Because I can't survive without the crazy.

Apparently, simplicity is not my thing. I shouldn't be surprised, though -- why else would I go out of my way to make things I could just buy, take on multiple home reno projects at once, and spend a bazillion hours every day trying to squeeze in every last errand/workout/snuggle? I guess it's time to embrace the madness. And January looks to be just the month for that.


I'm sure glad Scott has a great mind for conciseness and simplicity -- and that he loves me enough to put up with me! I know I sometimes drive him nuts with my compulsive need to complicate things, but he is so patient. I sure hope his patience is eternal, because after January 28th he'll be stuck forever. We are getting married!


(cute picture taken by my sis)

I feel so lucky to have Scott. He is sweet, gentle, and smart. He loves his kids and is a good daddy to them. He works hard and loves to take care of people. And he is super-determined to make this relationship last forever. So, while the prospect of getting remarried is sometimes overhwhelming (especially w/ stepkids!), I am really excited and optimistic. I think we'll make a great team.


And, just to make things even more interesting....I'll be making another huge change in January --namely, quitting my job at the credit union and going to work as a full-time dental hygienist (FINALLY)!! I am SOOOO nervous, but am really excited at the same time! My job at AFCU has been great to fall back on and keep the bills paid, but it's also been a crutch. Changing things up scares me, and since I've had a decent job I haven't pushed myself as hard as I should've to find the one I really want. I think this will be really good for me, despite my anxiety.


So you see, I just can't keep things simple. I think my mind would explode without some degree of madness in my life -- and since I can't have that, I'll just have to embrace it whole-heartedly!

Empty

That is what my apartment is right now. Totally empty. All that's left to do is scrub the bathtub and the kitchen floor and leave my keys with the neighbors, and then I'm out of here for good.

It's so weird and echo-y in here without all of my stuff. I've lived here for four years and had everything decorated and organized just exactly how I wanted; packing everything up and hauling it away has been strange and jarring for me. My emotions are starting to surface, and admittedly I am procrastinating just a bit. Endings can be hard, and change isn't always easy.

But this will be a good change. I'm moving on to a whole new, awesome stage in my life. Well, for now I'm moving into Andrea B's basement.

But then I'm moving on to this guy:



And on to these guys:



And on to a dogged determination to get it right this time around.

My apartment may be empty, but my heart is full. <3

Today I Felt Like Super Mom...

...even though I'm not even a mom. :)

Scott brought his girls over this morning so he could go to a meeting, and Aimree (9) was stressed because she couldn't find her shirt for church! I was working on a lesson for Relief Society, but since church doesn't start until 1 p.m. I knew I had time to come to the rescue.

It's times like these when I'm especially grateful for my excessively large fabric stash.

I used the t-shirt Aimree wore yesterday as a pattern and whipped up this cute tee (cutie?):







She loved it, and it went great with the skirt she and I made a few weeks ago.

The best part? It only took about 30 minutes. I had to ask the girls to do their own hair, but I was able to finish my lesson and get to church on time -- makeup on and everything. :)

Giant Chess

Last weekend Andi and Steven were here, so we went to the Scera to play giant chess. There's a huge "chess board" on the south side of the theater, and you can check out the giant pieces from the concessions stand for free, as long as you get there before 9:00 p.m. (Maybe I shouldn't be telling you all this; I don't want it to get too crowded over there!) Steven and Scott were, of course, the strategists. Andi and I mostly just had fun moving the pieces and making strange noises, and admiring our dudes' sexy intellectualism. The Jakemans ultimately won...but that's the most fun I've had losing in a long time!

Bittersweet

Today is a happy-but-sad kind of a day for me -- I just said good-bye to Rocky.



Rocky was my car. My parents bought him brand-new when I was a junior in high school, and my then-five-year-old sister chose his name. I have no idea where the name Rocky came from. About four years ago, I bought him from my parents. Since he's been in the family for so long I feel like I'm losing an old friend. It'll be a good thing, though; I've been anxious for an upgrade for a while now -- something with fewer miles that needs a little less TLC. Still, I feel like my security blanket is gone. I'm venturing out into the frightening realm of used car shopping, with nothing to fall back on.

I'm also walking to work today.

Hungry Mungry

If you're familiar with Shel Silverstein's kid-friendly poems (I qualify that because some of his poems are...umm...), you'll know what a "Hungry Mungry" is. Or just picture Scott's kids, and you'll probably still get the idea.

I'm not kidding. For three little kids, they can sure chow down! And lately they've been spending a lot of time at my house during their every-other-weekend visits, which means I'm fighting to keep my fridge full. We easily go through an entire gallon of milk and a dozen eggs in two days when they're here, and between the five of us (Scott, me, and the kiddos) we can put away an entire large pizza in just minutes. They eat as much as I do -- sometimes more!

But the best part is when I let them do the cooking -- like a few weeks ago, when Aimree wanted to surprise her dad with a "secret recipe" for dessert.

This is the secret recipe:



Giant marshmallows, dipped in melted chocolate, then rolled in sprinkles until they become an explosive, sugary-crunchy conglomeration of tooth-rotting wonder.

Silly kids.

One kitchen tradition I've really come to enjoy with them is our Sunday morning muffin-making. Because Scott has Elders Quorum meetings on Sunday mornings, the kids usually sleep at my house on Saturday nights. I like to do something fun for Sunday breakfast when they're here. Muffins are easy, and the flavor possibilities are endless, so I really can't go wrong there. The kids love to help, too, so it's fun for all of us!

This week, we made two pans of banana-chocolate chip muffins....and proceeded to eat all but 3 of them by the time dinner rolled around. Madness. Good recipe, though:

Banana-Chocolate Chip Muffins

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup firmly packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups (3 large) mashed ripe bananas
1/4 cup milk
1 teaspoon vanilla
2 eggs
2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/4 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup miniature chocolate chips (I think I used half a bag of regular-sized ones)

Heat oven to 375. Line 12 muffin cups with paper baking cups. In large bowl, combine margarine and brown sugar; beat until fluffy. Add bananas, milk, vanilla and eggs; blend well.

Add flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; stir just until dry ingredients are moistened. Stir in chocolate chips. Fill prepared muffin cups 2/3 to 3/4 full.

Bake at 375 for 20 to 25 minutes or until toothpick inserted in center comes out clean. Cool 3 minutes; remove from pan. Serve warm.



Hmm. Same plate, same spot on the counter, same angle...I need to work on my photography skills.

The kids all said these were their favorite muffins so far...as if I couldn't have guessed!

Do you have a favorite?

Utah Valley Half Marathon

It happened over a week ago, but I still want everyone to know that I ran the UVHM! This was my second half marathon, and will hopefully be the first of at least three this year...assuming I can figure out what's wrong with my foot! During my final long run before the race, I did something to my right foot. After that, it hurt every time I ran -- but not badly enough to stop me!

On race day, I felt fine -- sleepy, but fine. I got up at 2:30 that morning so that Scott and I could be on one of the first ten buses up the canyon. One lucky winner on each of those ten buses would win a new pair of running shoes from 26.2. We didn't win, but it was still fun to get to the starting point early and watch the thousands of people arrive. It was seriously so packed -- what an adrenaline rush! Scott was using this race as a training run for his upcoming half Ironman, so he ran with a different (much faster) pacer than I did. The weather was perfect, and the scenery was beautiful...but the course was SO HARD (seriously, Becky, I am so amazed at your time for the full marathon -- I'd have died)! Maybe because I was running on the road, or because I need a new pair of running shoes, or maybe because at about mile six my foot started to feel like it was crumbling, but I'm not kidding -- this was WAY harder than the first half marathon I ran!

By the time I crossed the finish line, I was completely hammered. Scott had come in almost 40 minutes ahead of me and found me in the crowd. When he asked me how I felt, I almost started sobbing. I was that exhausted and in a ton of pain. It was several days before I could walk normally, and I slept for at least two with an ice pack on my foot. I had some x-rays taken, but the doctor said he didn't see any fractures -- just some swelling. It sure didn't feel like it was "just swollen"! We'll see what the coming weeks of training bring.

All in all, I guess I shouldn't be too disappointed with my finishing time of 2:27:32....but initially I was. This was about 20 minutes slower than I'd aimed for, and about 10 minutes longer than my first half marathon. There will be others, though. By the end of the year, I hope to do one in less than two hours!

Oh, and I only have one picture from the race. Scott took this one of me at the finished. I look super-angry, don't I? I think it was mostly just the pain and exhaustion, but I was pretty annoyed at the couple in front of me. They stopped running and started WALKING before we even crossed the finish line! Should have passed them when I had the chance...

Andi's Wedding Dress

So, my little sis, Andrea, got married two weeks ago. Ah, what a beautiful day...and what a beautiful dress she wore, if I may say so myself. I hope it's okay for me to be so pleased with (okay, proud of) my work. Though I've sewn pretty much everything under the sun, wedding dressery was uncharted territory for me up until then. Andi didn't want just any dress, either -- she actually wanted a two-in-one of sorts: a long, elegant, 1940s-inspired gown that could convert into a shorter dress suitable for swing dancing. And she knew how she wanted every last detail. It's super-tough to sew for someone who has such a specific vision but little experience with sewing/designing, but I think I pulled it off nicely.

I just wish I had good pictures to show you.

Good pictures -- that's what I've been holding out for. Steven's sister took a ton of pictures (like, official ones) at the temple and the reception, but is taking a while to get them to me. I'm kind of getting super-impatient -- one of my more prominent character flaws -- so, for now I'll just show you some random snapshots I took myself. I was just tagging along behind the photographer, so these are sorta lame pictures, but hopefully they'll give you an idea of what the dress looks like. I'll post some real ones later.







These just show the "long version" of the dress -- it's actually a knee-length dress with a long skirt over the top. I probably won't make another wedding dress for a while (I hope), but I am so happy with how Andrea's turned out!

Table Cover

I just finished a super-cute, fitted cover for my kitchen table. I got the idea from Ilona a couple of years ago and have been dying for one of my own. About a month ago I was at Quilting Cottage in American Fork, and spotted the perfect fabric -- vintage green, polka-dotted, vinyl-coated cotton. It was about $15/yard...kind of expensive, but totally worth it. Not only is it adorable, but spills wipe off easily, which is especially nice when Scott's kids are visiting.

My table is small -- a 36x48" oval -- so I didn't need a lot of fabric. I think I bought about a yard and a half. I started by draping the fabric, wrong-side-down, over the table. I used a pencil to trace around the table's edge then cut, leaving 1/2" for a seam allowance.



To make the cover fitted, I cut a long strip 6" wide and sewed it around the edge of the table-top piece. I graded and notched the seam allowance (to reduce bulk) then edge-stitched around the top so it'd lie flat.





Finally, I sewed a 1/2" hem around the bottom.



Ta-dah!



I love it, and it was so easy to make!

A New Smile

I've always been self-conscious about my teeth. Even after three years of braces, I never loved the way they looked -- until now. I had Dr. Larsen put veneers on my front six teeth and am thrilled with the results! Everyone says I smile bigger and all the time; who could blame me, though? I probably sound like an infomercial for cosmetic dentistry, but having a beautiful smile makes me feel beautiful all over -- haha!

Here's my smile before...


...and now!




Happy. :)

Happy Spring!

Today was so great -- a whole day off with fantastic weather. I worked hard and accomplished a ton! I finished a mock-up of Andi's wedding dress. I ran 6.5 miles. I finished a new spring wreath for my front door. Maybe this will encourage Mother Nature to play nice -- I'm tired of pulling my freshly-potted flowers inside every night!

Conference!

I think there are few things I love more than watching General Conference at home in my PJs. And with last night's snowy surprise, today is the perfect day for that...and the perfect day for a delicious, homemade breakfast. Enter my favorite cinnamon rolls:



Light and fluffy, buttery and cinnamon-y, and loaded with gooey cream cheese frosting. Yum.

Cinnamon Rolls
2 cups hot milk
1/2 cup shortening, melted
1/2 cup sugar
1 tsp salt
1 Tbsp yeast
3 eggs, beaten
4 to 4 1/2 cups flour

1/2 cup butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 teaspoons cinnamon

Mix the hot milk and sugar together. Add the yeast and wait for it to blossom, then add the shortening and salt. Stir in the beaten eggs and 1/2 of the flour. Add the remaining flour, 1 cup at a time, until a soft dough forms (it will be very sticky, but that's what makes the rolls so light and fluffy!!). Cover the dough and allow it to rise until doubled in size.

Roll dough out onto floured surface. Mix the butter, sugar and cinnamon into a paste, and spread it allllll over the dough (all the way to the edges). Roll up and cut with a string or a piece of dental floss in 1 1/2" widths. Place on greased cookie sheets and allow to rise again until doubled in size.

Bake at 350 degrees for 10-15 minutes. Makes 12-18 rolls, depending on how big you like them. :)

Cream Cheese Frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
1 package cream cheese
1 teaspoon vanilla
2-3 Tbsp milk
powdered sugar

With an electric mixer, cream the heck out of the butter. Add the cream cheese and beat it well, too. Stir in a bunch of powdered sugar (yeah, I don't know how much), and add the vanilla. Add the milk, then additional powdered sugar as needed. Spread on hot cinnamon rolls and watch it ooze everywhere.

Double-yum.

Perfect

Today was the first Saturday off I've had in quite a while, so I had to make the most of it. After a grueling run on the treadmill, I started making a pattern for my sister' wedding dress, which I intend to make completely awesome. Then I spent most of the afternoon in Salt Lake with Scott. We ate authentic German food at Siegfried's-- super-fantastic. I must say, I never knew that wienerschnitzel is nothing like a hot dog, or that I would love rotekraut (red cabbage sauerkraut) so much. Siegfried's is like a deli/grocery store combo and has some really neat things. I couldn't leave there without my own jar of rotekraut, some European chocolates, and a bottle of gooseberry & kiwi jam -- which, consequently, is amazing.

After Siegfried's we spent a couple of hours perusing antique shops, then headed back to Orem for a Utah Flash game. I love basketball games, but I get so distracted from the sport itself. I love to people-watch, and spent most of the game making silly faces at a little boy in front of us. When the game was over, we wrapped up the evening at my apartment by eating ice cream and finishing Julie and Julia (we started it last night but both fell asleep).

I can't believe how much we packed into one day, but it was seriously awesome -- one of the best days I've had in a long time.

For Baby Tessa

I just finished a dress for my friend Traci's little girl. I used Traci's wedding dress for the fabric, and I am so pleased with how it turned out:







Also, on Sunday I made a fun breakfast for Scott's kids. We had heart-shaped pancakes and I set each of the kids' plates with a little Valentine's Day surprise.

Cute T-Shirt

I made this shirt for my little sister for Christmas. Well, I didn't actually make the shirt part....I could have, were it not for a time crunch and a severe case of lazy. Instead, I bought a long-sleeve tee from DownEast and just played around with it.



When I was finished, I almost went to the store to buy Little Sis a Christmas present, so I could keep this one for myself....

(P.S. Sorry for the lousy picture; I took it with my cell phone.)

A Couple More

Hello again! I know that Christmas was basically eons ago, but I wanted to show you two more of my holiday projects. I had so much fun helping a friend of mine make gifts for his kids.

The first was this car roll-up:



Cute, right? Wish I could claim this as my own idea, but I actually found the instructions here.

We also made the awesomest of awesome Santa presents...a tee pee for my little bud Charlie:



This bad boy was super-easy to make -- it only took us about three hours! You can find the full tutorial here.

Now that the holidays are over, I'm trying to get back to some of my own projects (I've always got heaps of them). This morning I finished a bathroom shelf makeover that I started back in July:



I found this shelf on KSL for $10 bucks. ugly, ugly, ugly! But I needed some more storage in my bathroom so I figured it was worth a shot...



Ba-da-bing, ba-da-boom! What do you think? A little bead board, a little paint, a little something-something to dress it up...I'm really happy with it -- and glad to be done! Time to mark that one off my list and move on to the next!