When A Man Turns 40….

His needs might change—instead of walking around the neighborhood… A segway scooter could haul him and his wife around….

Along with some friends…

And the littles…

a milestone of birthday could pass.

Disclaimer: To all of you who I told I was throwing a big bash of worlds that collided in one shebang of a fortieth birthday party—I’m so sorry you never got invited, or you got invited and then uninvited (blush). James Mair detests wedding receptions and the like. When I finally made myself think about what James would like I modified.

It was great weekend that started by decorating his office with streamers, candy and a candy bar poster. The kids helped--we brought him Five Guys Burgers and Fries the next day for lunch and a pan of peanut butter fingers for all the coworkers. (photo below from Addie’s camera)

James’ bucket list includes riding Segways so Magic Scooter rented them to us for the night. It was a SUPER surprise; It’s robotic roller skating! With Brocks corn, a bouncy house for the kids and another pan of peanut butter fingers...folks he’s 40!

Bonus!

Peanut Butter Fingers

This recipe comes from my Aunt--she shared the 9 X 13 version but suggested to one and a half times it and bake it in a large jelly roll pan. We ONLY make the larger recipe because they are that good. So pull out your jelly roll this is the large version.

Cream together:
1 1/8 cup butter
1 1/8 cup sugar
1 1/8 cup brown sugar
3 eggs
1 1/8 cup peanut butter
1 1/2 tsp vanilla

Add dry ingredients:
1 1/2 tsp soda
3/4 tsp salt
2 1/4 cups flour
2 1/4 cup quick oats

Spread in a jelly roll pan (12 x 18 inches) and bake at 375 fir 15- 20 minutes. They really are better if they are underbaked a hair maybe 14 or 13 minutes. After baking sprinkle with 18 oz. of chocolate chips while sill hot. As they melt spread them out. Let it cool completely and Ice with PB frosting.

PB Frosting

3/4 Peanut butter
3 cups pd. sugar
1/4 - 1/2 cup evaporated milk

Whip until creamy.

Updates

Pregnancy:  Peanut butter is out!  No matter when I eat it--the worst heartburn imaginable.  Every thing feels pregnant: nose, back, ring finger...  I had a wish to be “basketball” pregnant this time around.  I would just keep moving—you know, and not consume as much as past pregnancies.    It’s just not my future—I’ve got some veins that have me searching out places to sit down (the zebra settee in TJ Maxx is nice).   I’ve had them before—I can’t complain.  I just  really wish they were wrappable (not a word) because I would wrap.

Media:  Get your hands on the copy of Masterpiece Theatre’s  Jane Eyre and watch it today!   TODAY folks!  It’ll be the best 240 minutes of your next week.  Smart Robyn recommended it more than a year ago and I just got around to it.  She should have screamed in my ear--I can be so slow.  There’s chemistry and a good looking, older, very compelling Mr. Rochester.  Jane’s not ugly but bewitching.  I’ll even give you the link to the SLC library copy.  Put it on hold now.  No excuse.  Watch it and we’ll chat. 

Benjamin:  Has been working on going cross eyed for days and has finally mastered it.  Awe Benjamin, just when I thought you weren’t quite ready for first grade…

Stuart:  Is now buzzed.  I had to do something.  We have vacuumish hair clippers that collect clipped hair into a cup on the back.  I cut off snow white locks that the pioneers could have woven into masterpieces!  He went from baby to boy in 10 minutes. 

Coming up:   We are heading up to the Tetons next week, my Ackerson siblings are joining us—in the motherland.  Can.not.wait!  James is also turning 40, this Sunday--shenanigans are in the works.  Pictures to come! 

Bryce Canyon July 2010

 

We loved Bryce Canyon! It’s a great place to take kids.  All the look outs count as “hikes” but they’re short with a great view at the end.  We hiked a little into the canyon to see the Hoodoos—hot and fascinating.

The kids signed up as junior rangers.  One of the requirements was to pick up garbage on the trail which was almost a deal breaker for Ben but he rallied.  He found a Capri Sun straw wrapper!  Riding the “shovel” bus and swimming at Ruby’s Inn were highlights too. 

Personally I can’t get enough of the red rock, contrasting green trees, and blue blue sky.  The temperatures were dreamy for mid July.  Sign me up for Goblin Valley come April (grin, sigh).

    

Easy Alfredo Chicken

I got this recipe from Kim Crapo in my frozen food trade group. It's easy and rich. I personally like grilled chicken but really any meat or even leave it meatless--it's still great!

Easy Alfredo Chicken

1/2 cup butter
1 cup milk
3/4 cup Parmesan cheese
8 oz cream cheese
1/4 or more garlic salt
1-2 cups grilled or cooked chicken (or a can of canned chicken)
vegetables

Melt the first 4 ingredients together then stir in garlic salt. Add chicken and veggies and serve over bow tie pasta--or any pasta. Here are some good veggie combinations: onions and sliced carrots, frozen peas, onions, & red peppers. Any onion, pepper or carrot would need a little cooking before, but dump the peas right on in.

Updates

Pregnancy: Still itchy hips and incredible despondency. My normal now is pulling a book into bed and reading rather than going for a ride or walk in the mornings. Plus some veins have arrived (I cannot be surprised) which makes riding rather bunched in the knickers.

School: We’re out of school, Hooray! Bed time is lucky before 10 and we’re planning a trip to Bryce Canyon next week.

Media: The Smurfs. Remember them? We started watching episodes on Hulu, and now we have the DVDs from the library. It’s clever and brings back memories of crowding around the TV on Saturday mornings. Why is there only one smurfette?

Chickens: We’ve used up our first bag of feed that came with the girls. In the six weeks of hen adoption I’d say we gathered around 10 dozen eggs. Could we be more fortunate? We have run into a few soft shells that they crack when you pick them up—apparently they need more calcium. We need to give them grit or rocks for their digestion and they’ll be able to get calcium from the the feed.

We’ve had eggs at least once a week for dinner in various forms: french toast, scrambled, over easy, english muffins with ham. The chickens are really our pets now as well as protein producers. They come when I call, with scraps, or to go back into the pen. Ben’s the most attached, hauling them all over the back yard.

When this brown egg on the left came, it was an Olympic moment cracking it. Two Yolks! Twins. Reading up, the statistics are one out of every 1000 eggs. I see it as auspicious and Addie thought it was delicious.

I found my camera but it was lost for three weeks. I missed Paige’s birthday and the 4th. Have you ever staged cupcakes and candles just to get a picture?

Jamie’s Easy Microwave Carmel Popcorn

My neighbor, Jamie Chinn, from across the street made this and I can not stay away from it.  And in the microwave it couldn’t be easier.  Beware one batch won’t last more than an hour—well that’s the way it is around here.  It’s a really soft and chewy popcorn but more than a day out it’ll crunch too.

3 bags of microwave popcorn (old maids tossed)

1 cup butter

1 cup brown sugar

1/2 cup corn syrup

2 tsp vanilla

1 tsp baking powder

In a bowl melt butter, sugar, and corn syrup for 3 minutes at 70% power in the microwave.  Wisk well and cook 4 more minutes at 70%.  Wisk in vanilla and baking powder and pour over popcorn.  Mix and let cool, or spoon some into a bowl and eat it with a spoon hot. 

Notes:  I rarely have microwave popcorn on hand but I always have regular popcorn and Robyn’s cast off Whirly Pop (if you ever see one of these at a yard sale or thrift store, and you have room to store one more pan, BUY it).  I usually make about 1/2 cup of regular pop corn with vegetable oil, and salt it as salty as microwave popcorn. 

I mix it all in a really big bowl, Jamie mixes it in two bowls.

The Easiest and Fluffiest Whole Wheat Bread Ever

This recipe came from my sister Vanessa. I watched her make it once and thought, "Oh I get it...I could do that". It's really a fluffy whole wheat bread that has a good bite to it. Like I know whole wheat breads. I don't but I really like this one. It's cheap too. Each loaf is about 60 cents. Sold.

6 C Warm Water

2/3 C Oil

2/3 C Honey

2 T Salt

3 T Yeast

3 T Gluten

3 T Dough Enhancer

12-13 C Whole Wheat Flour

Prepare in a large mixer (Bosch or KitchenAid). Or in a bowl with the flour in a well on the counter.

Mix together all ingredients except the flour and let it sit for a minute, then add the flour, 4 cups at a time. It might end up needing up to 14 cups of flour. Once all the flour is mixed in, the dough should be a little sticky but firm.

Mix on high for 8 minutes in the kitchen mixer. Divide dough into 5 blobs. Roll each blob into a rectangle, then roll it into a loaf shape and place it seam side down in the pan. Let rise for 1 hour. Bake for 30-35 minutes at 350 degrees. In my gas oven, I usually bake it for 28 minutes. To get 5 loaves into my oven, I place one loaf (the runt) horizontally in the back and the other 4 vertical to the one in the back.

In the KitchenAid, I halved it to make 2 gigantic loaves.

Sliced into 16 slices, each slice is one weight watcher point.

I strongly recommend using aluminum pans to get a nice light-in-color crust.

I make 5 loaves and store them in the freezer. I think it tastes better the second day.

With a cluck cluck here and a cluck cluck there….

Thanks everyone for all your dear comments and excitement.  When I fell off of blog land three months ago I was such a different women.  Now, I’m not only knocked up but as I mentioned before—we have chickens!  Have you considered it?  We are, sort of.

Marisa of Backyard Farming  moved from her backyard farm to an apartment.   They’re still searching for their one acre with animal rights and so I asked to baby sit her chickens… 

It was selfish really

1.  Starting out with established layers would give us eggs, while figuring out if were were up to chicken ownership.

2. Temporary was the only way James Mair would agree to it.  

“You got chickens? (sputter sputter chuckle chuckle)”  It’s the response we hear every time. 

James’ best return is, “You should be asking us why you don’t have chickens.”  

So far the fun is naming them: Henrietta, Peck, Robot, Crack-a-lack-a-dack-a, and Matilda, gathering the eggs, and capturing escaped chickens and tossing them back into the the coop.  It’s a little country and a little shanty town and we’re still undecided as to whether they’re permanent.  James has made a couple of modifications to the coop.  He added a cool nesting box and a side door for food and water. 

As far as the universal sound all chickens make from the Old McDonald song, cluck cluck.  I haven’t heard a cluck yet.  When we come out with scraps or cold oatmeal, they whine or beg.  The sound drives James crazy.  In the mornings, or whenever, when they’re working on eggs, from what I can tell the other girls cheer on the one laying.  Chicken doulas if you will.  One morning I thought I heard children crying.  It was the chickens.  Marisa is now telling me it’s an adoption/foster program.   Meet Henrietta…  Oh so much more to come….

And the winner is…

Blue  And by the way, we’re having a baby.  November 7th! 

So far so good.  He looked healthy, wiggly and bigger than normal so the date’s been moved up!  Wahoo.

It’s just the regular and not so regular stuff with this current uterine tenant.  Heart burn, hungry all the time,  and itchy hips (stretch marks are a stretchin’).  Included also have been a few ear zits (ouch), intense allergies and four of my cups are too small. 

All the medical persons who looked on my chart today during and after the ultrasound, said –oh this baby evens it all up!  And such a nice pattern.  GGBGBB.  And then my heart aches and I feel like one’s missing because she is.   We do miss her here.  I cried through the whole ultrasound and not because of that, but because of the whole miracle of it all.  And in the end a baby.  Hopefully.

Yesterday Benjamin asked again how the baby comes out.  He asked in all sincerity,  “Do your shoulders go back and they unzip the baby out?” all while zipping his stomach to neck line.  Oh Benjamin—I’d love to be able to show you a zipper.  I just responded with my old line of, “remember how all girls have three holes?”  He said he had to go out and swing.     

Serendipty Potato Rolls

This recipe came to me from Christine Benee who gave me frozen rolls that I let rise and baked. The first time I had them I ate 6 out of the 12 :) When I made them the first time I ran out of white flour and substituted a cup of whole wheat flour. Even better with a hint of health.

1 pk of yeast or 1Tbs
1 1/2 cups warm water
2/3 cup sugar

Mix first three ingredients and let it sit a bit. Then add:

2/3 cup soft butter
2 eggs
1 1/2 t salt
1 cup mashed potatoes
6 cups white flour
(variation 5 cups white, 1 cup whole wheat flour)

Knead to soft dough 1-3 minutes or until not sticky.

Divide into 2 balls. Roll each (one at a time) into a large pizza circle and slice into 12-16 pieces. Roll up slices, place on a greased baking sheet and let it rise until double in size.

Bake 12-15 minutes at 350.

Tips:
#1 I use instant mashed potatoes made in the microwave and they work great!

#2 After rolling up rolls, flash freeze in freezer and pile into freezer bags. To bake frozen rolls just cover with plastic wrap and let rise (about 4 hours).

Addie’s Day

Adelaide turned eight in April and was baptized May 1st. I served a mission for the LDS church and baptisms are special. In Brazil, many people listened to what we shared and then decided for themselves what path they wanted, whether baptism or thanks but no thanks. When it came to baptism, it was, at times, rollercoaster like. As missionaries we’d be so excited for their next step, and then dashed when they chose otherwise.

Addie’s baptism was the easiest baptism, by far, I’ve ever been apart of. It took eight years (smile), but what a great day. The gal was beaming. She and James Mair have a very cool connection—father daughterly sure but friends as well. Some pictures from that day.

Did you eat the beans? Sorry if you didn’t know their fate.

Painting Kitchen Cabinets White Using a Brush and Oil Base Paint

Caution—lengthy text and really booooooring pictures below…..

There are many posts about painting cabinets—each one a little different—so let me me throw one more into the mix. My next door neighbor is a painter and his quote to paint my kitchen cabinets was around $2,500. A chunk I tell you.

Paint Choice: I asked him if he’d consult, did he have a choice? He had just painted the cabinets in his kitchen with an oil base paint, and it looked really good. He’s a big fan of Benjamin Moore, Impervo (half way between an egg shell and satin finish) so I went with it. I used the color, Cloud White. He also suggested a two inch ox hair brush, "Purdy" brand—I bought it at the Kwall store.

Logistics: I took the hardware off the doors and and the doors off the boxes and lined them around the laundry room on newspaper and broken paint stir sticks. I left the hinges on and painted around them. After about 20 I got pretty good at hinges. The doors took a while. I’d paint one side, wait twelve hours (read five days), flip and paint the other side. After the boxes were done (four coats), I hung the doors back up with only two coats on and finished painting them while they hung—that way I could paint both sides at a time.

Prep: I caulked the cracks in all the molding and door casings with just a paintable Walmart caulk. I washed all the doors and skipped sanding but used ESP (easy surface prep). Just wipe on and wipe off--ready to paint in 90 minutes.

Tips: I primed using Zinsser’s Oil Base Stain Blocker mainly because this primer was low odor. If just one out of the four coats was not as smelly as the the other three, it was worth it. It also helped to stretch the gallon of paint. I used Penetrol, a paint conditioner, to slow the drying time and to eliminate brush strokes. The paint out of the can was a thick chowder consistency and I would thin to about, homemade-ranch-dressing-before-refrigeration consistency. Maybe that's why it took four coats--but no brush marks and there was plenty of time to go back, even after an hour, and check for drips.

Bonus Tips: I sanded in between coats with a 220 grit just to remove all the blips and lint stuck on from drying, and then vacuumed the doors to remove the dust. By coat #4 my paint had all kinds of dried paint chips from the side of the can—and I had been so careful not to pour old paint back in, I even kept the lid on tight. Jim, the consult, suggested straining the paint using a nylon. I strained a lot of paint using 33 cents worth of knee highs and cottage cheese containers. I used about 3 inches of nylon fitting it over container and tying a knot in the other end, and then pouring it into another container.

I think I spent about 50+ hours on the whole project all together but the end result was just what I was going for. Don’t let me think about the improvements on the guitar or piano I could have made if I had practiced that many hours in a three week block. Or the cleanliness of the basement in general…

Links of inspiration and help!

Centsational Girl’s Tutorial

Young House Love

Dream Home Blog

I had thought I would antique them but they seem too white for that now. I probably should have picked a more off white—but maybe later once the floor is in and I need another change… I’m still debating painting the island a color, or staining it a dark wood color. I promise a better after picture once the whole shebang is done. But I’ve moved on to the railing and banister already. Just stripping away—you know the varnish that turned orange after 14 years.

And did you know we now have chickens? It’s a foster program really…more on that next time.

Hello, Where have you been?

Oh, you’ve checked back for an after picture only to find nothing for more than 2 months! sorry

After:

Cleaning up from three weeks of painting wasn’t too bad, catching up on clutter and house stuff—whoooa.

The decisions have been harder than I thought. Remember the list? cabinets, floors, counters… Everyone is sick of hearing of my ongoing debate on flooring. You want to hear it as was well?

I wanted a wood looking floor: laminate, wood, vinyl what ever would give me the look and wear the best. And the the more I look the more I lean toward putting hard wood though out the whole upstairs. Crazy, I know, just ask James Mair how he feels about it. After two months of effort I’m closer now to a decision—anyone have any suggestions/contacts as far as a hard wood supplier, and or installer for the Salt Lake area?

I threw a mini fit about the current kitchen floor and refused to clean it until I had a date for new flooring---I got ants…

Coming soon a tutorial on painting Golden Oak cabinets and an update on the fun going on around here.

Hours and hours and hours of “paint the fence”

Still painting but so close to being done. Here’s a photo of progress. Currently all the drawers are back on and the doors and drawers both still need one more coat. But the change was definitely what I was looking for. The island is the next project, then floor, then counters, then…

Benjamin had a birthday and he lost a tooth—He’s six now. He’s also discovered legos—where have I been?

Look at that nightmare of half painted doors, behind him getting ignored, while we do birthday parties and you know, real life.

Diving in

Ready?

I’m painting my kitchen cabinets white.  I know my new years resolution was to obtain a new kitchen floor— so I’m a little off track—but I’ve debated it for almost a year and I’m doing it.  Maybe I was really waiting on the floor so I could paint the cabinets. 

This morning was start day—and I woke up with the biggest knot in my stomach.  At 5:00am no less (when I shoved Stuart into his nest on the floor—compromise).  I feel like I’m getting married again or having my first baby.  Excited but scared to death.  It really could turn out like this: Aaaahhhhhnnnnoooo (about half way down are the before photos)

So I turned to the internets because my confidence was waning and I found two new posts just today on painting cabinets with oils from Centsational Girl—the one I mentioned when I came out about my internet addiction (and  by the way I can still stop at anytime). 

Confidence was restored—I’m off to the paint store. 

The month of March is going to be dedicated to projects, that have been cooking in my brain for a while.  Wish me luck.  A good ‘ol before picture for you.

 

Avatar—did you see it? Some observations and thoughts:

It did not feel like three hours.  Pace was great. 

It did not have a plot—I didn’t really miss it.  Kind of like Titanic—you just knew the boat was gonna sink. 

I was truly entertained by aliens, with feathery brains coming out the end of their braided pony tail. 

I used my coat to shield my eyes and ate a lot of jelly beans during violent parts.  And it is. 

The Tree of Souls is beautiful, along with night time and floating mountains.

Why does Hollywood hate capitalism so much? 

I have to give credit to our friend Jason, who stated the last one.   James felt that it was like watching a video game for three hours, yes but all in all not bad.  We did see it in 3-D and after, I would have been fine with out the extra D.

Confessions & Opinions Needed

A few post ago I mentioned hosting a lunch and had obtained the impossible: “open door clean”. Well—let me just tell you how far the mighty have fallen. Try as I might I just wipe the kitchen counter now when folks come over and and thank heaven for doors that can close & the wallflower that scents my bathroom. I can hardly see to brush my teeth with all the spots on the mirror.

At the weigh in last week I was up two pounds. Shame. I should have been writing down everything I eat and I haven’t. My “plan” so far was to eat 300-400 calories every 3 hours. And then to really wait and not eat for three hours—so hard. Well pass the notebook (which I can’t find) because as I type this, the open box of cinnamon Chex is being rifled through, I’m picking out just the cinnamon covered ones.

I can blame the two pounds on five days at the cabin. I tried so hard to endorse the good food--I even took cottage cheese, but it didn’t get opened. Before we left I sat down with the kids to plan one treat for each day. They had them memorized, and in that festive atmosphere I was a gonner. Friends joined us for joy on the sledding hill and full stomachs. Anyone reading, if you got any pictures I’d love copies. I found my camera in the side pocket of my purse on the way home. I had packed it early so I wouldn’t forget it—I just forgot that I had.

We even built a snow igloo with Donna. I stopped at the Colombia outlet on the way home and found boots and snow pants for the kids for next year. What is with that store? I walk in and feel inclined to give them a ton of my money.

The Olympics are filling up the memory on our Replay (DVR). Anyone else recording with intentions to watch? Kind of like recording conference—so much coverage and all of a sudden I’m fascinated with aerials and Ohno. My observations: I want Shaun White’s hair. Never frizzy—and he’s always swishing it around. And what are the the ski jumping outfits made out of? A cross with spandex and foam? Imagine swimwear made of that.

Stuart has been falling asleep in odd places, in this photo he is so close to his bed face planted. He also has been crawling in with me in early mornings or late nights or any time really. I only really notice he's there when he floods or kicks, it is most unpleasant. Thoughts, anyone on keeping his door closed with the magic door handle on that essentially locks him in his room? I can’t do it yet but I’m getting desperate for uninterrupted sleep.

A pictureless update and thoughts on a handout….

At the biggest losers weigh in this week, I was only down two tenths of a pound. Where I’m grateful that the direction was down—I can’t be all that surprised. We ate out at Carrabbas in Utah county over the weekend and the restaurant happiness just flowed. Good bread and grilled chicken three different ways. My favorite was the one stuffed with goat cheese….mmm. Thanks Holli and Phil, it was delicious.

I started reading The Indian in the Cupboard to the older kids this week and we’re all enthralled. Ben built a fort out of Lincoln Logs for Little Bear.

At book club this week we discussed Pride and Prejudice. We talked about it’s timeless themes: initial judgments, embarrassing mothers, and of course when rich men move into the neighborhood and fall in love with you. Timeless. Ladies, my month is always complete when you’re a part of it.

Last weekend I attended a women's conference hosted by the Stake Relief Society. One class I really liked was: Dealing with Stress and Depression. May I share Brother R’s suggestions, from his clearly manly (goldenrod colored paper, bullets, regular font, quartered with paper cutter hangnails) handout? These evoked a silent amen and a motionless head nod, or two, from me.

1. Begin to notice your danger signs.
2. Break the downward spiral. Start doing things you used to enjoy.
3. Don’t do the same thing and expect a different result. (Perhaps my favorite suggestion. I’m still shocked with these results: creeping weight when I’m sleeping in and chowing, listlessness when I make little effort with the house or kids, no spirit when I skip prayers and scriptures)
4. Take time to Decompress (I’ve never had a problem with this)
5. Learn to love yourself by seeing yourself though Heavenly Father’s eyes.
6. Roll up your sleeves and work
7. Serve Others
8. Examine and combat your “Cognitive Distortions”. (combating mental chatter)
9. You are never totally alone. Jesus Christ is uniquely qualified to understand (Alma 7:11).
10. Live after the Manner of Happiness (2 Nephi 5)
11. Journal: Use the “Filter of Time.” (I’ve used time before, I’ve even coveted it)

His message was all about exerting effort and taking responsibility for our own happiness. I loved the frank and no fluff manner in which he spoke. I battled a funk last year around the end of March and it lasted until the end of May. It wasn’t too serious, I just remember distinct feelings of how hard and hopeless everything was. Everything… It got better and pretty much left when I started training for the Echo Triathlon (see #2). Some mornings, even now, when I wake up I’ll search for that specific feeling I felt last spring and it’s not there—Hal-le-lu-jah. But I’m concerned it could happen again so I’m keeping good old goldie close just to be sure. And even blogging about it so when I loose the handout, and I will, the info will be here.

Have you battled a funk? What number works best for you?

Heading to Anaheim?

We weren’t but my good friend, Holli, asked if we knew of any deals, because they are. Well you don’t have to ask James Mair twice to get his deal seeker finger clickin’ away. And friends, if you are heading there and you want to be close (with in walking distance) to a certain mouse attraction—here is an incredible room rate. At the Howard Johnson no less.

Click here to go to the HoJo forum with the info

The Entertainment Rate, well you probably already know, is what’s known as the “happenings book” ‘round these parts. Let me know if you go so I can squeeze my hinny in your seventh seat belt, or we could caravan….

And because I can’t get enough of these long lost, now found, photos, may I present? Nieces on a Log

PS—Did you see the third hour of PBS’s Emma? Nicely done eh? And that Mrs. Elton—perfectly cast and brilliantly played. Like I know what I’m talking about…I just wish it wasn’t installments but the whole 4-8 hours. The kids are off track and I’ve got some time.

Catching up…

Let’s catch up shall we? Since I’ve come out about my addiction to the craft blogs, I figured you all knew where I’ve been. And let’s just address the irony of a craft/design blog obsession—lots of time on line being inspired and wanting to do different projects does not equal much time left to do the particular projects. But with just about all my weaknesses, I know it won’t always be a problem. “I can stop anytime I want to {wink} although I don’t want to.” (name that movie)

A few more worth mentioning and I leave you to your own conscience how much time you waste use on them.

Design Mom— I didn’t understand her blog at first because she has a lot of guest bloggers but she has a voice that is polite and friendly, plus she’s lds, expecting #6.

Centsational Girl—All her projects seem very easy & kind of budget conscience. I’ve yet to do any but I have intentions of doing the laundry drying rack. So cool. Oh and any link on her side bar—great.

What are you favorite craft/design blog—is there one I should know about? Maybe it’s yours?

My adorable baby sister, Sharon, had a baby girl last week! Oh delicious. Happy Birth Day Lucy Jane.

Masterpiece Classic’s, Emma, debuted Sunday night. Did anyone see it? Eli Stone played Mr. Knightley! Although in true PBS fashion, we were only given 2 hours—blast! It was very good. We watched it Monday morning as a part of the pity party I threw for my self, while my mom and sister and BIL went snowboarding, at Brighton, which had just receive 22 inches of new snow two days prior. Addie was very sick. I ate 5 squares of a disastrous lemon bar effort that were so under baked they ran when I sliced them--but still tasted great.

James and I joined the West Jordan sponsored Biggest Loser event—to combat lemon bars. I lost 4.5 pounds the first week. Yoga pants are lighter than denim. I have had comments that I would need weight to loose, to join a contest such as that—but as any surging hormone pumped mother will contest, over the holidays I ate my weight in sugar cookies, Dove peppermint bark, and Mexican 7 layer dip. Believe me—if I just loose 10 lbs, all my pants will fit again and I can wear my yoga pants only for yoga….

Saturday I started organizing the kitchen paper cupboard catch all. It wasn’t totally awful because I found a long lost camera card with pictures from last summer—that I’ve mourned for so long—because it was long lost, but now it’s found. In celebration here are some fond memories:

Amber and I did the Echo Triathlon last summer, here’s before and after. Jake, her husband, did it too. And my college roommate, Melissa; I ran into her at the start.

The Tetons! I could not love this place anymore. And look at how happy everyone is!

I also found a gift card to Cold Stone that has $10 left on it. But James Mair is not allowed to speak of a “Gotta Have It” until Fast Sunday Eve, February 7th, you know the biggest losers that we are…..