag stitched for the first time" and "I oiled my machine for the first time" and "I plugged my machine in for the first time" and "I jammed my machine for the first time"... (I sound like a first time mother calling everybody raving about the first time their kid poops for the first time). 


~~Crystal Light Energy... this strawberry goodness has really helped me ween off of the Cherry Coke again.  I need more water and less soda... but I can't give up the caffeine.  Viola!  Crystal Light Energy has been the solution.  Only bad thing- I need to remember not to drink it like an hour before bedtime.  Otherwise, bedtime doesn't come until like 3am.

What are you thankful for?  Leave me a comment and share with me!

Nice day for a PICNIK

So- I found this site called PICNIK and I am in LOVE!  I am not a huge tech-savvy gal... but sometimes I just want to add things to photos and dink around with them.  Harrison is a wiz at Photoshop but I really get overwhelmed with it if I have to do more than crop something.  Well- this site allows me to do the things I want (like point to something and tell you about it) with a few easy steps! YAY!  So- this is what I have done with a few photos today.  

I love home decor.  I wish I had all the money in the world to do everything I wanted in my home.  I troll a few blogs and sites for inspiration on home decor.  Here are a few (of hundreds) photos that I particularly love and with the help of this awesome site... some notes on why I love them... enjoy.

The best part about this site... for the most part it is FREE.  There are some "advanced" and "REALLY cool" features that you have to be a subscriber for... but for the things I want right now... it's free.  You don't even have to register for it... which I think is the COOLEST part.  No giving your DOB of middle name... or first born for that matter.

Charnae and Dayle

My sister Charnae was married to her sweetheart Dayle a couple of weeks ago in the Las Vegas LDS temple.  They asked us to take some photos of them at the temple after the ceremony.  We were delighted to do so.  Below are some of the photos we were able to take.  What a great day!

Cat Scratch Fever??

Can you hear the Ted Nugent tune in your head??  Well anyway-  We felt so productive last Monday when we got all of the yard cleaned up. (PS- there were a total of 11 bags of debris that went out to the curb on trash day.  I totally forgot to take a picture of it though).

**DISCLAIMER**  I am about to post pictures and write an entire blog entry about sick felines.  I know this will make a lot of you roll your eyes (especially my mother I think) since some of you couldn't care less about pets... much less ours.  But- this is what has been taking up a lot of our time (and money) lately so I am posting about it.

So Monday night I felt a bit weird.  My chest felt tight and I had a bit of a cough.  I just figured that it was because we worked so hard and I got more of a workout than I originally thought.  Well- I went about my day and soon we found that there was a visitor in the computer/craft room.  Spock had made his way back into the house and was sacked out on the chair.  Well- the cats have been outside cats for about a year now.  Last summer they decided to pee and mark their territory with each other on things like the bed, my purse, our nice sleeping bags, and the corner of the living room.  Well... they have been banished to the outside.

I went to see what was up with Spock and realized that he had a very stuffy nose and he started sneezing like crazy.  Well- we deduced right away that he was sick with a kitty cold.  Harrison and I figured that he picked up the awesome sickness from his visit to Animal Control the week before.  

In the meantime- I had a full on fever and cough myself.  WAH!!!

So, off to the vet we went on Tuesday.  Spock wasn't very happy about getting into the little kennel and taking a trip.  He cried most of the way.  After a check up, IV to bring his fever down, and an antibiotic prescription... we went home to let him rest and recover. 

It took a couple of days for the little guy to get some energy back.  I bet he felt like King of the castle for a week.  He was able to go wherever he wanted and stay inside the entire time. 

There were lots of naps this week.

The vet told us to make sure he had really stinky food while he was getting better.  If the cat can't smell the food- he won't eat.  So our kitchen has smelled like tuna, salmon, trout, and crab cakes for a few days.

Finally- the cat started to eat again.

Well- Spock was finally feeling better.  One of the reasons we kept him inside for a couple of days was so that he wouldn't hang out with this brother and get him sick.  Well- we came home from church yesterday... and... Dude was laying next to the front door looking pitiful.  He was sick too!  So- we took him inside and gave him some of the antibiotic as well.

Dude made his sick bed on top of my truck at first.

Both kitties slept together that night to comfort each other.  It was pretty cute to look at.  For the first time in a year they were able to be inside together without tearing each other apart or the house.

So I kind of forgot what it was like to have cat inside.  Once feeling better, they have decided to get back to their "cattiness".  They like to get into our faces while we sleep... walk between our legs as we go up and down the stairs (almost causing terrible falls), meowing incessantly until we either pet them or give them "treats".

Dude asking us to wake up.

I am also feeling better.  I love working for a Dr who can prescribe meds.  I have taken an antibiotic for a week along with NyQuil and Mucinex and TONS of ibuprofen.  I am feeling about 80% better today! YAY!