Top o' the mornin' to ya

I enjoy making decorations for holidays and now that I have a place for them, I fear I have created a monster in myself. 

I put together this St. Patricks's Day mantle over the weekend, and I have to say, I quite like it.

This was {of course} done on the cheap.  

K&S: a gift from my sister-in-law, purchased from Hobby Lobby. 

Banner: made from paper and string I already had. Idea came from here.

Candles: a gift from my mother-in-law, just added coordinating ribbon from my stash. 

Printables: found here and here. Frames found lying around the house. 

Lucky, Shamrocks & Horseshoes: bought unfinished at The Wood Connection and added the paper and glitter. 

Beer Bottles: courtesy of my husband who willingly obliged when I said I needed two empty bottles for a craft. 

It makes me happy every time I look at it. I can't wait to have friends over for a party! 

Sorry about the crappy cell phone pictures. It was easier and much faster. 

Dinner Menu: February 17th - February 23rd

Monday, February 17th
Mexican One Pot Skillet

Tuesday, February 18th
Cheesy Bacon Chicken Casserole with steamed veggies

Wednesday, February 19th
Crockpot Ranch Pork Chops with mashed potatoes and green beans

Thursday, February 20th
Tator Tot Casserole with corn and beets

Friday, February 21st
Tailgate Sandwiches with caesar salad

Saturday, February 22nd
Hawaiian Haystacks

Sunday, February 23rd
Family Dinner with Oreo Truffles for dessert 


Great idea stolen from Evonne!

One year later

I remember every detail of this day last year. The sights, the sounds, but most drastically, the emotions.  I still feel a pit in my stomach whenever we pass the hospital where it happened; a twinge of hurt when we have family gatherings without you.  

I remember seeing you at the hockey game the night before your heart attack. You were talking with someone and I kept thinking, "Go talk to Doug." I can't help but regret not listening to myself. 

It's playoff time again and I know how proud you would be. Everyone is dealing differently, but growing and changing. The imprint you left on our lives is something I will always remember. 

We miss you. We always will. 

Big news!

So yeah...I'm a super slacker. I've been busy/lazy/actually busy! Plus it's winter and you know it sucks the life right out of me. The big news is later on in the post so keep reading!

October was filled with Spooktacular craziness. It really makes me despise October. This year wasn't as bad.  I just looked at it differently. It was a lot of work, but I had a lot of help. The long days seemed shorter. Maybe I'm just getting used to it. Mary was quite level headed.  I think that's what helped me stay so calm. Mandy didn't seem like she felt like talking to us much which was really sad. I hope she can feel better soon. 

We got to go to Catching Fire with a big group of friends and that was really fun. We don't get a lot of movies in anymore, so it's nice to get everyone together and have a good time. The group was kind of a modge podge of people and I think that was really great. 

Kurt and I chaperoned a trip to Idaho Falls with Bobbi and Tanner for Tanner's hockey team. It was fun to watch the team play, and they did a really great job. Not so fun was the freezing ass cold ice rink they have there.  I spend plenty of time at ice rinks so I thought I would be a little more prepared. We ended up having to go buy another layer of clothes as well as gloves and hand warmers so we didn't straight up freeze to death. Unprepared. That's the lesson.  I was unprepared. 

Thanksgiving came and was a bit crazy. I spent the night before and the morning of at my work getting ready for the morning race. It was really fun, although I was anxious to get it over with to get on with my day. We had to be in Centerville by 11AM and then to Toelle by 1:30 PM. Meanwhile, Kurt had to get some sleep so he could work that night. BUSY DAY! 

Black Friday came next and man did it! Mary picked up me and Bobbi while it was still very dark and we headed to breakfast. Then it was on to the stores! We literally shopped until I thought I might drop. We got home just in time for dinner. Long long day. I really missed having Mandy there.  It was very different without her. 

Kurt and I then celebrated our birthdays with family and friends. I don't think I'm having anymore of them though.  I'm pretty much done. :) 

Oh yeah...we bought a house! That's right! Pictures to come! 

A peaceful reminder.

My niece Bobbi invited me to go to the General Relief Society Meeting with her at the conference center in Salt Lake yesterday.  It's kind of out of character for me, but she didn't want to go alone, and I'm definitely not against religion in any way, so I decided to go.  

It's funny how things like that can speak to you so personally. It seemed as though all of the speakers had written their talks directly for me. They touched my heart so strongly. It was definitely a nice little reminder from God that I'm not forgotten. 

busy busy weekends

It is nice to get out and have fun, but sometimes a nice quiet weekend at home is just as great.  Our last few weekends have been nuts! 

The 24th was a fun night.  Kurt planned a super secret date night that really got me out of my comfort zone.  We went to a murder mystery dinner out in a hotel in West Valley. When he finally told me what we were doing, my heart started to race.  I don't like socializing with people I don't know, let alone risking having to be a part of the show.  Luckily we just had a nice dinner and got to watch the mystery unfold.  Participation wasn't necessarily mandatory.  

We spent the night of the 30th up at a hotel in Logan so we could be up bright and early for Man VS Mud the next morning.  This was our third year running this race and we had a lot of fun.  They added a few obstacles this time, and one of them nearly killed me.  It was basically an army crawl through ice water.  It wasn't too bad when I stepped in, but once my body got submerged, I think my lungs froze.  It felt like I was literally fighting for my life.  

Once we thawed out, it was time to head up to the Heber Valley Camp, where my in-laws are missionaries.  The family got to spend a night up there in the cabins and it was a lot of fun.  We also got to climb up a 20 foot log, shimmy across a tight rope, then zipline down.  It was difficult, but a lot of fun!  Kurt, Tanner and a few of the little kids then took accidental long hike, which was just about the last thing they wanted to do after the mud run.   

On the sixth I had the opportunity to be an extra in a movie called, "'Till Blood Do Us Part."  My bestie Andrea's little brother David is making a legit movie for film festivals and that kind of stuff.  He's such a champ and I was happy to get all dressed up and help.  

Right after that I headed up to Molly's cabin with Molly, Brittney, Natalie, Andrea and Erin.  We have so much fun up there and this time was no different.  We rode ATVs and sat on the porch and listened to the rain.  We got to be present for Natalie's inaugural viewing of Pitch Perfect. Molly, Andrea and I got in a little extra BFF time in the middle of the night laying on the tennis courts watching the stars and figuring out life's dilemmas.    

I came home just in time to accompany Kurt to go get his tattoo worked on.  It's looking cooler and should be done pretty shortly.  

Needless to say, I'm ready for a quiet weekend home with my man.  Anyone who tries to get in the way of that this weekend had better watch it. :) 

Those wizards are missing out.

I have been waiting 15 years for my letter to come. Maybe I'll finally have to be okay with just being a muggle. :(