What We've Been Up To

I realize the frequency of my posts has been seriously lacking this year. So here is the reason....are you ready for this? Two words yard work. I know crazy. First of all we do so much of it in our "spare" time that there has been little time to do other things, and second of all that's really what we have been up to. I keep telling myself if we do all this work this year it won't be so much next year. I know it's not good to lie, but please for now just let me believe this little white one because I may not make it otherwise! When we moved in, we didn't really understand just how large our yard is. At first glance it doesn't seem that big, but once you start having to weed every square inch, well almost, then it grows exponentially. Previous to us living in the house it was lived in by a widow who was not able to do a lot. She kept it up as much as she could, but for a few years it's been getting more and more wild, then this last year the house was empty. So we are making up for a lot of years of work that just didn't get done. Anyway, to the fun part, before and after pictures. I have to warn you though, we haven't got to the planting part of the plan yet, so you may not be too impressed! I just thought you all might like to know why I dropped off the face of the blogging world. Note: This is just the back yard, there is one more thing to do in the front then I'll post before and after.

This last Saturday we spent the better part of the day and really got a lot of things cleared out. Today Steve got up early and took this load of green waste to the city green waste place! hopefully we are getting to the end of it for this year.

They're Off

Today is the first day of school and I am officially alone. How do I feel about this? I do not know yet. We'll give it a few days to process, maybe a few years and then I'll let you know. The girls were excited and couldn't wait to get going. With their back packs full of school supplies I sent them off. Here are a few pictures.

Juliana and Kathryn

Happy 24th

Today was a first in our hose. Steven ran his first Marathon. He ran the Deseret News marathon this morning. He did an amazing job. He ran it in 3 hours and 20 minutes! He was only 10 minutes shy of qualifying for the Boston Marathon! I am so proud of him, and really glad that he is still walking! Here are a few pics.

Another one "bites" the dust

Really I should way two more bit the dust. Today the girls each lost a tooth. This is number two for Kathryn and the first for Juliana. They have been just hanging on for several days, so I decided that is was finally time to get them out. They are excited and were very brave. Here are some pictures.

Juliana

Kathryn

Our House

Here are some pictures of our new place. I know it's taken me a while so I hope you didn't give up hope.  The pictures start on the top floor and go down. Enjoy.

Hair Today Gone Tomorrow

For about two years, the girls have wanted Rapunzel hair. So we let it grow and grow. Recently they have been complaining about snags when I brush their hair. I just told them if they wanted to cut their hair then there would be a lot less knots, and snaggles. Each time I mentioned this, I got a chorus of no. Until a week or so ago, and they said, "Okay." Much to my surprise, and happiness. They have, or I should say had, beautiful hair, but I am not good at doing hair. When you have long straight hair, and no talent for doing cool braids, it just hangs there most of the time in the way. So we found some one to cut it and this morning the scissors came out. Here are the befores and afters. It was actually long enough to donate to Locks of Love, and the girls were excited to do it. We sent the package off this afternoon.

Kathryn and Juliana

I Am Me

A question. Why is it that some days who you are seems pretty good and acceptable, then other days who you are is not enough? Why the up and down? Is it really necessary? Is it inevitable? I am certain that I am not alone in my vacillation of self-love. Today is a loving day. I ran into a neighbor this morning who was just about to start a run. She trains for marathons. A lot of days I would think I should train for such a thing and get down on myself for not having any motivation to do so. I hate running really. Never have loved it, and I doubt I ever will. Today I wished her well and was glad for her, and happy for me that I wasn't training for a grueling all day event. (All day if you are me because that's how long it would take me to complete a marathon.) So I am wondering how to repeat these self-love days more often. I get a lot more accomplished and my family reaps lots of rewards when "momma is happy." Any advise? Is it just a matter a mucking through and enjoying the good ones? So I hope you are having a self-love day today and if you aren't you could write or call because I would love to hear from you.

A moment of stardom

Today I became a star, or at least as close to one as I am ever going to get. Thousands of people heard my voice over the waves of the radio. Last Wednesday, the radio show Car Talk called our house and I described a problem I was having with our car. It all started a few weeks ago when I decided to get on Car Talk. Steven doubted it would happen, but I gave it a try and voila it worked. I called them and left a message, they e-mailed, and said when they would be calling. Then after the call they e-mailed to say that I may or may not be on  the show. Yesterday I received another e-mail congratulating me that I would, in fact, be on the show. I was caller number seven. It was fun, and really not that hard. So the lesson here is to just give something a try even if you don't think you have a chance. If you didn't catch the show and would like to, you can go to their website and download a free pod-cast, but not until after 2:00 pm eastern time today.

Update

So we did get a house, not the house referred to in the post below but a house. It's in a great location and we are very excited. It's just down the street from where we live now, so the move won't be so bad. Stay tuned for pictures and exciting adventures of inspections, and signing our life away to a bank!

Being a Grownup

I know, I have been a grownup for a while now, or so people say. I have children, a budget, I volunteer at the school. Today marks a new passage into adulthood for us. We are officially making an offer on a house!!!! It's a long shot, and by long I mean pretty long. But it's still a huge deal, at least for us. I remembered this morning and gave out a cheer. Steve was not so excited, I think it feels like a really huge commitment and he's not sure he's been able to  see everything out there. He has a little OCD when it comes to shopping for a big purchase. He likes to see and review all options. With house buying, it doesn't work that way, because there is always something new on the market, well at least in the market as it stands now. Well there it is. We are getting all grown up. Yikes!

Hats

The girls have been begging me to be able to "stitch" something. For Christmas they got a couple of projects that they could "sew" together. They loved it. The activities consisted of pre-punched felt shapes, yarn and a plastic needle. So I have been trying to think of a different type of project that would create something useful and not just another thing to pick up off the floor. I remembered I had a hat loom. So when we were at a craft store the other day, I let them pick out some yarn. This weekend they each got to make a hat. They were so excited, and I was very impressed with how well they did. Here's some pictures of the final project.

Kathryn

Juliana

An Invitation

I was just sitting here missing people. So I thought I would throw out an invite. If you are in Utah this summer please give us a call. I know a lot of you out there come to visit at some time during the year. We would love to see you. Also, anyone living in Utah, don't sweat it. You're invited too. We are happy to be closer to family and if you ever need a get away, just come on over. So hotel Nordstrom is officially open. It may be changing location soon, if we can find a house to purchase, but no matter where it is you are always welcome. So if you are in state, or in town let us know. 

Growing Up

Sunday night marked another passage of time here at the Nordstrom house. Kathryn lost her first tooth. I can't really wrap my brain around it yet. It doesn't seem that long ago that I was watching for each one to come in so I could write down the date!

Destiny

I think I have discovered the reason we needed to live in Nashville. Well two actually. Before revealing what they are I want to make a disclaimer and say that despite the answer to this question I love you all back there, and really you rank higher than food, but at this moment I can't help it. Okay it's BBQ and cole slaw! I know it sounds dumb, but those of you who know, know that I am not crazy. We made pulled pork and coleslaw on Sunday and I just had the left overs for lunch. It's so good. Now for those of my readers who live in the west let me explain a couple of things. BBQ (I am abbreviating because I hate spelling it out) does not necessarily have BBQ sauce. In fact, it is my opinion that the greatest BBQ does not. It is lovely slow cooked meet with tones of great spice served up with a fresh side of slaw. Now another thing, slaw is not mayonnaise based in the south either. Well maybe some is, but again I think the best stuff is vinegar based. There is nothing like spicy pork and cool slaw together. It's a great marriage. It ranks with chocolate and peanut butter, mashed potatoes and gravy, a good cheese and baguette, well you get the picture. It's heaven. But until I ventured into the great lands of Nashville and Goldsoboro NC, I had no idea they existed. Sad huh? This is where, if I was a good blogger I would have a beautiful photo to show you, but the BBQ and slaw is all gone. Maybe next time.

I finally caved

So last week I finally joined facebook. Steve had been on me to do it, and I had received numerous invitations from friends. So I did it. I had no idea how great it would be for my psyche. Really within 24 hours I had 100 friends. Steven was astounded at how fast my friend count rose and I was excited to check each time I got on the computer. Now if you look at it truthfully many people just added me so they would have one more friend too. They are all people I know, but it is still strange to be connected with some of them. The flip side is that I have found some old friends that I haven't talked to in several years, and we have been able to reconnect. It has been so great. It also left me wondering. Is it all healthy? Would these people have ever thought of me again if I hadn't popped up on facebook? Can I keep up with all these new additions to my friend box? Will me dreams get normal again and not include strange versions of past life? So many questions so few answers. I do want to promise that my blog will not suffer. It's still where I keep the highlights. I know, the way I've been posting makes my life seem pretty boring huh! I just haven't been real good lately. Well I need to go. Good day.

Altitude

There was a time not so long ago that I was a good cook. Most of the things that I tried to cook turned out well if not down right nummy. I thought that I was just getting better and my skills were improving through practice. Not so. Since returning to Provo my cooking skills have hit a wall in the most important section of my cooking; desserts. Desserts that I have had success with previously. I have started to doubt my ability, then suddenly it hit me tonight as I ate yet another failed dessert that had the right taste but horrible consistency. It's the altitude. Do I really need to re-learn all my recipes and constantly look for high altitude directions for recipes that I find? What a bother. I looked at Steven tonight and said, "Can't we move back to Nashville and you find somewhere else to work?" I know it's prideful. I just want my cooking to be normal again. I really don't do well with failure in the kitchen, it's something I'm working on, but as of yet haven't learned to deal with. Any suggestions?

Pay It Forward

The Rules:
1. Be one of the first THREE bloggers to leave a comment on this post, which then entitles you to a handmade item from me - something crafty or yummy, who knows?!
2. Winners must post this challenge on their blogs, meaning that you will Pay It Forward, creating a handmade gift -anything!- for the first THREE bloggers who leave a comment on YOUR post about this giveaway!
3. The gift that you send to your Three Friends can be from any price range and you have 365 days to make/ship your item. This means you should be willing to maintain your blog at least until you receive your gift and have shipped your gifts. And, remember: It’s the Spirit and the Thought That Count!
4. When you receive your gift, please feel free to blog about it, sharing appropriate Linky Love!

If you are not one of the Top Three Commenters on this post, you can still play along. Go ahead and start your own Pay It Forward chain, and encourage your blogging friends to do the same! SO, REMEMBER... it is good... :) Pass it forward.

Late post

As you have noticed, I have been delinquent in posting lately. So this post should have happened on January 6. It would have been more funny, witty, and pointed, but as it's the 22 of January it might not be so entertaining. So I'll start with the circumstances. On January 6th we were in the middle of the longest storm I have ever lived through. It wasn't blizzards, hail, or sleet, just snow coming down hard for two days straight. I had shoveled, Steven had shoveled, the neighbor had shoveled, and still the drive way was never completely clear, ever. It even got to the point that the snow bank on the grass was so high, I couldn't throw the snow up and over it. I resorted to just scooting it over to the side and leaving it there. So on this particular day I was out shoveling when I noticed one of the neighbors cars that had not been driven, it was almost completely buried in the snow. I realized how crazy and really ridiculous it all was. I was doing something that was absolutely futile, and yet necessary at the same time. Not only was I doing it, but I had been for several days, and there was no telling how long I was going to have to keep doing it. So I started to really talk to anyone who would listen up stairs. This is where the post would be better, but it's been a while, and my bitterness has faded, and the snow did stop, I can see the street again, and it no longer takes me 30 minutes to drive 3 miles. You may wonder why this post now then? I read my friends blog this morning. She lives in Denver, it was 71 degrees yesterday and all the snow is gone. So I am feeling slightly bitter. There is no excuse, I know that there are places that are much more cold and have way more snow, but it was only 1 degree last night when we went to sleep. Also, we are now suffering from and 4 day long inversion that is horrible and killing us all. Cue the rain, it will clear up the inversion and the snow, and wow we might make it back up into the 40's! I remember when the 40's were clammy and cause for celebration. That's when I lived in Rexburg, and it snowed almost every year in April on Graduation, mine was no exception. Why am I complaining? I did not move to Rexburg, I was not prepared for a winter like this, and to tell it truthfully I miss my balmy humid days of yore. There it is. That's all I have to say at the moment. Now enjoy the pictures from January 6.

This is the driveway right after I finished shoveling.

The snow bank on the side of the driveway.

The buried car.

Still smiling, it's fake believe me.