just for fun. 100 dresses.

i'm not usually an awards show watcher. not much into very rich and famous and loony people praising their "work" sure it's hard work and they are good at it... but try scraping boogers of elementary school desks sometime. that's real dedication to your job. i do, however, look at the pictures of the dresses online the next day. it's sort of as close to playing dress up as a 3o ish mom can get. so i was very excited when my boredom was cured late last night when i found this: a list of the 100 best dresses of the decade. admittedly, these dresses are obviously things i'd never wear, but as a project runway junky, i love to see what people create and some of them are so beautiful. a few of my favorites:








so now i'm wondering what you think? which dress takes you back to when you were five years old playing in your mom's high heels, trying on your grandma's big sparkly ring? i spent most of my time either playing with trucks in the mud or pretending to be a fancy lady. ironic huh.
....so, humor me?! click here and browse the dresses and tell me the ones you like in the comments? In a few days i'll collect your loves and post the results. please schedule in some time wasting. trust me, it's going to be fun.

imperfect perfection

this is my christmas present. it cost $.50 at my local thrift store. i heart old plates. i also heart thrift stores. and finding the perfect present for $.50 makes it that much sweeter. off to play all day with the crazy kids! MERRY CHRISTMAS!!

i have to tell you something.

my kids are asking what i want for christmas. i shy away from telling them that even santa can't bring me what i want. so i just repeat the age old typical mother answer, "i just want my kids to be nice to each other and not fight for one whole day."

he's gone. we miss him terribly. these are pictures of the night he left, pardon my face devoid of life and color. it was a rough day.

my uncle gunther has come to stay with us while mike is gone. he's my favorite. he's got a barrel chest, one arm missing a hand, (great story i'll tell you one day) a faded dagger tattoo on the other arm and kind eyes. when i was little he used to give us jerky from the deer hunt and airplane rides. he'd grab the back of our shirts and twirl around so we felt like we were flying. anyway he's an x marine, and a few years ago he retired, bought an rv, and then, tragically, his wife died suddenly. so after cruising the country for a few years he brought his rv here to explore alaska with us. it's very comforting having my favorite uncle sleeping downstairs with his 30 aut six, and a knife in his teeth. just kidding about the knife. anyway, uncle g, thanks for coming!!
,

in defense of flocking.

I've always wondered what would make people spray fake snow allover their christmas tree. living in alaska has allowed me to discover the origins. it's been foggy here for a week. we haven't had snow fall since thanksgiving. yet, i took these pictures today. the fog condenses then freezes on the branches. and everything is covered in 2 inches of frost. and there you have it. someone who once lived in the frozen north tried to recreate it with chemicals. maybe after moving to hawaii or arizona or some other sun soaked locale. it's an awesome phenomena. it's one of the things that makes life in a dark and cold alaskan winter possible. i love it.


here's our christmas tree, sans flocking. i've no need for chemical spray snow here. but next christmas when i'm staring out my window at a brown and snowless landscape, i'll probably sprint to wal-mart and buy a can.

christmas wreath

not to complain....but, my camera stinks. this is the best pic i could get of a wreath i made with various picks i bought @ joanns. frosted berries, lime green sequins, and golden glittery leaves. oh and some sparkley green apples. i just can't find a decent wreath, even target is disappointing in the dept. this year. so i had to resort to making my own. big sacrifice, i know.
enjoy and copy if you so desire.

would you like to send the most gorgeous christmas cards you can buy... for only $. 09?

So... I cruise esty. It's like e-bay for the handmade obssesive compulsive. And i found a bunch of different people who make up christmas cards. you know like the kind you buy at wal-mart or shutterfly or other places for around .55 cents each. after buying a giant .41 cent stamp (seriously, 41 cents?) It's lookin' to be about a dollar a piece to send to family and friends. let's change that.

Andrea Gerig has the best designs on etsy. trust my hours of searching here people. I sent her a picture, she sent me a finished card, I uploaded it to wal-marts photo site and paid 9 cents for each card. I bought 45 cards (and maybe i'll need more...they are seriously so cute.) Andrea charges $12.00 for each design, and I get to keep it forever. That works out to be about a quarter per card. so even with the printing costs I still saved at least 2 dimes per card! and it's not generic, and i don't have to pay shipping. we all win here people. you get a cute card in the mail, and i get a deal. so go over and check Andrea out, and you won't even have to write a braggy christmas letter to go with your card because your custom designed card will do all the braggin' for you.

a list

my favorite is #6.
he told me that the reason he wants #13. is so he can make himself midnight snacks.
sugar plums are beginning to dance in my head.

playing in the snow is fun....even at -2.

wrestling at the end of a sled run. these two never quit.
daddy and the toddler.

he jumps

jace has acquired a new skill.



and it is as fun as it looks.

he swims

isn't he getting tall?
diving in the "deep part"
he told me that, "i'm the third fastest swimmer in my class." and "one of the girls told our teacher he had hairy armpits."

he's 7

he really is just the greatest kid. you can't make him mad. he takes teasing in stride and with a smile. he would rather play street hockey with the neighbor kids than watch tv or play video games. see that stat book? perfect gift for the kid. he'll be watchin' jazz games with dad and filling out the stats with detail oriented glee. and because he's so good natured and always happy, sometimes he gets the short end of the stick. because the other louder (but equally loved and appreciated) children just grab the attention sometimes. so here's my shout out to my new 7 year old. i sure do love you kid.
wii sport resort is very fun. sword fighting and bike riding etc. etc. we've already had some serious fights over turns! and we've only had it for 24 hours!
after some birthday bowling we enjoyed the traditional candle blowing out ceremony. he specifically asked for birthday brownies. i used ina garten's recipe for brownie pie, and i've only just recovered from the delicious delirium i was in last night.

...there are witches in the air.....

....and a pale phantom who is worried that his kid brother the skeleton is making rabbit ears behind his back.

ps. did you notice that the toddler is MIA? out with pink eye dang it.

she's 5.

you know you've had a jam packed birthday when you don't have time to eat your birthday cake until dinner time the NEXT day!
goodie bags i made. couldn't find my hole punch to tie some ribbon, so i just grabbed the stapler. sometimes my favorite crafty things come about when i have to improvise.
she wanted a spooooky birthday party. is she not the cutest "scary" witch you ever saw?
tada! barbies, baby clothes, polly pocket's.....

faux hawk

Wednesday was wacky day at the local elementary. quinton, austin and i had lots of fun with hair gel! quinton didn't get as much gel, therefore austin's do was the only one to survive the school day. crazy kid.

me and avery craft

would you like to learn how to make this book? it's really cute. like me. you would? okay! come on, i'll show you how.
first you pin your ribbon to some felt. make sure they match. or your mom will insist you pick different colors that DO match, and it will just take a lot longer.
very carefully stitch your ribbon to your "matching" felt. if it's your first time stitching, you might have to experiment with holding the needle in various positions.
when your done, stick some paper in it. then fold and staple. don't forget to cuddle with your chubby little brother (or a stuffed animal or dolly if a chubby little brother isn't available) and read him your pretend story. don't forget to laugh and giggle and pinch his cheeks very softly.


Craft idea stealing from blog land



something about cool fall air, pumpkins, and spooky halloween gets me all in a crafting tizzy. i saw this boo idea over at pink and polka dot. 'member those little punkins i told you about? well i glued 'em onto stryofoam balls to make my own halloween topiary's. also i've made a bat garland from marthastewart and i'm thinking of making some giant spiders for the 2$ glow in the dark spider web that's all over my porch. happy halloweening!

how i spent my birthday......for 10 days.

a few weeks ago mike came home one day and said, "we might be going to hawaii." it was a great segway into my lunch. we were able to go because the army sent mike to the ada convention there, thank-you dear army for paying for my trip! needless to say the ensuing 3 weeks of preparation where a whirlwind of fun. my kids got to have grandma and grandpa come stay with them, and mike and i got our first kidless vacation in the last 3.5 years.


me and mike and the polynesian cultural center, which has a 1000000% awesome show, really good food, funny entertainers, and a very expensive price tag. but you must go. just think of it as a really fun way to give to charity. profits from the center go to scholarships for students at byu-hawaii. may i just say that La'ie is the prettiest town in all of Oahu.
samoan coconut tree climber, he was so fast.
we spent most of our time on the beach, but didn't take pictures, cause our camera would've been stolen ya know. we rented snorkel gear and hit the north shore and east shore for lots of good snorkel time. three tables, and hanauma bay where highlights. i am converted to snorkeling as my main source of vacation activities from here on out. here we are near the blow hole on the east shore. "the sea was angry that day my friends." (bonus points for whoever can tell me where that quote comes from)
one of our strategies was to eat our free breakfast at the hotel, a candy bar for lunch and for dinner we ate whatever, wherever we wanted. the best things i ate? shave ice from aoki's in hale 'iwa, ku'aina burger's roast beef sandwich with cheese and chile peppers, and kona's kaluha pork borrito, both in hale 'iwa. also there was a cheese cake factory in waikiki where we had lunch. the food was fabulous, a couple of times we skipped breakfast and ate these delicious donuts called malasadas from leonards bakery. puffy mounds of fried dough rolled in cinnamon sugar and stuffed with a creamy custard that had just a hint of coconut. heavenly. you can tell how liberally they sugar over there by mike's lips.
spent a day at pearl harbor. here is a pic of the oil that is still leaking from the sunken arizona. i used to think that was a myth. the memorial grounds were filled with old men who i was sure had returned to this place to see how it had changed, and also the things that where still the same.
mike at the memorial, they have these amazing trees that have these herculian branches that hold thier own weight and stretch for miles! we planned to collect some seeds to plant at our future home, but forgot.
aren't i a proper gun maiden.
the temple at la'ie, didn't i tell you it was gorgeous?

i just have to say thanks to the hubs, it was awesome and beautiful and relaxing and fun. and i will be dreaming about sand and sun for many months to come.

ps heather and jerrel i need you to post pictures of us so i can steal them.

pps. mom and dad, we never could've done it without you, next time it's your turn.