if i were really skinny...

Little house update.

2012-02-03T11:34:00.007-07:00

Since my house is somewhat clean, I thought I would take a few blurry, poorly-lit photos to document our progress in the adventures in decorating (and a few of the baby, too).

We've done a little more in the kitchen - added hardware to the cabinets, installed a butcher block top on our island, and made new curtains. We also painted our kitchen chairs black and stripped the tabletop back to wood. We still want to replace the rest of the counter tops and are debating on what to do with the table. I'm not quite happy with it yet:

In the family room, we brought in a bookshelf and made some new throw pillows. You can see that I'm bringing a little red, which I like. I like that the family room is the most colorful room on the main level. I think it makes it more casual. Please note the cardboard deer head. I also have plans to paint the cabinet white to coalesce better with the shelf:

And in the living room, we bought a piano and a side table for the entry way. We also hung a large mirror and some black and white family photos. I wish I could photograph this whole room at once, because I'm liking it a lot more lately.

I like this little vignette. Isn't the elephant tea pot cute?

Then of course we got this little guy, who gets more cute and fun everyday, even today, when he got up and said, "get ready suckers, because I'm about to cry for four hours!!!"

This is what 41 weeks looks like.

2011-12-10T10:54:00.000-07:00

The little man must have dropped a little, because this was 38 weeks, in which I swear I look bigger:

So either way, let's just call my figure "ample." Can we agree on that term? Even my wrists are beefy. I feel like I'm cutting off my circulation just by putting one of those big ponytail holders around my wrist.

I had the great fortune of renewing my drivers license two weeks ago. Probably got a few eye rolls on the "weight" section of my application. Also, looking at the pictures side by side (my last drivers license photo was taken last year when I legally changed to my married name) is a little comical. My eyes are so much smaller now and so much closer to the middle of my head. Also, suddenly my eyebrows are way too skinny for my face.

This too shall pass?

So a little note on my progress. Without grossing you out too much, nothing has happened in three weeks and we scheduled an induction for Monday. On Wednesday of this week, I started getting strong, regular contractions and they haven't let up yet. Some are stronger than others and some are longer than others, but they're never close enough and/or long enough to warrant a trip to the hospital. So, we stick with our induction plan. Our instruction was to go when contractions are five minutes apart and a minute long. So far, if they're 5 minutes apart, they're 30 seconds long. If they're a minute long, they're 10 minutes apart.

Memo to my body: make up your mind!

If I could jump on a trampoline right now, I would, but I think it would hurt too much, just judging my how painful it is to simply climb into bed or (shudder) roll over in bed.

Last night I woke up six times in eight hours to breath through contractions/go to the bathroom. Six times in eight hours! I have been pretty lucky so far and had a fairly easy pregnancy: no sickness, limited swelling once summer ended, only sporadic heartburn and sciatica, and pretty good skin. I figure at this point I'm just ramping up my weeklong labor, which I believe started on Wednesday.

We can't wait to meet this little guy! A couple weeks ago the doc did a short ultrasound just to check out fluid levels and stuff like that. And don't worry, he is a cute one (and I mean the baby, not the doctor)!

Sweet Song.

2011-10-05T18:54:00.003-06:00

I don't know if I'm just pregnant and emotional, or what, but I am so in love with this little song.

I bought the newest Death Cab for Cutie album after going to an expensive-yet-less-than-acoustically-pleasing concert of theirs last month, and my opinion of the band's music has been restored, nay, risen to a new level. To recap my true feelings of their last four albums, since you care and all, it would be:

transatlanticism: like very much

plans: love

narrow stairs: meh

codes and keys: adore

The song is "Stay Young, Go Dancing", and the video looks like a stylish life insurance video, as a DJ I was listening to today described it. I'm pretty excited that they're playing this one on the radio. I think it has the staying power of "I Will Follow You Into the Dark" without the hipster creepiness.

But lest you worry, let me assure you that Ben Gibbard's hipsterness has reached a new level, as you'll notice in the video (which you'll totally watch, I know) as he's now rocking an updated Kurt Cobain look. Kinda carrying the torch since KC can't...or something. You know Kurt would probably have his own brand of hipster if he were still with us today.

But I digress. Here you go:

Here's where we're at.

2011-07-23T16:37:00.003-06:00

Not done yet...some change in plans, but overall we like where this is headed!

Ongoing project #1

2011-06-07T22:19:00.006-06:00

So, my first ongoing project in the house is painting all the drab yellowish, scuffed, dirty baseboards and trim in nice glossy pure white.

Is this still in style?

I don't care. I think it makes a room look so much better! Here is a phone shot where you can see some comparison:

I'm just realizing how bad this picture is.

See how in the taped section, there is hardly any differentiation between the wall color and trim color? It all blends and looks blah. But in the untaped section to the left, the trim has already been painted. It really makes the wall color pop, and I'm even thinking that once our cabinets are pure white, we might not even need to change the wall color (but of course that's all TBD).

So it might look like a slight improvement, but in person it makes a huge impact! It's making me fall in love with our wall color all over again. It almost makes me want to paint the ceilings.

I am a woman obsessed!

I did the family room tonight while I listened to The Voice.

Do you watch this show? I like it. Except, am I the only one who was once again reminded of how NOT equal Cee Lo is vocally to the other judges during that awkward Queen medly? Oh boy.

Oh hello, second trimester.

2011-06-01T19:14:00.005-06:00

It's true what they say. The second is better than the first.

I can't believe how productive I've been at work lately.

Also, on the drive home tonight I heard this song which I thought you'd all like to enjoy:

Well, I wanted to post "At the Stars" by Better Than Ezra. But apparently there is no decent embeddable version of the song available online. So just imagine it, I guess.

Anyway, I think the next project is the kitchen. It will be like this, ish:

This is Dana's kitchen from House*Tweaking. I like all the basic elements here: white cabinets, gray walls, modern hardware, butcher block island.

But I think we'll add a little funk. We will have a beadboard island painted aqua blue, and a painted backsplash in a tile pattern in a rich indigo blue. I will add a cornice box curtain above our window incorporating the colors we've got going in here...you guessed it: indigo, aqua, and limey avacado green. Oh, and we'll keep our blonde bamboo floors, white appliances and (for now) the light countertops, other than on the island where we'll follow Dana's lead (and every other blogger's lead) and go to IKEA for a wood top.

Here's a gorgeous blurry cell phone picture of what our kitchen looked like when we took possession of the house, with our ideas:

Think it will work?

Sudden even greater respect for design bloggers and DIYers the world over.

2011-05-27T23:08:00.006-06:00

Ahhhh. So, we have finally pretty much finished our first major project in the house. Yes we started this project before we moved in and yes we've lived here for five weeks.

Give us a break - we have jobs and it's the playoffs.

Anyway, we (I say 'we' but really I did very little of the back-breaking work because I'm a lady wimp) laid tile throughout the laundry room, powder room and short hallway between the garage and the family room.

Tangent - one of the things I love about our house is that the laundry room is not a hallway between the garage and the rest of the house. I hate that! I also hate when the laundry room is actually a laundry slash bathroom. That is just gross. No slashy rooms allowed here unless it's the kitchen/dining room or the family room/home theater. yep, those would be the two acceptable slashies.

Mark scraping the floor and making a comely face. I'm standing in the family room taking this picture. that door leads out to the garage. You can see some of our gorgeous linoleum by Mark's leg.

The area had some bad linoleum that was peeling and looked dirty. Probably because it was dirty. So Mark and his friend Mike ripped it out.

Then they scraped the adhesive off the cement floor.

The scraping was a multi-day process that included some chemicals. I decided to stay far away.

Then there was self leveling.

Then there was tiling. Also a multi-day process. I also painted the walls in the process.

Well, the past two days we have laid quarter-round trim around the baseboards to hid the tile edges (yeah, we know you're supposed to take the baseboards off before you tile...) and painted all the trim a nice glossy white.

Here's what we have now!

This picture was taken from where Mark was sitting in the first picture. To the left of where I'm standing is the door to the powder room, which will one day be cute and I will show it to you then.

A little anticlimactic? I know. This is why I have even more respect for design bloggers and DIYers. If I were a design blogger, the room would be merchandised with pretty shelves over the dryer and a sign that says "laundry" on weather-worn barn wood and beautiful basket-style hampers for whites, colors and towels at the end of the room. A sassy roman shade would grace the window and let's be honest, it would probably have crown molding.

But I'm a real person and I don't have crown molding in my laundry room.

Sorry!

But I do kind of want the other stuff I mentioned above. All in time.

Are you pinterested?

2011-05-03T19:35:00.002-06:00

Hey blog friends, are you on Pinterest.com yet? If you are, let's be friends. If not, I can send you an invitation to join.

Yep, it's exclusive.

On second thought, they let me in, so...

You can see my pins here. I'm building an arsenal of ideas for decorating this house.

Regrets re: the wedding.

2011-04-29T17:09:00.003-06:00

via Yahoo

Not my wedding. Mine was fabulous.

I’m talking about the royal wedding. So many regrets. Well, really just one. I regret not watching it!

I know, I know. I pretended not to care. I shouldn’t care, really. But what it really comes down to is, we all grew up loving Prince William. In terms of foxiness, he could only really be matched by Jonathan Taylor Thomas.

And Kate is so beautiful. I really love her hair, her posture and the fact that she is always smiling. Seriously, she can’t take a bad picture. She is always glowing. Of course, wouldn’t you be glowing too if you grew up reading YM, Backstreet Boys blaring on your boom box because you called in the request to the DJ like SIX TIMES, and dreaming about marrying Prince William, and then actually be the one who ends up really marrying him? From what I understand from my mom and her generation, Prince William is really like Donny Osmond of the 90s and on a global scale.

(And what ever happened to JTT? Pretty sure he just went to college and got some real person job. Probably just a guy paying his bills and maybe supporting a normal person family and paying his normal person mortgage. BOR-RRRING.)

And her dress, forget about it. Amazing.

It’s just so nice to see people in love and so happy. It really reminds me of how happy my life is and how glad I am that I married my husband. What a good choice we made. Before I met my husband, weddings made me uncomfortable, and I kind of dreaded going, honestly, but now they just make me happy. As my friend from the Cynic Picnic once told me, “marriage is one of the things about growing up that truly is all it’s cracked up to be.”

OK, I’ll stop.

So, did you watch? Was is magic?

No internet at home means...

2011-04-25T17:37:00.003-06:00

I soon may have to figure out what on earth is up with my mobile blogging application. I cannot get it to work!

And if you haven't noticed, I have been trying to blog more regularly, having been inspired by some other bloggy friends doing the same such as Just Pudge and House of Chaos.

So I leave you with this: Are you caught up in a sudden wave of domesticity as I am with my recent home ownership and mounds of decorating and organizing calling my name?

If the answer is yes, why don't you try out my new favorite cooking blog:

How Sweet It Is

You won't be sorry, but your waist and thighs might be.

I mean, Strawberry Bacon Orzo Salad? Triple Layer Cookies and Cream Crunch Bars? Is this thing even on?? What are you still doing here???

Dang, she's good!

2011-04-22T08:29:00.003-06:00

Late to the party, but I hope you all voted for Haley!

Now I'm going to pack my apartment. Serious this time, guys.

"You're leaving? But we just got Chik-Fil-A!"

2011-04-21T19:38:00.003-06:00

Yes, that was one reaction when we told people we were moving this weekend (so soon!).

I have to admit I am sad to be moving away from Chik-fil-A, but I am more sad to move away from so many people we have made friends with in the short time we've lived in this neighborhood! You Cottonwood Heights people are a breath of fresh air and we will miss it here.

We will miss you.

But, we're on to a new adventure...a new adventure whose carpets got cleaned today and look amazing! If you living in Utah County, I would really recommend Heller Carpets.

My parents moved this week, too. It's a little surreal to think I might never go back to the town where I lived for a cumulative 10 years or so. I have to say I never felt a huge connection to the place, which is weird. It is where I went to high school. But it is kind of a weird place (I mean, how many places can you go in America and find a beauty school called "Mr. Leon's School of Beauty"???).

So, there it is. Moving jitters setting in. I hope we like our new house and neighborhood! Most of all, I hope we like the paint color in the bedroom...

Who's to say what's tacky? Or, the one where I put rugs on carpet.

2011-04-19T18:30:00.006-06:00

Let's get this out of the way right now: there are plenty of things that I find tacky.

I won't get into them now at the risk of being tacky (ha) but by now it's pretty obvious I have some pretty major opinions about pretty minor things. (pictures hung too high, socks with sandals, ivy used in any indoor capacity whatsoever...ok, so I will get into it just a little)

In my perusing of decor/design blogs, of which I have done plenty in recent times, it's come to my attention that some designers consider two of my favorite things to be tacky:

1. Hanging pictures of your own family in your house

2. Using area rugs on carpet

Now for the first one, I'd definitely say the "moderation in all things" rule applies, but to me, your home is personal! Shouldn't you fill it with things that you love, including pictures of the faces you love?

And the area rug thing...I say a big room is always better with a rug, no matter the flooring. Please observe my super-budget bachelorette pad:

While not exactly the picture of sophistication, I thought it was a cute room and before I put down the rug, it looked sooo lonely in there.

So what do you think? Are family pictures and rugs on carpet taboo at your house?

Cool song.

2011-04-14T22:29:00.003-06:00

Have you heard this one?

It's a toe-tapper.

And apparently I'm the kind of geriatric that says things like "it's a toe-tapper."

Goodbye, rental market!

2011-03-24T21:17:00.002-06:00

Wow, when we were looking for an apartment last summer, it was bru. tal. Anything decent was snatched up in a day, or like, more expensive than our future mortgage. Really even gross apartments were flying off the market.

"Recently remodeled" did necessarily mean they'd updated anything other than paint since 1975.

"Cozy" often meant "I'm actually a studio apartment with no dishwasher."

"Charming" often meant "I smell like mold and don't bring a baby over here because yes, those are lead paint chips all over the pet-stained floor."

Anyway, now that we're, barring anything crazy, buying a house in the next month, we need to get rid of our lease. Don't worry, I listed it last night and got nine (9) calls in 24 hours.

People have been laying it on thick! Complimenting my decorating choices, telling me sob stories, offering us more money than we've asked for, sending thank you texts a-la-smitten girl post first date, the whole thing.

I think the rental market is just as bad as it was last year!

You gave us quite a scare.

2011-03-22T19:11:00.002-06:00

So I went to log on to my blog tonight and, oh what's this, it's been removed??

Heart attack. I have had this blog for three years and it would be so sad if it really were deleted. Haven't backed up in a while and I've got to do that!

Turns out there was some suspicious activity on my email...so...sorry if you got a sketchy email from me, especially if we haven't spoken in years and seeing my name conjured up all kinds of memories for ya. (I also need to tell you all that the first time I typed that sentence right there I typed 'expecially.' What am I, someone who doesn't know how to spell?)

And sorry if you got a sketchy blog comment from me.

Let that be a lesson to all of us - make sure you're in https:// when you log on to your accounts, and use a strong password! Heck, go for 2-factor authentication if you think you'll always be able to have your phone with you when you log on.

How bout these cute curtains?

2011-03-14T14:34:00.004-06:00

Ikea curtains at Creative Little Daisy.

Perfect Gray

2011-03-13T23:03:00.003-06:00

There have been so many discussions in Blog Land about the perfect gray color. If we end up with the house that we want (that would be the short sale, affectionately referred to several posts down as "gross honey oak"), I want gray as the everywhere color - hallways and "neutral" areas since I love a cool palate and the carpet in that house has kind of a gray tone.

House*Tweaking dedicated a post to Benjamin Moore's Edgecomb Gray. I think I love how it contrasts with those nice white mouldings. Not "hospital gray," but definitely not boring beige.

Hi there, Gorgeous.

2011-03-13T21:32:00.002-06:00

How much do you love this house? I just saw it over at Ten June, who saw it on Young House Love. Notice the IKEA treasures here, making me believe that real people live here.

Because dealing with my insurance company customer service department is not such a Zen experience,

2011-03-10T21:11:00.007-07:00

(a little note...my home internet hasn't worked since Monday, so when I say "today" in this post, it means Monday.)

I have been listening to Carly Simon’s Moonlight Serenade album today.

Oh, have you heard this album? If not, you are really missing out. It reminds me of this Tony Bennett album my mom had when I was little. The Duets album. Do you know that one? Well it’s good too. But I love Carly Simon’s rich, easy voice dripping all over these beautiful songs like melted chocolate.

Try this one. I would like to turn it up loud as I cook dinner. It’s a very “Sabrina” vibe. That sounds much more Zen to me than explaining to yet another person at my insurance company that no, we do not own the blue Toyota anymore so will you please stop charging us for it? Pleasandthankyou.

Because dealing with sinus infections and lingering colds every other month is not such a Zen experience,

I have been really enjoying dairy-free ice cream.

It’s come a long way, people. I only wish so much of it wasn’t soy. Can we do this with other beans? If we can’t, no matter. I will take the glorious, decadent peanut butter zigzag cup of joy. Thank you Smiths for stocking foods for wimpy milk-free people like me. If you, too, have re-acquired a milk allergy, try this one. You will think at first that it will surely lead to your next bout of bronchitis, but I promise, there’s no dairy there. (That's Purely Decadent Peanut Butter Zig Zag)

Because guilt about not recording my thoughts/feelings/story is not such a Zen experience,

I am blogging. I’ve been going through an identity crisis with my blog. I don’t know who she is anymore or how we’re connected. I do know that I miss blogging. Yesterday Mark was writing in his journal and I said to him, “can you just go ahead and write my life story in there too?” He said he would, then, “well, you have a blog.” Oh yes, and what a dedicated effort that’s been lately.

And, because waiting to hear back on a short sale is not such a Zen experience,

I’ve begun gathering images of rooms to re-create in our new home. Whenever we do get it. I’ve found some great design bloggers and I keep them on my left sidebar. Please, cruise them early and often. A feast for the eyes is in store for all who partake.

For example, today on Emily A. Clark, I found this. How perfect would it be to find out that the Billy bookcase dimensions are such that I could put a few side by side and have them perfectly take up an entire wall with no awkward space on the sides? And I’ll definitely be doing this perfectly orderly gallery wall with family shots. (image from this post)

Tonight, House faces his toughest challenge yet.

2011-02-12T21:40:00.005-07:00

I know that most House fans have been with the show for about 7 years, but I started this week. So, indulge me. I find this show strangely compelling...I only wish you had to watch it in order to follow some kind of over-indulgent, twisted story line. These episodes are pretty much one-offs. Which means I can jump right into a marathon on Bravo.

Right now I'm watching the one where House is pretending to be gay to weasel his way between his roommate doctor and the new neighbor so then the roommate doctor shows up at the restaurant where House and the cute neighbor lady are having dinner and proposes to House to get him to back off. I really like that lady's hair.

I like Olivia Wilde a lot better than the girl who was on the earlier episodes. Do we ever find out why she's so whiny? I mean earlier girl? Whiny.

Maybe I do need to watch these in order.

Please tell me you did something equally exciting with your weekend.

A Case of the Mondays.

2011-02-06T23:33:00.003-07:00

Because the "Sunday Night Blues" hit extra hard in the dirty-snow days of late winter, sometimes we all (ok I) need a pick-me-up or pep talk to come up swinging come Monday. Today I wanted to remind myself of this little something I saw on my friend Melissa's blog a while back. I don't know where it came from originally...anyone know? I think I've seen it somewhere else.

Anyway, I need to take a minute to think about if I'm happy. But only a minute. If you think about it too long, you're never happy, and also, you become a self-absorbed crank with no friends. (Harsh but true.) Sometimes when I've got a case of the reds and I stop to think about if I'm happy, I realize I actually am, but I just have a pebble in my shoe. Usually by taking care of this small thing, which, let's be honest, is usually my attitude, I've turned my frown upside down by remembering all the good things I've got.

I'm going to sign off now before I get all Pollyanna on you.

Monday: we can do this, people.

Why Splenda?

2011-02-02T20:07:00.002-07:00

So I like Diet Coke.

We know this, right?

One of the myriad reasons I love Cottonwood Heights, our current city, is that ever since we've lived here, I've always been able to find Diet Coke on sale. And not those lame 2 liter jobs. I mean a solid 5 for $14 12-pack sale.

I'm not kidding. Like every time I go shopping, there it is.

(Utah - land of addicts? Yes, I know.)

Well, the fun ended a couple weeks ago. This week when I went grocery shopping, there was nothing on sale. Nothing except...wait for it...Shasta.

If you, like me, have not had Shasta since you were 7, and even then you only drank the strawberry kiwi flavor, let me now assure you that it is horrid. Especially the diet flavors, which are all sweetened with Splenda.

Splenda!

Who thought of Splenda? Worst fake sweetener by a long shot.

So here is my question tally for the week, for those of you keeping score at home:

1) Why Winter?

2) Why Splenda?

3) Why Rachel McAdams movies post-Mean Girls?

Why winter?

2011-02-01T22:50:00.002-07:00

Why winter? Really. I have been contemplating it all day (who are we kidding, I have been thinking about it since the day after Christmas), and I still don't understand its purpose. Like movies such as The Time Traveler's Wife, designed with the sole purpose of making people sad, winter's one goal is to inflict misery.

Today dawned sunny and clear, with scarcely any smog cover. If you know anything about our winter air quality in Utah, you understand what a big deal this is. The sun is quite deceiving, however, because the second I stepped outside the air made me cough.

People.

It is so cold, it literally takes my BREATH away.

I thought those were just song lyrics written for Maverick, and then only figuratively, but really they're about Utah and they're not romantic and they don't incite positive feelings.

In conclusion, I dislike winter and The Time Traveler's Wife.

Spring, pretty please?

More kitchen talk.

2011-01-25T00:18:00.006-07:00

All, thank you for the feedback on the kitchen! After hemming and hawing and dragging my feet, we went to another city to look at homes today...and while we did see some real freak shows, we also saw some good stuff and ended up putting in an offer. I'm excited! And, the kitchen in this place is much bigger (and I must admit I am sacrificing the sex appeal for the space) and is a little bit of a project, purely cosmetically, of course. And, it's on a street with a really adorable name.

So, wish us luck. This house is a short sale, so the bank might take about six years to get back to us.

But get this!

We went to go prepare our offer, and immediately started quoting different offer amounts to each other, then looking at each other like we were crazy ("well hello, high roller," "and hi you, cheapskate") only to find out that the price of the house dropped by $10k today. Today! I printed off the sheet for it last night, and this morning they lowered the price.

I'm thinking this might be the one.

And so my next kitchen question for you is:

See all that honey oak? Is it sacrilegious to paint it? I mean, it is real wood...but if I think it's ugly, can I paint it? It's not exactly upgraded materials at use here, people.

P.S. how could the agent not get into this place to take pictures from the inside? The world may never know.

In your professional female opinion,

2011-01-23T22:24:00.002-07:00

is this kitchen too small?

I'm afraid it might be.

To the left is a wall with the fridge and floor to ceiling built-ins. Beyond that door that you can barely see is the laundry room, which has a ton of pantry space.

I should also tell you that the rest of the house is very cute.

Exhilarating.

2011-01-20T18:15:00.004-07:00

That is what I'd call today. Today it was sunny and at lunch, I didn't wear my jacket. And when I left the office at the end of the workday, it wasn't dark.

To quote the teacher at church on Sunday, "remember, Spring is coming. Someday."

Just looking out the window at the non-foggy day warmed my bones and lifted my spirits! Let's remember this feeling when it snows this weekend.

In other news, lately when I approach my blog and contemplate posting, I feel like I'm working up the nerve to call a somewhat-serious boyfriend who has just returned from a long vacation to Europe, and I am surging with awkwardness at the first hand-hold since the vacay, and the first suggestion of an evening outing, and feeling all intimidated because he has just been to Europe and learned the ways of the world while I've been here in Utah just mincing about.

Only it's my blog that's just been mincing about. I have been doing stuff.

I promise, I have been doing stuff.

And while we're on the dating vein, I have told a couple people that house hunting is like online dating. You compulsively browse photos and biographical tidbits online and think you've made the right choice, but then you show up at the date and what you were expecting to be a Zac Efron turns out to be more of an Uncle Rico. All the online photos are about ten years old, "athletic" really means "overweight" and "charming" really means "dilapidated." Oh, and "recent remodel" means "honey oak cabinets and emerald green carpet."

No but seriously, have you already broken your new year's resolutions?

I should have known.

2011-01-12T21:20:00.001-07:00

So hi, how are you? Already broken your new year’s resolutions? OK.

The first bit of good news this year is that we are buying a house! That’s right. For me that means my house/home/nesting compulsion has been temporarily validated and I am free to peruse home listings and talk about colors and finishes and layouts willy nilly. With wild abandon. Incessantly, really. I grew up on model homes and Trading Spaces, people, and old habits die hard.

*Tangent*

Why did any of us think the things they did on Trading Spaces were OK? I shudder to think…remember the one with thousands of silk flowers stapled to the walls of that bathroom???

*End Tangent*

My entire life, I have had this thing for architecture. I like buildings, and houses especially. I like to study their lines, think about what they’re made of, how old they are and what the people who have inhabited them have been like. I cried when I saw the Provo Tabernacle burning. That’s a post in itself. I’ve always thought it would be the coolest thing ever to buy a historic home and restore it to its original glory (plus modern plumbing and wiring) and live there for a long time. The house would be part of my stewardship and a way of contributing to society. I would be respecting those who came before me by taking care of the home they lovingly built, and also doing a service to my community by preserving a beautiful piece of our past. People could drive by my house and think, “Wow, what a beautiful old place…” and proceed to wonder the same things I always wonder about an old house.

But then we actually decided to buy a place and the thought of doing all those extensive, engrossing projects sounded like about the worst thing in the world to me. With my husband and I both working full time, the last thing I wanted to do was coordinate logistics for major revamping of anything in the house. We wanted someplace that was “done.” Of course we might paint some walls, but that was the extent of what I was willing to do. I limited my searches to things that looked move-in ready.

Now that we’ve started looking…wow, is there such a thing as move-in ready? Actually, we did see one that was move-in ready and (SHOCK) looked exactly like the pictures. And, I might add, has a cute modern kitchen and the most gorgeous hardwood floors. But then we saw one that felt amazing to be in (bright, welcoming, spacious), but upon closer inspection, needed a ton of work. I’m talking re-facing cabinets, reinforcing subfloors, replacing flooring, widening staircases…

Guess which one I’m thinking about constantly?

I should have known this would happen. What business do I have telling myself I won’t want a project? It’s me. I always want a project.

And to answer your question, yes, I would make many changes in the project house that would give it a look similar to the move-in ready house.

But they would be MY changes.

Am I ill?

A letter.

2010-11-22T19:16:00.000-07:00

Dear Kiosk People at the Mall,

I see you there.

Yep, I can see you.

If I want to talk to you about what you’re selling, I will approach you, much the way I approach a store that is selling something I’m interested in.

You don’t see salespeople popping their heads out of the Gap into the corridor of the mall, going “excuse me, excuse me ma’am! Ma’am! Ma’am! Can I ask you about khakis and white shirts?” Feverishly keeping in step with me as I pass by their store.

Guess what? If you’re asking me if you can ask me a question, it sounds like you just did. So please kindly let me go about my business of stimulating the economy by buying Christmas gifts for my friends and loved ones that they will actually like and use.

Next time I feel like I could use some healing by using minerals from the Dead Sea, you are the first person I’ll call.

Or, if you’re going to ask me a quick question, I’d like it to be:

Excuse me, ma’am, how can I make my hair as shiny as yours?

Excuse me, ma’am, are you a professional model?

Excuse me, ma’am, would you please take this $10k off my hands?

Those are your options. Choose wisely…

Regards,

Holly

2010-10-15T14:42:00.002-06:00

Have I told you about my 40 mile (one way) commute (with road construction galore)?

Do any of you have a commute this long? Please tell me if you do so I can feel better about myself.

During my morning drives, I have been able to think of things about it that annoy me, with nuance. Like how the sun is exactly in between my window and windshield right above eye level, so with each slight curve of the road I have to switch my visor back and forth. Sometimes by the time I get to work I feel like I’m already ready to go home. So anyway, you’ve heard Jeff Foxworthy talk about how to know that you might be a readneck. Here is my list…

“You might want to move out of the left lane”

1. If you’re a semi truck, you might want to move out of the left lane.

2. If you’ve got your cruise control set to the speed limit, you might want to move out of the left lane.

3. If you’ve been camping out in the left lane since 6 exits ago, you might want to move out of the left lane.

4. If you hate your job so much, you can’t be bothered to even go the full speed limit on your drive to work, you might want to move out of the left lane.

5. If you’re in a Geo Metro and you’re going up that hill at the point of the mountain, you might want to move out of the left lane.

6. If you’re too busy having an existential breakthrough to watch the road, you might want to move out of the left lane.

7. If there are five cars behind you and zero cars in front of you, say it with me now, you might want to move out of the left lane.

Any you’d like to add?

Wait...

2010-10-11T16:46:00.001-06:00

Ben Harper was/is married to Laura Dern? And they have two kids?

Huh.

Let's get this party started.

2010-10-08T16:59:00.003-06:00

Have a great weekend!

Thank you, Jenna, for bringing me into the world of CakeSpy.com. Seriously cute! I would love this print depicting two of my favorite things, sitting right on my desk at work.

And remember, I'll be celebrating my birthday all November long.

Something to think about.

I love you all.

Have you been trying harder?

2010-10-07T17:04:00.003-06:00

I have.

I think even if I don’t reach my goal, the false sense of superiority I’ll feel by being more pious will pay off.

I kid, I kid! We will all make it.

Also on my mind, Conan O’Brien. You may have noticed the image to the left on my blog here. That is the Conan Credo, which I made by doing my own thing with the “Keep Calm and Carry On” poster (which I still love, even though they are supposedly so last year.)

I am very excited for Conan’s new show and have been thoroughly enjoying his promos, especially the “Wild. Nocturnal.” poster which features Conan with an owl on his shoulder.

The man is just funny! There’s no other way to put it.

On the last night of The Tonight Show, he dedicated a few minutes to the young people, urging them not to be cynical. He said that cynicism is his least favorite quality and that it gets you nowhere, then,

“Nobody in life gets exactly what they thought they were going to get, but if you work really hard and you’re kind, I’m telling you, amazing things will happen.”

And also, The String Dance.

Conan!

I printed off the Conan Credo and framed it. It’s now part of the token gallery wall in our apartment, which I may post a picture of, for my mom’s information. Once it’s perfected, of course.

TRY HARDER.

2010-10-05T19:59:00.001-06:00

I have a really cute friend named Darcy. Dar and I go way back to 2003 and have been roommates, classmates and coworkers.

In 2003 at BYU-Idaho it was totally cool to write notes and quotes on the front of your fridge with a dry-erase marker. I know I have a picture of this somewhere…from 2003, even. It was great because your fridge is a built-in whiteboard, if you have a white fridge. You just have to make sure you’re using dry-erase markers and then you can just wipe it off with windex and a soft cloth and the next tenants in your apartment are none the wiser.

Just a little tip, just for you.

One day I was over at Dar’s and I glanced over at her fridge. I did not find tediously printed notable quotes, coined by roommates in the wee hours of the morning, drunk on caffeine and sleep-deprivation and the giggles (like in my apartment), but two words, scrawled in large capital across the freezer, saying:

TRY HARDER.

It was in Dar’s handwriting so I asked her what the deal was. Her answer was pretty simple and I’ve always remembered it:

“Sometimes, I don’t feel like I’m trying hard enough, so I tell myself to try harder.”

Who hasn’t been there?

Lately, I am totally in that mode. That mode where I know I need to try harder, and pretty soon, I will. I’ll hit my groove, I’ll be in the zone, and it will feel great. I feel it coming on, it’s starting to tickle a little bit, and I’m enjoying my laziness, but not for long. And I feel fine. I’m happy enough. I do the things I should I’m just not trying hard enough.

I’ve had these three big goals since I graduated from college. Maybe someday I’ll share them with you. But we’ll just say now that they are hefty things, and this year I’ve done two of them.

It feels great! (And no, one of them was not “get married.” That was an added bonus and a help to me in reaching some of my goals.)

I think if I try harder, I can accomplish the third of them by my birthday on November 28^th (I want a navy blue Hobo, a chevron rug for my living room and a new bottle of Viva La Juicy [hey, just in case]).

Sometimes I think we don’t reach our goals because we set wimpy goals. It’s this mental block that I know happens to me, and maybe it happens to you. Basically, we know the end is so closely within reach, we don’t try as hard as we should, and we never reach it. If it’s a big goal, we’ll take big strides to get it done and actually have a better chance of reaching it. Does that make sense to you? Because I think this is a true principle. Like that equation that approaches zero but never equals zero.

For example, how many people do you know who are trying to lose five pounds, but they never do it?

Contrast that with the number of people you know who need to lose 50 pounds and are actually making pretty good progress.

Keep in mind this isn’t just people who need to lose weight, but people who are “trying” to lose weight.

Sometimes I “try” to lose weight while eating the same things I always eat and not upping my exercise. See? Try harder.

Anyway, thanks Darcy. I need to try harder, and I am picturing your old freezer right now. It’s pushing me on to get where I want to be!

Now let’s all get out there and do our best! Who’s with me?

Are cupcakes gluten free?

2010-10-01T19:54:00.005-06:00

Image via

This holiday season (can we start calling it that yet?), I am grateful for many things, and in my top ten is definitely the blessing of being gluten-tolerant. Like Jocelyn, I rarely find things that are too sweet, too rich, too delicious or decadent. And, wheat and tastiness seem to go hand in hand.

I have waxed poetic about The Sweet Tooth Fairy from time to time on the blog, and while I’ve kind of been in break mode, I’ve also been introduced to/converted to Cupcake Chic.

There are lots of cupcakeries in Utah, and I’ve tried several, and these are the only two worth my time so far. (But remember, I haven’t tried them all.)

Now’s Utah’s chance to get up close and personal with Utah’s cupcakes, with Becky’s giveaway over at Utah Loves Cupcakes. She’s giving one lucky reader a dozen cupcakes from the cupcakery of her (the reader’s) choice. Head on over to Utah Loves Cupcakes, specifically this post, and get the 411.

And while we’re on the subject of delectable baked goods, I am so excited for this conference weekend. Among other things, I will be baking, and I can’t wait.

It’s the most wonderful time of the year.

2010-09-29T17:01:00.000-06:00

The time of year when everyone starts complaining when stores set up their Christmas displays when “it’s not even Halloween!”

To them I say…SO WHAT?!

Halloween doesn't matter much to me, and I love Thanksgiving so much because it’s the kickoff to Christmas, so you know what? Have at it, big box stores! Decorate for Christmas in late September. I’ll take all the Christmas I can get.

The other night at the grocery store, we saw so many pumpkins.

2010-09-28T17:59:00.001-06:00

Fat ones, skinny ones, those really short round ones. Orange ones, green ones, white ones, bright orange ones, smooth ones, bumpy ones. Don’t you love those white ones? Nature’s chicest statement of the season, to be sure.

I stood beside them looking at Mark with that “don’t you want a festive gourd display in our apartment to welcome weary travelers and help them get into the spirit of the harvest?” look.

But we were all dressed up and didn’t want to get all covered in autumnal dirt.

The point is, they were there, and I’ve been noticing other bloggers posting their odes to scarves, boots and falling leaves, and this is mine.

Except mine is more like an ode to jackets (Hi Suze Orman, do you remember when I was so in love with this Kristin Wiig parody?) and 30 Rock.

I am going to miss Kenneth. I hope he isn’t really gone.

I watch 30 Rock 50% for Jack McBreyer, 30% for Alec Baldwin (It has to be Elk Tongue!) and 20% to compare and contrast myself with Liz Lemon/wish I had Tina Fey’s job.

Why do you watch? And will you be buying white pumpkins? …or have you already?

Your childhood called. It wants its naps back.

2010-09-27T18:13:00.003-06:00

At the Cetera show. I call this one "The Cheerful Unibomber"

I am the first one to roll my eyes when someone posts “I love my husband!!!!!!!”

But I just want to take this opportunity to tell the Internet that marrying my husband is shaping up to be the best decision I’ve ever made. Today is our “halfiversary.” Our “hemiversary,” if you will. We’ve had a great six married months together, and I love that guy. I wholeheartedly believe that I got the best one.

Even this morning, when my alarm rang to end my irrational five minute eye rest in the middle of getting ready for work – mornings are as brutal for me as they are for 13-year-olds – when he said something I had to giggle at, even though my morning rage had barely worn off: "Your childhood called. It wants its naps back."

A bowlful of candy.

2010-09-20T23:50:00.003-06:00

A few months ago, my husband told me to put on a dress because we were going out for a fancy pants dinner. I got the most amazing butternut squash soup, which I described as a bowlful of candy, and I ate every last drop. Here we are at our fancy pants dinner; it was definitely as fancy as Provo gets, though this picture doesn't give much context:

Well this past week we were both sick, and on the day that I was sicker than Mark, he did some grocery shopping. One of the treasures he came home with was a butternut squash! On Sunday we made a healthier version of the soup I had at that fancy place. It was delectable.

Butternut Squash Soup (adapted from a recipe by ChefGiuseppe Di Gennaro as listed in the Calgary Herald on 9.17.10)

2T Butter

1/2 onion, chopped

1/2 gala apple, chopped

1 butternut squash, peeled and seeded, chopped

1 14-oz can chicken broth

1/4 cup fat free half and half

1/4 tsp. sage

cinnamon and salt

2T maple syrup

You just sauté the onion and apple in the butter until they're both caramelized, then add everything else but the maple syrup and bring to a boil, then cover and simmer for about 25 minutes until the squash is super soft.

Then, ladle about 1/2 of the soup into a blender and puree it. Transfer to a bowl and puree the remaining soup.

At this point you're supposed to drain the soup through a sieve. Well let's be honest, I don't have one of those, so we just dumped the pureed soup back into the pot, stirred in the maple syrup, and viola, butternut squash soup. It was way good.

On a recent trip to Cafe Trio with my parents, I tried some ravioli with a butternut squash sauce, and this (sieved) soup would make a grand ravioli sauce.

So there you go, kids. Go kick off your fall with a healthy bowlful of candy butternut squash soup.

some projects

2010-09-14T21:42:00.003-06:00

I thought this lamp had a cute shape. I painted it...but she needs a new shade. I also made a runner for under it.

Here's one of my trusty vintage windows with the Abby Road print and a wedding photo in my favorite PB frame and my white candlesticks, also my favorite. Mark and I painted this table green. Love it.

Making an attempt to slipcover this chair...well I was attempting. But I did make that pillow and I love the lime zebra print ruffle.

This pillow was the first project I did. I made two.

The Cetera, Et Cetera

2010-09-14T20:40:00.006-06:00

A couple things about my friend Jenna before we begin.

But before talking about Jenna...remember a couple weeks ago when my blog appeared to be on the mend? Not sure what happened there.

Also, WTF with the formatting here?

So Jenna. She gets tickets to things! She takes me with her! It's awesome.

You know how I love listen-while-you-work radio? Well, Jenna had tickets to Peter Cetera and she took us. Said Jenna, "to love the ladies is to love the Cetera. I hope that Mark and Justin (her fiancé) understand this concept."

I think they did? That isn't the point.

You guys, he did everything. Por ejemplo:

Plus a couple other gems that aren't available on Playlist for some heinous reason.

I was in pure heaven for a little over an hour, sitting there on the cold, wet grass, listening to Cetera belt it out in his signature vibrato and Mark's impression of Cetera which sounds just like Barry Gibb doing an impression of Cetera.

Perfect close of summer.

bad marketing.

2010-09-03T14:16:00.001-06:00

Last year after Potlatch, the flagship employer of my parents’ town, changed its name to the more corporatized, “Clearwater Paper Company,” some rebranding was in order for its credit union, Potlatch #1 Federal Credit Union.

Instead of doing it the right way, using the opportunity to revamp the image and freshen their brand, they did it the easy way, shortening the name to a simple, roll-off-your-tongue acronym, P1FCU. Or, as my family has taken to calling it, “Hey, P1FCU, man!” (In an angry voice.) I chide my dad for his involvement, however slim, with this organization.

He just sent me an even worse branding decision, one his company had nothing to do with. I give you Drake University’s “D+” initiative: http://news.yahoo.com/s/yblog_upshot/20100903/od_yblog_upshot/great-moments-in-collegiate-marketing-drake-universitys-d-campaign

Pondering...

2010-09-02T16:55:00.001-06:00

Last week at Target I saw Gossip Girl Season 3 on sale for $36. Can I just tell you how much I wanted to buy it??

I watched maybe three episodes of the third season, total. But, I still want to watch it. The clothes and the hair are just too good to never see. And of course, there’s Chuck Bass.

Gossip Girl=modern art?

Me, have a dormant obsession with a teen drama that just. won’t. die…? I don’t know what you’re talking about.

Did any of you lovely readers watch last season? Is it worth it?

Choose Happiness.

2010-08-27T00:30:00.002-06:00

It always amazes me when I meet adults who are clearly working pretty hard at being unhappy.

Why would someone do that?

I mean, we have this one life, and sometimes good things happen and sometimes bad things happen. But given a choice of being happy or being sad...like, why would someone CHOOSE sad?

I'm not saying that you shouldn't feel your feelings. You know, allow yourself to be disappointed when something doesn't work out, or grieve when you or someone you know has a loss. I mean sometimes I grieve for a sec when the office fridge's Diet Coke is all expired.

Yuck.

But being crusty in general just seems like a lot of work to me.

When you're a kid, adults are always telling you that happiness is a choice and that no one else can "make" you feel a certain way. That always kind of bugged me and it was hard for me to understand. But as we grow up and experiment with what works best for us, I think most of us come to realize that external influences are too volatile and unpredictable to base our attitudes on.

I'm in no way perfect at this. I find myself pouting for the dumbest reasons. But I think I'm a pretty happy person, and I think it's because I want to be happy.

We all need to work at it, but some of us need to work a LOT at it.

Just sayin'.

And if we don't do it for ourselves, we should at least try to do it for the people who have to deal with us every day.

I’ll be hunting all weekend long.

2010-08-20T14:12:00.000-06:00

D.I. nightstand to coordinate with the one I already have

Fabric to cover a chair and a down blanket

Paint to zshuzsh up some tired home décor items (including my newly-found cutest ugly lamp ever. Pretty sure it was Betty Draper’s before it was mine.)

Some sort of closet organizational system

Flirty bridal shower gift (read my lips: no new maternity clothes for this bunless oven)

High octane sandpaper for the kitchen table

Sofa of my dreams

I’m thinking with this tall order, it will be mostly a hunt-but-don’t-shoot weekend. (Especially on the large furniture front.)

Mark’s got a deer tag, though, so any goodie he stalks tomorrow, he can snag. (I hope it’s small.)

So in summary...

2010-08-19T08:44:00.002-06:00

Yes, Shade is going out of business. Hurry! Get your stretchy cotton clothes while you can!

No, I am not pregnant, just been stifling my shopping reflex for too long, and crazy purchases have been sprouting randomly.

Notes.

2010-08-18T17:03:00.000-06:00

1. Today on my lunch break, I went to buy a flirty bridal shower gift and when I walked out of the mall, the scorecard looked a little like this:

Lingerie: nil/Maternity tops: 2

Shade Clothing was going out of business, OK?

2. Last night Mark and I went to Target to get some organizing things. There was a whole aisle of University of Utah regalia/paraphernalia. We’re not in Provo anymore…

3. Tonight I am baking some brownies for Mark’s coworker’s birthday. Do you think I should frost them? I love frosting but I think I might be alone in that.

That's all I've got for you today.

New apartment.

2010-08-15T22:09:00.003-06:00

Someday I'll have to sit you down and tell you about the apartment hunting mission that was my own personal hell for the month of July. But for now, I'll just tell you that we finally found one! We moved in! We love it! The kitchen is kind of put together, so for those of you who have asked for pictures, here you go! More to come as we get situated.

Here’s how you know you’re moving.

2010-08-09T18:00:00.000-06:00

Well, first of all, Bear Lake was beautiful. Perfect sunny skies, sparkling blue water, best raspberries I’ve had in a year…good times.

So here’s how you know you’re moving:

I like to make some kind of treat every Sunday night. It’s a tradition from growing up that I think is fun, so we do it. Plus, I tell myself that this is my treat for the week. (yeah, right)

The past few weeks, we’ve been pretty into peanut butter no-bakes. We’ve also been trying to avoid buying food and just use up what we have, to lighten it up a bit when we move everything.

So last night, I went to start the no-bakes, and what do I find, but only 1 cup of white sugar left on the shelf. No-bakes take 2 cups of white sugar. They’re a real health food. I have brown sugar and contemplate using that.

Mark was going to the neighbors’ real quick anyway and I thought about actually for the first time in my life, literally borrowing a cup of sugar.

But then I see we have no milk.

“Can we ask them for sugar and milk?”

“Why don’t we just ask them to make us some cookies?”

So I tell Mark, no worry, I’ll just bake us some peanut butter cookies. Oven style. And he leaves.

But then, no eggs.

“What can I use as an egg replacement?” I ask the inside back cover of my red and white plaid cookbook.

It replies, “2 egg whites, or 2 egg yolks, or egg substitute.”

Smart a**.

Like someone who didn’t have eggs in the house would go to the inside back cover of their trusty cookbook to learn that egg substitute can be used in the place of eggs.

So I just whipped up the dough, eggless, and called it good. That’s one way to feel good about eating cookie dough…amiright?

As of late.

2010-08-05T08:29:00.003-06:00

The past couple of days, I have believed firmly in my heart of hearts that the forces of nature did not intend for me to be at work.

I adore my clients and coworkers, but sometimes a job is still a job, and you want a vacay.

So this weekend I'm off to the lake with my husband's fam. Should be pretty great.

And yes, I just told you I'd be out of town, like a total airhead. But I didn't erase it because it's true...this would be a fabulous time for you to rob my house. Just think: whatever you steal, I won't have to move next week. Really this is a golden opportunity for us all.

Bon week-end!

I am so sad. I love Twitter. But I'm so sad.

2010-08-02T13:15:00.003-06:00

So today @fuggirls tweeted this little gem:

Don't worry, it's a video compilation of Rachel Zoe saying the word "literally," literally 50+ times.

Of course I was so happy to find it, but then I was so sad to learn that the new season of The Rachel Zoe Project starts tonight and I realized I can't watch it.

I don't miss my former life all that often, but I do miss my fancy cable which allowed me to watch Millionaire Matchmaker and The Rachel Zoe Project.

I just love those ladies.

I hope Rach is on Hulu.

Just saying.

2010-07-30T12:22:00.001-06:00

Tonight we're trying a new restaurant called J. Wong's Asian Bistro, but I keep wanting to call it J. Woww's Asian Bistro.

How'd the Provo rec center get its SexyBack, you ask?

2010-07-29T21:49:00.007-06:00

Well, I will tell you.

Tonight while Mark was practicing shooting, I went to ye ole rec center for a nice long cardio session and a little weights action.

That's not the sexy part.

Even when I was single and going to the gym with the acute knowledge that men could be found virtually anywhere, I never have looked good at the gym. When I go to the gym I pretty much just hop on the treadmill with the sincere hope and belief that the for the next hour, I will be that treadmill's beeotch and sweat like a banshee so I can move on with my life.

So I'm there and I got the treadmill that the fan's blowing on and I'm pretty happy despite the fact that the girl next to me is leisurely strolling at a 1.5 or something wearing flip flops. Flip flops!! To exercise!!

Anyway, here comes sexy.

There's a girl on the mat behind the treadmills, sprawled out, presumably stretching. She has Kim Kardashian hair and strategically placed cleavage and I hope she's just cooling down.

Little did I know, things were just heating up.

The girl stands to leave the room, then walks over the the weight room where a second fan stands at attention. She struts over and poses in front of it, flipping her hair in slow motion.

She walks back into the cardio room. Slowly. She gets on an elliptical machine and starts moving, turning her head a hard 110 degrees to the mirror at her right and sort of behind her to stare at her derrière.

I stare up at the security camera as if to say, "are you getting all this?" and "Are we filming a rap video? Because I didn't bring my booty shorts or false eyelashes."

The girl is so busy staring at her rump that she almost falls down.

I laugh inside.

I'm starting to feel pretty bad at this point, but I'm also about 400 calories in, and when I'm working hard at the gym and other people are just putzing along, barely breaking a sweat, I have flashbacks of high school math class. That is of me, a senior, in junior level math, trying so hard to solve for x when the sophomores in the corner are laughing. I'm mad because either they're way smarter than I or they like math and both of those are terrible.

Anyway, so after another slo-mo hair flip in front of the weight room fan, our little friend saunters back into the cardio room and decides to give the stationary bike a try and get this...tries to move the fan that is facing me to face that bike!

At this point I'm about to pounce, because the only thing worse than listening to a sophomore laughing in math class is being at the rec center sweating my head off while the fan points at someone who's biking at a glacial pace.

Lucky for us all, the girl doesn't have the core/upper body strength to budge it an inch and she gives up.

I try to tune it out. I also try to tune her out while I'm doing triceps dips and she's doing crunches in half time on the bench press bench.

And that, my friends, is how the Provo rec center does sexy. Please don't come watch; we're short on machines.

That's a real dilemma.

2010-07-29T12:10:00.001-06:00

My toothpaste leaves a soapy taste in my mouth for several hours unless I wash it out with a big Diet Coke and a doughnut from Provo Bakery, but then the taste of guilt that provokes lingers all day.

I enjoy being a girl, or, being funny in spite of Y chromosome’s absence.

2010-07-27T20:31:00.001-06:00

Someone today told me I was funny. It was flattering, and made me think of one of my old roommates (it’s a fuzzy memory as I can’t remember which roommate this was…) who would join with me in saying, “I’m pretty funny for a girl.”

Who doesn’t like to think they’re funny? It’s nice when you say stuff and people laugh. Usually.

I can kind of be funny around people I know. Around people I know, I can watch Last Comic Standing and think, “yeah, that would be a fun job.”

But then I go into a business meeting with new people and I can scarcely intelligently explain what it is I do, exactly. This happens mostly with groups of middle-aged men who have sold a couple companies to Microsoft in their time. These guys don’t need my jokes; they have their own inside jokes from the early days at IBM. Being around these kind of guys makes me feel like I should just sit down and take dictation. Not by anything they do, per se, but they just get me feeling so intimidated.

I don’t feel that way in a group of women, and I think that’s probably because I can see myself in those women. I can imagine what it would be like to ascend to that level professionally because I’ve seen them do it, and the ones I know do it with husbands and kids, too. It’s nice to start a meeting by hearing from an executive about how much fun she had with the kids on vacation the previous week, and then to jump in to talk strategy and how we can focus PR efforts around her current marketing pipeline.

Even in business, with a group of women you tend to speak nicely. You tend to ask for support when you need it. You tend to get support when you ask for it. You tend to get a laugh when you tell a joke.

Not to mention – keeping up a household, keeping your marriage intact and raising kids while excelling in your career? +1.

You know I think there’s just something about a girlfriend lunch, and there’s just something about dealing professionally with successful women. They’re professional, but they’re still women. They’re women, but they’re still professional.

Sacred Places

2010-07-22T17:56:00.002-06:00

I read this post today in the Salt Lake Trib and it about brought a tear to my eye.

You'll notice hollylynnsays was the first commenter. I am such a NERD sometimes!

The article, which you really should read even though I know you probably won't, is about how we all have these specific sacred places that are related to a life-changing memory.

Some of mine:

Rolling into Rexburg on a rare visit. Just the site of that little town off to the right of the highway makes me think of the girl I was when I first arrived, the girl I was when I finally left, and the girl I am now.

Wearing the cardigan I wore today. So true, this isn't a place, but I wore it on my first date with my husband and that is such a sweet memory.

The old building in my hometown where I taught piano lessons. It was the first time I really felt ownership of a project that had real world impact. I really loved those kids. I hope I taught them something.

Seeing the Draper Temple up on the hill when I'm in that neck of the woods (a sacred place for many, I realize), "my" temple, remembering sitting inside, talking to my mom, waiting for the biggest thing I'd ever done.

What are your personal sacred places?

So...

2010-07-22T13:13:00.004-06:00

Since my last post, I changed my blog design. Before it was looking like so much Pepto. Make no mistake: I want my blog to be hot pink. So the title is punch enough...for now.

Anyway. I am one of those people who does things a certain way. My way is always the way that makes most sense and is best for society. There are a number of ways I exhibit this: I always shut the entire lid of the toilet before flushing to contain germs. I don't cut meat on wood cutting boards, even if it's cooked. Heck, I even do all the apartment deep cleaning on Tuesdays when my husband is playing basketball so I can do it my way. I wouldn't call myself particular to the point of insanity.

However, you might.

One thing I'm particular about is pulling up EXACTLY to the stop line when I'm first in line at a stop light. Even though most of the lights in my neighborhood are on timers, not sensors, I still feel this is of utmost importance. And the other day, I did this, as is normal and correct, and a car pulled up in the next lane over, and I kid you not, they were almost a full car length behind the stop line!

What were they hoping to accomplish with this? The world may never know. I sure have been thinking about it since, though.

I don't know

2010-07-21T17:51:00.002-06:00

how my blog design got so ugly

how i cut my finger open today

why the neighbor upstairs is always on her phone shouting the most asinine things

why it's so hard to find a decent rental property in this town that isn't mcmansion expensive or crackhouse horrific

Basically I don't know much today. Do you?

Where my peep at? or, Cabela’s: Montana-sized salt lick for eager new bow hunters

2010-07-02T14:11:00.002-06:00

Last night, I went to Cabela’s with my husband to buy bow hunting equipment. No word yet on how bow bow staff skills translate into bow hunting skills.

Cabela’s has all kinds of equipment for killing all kinds of animals.

We were there for upwards of 90 minutes and didn’t have time to look at the fake mountain with all the dead sheep and stuff on it, or the aquarium, which is my favorite part because it’s like Sea World, Freshwater Edition.

I’ve been to Cabela’s once before in my life, with Erin, to buy a lantern for…doesn’t matter. We went in there with our makeup and our curled hair and our premium denim and our high heels and we clacked our way across the tile floor past the camo-clad customers and employees right to the camping section to pick out the world’s greatest lantern.

The only place I’ve ever felt like more of an outsider was that one time in junior high that I tried out for a sports team.

The archery section of Cabela’s was a lot more upbeat than the camping section, because it was stacked with Rabies, er, helpful sales staff people with names like Cody and Raby. I think the store had Rabies to help customers in other departments, but we just had one individual Raby.

He is a bow hunter/Cabela’s outfitter and he installed a new peep on Mark’s bow, and cut his arrows to the appropriate length for his bow and stance. If you are going to take up bow hunting, might I suggest you talk to Raby? And Cody. But I kind of just like talking about Raby.

I have to say, I was happy to be there for this outing, especially when we got to the till, when I realized I had just racked up enough points to trade in the IKEA fabric I’d planned on to re-upholster my chairs, for something to the tune of Jonathan Adler.

Dear Talbots, I am blogging about Talbots. Talbots.

2010-06-16T22:11:00.004-06:00

I wonder if the Google Alert will pick that up...

After my last post, I got this comment:

1) Extremely flattered to be contacted by any sort of PR department because it makes me feel famous

2) Extremely impressed with Google's thoroughness because my blog, especially of late, is nothing to write home about

At the behest of what I do believe was a PR rep for Talbots, I took a look at what they were peddling these days (as one PR gal to another) and I must say, Sophie at Talbots, you were right! I was pleasantly surprised. So many cute dresses, especially, on the site. Look what I found. Sophie, do you think you could get me one of these comped? Because we're in money-saving mode at my house this summer and I would love to get any and all of these for $40 each...

All photos swiped from talbots.com.

Do you ever wonder...

2010-05-26T22:07:00.000-06:00

what your outfit says about you?

Because last night, mine said, "I'm 56 years old and enjoy shopping at Talbots."

It wasn't one of my hipper moments.

Candy talks to strangers.

2010-05-25T22:00:00.002-06:00

You might be interested to know that one Mr. Brandon Flowers is releasing a solo album this fall called Flamingo.

The buzz I've read about it is pretty unwaveringly positive, but there are the naysayers.

I think that Brandon Flowers is the best thing about The Killers, so for me there is no downside to this foray.

That is as long as B-Flow reunites with his matador buddies for just three or four more tours that pass by this way (which I hear is a pretty tall order).

image courtesy of last.fm

I don’t want to get old.

2010-05-18T21:12:00.001-06:00

Today at work I got a phone call from an irritated industry veteran, angry and confused about why my team had handled an announcement the way we had. I explained our strategy and he told me he didn’t see how that could be considered a strategy. Simply put, we are doing things the new way.

I felt bad for him. I like things the old way too, but now we have the new way.

I love the new way. It is challenging. It is exciting. It is constant change. I’m not old, but I still find myself feeling behind from time to time. It takes work and you have to keep up. That is half the fun.

I don’t know who said it, but it’s true: you can’t stop technology, so you might as well find a way to leverage it for your use.

Someone else said you’re not old till you stop learning. I say you’re not old till you stop trying new things. I feared that if I had brought up Twitter on my appeasing phone call today, I might have put the person on the other end of the phone in the hospital.

I’m not saying that everyone needs to tweet about Bieber Fever on their iPads 24/7, but as soon as you shut out the next big thing, you’re making yourself un-relatable. You’re isolating yourself. What exactly are you trying to prove by not participating in Facebook, for example? You think that leaving yourself out is going to convince millions of people that what they’re doing is a waste of time?

If this is how people are talking, I guess you better join the conversation…if you want to be heard.

I’m fixating on technology here, but it goes for just about everything. Young people are the future, and if you want to stay young, keep asking questions. Find out what the kids are doing these days. It doesn’t mean you have to agree with what they’re doing. Even when I was a kid, I was disagreeing with what the kids were doing.

In short: curiosity is what makes youth young, and I hope to stay young by keeping curious about what’s current.

Anyone else run into this? Do you ever feel like you’re getting prematurely old because you don’t understand the new way of doing something?

Inspiration Board.

2010-05-11T19:25:00.002-06:00

Today, Meredith at Just Lovely posted some inspiration boards that she'd made to help her decorate her newly remodeled house (and I cannot WAIT to see before and afters, lady!), and forgive me for riding on her coattails, but I thought it might be a good opportunity to share with you my new online inspiration board, The Nesting Doll.

Now, if you go look at it, be nice, and remember, it's just my inspiration board. Nothing is original (for now), just a gathering of pretty things from around the Web, but I always give credit. And for all of you nesting dolls (do you get that name? I hope people get it), I have a growing list of blogs full of little pretties that you can spend days drooling over.

I'm just starting and well...I hope I keep it up. Because it's fun.

Cookies

2010-04-17T21:58:00.005-06:00

If you know me in real life, you know that my family has a thing about chocolate chip cookies. The past few years, I have shamed the family name with ridiculously bad cookies.

They burn, or they go flat, or they're too cakey, or I forget some key ingredient (I know, I know).

But tonight, I made cookies and it was just like old times. They worked like they are supposed to for the first time in probably, seriously, four years.

I decided that I owe it to the cookie sheets. You know, those heavy, aluminum cookie sheets? I finally have two of them, just like my mom has, and her mom, and hers...

For the longest time, I told myself that these cookie sheets were hard to find, but then I got one at my bridal shower and decided to just scope out the baking section of my favorite Springville Walmart during a routine perusing, and what did I see but the good old fashioned Nordic Ware cookie sheets of my dreams, and I bought one to complete my budding set.

Ten dollars for one. Now I know they aren't hard to find, it was just hard for me to spend ten dollars on a cookie sheet while living with the risk that a roommate might ruin/steal it (and let's be honest...)

But this new roommate I have, he's not much of a baker. And he isn't moving out at the end of the semester. So we're allowed to have ten dollar cookie sheets.

Three cheers for cookies that would make mom proud!

Happy Girl

2010-03-18T23:20:00.006-06:00

I saw this image over at dress design decor (originally from Martha Stewart Weddings Spring 2010 issue) and wanted to pass it along.

Don't you just love Audrey Hepburn?

Do you need a place to live through the summer?

2010-03-06T15:32:00.003-07:00

Then leave me a comment. I'm selling my housing contract. Rent is $405 but I'm flexible on that. I can also throw in a 24" TV/DVD combo with the deal (since the place doesn't come with a TV). Here's the info:

Rent the master suite in this beautiful, spacious, clean town home in South Provo!

The rent is $405, but, you could easily be paying $450 for a master suite in this neighborhood, so this is a great price.

The room is large with a private bathroom, and tons of storage in the walk-in closet. The town home itself has two other tenants and is a three bedroom, two and a half bath. It has lots of windows and light, a large pantry in the kitchen and a full unfinished basement with TONS of storage space.

Amenities:

*Private bedroom

*Private bath

*Walk-in closet

*Tons of storage space

*Washer and dryer included

*Furnished with bed, desk, dresser and bookshelf

*Free cable

*Covered Parking

*Lots of light

The contract goes through August with an option to renew for another year. The roommates are kind and quiet, and the area is social with a good mix of singles and families, students and working professionals, etc.

You will love it here! Please email me with any questions or to schedule an appointment to see the house.

Thanks!

So, here’s a thing.

2010-03-03T19:25:00.004-07:00

***

POST EDIT:

IT HAS BEEN BROUGHT TO MY ATTENTION THAT MARTHA STEWART IS ALREADY IN WALMART STORES. PHASE 2 HAS COMMENCED. HEADING FOR THE HILLS IS ADVISED, ALTHOUGH I DON'T DOUBT GOOGLE'S ABILITY TO FIND YOU THERE, TOO.

***

OK, two things.

1. Thanks for the wedding day advice! I knew you would come through for me, like always. Keep it rolling in.

2. Martha Stewart.

Her paint is now at The Home Depot. And that’s fine, only they’ve ousted Ralph Lauren’s paint line to make room for it. (I know, I know.)

And I didn’t find out about this switch-a-roo until after the fact, when it was too late to go get one of each of Ralphie’s chips (I know, I know).

Le sigh.

I’m also acutely aware that whenever I do decorating-type posts on this blog, no one cares.

But don’t you care that Martha Stewart is slowly taking over the universe? The only places you don’t see her are at Walmart and on the Google logo.

Walmart, Google and Martha Stewart: The deadly combo that will create the tri-opoly that will at once democratize and homogenize everything anyone ever does at any time, ever, forever. They just have a handshake agreement now not to tread into each others’ markets, slowly gobbling up all the competition in their respective areas of expertise, then boom!

What happens when the boom hits, I don’t know, but Google sure knows where you live already and once Walmart buys the government, all your furnishings can be replaced by those of the Martha Stewart variety, tout de suite.

Just watch your back and guard your Thomas-O'Brien-for-Target-loving heart.

March Madness, Wedding Edition.

2010-03-02T19:31:00.004-07:00

{Take a gander at our gaga gorgeous groomal flowers from last weekend. J' adore.}

Well friends, it’s now wedding month, or as I like to call it, March Madness. We sure have a lot to do…moving, packing for the honeymoon, logistics and delegating on the wedding day, blah, blah, blah.

We have never done this before. And, since we plan on never doing it again, we have to make it perfect (ie, low stress/enjoyable/organized) the first time. What advice do you have for us?

Please, let’s let YOU run YOUR little know-it-all mouths around here for once.

A couple things.

2010-02-25T23:43:00.003-07:00

1. I made my first honest-to-goodness batch of chocolate chip cookies in the new Mark and Holly family aqua blue KitchenAid. Currently on the "chill the dough" phase before baking. The mixer worked like a charm, in case there are some out there who still aren't sure that a KitchenAid is worth it.

2. Wedding planning is near complete. As the day approaches, I am terrified of two things:

a. People not showing up for the reception

b. Running out of food at the reception

The good news is, those things are mutually exclusive, so at the most, one of those might happen. Of course I would much rather run out of food and have my dad do a massive 7-11 run for Big Gulps and chocolate Dunford doughnuts, then stand around the chocolate fountain despondently with Mark and our parents, crying soft tears of rejection with memories of the junior class secretary election suddenly fresh on my mind. On the other hand, me, Mark and our parents aren't bad company. Y'all would be missing out on quite a hopping party, where hopping equals violent and party equals BYU/Utah debate.

Mark and I are a split religion family that way.

3. Have you heard this song? I lalalove it! Just hit play and don't pay attention to who it is until it's over, unless you love Eddie Vedder, in which case, wow, Pearl Jam has still got it!

You know,

2010-02-15T01:01:00.003-07:00

I would really love to tell you about my Valentine's Day, but it would make you too jealous.

I'll spare your tender feelings for now.

Let's just say that Valentine's Day is a big deal for the Mr. and me, because February 13th is the anniversary of our first date. Here we are on our first date. Can you see us? It's a good thing the paparazzi follow Mr. wherever he goes, because otherwise our first date might not have been documented, from a photo-journalistic standpoint.

I just get more and more thankful that I accepted that tall attorney's invitation to the monster truck rally last year.

"I hope you...enjoy the choices you've made." Jack Donaghy

Here's a hint.

2010-02-15T01:00:00.002-07:00

And while I'm thinking about it,

2010-02-02T23:44:00.002-07:00

why don't you go on over to The Onion and read this article? Today, the Mr. reminded me about it and I fell in love with it all over again.

RIP, JD Salinger. Sure love your work. Serious.

I'm cranky.

2010-02-02T23:24:00.003-07:00

I noticed the other day that a lot of my Facebook status updates are a little snarky. See also:

My current status: "All these profile pic themes remind me a lot of spirit week in high school."

The doppelganger one is especially fun/preposterous. It’s nice to see how highly people think of themselves when they feel safe about it because “this is what OTHER people think I look like!” We’ve talked about doppelgangers here on the blog, back when I had brown hair for a season, except to me, a celebrity doppelganger is someone you channel and aspire to, not someone who's your twin. I use the word incorrectly and I'm aware. It's my blog and if you don't like it you can leave (Winter Madness?).

As a blonde, the only doppelganger comment I’ve ever had was Elisabeth Shue circa Adventures in Babysitting. This is when my hair is curly and Farrah-like. The fact that the only celebrity I resemble is far from a fresh face these days doesn’t bug me much. I’ll take Elisabeth.

I’ll tell you who I WISH I looked like though. This gal:

Is she not just the cutest thing in the world? She is always just so pulled together and poised and flawless.

Gotta get in touch with Carrie’s trainer. Do you think it’s Jillian Michaels [DVDs]?

I hope so.

PS – Paige/Tibby, you really do remind me of Amber Tamblen soo much.

a word about bridal fairs.

2010-01-31T22:45:00.004-07:00

in my humble opinion, bridal fairs are only useful for people in the "i plan to get engaged this year" phase of life.

might be that i'm just a little eager (probably), or too decisive (probably not), but by the time the bridal fairs rolled around in january, my being there was a tad useless.

"hi there! looking for a photographer?" no.

"heya, have you found a venue yet?" yes.

"looking for that perfect gown?" found it before i had the ring on my hand.

"looking for a cake?" nope.

in fact, the only vendor i hadn't locked in by the time i went to the bridal show was my florist, but i had already chosen her, even though she didn't know it yet.

so i went looking for basically ideas on details.

what i got was about a thousand emails from overeager wedding planners, photographers, dj's, you name it, all vying for my attention. well, all including me on their mail merge pitches is more like it. haven't opened a single one of their messages.

not too useful for either party.

but i'm not complaining! hey, feeling ahead of the game was encouraging!

and in case you were wondering, my florist is blossom sweet, and i can hardly wait to see my flowers! melissa does such beautiful things.

I'd like to take a moment

2010-01-18T01:04:00.002-07:00

to point out that in a very close race, Two Thousand Ten beat out Twenty Ten in the latest skinny poll.

Looks like we're all going to speaking a little more properly.

Also, looks like my way won.

How is your 2010 so far? We're a little over two weeks in, and I'm feeling good.

And your resolutions? I've started peeling off a little weight on my South Beach foray, and every time I think about my upcoming honeymoon cruise to Mexico, all I want to do is never eat sugar again. So this helps.

For those of you interested in how I liked it, I am thoroughly enjoying it. Truly. It's like a little game to identify and refrain from hidden sugars, and Mark is doing it in solidarity, which helps a lot. So far I'm 8 pounds lighter and I really do believe that this is something I can, and will, keep up for the long term. I recommend it.

And if you have done it, send over some recipes! Always looking for new ideas to spice up my routine.

I know you are, but what am I?

2010-01-18T01:02:00.002-07:00

You know how some people assume that because they are a certain way, that you are, too?

On Friday, I was at the bank getting $20. I had to go inside because I didn’t want a $20 bill. I wanted specific change. Anyway, the teller said,

“You get Monday off, right?”

To which I replied, “no, I don’t work at a bank.”

Here's to all my fellow I-work-on-MLK-day friends.

Today I was just wondering…

2010-01-06T17:36:00.000-07:00

Do people really still listen to ska music? Apparently Reel Big Fish is coming to SLC this weekend. I totally forgot about ska music, but I totally remember why.

I forgot about it because I think that ska is the most annoying musical genre on earth (that I’ve heard so far).

More annoying than poorly-done Christmas music.

Anyone with me? Anyone LOVE ska? Tell me why I’m wrong.

What do you have to say for yourself

2010-01-04T23:40:00.002-07:00

now that it's 2010?

First, let's clear just one little thing up right now. Is it:

Twenty Ten

Two Thousand Ten

Because I kind of like Two Thousand Ten. Twenty Ten sounds like a Ray Bradbury novel (not that there's anything wrong with that), not a year. Well, a novel about a year. In the very distant future.

Please visit the poll. Weigh in on this meaty matter.

In other news, I am excited/scared/relieved/anxious/thrilled, because Two Thousand Ten is going to be somewhat of a monumental year for this girl. I'm speaking of marriage, of course, to one special fiance of mine.

(A note to other fiances - you are just not that special to me. And I won't be marrying you. I'll just be marrying one special fiance of mine. And you know who you are and I hope you really do like the flowers I've picked out.)

In other news, and perhaps consequently, I am on the South Beach Diet. Have you tried this? I love it a little. Day 5 and I'm perfectly at ease.

Additionally, I shot a gun for the first time on New Year's Day. It was "a freakin' 12 gauge, what do you think?!"

And what news do you have? It's been so long since we talked.

Christmas Movie Round-up

2009-12-21T00:11:00.002-07:00

I'm starting to get a little worried that I waited too long to start watching Christmas movies this year, and if I start now and try to fit them in, it will just have the "Simply having a happy Christmas (war is over) do they know it's Christmas kissing Santa Claus" effect.

Which of course is to say that Christmas movies will begin to bother me just as much Christmas music does. If you require explanation, please see here.

So to get in the swing of things, I'm just remembering one-liners instead.

"If this gets dented, my hair just ain't gonna look right."

"Buddy the elf; what's your favorite color?"

"To: Olive. From: Deus ex Machina."

"Somewhere, Schwartz was getting his."

"Vermont must be lovely this time of year. All that snow."

There. I think I'm good now.

Get in the spirit.

2009-12-18T15:15:00.001-07:00

This is still my favorite little jingle.

I hope your Christmas preparations are going well. I finished my shopping today...I think!

We must be adults.

2009-12-17T11:23:00.002-07:00

Since I got engaged, I’ve been secretly identifying annoying things about my single life that will go by the wayside once I’m married. I didn’t know that my fiancé was doing the same thing until last night, when I heard him rifling through the storage container cabinet in his kitchen, trying to put away dinner leftovers, saying,

“I can’t wait for the next phase of my life. I call it the ‘matching tupperware’ phase.”

We have both plotted to leave all our odds and ends and red-headed stepchild tupperware for our future former roommates and start fresh with our own kitchen, and henceforth and forever have a strict family policy of buying only storage containers that match.

This is a fantasy of ours. We must be adults.

I'm sorry.

2009-12-14T13:18:00.003-07:00

Dear Blog,

Maybe I didn't love you quite as often as I could have. Maybe I didn't love you as well as I should have.

But you are always on my mind (and by "always" I mean at least daily).

There are three things keeping me from you right now:

The Wedding Planning

The Holidays

The Sinus Infection

But I won't be gone forever. Oh no. Because in a mere week-ish, I'll be off for Christmas ("well, ain't this place a geographic oddity - two weeks from everywhere!" <--name that film) and I will have new posts for you. And maybe a bit of an announcement.

Till then, or whenever I feel like posting,

Holly

A coud in da dohz.

2009-12-03T17:06:00.000-07:00

Sometimes when I'm getting over a head cold, I have to remind myself to start breathing through my nose again.

It's a bit of a bother.

But I do it, so I don't look like a creepy mouth-breather.

You're welcome!

Happy Birthday

2009-11-30T00:07:00.004-07:00

to my sweet, wonderful fiancé!

I love you, Mark.

Notice also that it looks like the top of my pinky has been amputated in this otherwise lovely shot. Niiiiice.

Enjoy the holiday. XOXO, Holly.

2009-11-24T23:16:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving Countdown: episode 9.

2009-11-24T08:57:00.003-07:00

For our final guest post in the Thanksgiving series, please welcome TruBluBYU.

If you read her blog, you know that she is a masterful traditionista (yep, I just said that), and I was pretty darn excited to see what she had to say about Thanksgiving traditions.

Enjoy!

Welcome, TruBluBYU!

Traditions are my life-blood.

I had an enchanted childhood, full of Tradition and excitement. And now that I have my own little family, those magical traditions I enjoyed as a young girl continue with my children. And I can see reflected in their eyes the same joy Tradition brought me.

Do you know the secret about Tradition? Anyone at any time can begin a new tradition- even when there is not a holiday in sight. If that’s not magic, I don’t know what is. So, I find myself using any excuse I can to fashion a new tradition at my house. And the children are mystified by every one.

It seems, though, that Tradition is most abundant during the Holiday Season. That’s what makes the holidays so magical.

In my family, we share a few Thanksgiving traditions that I enjoy.

There are seven children in the family of my birth. Add spouses and children, and the number has exploded to 37 people in all. We all love to be together and play together.

On Thanksgiving Day, we typically invite another large family that we grew up with to a morning kickball challenge. Because, in Arizona you can play kickball outside on Thanksgiving Day and break a sweat. It’s Awesome! And also because they have a million people in their family, so it makes the match much more funner. (yep, funner)

Mostly we visit and catch up on old times and meet the newest members of each family while all our children run wild. And then when it’s our turn to kick the ball we do our best to kick it as far as we can and try our best to not look old and slow as we round the bases.

After the game, we say our goodbyes to our friends, vow to not wait so long to get together again, load up the kids and equipment and the whole family gathers for dinner. And we eat. Typical, traditional Thanksgiving Day vittles.

As soon as we have had our fill, the girls gather for an afternoon craft. One of us has done all the pre-planning and purchasing of supplies and teaches the rest of us the project. (It just so happens to be my turn to lead the craft this year.)

We holster our glue guns and carefully mold our project, each of us adding our individual touch to make our project unique. We chat and swap stories and offer advice and opinions. And when we’re done, we step back and ooh and ahh over our creations. And then we require the husbands to ooh and ahh over the loveliness we have created to beautify our homes. They do a pretty good job ooh-ing and ahh-ing. And then they return to their football game.

And then, we all load up our families and make our way to the local movie theatre to catch the latest holiday release. Movie theatres on Thanksgiving Day with popcorn and your little ones tucked close beside you are truly magical.

It’s always a really good day.

But, the best tradition is that we are together as a family. Yes, family is the best tradition. The real life-blood in my veins.

Just hook me up to an IV of that Tradition and I could thrive.

And now, mysteries of the human condition.

2009-11-23T11:00:00.000-07:00

Have you ever noticed that when someone is attractive, you really want to believe what they say, even when what they're saying to you is straight-up CRAZY talk?

Thanksgiving Countdown: episode 8.

2009-11-23T08:00:00.001-07:00

If you asked me for a list of go-to foodies that I know in real life, Janessa would be right at the top of the list.

When she and I were roommates, Janessa always actually cooked meals, and when her mom visited, our apartment practically transformed into a Food Network test kitchen.

So anything she says about good food, I take as the absolute gospel truth. Here's your chance to do the same.

Welcome, Janessa!

I am mildly obsessed with fall. And it’s not just because I love sassy scarves and boots, or because the colors on the trees make me all giddy inside (I can’t help it. I grew up in California. I'm not used to seasons). No, my little heart goes into hyper-drive because to this part-Italian part-Armenian gal raised with a healthy dose of Mexican influence, fall equals food.

It starts with scones and citrusy apply cider in October, but the real fun begins when Halloween’s ended. With the first of November comes The Great Recipe Hunt. You see, in my family, Thanksgiving is never the same meal twice. Sure, there are a few classic characters on the table every year: the cider and Chardonnay brined turkey, Grandpa Mike’s Italian sausage-water chestnut-corn stuffing, and Mom’s ginger-pear cranberry sauce. But the starches and sides and desserts, oh my – we rarely indulge in the same dish twice. There are a few rules:

1. Butter makes everything better. So does cream. We’re big fans of cream.

2. There must be at least four vegetables on the table at all times. Recent favorites: Brussels sprouts with pearl onions, prosciutto, parmesan and cream; roasted carrots drizzled with olive oil and fresh dill; and broiled stuffed acorn squash.

3. Pumpkin pie is not an acceptable dessert. Pumpkin cake, cranberry upside-down cake, apple tart, pumpkin pecan cheesecake – now you’re talkin’.

Inspiration can come from any source, from Barefoot Contessa to my mom’s co-workers at the elementary school cafeteria. Sometimes we just make things up and see if they work. The point is to be creative. Celebrate the harvest by trying new things this year. Your taste buds will thank you, even if your Buckle jeans won’t.

Don’t you just hate it when

2009-11-20T17:00:00.001-07:00

you have a blog post idea, but you wait too long to jot it down, and it escapes you while you’re eating your Lean Cuisine?

It happened to me today.

It’s still up there in my brain, tucked in one of the shallow new wrinkles near the back. It tickles a little bit, but I can’t figure out what it is, kind of like when I have something itching on my eyeball and I compulsively run to the bathroom to look at it really close in the mirror every time I feel it move, but the offending object insists on remaining invisible to the naked eye, proceeding to annoy me all day long.

And you know, fuzzy stuck in my eye or blog post idea stuck in my brain, it would be so satisfying to bring it out here to see the light of day. Only difference is, I don’t think anyone would give an eye fuzzy a passing glance. But who knows? That blog post idea hiding out in the shallow wrinkle in the back of my brain might just be genius.

It could change the world.

It might have the power to inspire peace in the Middle East or make The Hills good again.

But I didn't write it down; I ate lunch.

Everything could have changed, but it didn’t.

Everything stayed the same.

Thanksgiving Countdown, episode 7.

2009-11-20T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome T-Ray, our next Thanksgiving blogger and real life friend of mine.

You'll see below that Tracy wants to be the next Martha Stewart, and let me tell you that after planning a number of events with her, I'm pretty confident she could be.

Be sure to visit her blog, especially to learn about Mr. Hot Tub...you won't be sorry!

Welcome, Tracy!

Thanksgiving is such a great time of year. I really love to get in the spirit of the holiday by listening to Thanksgiving music, which includes Josh Groban's "Thankful" and.... that's it.

Really though... since I want to be the next Martha Stewart, my favorite part of Thanksgiving is the meal. I spend hours looking online for the perfect dish to contribute to the family meal. The more compliments I receive, the better. I want to hear from others that I AM the next Martha Stewart. Along with an amazing meal, the table needs to be decorated festive and cute. Also can't forget that I need to wear my best outfit because I WILL be taking pictures of the event. After all, I have a blog to upkeep and readers to impress. While I am taking pictures, I must get a close up of me with my beautiful and delicious dish that I brought.

Isn't Thanksgiving a great time of year? I am so awesome to think of others by preparing the best dish for them to enjoy.

Isn't that what the holiday is all about anyway?

Happy Thanksgiving!

Animal style?

2009-11-19T16:13:00.002-07:00

Well, the In-N-Out Burger strategically placed between BYU and UVU opened today, and oh sweet Sadie, I think we all understand the term "animal style" a little better after seeing the line. You would think Michael Jackson were back from the dead signing autographs at that place.

Ladies and gents, in the words of the King of Pop, you’ve got to let it simmer.

(Anyone see that movie?)

In-N-Out will be there for a while, I think, so let’s all just take a deep breath and regain our composure, and not feel compelled to stand in that crazy watering hole line.

But more importantly, if you do make it through the line without being eaten by cougars or wolverines (get it?! ah-haha), would you bring me some fries?

Thanks.

Thanksgiving Countdown, episode 6.

2009-11-19T08:00:00.000-07:00

Give it up for The Professor over at The Wounded Mosquito.

The Wounded Mosquito is a must-visit for musings on just about anything, and bonus, The Professor recently opened comments on his posts. Let the dialogue begin!

I think you'll all appreciate The Professor's well-thought out advice in:

How to Prevent a Turkey Day Tragedy

Over the last several years, Thanksgiving has become the red-headed stepchild to Halloween and Christmas within the holiday fraternity. Whether it’s the ever-advancing push of the Christmas shopping season or the elitist holiday symbolism of Tim Burton’s “Nightmare Before Christmas,” the message is clear: at best, Thanksgiving is a warm-up, and probably closer to a late-season speed bump on the way to Yuletide Bliss.

But it is time to stop griping about old news. Today is a day of action, and it’s time to step in and save one of our most cherished national holidays. The formula is simple: take what is making the competition so successful, and emulate it. If you can’t beat ‘em, copy the crap out of them.

Here are a few starter suggestions:

Redesign the Thanksgiving Mascot

Christmas has Santa Claus. Easter has the Easter Bunny. Halloween has Keith Richards. And what does Thanksgiving have? Well it has a turkey. A turkey with a lousy gig, if you ask me. Santa Claus brings presents. The Easter Bunny gives you candy. But that stupid turkey just gets eaten.

If Thanksgiving wants to survive the 21^st Century, it’s time to roll out a tag team of bona-fide custom mascots: Pilgrim Pete and Indigenous Anoki. On Wednesday night, all the kids in the neighborhood will suit up in either Native American dress or traditional Quaker garb and go door-to-door with their own Cornucopias, gathering the raw materials for Thanksgiving dinner from generous neighbors. Then in the middle of the night, Pilgrim Pete and Indigenous Anoki will magically float down the chimney and turn those cans of sweet potatoes and pumpkin pie filling into a wonderful meal for all to consume, along with a hand-written message of mutual cooperation and bipartisanship that can be read during the festivities.

Commission a Thanksgiving Anthem

It’s hard to imagine a Christmas season without its signature music, whether it’s a traditional religious song like “O, Holy Night” or a heartwarming secular hymn like “Grandma Got Run Over By a Reindeer.” Halloween gets “Monster Mash” and “Thriller,” and “Thriller” even comes with its own line dance. Again, what does Thanksgiving have? Bupkus.

Thanksgiving needs its own song, and I think Neil Diamond is the guy to turn to. It may be too late to get Michael Jackson to choreograph an official Thanksgiving Dance, but according to many reports, Neil Diamond is still alive. Besides, he’s already given us “America,” and he’s probably the only guy out there who could talk-sing his way through phrases like “bounteous bumper crop” and "extend the warm hand of fellowship and tolerance" with a straight face.

Add Some Good Old-Fashioned Sex and Violence

If Michael Bay has taught us anything, it is that there is nothing more American than a glassy-eyed bombshell in Daisy Dukes running in slow motion in front of a massive explosion. As a missionary in Northwest Illinois, I met a family whose yearly Thanksgiving tradition was to go out into their backyard and blast old TV sets with shotguns. You see where I’m going? That’s right: Dallas Cowboy Cheerleaders shooting guns at halftime of football games. Loving families gathered in backyards and back alleys across the country, bravely exercising their right to bear fully-automatic arms. Charleton Heston’s corpse is expunging a salty drop of tear-like dew just thinking about it. This will work, people...trust me.

These are just a few simple ideas to get us started. Once we apply our famous American work-ethic, I’m sure the innovations will start rolling in. Thanksgiving Day is as American a holiday as the 4th of July, and we must preserve it by any means necessary.

In defense of the beehive state, or humans' need to assign faulty reasoning to things they don’t understand.

2009-11-18T14:33:00.005-07:00

I live in Utah. It’s a choice I made one day. Consciously.

I could have moved to Orange County after graduation and lived by the beach, and had parties with California boys while waxing poetic about In-N-Out Burger. I could have taken off to New York and felt sorry for people who didn’t get to jog daily in Central Park. I could have stayed in Idaho. I could have moved to Seattle and gotten really into indie music and hemp.

But I came here, and I’m glad.

There’s one complaint I have with Utah, and that would be self-proclaimed non-Utah people, who, when in Utah, write off everything new to them as a “weird Utah thing.”

“Yeah, I’m not from Utah. What’s a white elephant gift exchange?”

A former IT guy at my company actually posed this question to a coworker of mine. Like we have these secret Utah People Only meetings where we talk about white elephant gift exchanges in hushed tones in the rumored underground tunnel system in downtown Salt Lake City, and that furthermore, no one outside Utah would be familiar with the concept of a white elephant gift exchange.

It’s like me going to St. Louis and saying, “Sorry, I’m not from Missouri so I don’t know about you Missouri people and your taxi cabs.” I would look like a complete airhead.

Um, IT guy? Has it seriously never occurred to you that maybe you’ve just never been exposed to this cruel/awesome holiday tradition that is the white elephant gift exchange? Maybe you’ve been a bit hidden under a rock. And how many places have you lived, exactly? Unless you’ve lived out of the country a couple times and maintained permanent residence in myriad different states, how can you really be qualified to say that something is a “weird Utah thing?”

In my opinion, that’s kind of an interesting stance to take, especially when Utah citizens are criticized as of being close-minded and sheltered.

And if it is actually a weird Utah thing, like for example, fry sauce (which is spreading in popularity, but as I understand, is still used an inordinate proportions here), why don’t you at least get used to the idea? Or at the very least, stop acting surprised and pretentious about it. You don’t have to like it. I don’t think I’ll ever be dipping anything in a mayonnaise-based sauce. But for the love of tiny toy guns, get over yourself already.

The End.

Tune in tomorrow for suggestions on ways to save Thanksgiving from utter obscurity!

Thanksgiving Countdown, episode 5.

2009-11-18T08:00:00.000-07:00

Today's Thanksgiving tidbit come from Meredith over at Just Lovely.

Meredith is another of my sweet girlfriends from way back in the Las Vegas days.

We're both Utah girls now, and I'm not going pretend I'm not jealous of her adorable new lifestyle blog.

It's a must read...and this sweet potato dish is a must-make, for sure.

Welcome, Meredith!

I love sweet potatoes. There's a chance I could be quite happy living on nothing else but the sweet potato. Really. Luckily, it's an integral part of the upcoming holiday season. To me, Thanksgiving just wouldn't seem complete without a side dish of this orange-hued tuber.

{image via Make Life Delicious}

I received the following recipe from a good friend - it was originally her grandmother's creation. The ingredients add up to something lucious and sinful. But that's what Thanksgiving was made for, right? Well, maybe not...but it's a pretty nice side product of evolution. This year I'm thankful for family, home and the sweet potato. You?

Sweet Potato Casserole

Ingredients:

Filling:

3 cups cooked sweet potatoes

1 cup white sugar

1/2 cup milk

2 eggs, lightly beaten

1 teaspoon vanilla

1 stick butter

2 teaspoons cinnamon

Topping:

1 stick butter

1 cup pecans, coursely chopped

1 cup coconut, scant

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup flour

mini marshmallows, optional

Instructions:

Preheat oven to 375*. In a large bowl, mash sweet potatoes until smooth. Add sugar, milk, eggs, vanilla, butter and cinnamon and mix to combine. Pour into a 9x13 pan and set aside.

In a small bowl, combine all topping ingredients. Sprinkle over sweet potato mash. Add a scattering of mini marshmallows, if desired. Bake in oven for 30 minutes, until topping is toasty and delicious.

Thanksgiving Countdown, episode 4.

2009-11-17T08:00:00.001-07:00

Welcome back to the countdown! Today's installment comes from my coworker Nathan, author of the very funny Talkaholics Anonymous, home of the *tangent* blogging method.

*Tangent*

Nathan is so on the ball - he was the first person to send me the full text to his post. Punctual!

*End Tangent*

Enjoy his musings on childhood holidays.

Welcome, Nathan!

As the last of nine children, I was a little spoiled. However, when I was 13, my eyes were opened to an entirely new (and higher) echelon of excessive spending when my family was invited to this rich family's cabin for Thanksgiving dinner.

It was up in the mountains and snow was everywhere. As we pulled into their driveway, we were greeted with five garages all filled with snowmobiles and other "toys." Inside, there was an entire wing of the house filled with bedrooms and bathrooms for the 283 guests these people evidently needed to house at any given moment (I may have exaggerated that number a little).

There were media rooms and game rooms and rooms set aside for displaying antiques. The view spanned the entire valley, and in another wing, I met my first indoor pool.

However, the icing on the cake was at dinner. When one of the baskets of rolls came to me, I discovered it wasn't just any old basket. It was an antique Native American basket from one of the original local tribes.

It would be an understatement to say I felt awkward and out of place. It made me appreciate my own family traditions during Thanksgiving. Looking around at all the beautiful things, they seemed to get in the way of just being together. While my family doesn't have a specific traditional activity each year, we always spend time together, and that is what is important.

Dear All Y’all,

2009-11-16T17:00:00.000-07:00

How was your Monday?

I’m asking you, so you’ll ask me, so I can tell you that mine was great. Among other shiny little gems, I enjoyed the following:

Sweet wake up text from my boyfriend

Skin clearer than it was yesterday

Christmas coke in the office fridge

All about the simple pleasures. I’m hoping that this is just setting the stage for an equally pleasant week, and I hope that yours is great, too!

xoxo,

Holly

Here’s another grammar nugget for you to chew on.

2009-11-16T16:46:00.001-07:00

Everyday.

It’s an adjective, meaning commonplace or ordinary.

If you are looking for another way to say “daily,” then “everyday” is incorrect. Instead, just strike one extra key in the middle to make it the very correct “every day.”

And I will love you forever.

Thanks.

Thanksgiving Countdown: episode 3.

2009-11-16T08:00:00.000-07:00

Welcome back to the Thanksgiving countdown, brought to you today by a fellow blogger and my childhood friend, Christie of Passion For Things That Do Not Matter.

I sincerely believe this to be the most honest blog title ever in the world.

Christie is a friend I will always cherish. In fifth grade when we were both new to Las Vegas, we adopted each other and were thick as thieves until I moved far, far away.

We still keep up with each other here and there, and I consider her to be a lifelong friend.

So you better be nice to her!

Welcome, Christie!

Some holidays are a total let-down. Like New Year’s Eve. I would spend hours coloring my face and crafting outfits in hopes that the night would be filled with excitement (and hopefully boys). Every year failed to meet those expectations. Thanksgiving is NOT one of those holidays. It has never failed to disappoint for two fundamental reasons: family and food.

No matter where we all are, my family always tries to be home for Thanksgiving. We’re talking aunts, uncles, cousins, and even first cousins once removed. Growing up, we cousins even had a club called the Five Star club. It mostly consisted of playing board games, telling secrets, and sneaking into the kitchen for leftovers while thegrown-ups were still moaning about overeating. I must’ve had a higher metabolism then.

Our situations are vastly different these days: Grandma can’t make the rolls, Grandpa’s in a better place, and Youngest Cousin has strange piercings. That’s all irrelevant on Thanksgiving. It is one day of the year that we can focus on enjoying each other, with or without memory loss and labrets. Oh, but with food. REALLY good food.

Shenanigans.

2009-11-15T13:20:00.006-07:00

My brother and sister and I like to joke (laugh or you'll cry, people. [Kidding of course. {See? Another joke.}] But seriously...) that our youngest bro, Tyler, is the favorite of the family. He's talented and smart and attractive and funny and OH YEAH...he makes music videos with his friends.

Check it. My favorite part is when he starts brooding and keeping the beat with his knee at about 1:17, all over my beautiful (the jokes just keep rolling, folks) hometown in Idaho.

You know you want to watch it: