C & C + 1

Better Late Than Never

2012-01-26T22:21:00.001-07:00

Oops. Rosie is now, much more than 5 months. But here's a post about it anyway!

The fifth month was huge for Rosie. She's happier than ever and we are having lots of fun. She is still pretty teeny-tiny according to the charts (third percentile), but I'm pretty sure her personality makes up for it. She loves looking at herself in the mirror, or in this case, Photo Booth.

Her most favorite thing in the world is "real" food. Her heart races every time she sees any food--or anything she thinks is food. So far she's tried sweet potatoes (yams), spaghetti squash, carrots, apples, pears, rice cereal and oatmeal. Oh, and I think a little bit of strawberry sorbetto. Her favorite song is "Five Little Ducks." Sometimes it's the only way to keep her happy in the car.

Here's a picture I took a few days before her 5 month mark.

After being super busy at work, Christian was able to take some time off, and finally use some of his paternity time! We had so much fun with him home, and Rosie even let us sleep in! How considerate! I could snuggle with her all morning long (and sometimes I do just that). I am so lucky I get to spend my days with her.

Of course Rosie had her first Christmas during her 5th month.

We hung our stockings!

And Santa came!

The framed print is something I (i mean Santa) made for her. At a Mabey/Smith family baby shower, I had everyone tell me what trait of theirs they would pass on to Rosie. There were some awesome responses like "a love of colors and flowers," "longevity," "resilience," "curly hair," and "a love of watching University of Utah football." I always want to remember these things...and remember to tell Rosie about them...so I made a little print out of all the responses.

some day her hair will be able to hold a clip (and maybe curly, if Aunt Kathy passes that on...).

of course her favorite part was the wrapping paper

No mistletoe needed!

its been a while since i got one of these for Christmas...

2011-12-26T08:35:00.004-07:00

by far the cutest dolly santa has ever left under the tree

tis the season for...

2011-12-10T20:47:00.001-07:00

lots of piano playing

hanging stockings with care

trimming the tree

being cozy

stuffing stockings

eyes all aglow

and wanting to eat the Baby Jesus, of course.

From the iPhone of Candace Little

2011-11-12T21:56:00.001-07:00

Rosie spends lots of time here. And I spend lots of time in my PJ pants.

This carrier has been a lifesaver--for both of us! It's kind of fun doing the chores with someone else! Rosie's favorite is the dishes. I think she like the running water and looking out the kitchen window.

The bath is one of our favorite times of the day! She loves sucking on her fingers, and staring at my beautiful pigtails.

I can't believe how big and strong she is getting. I mean, seriously--she is wearing jeans and a belt, AND she can hold her head up.

The bouncy chair is probably her all-time favorite spot--or at least the one she spends most of her un-cuddling time in. You know she's comfortable when she starts jabbering. That's one reason why I love the bouncy seat. She can tell some pretty fun stories already.

Happy Three Months Rosie!! (sorry I'm a day late...)

The Precious One

2011-11-08T10:51:00.000-07:00

Remember in the hospital one of the cleaning staff kept referring to Rosie as "the precious one?" We love that, and couldn't agree more with her!! Christian blessed our little Rosemary on Sunday. She was perfect.

Thanks to our wonderful family for making the day so special for her! (Especially Heather for those amazing pictures and Auntie M and Uncle Joe for hosting a little party for her!)

2011-10-12T12:24:00.001-06:00

Our baby girl is two months old!! But sometimes I feel like I'm caring for a teenager.

She's constantly hungry. She stays up til all hours of the night and hates waking up early. She sleeps through church. She hardly ever does what I tell her to. She's pretty whiny and thinks the world revolves around her. I really wish she would just tell me what is bothering her instead of making me guess all the time. Her room is a huge mess. She likes her hair to be all crazy. She never takes blame for the messes she makes and always plays the innocent card. She likes to go around with half her clothes off! She would spend hours in the tub if I'd let her. She'd much rather be hanging out with friends than doing anything else. Every guy falls in love with her. And she can get anything she wants with her smile and a little shmoozing. Oh Rosie, just stop growing up so fast!!

C is for Cookie and other truths to hold on to.

2011-09-30T16:33:00.001-06:00

The first truth about cookies is: I have eaten six cookies already today. Well, I stopped counting at six. I also ate an entire peach pie by myself last week. But this post is about cookies, not pies. And here is the second truth about cookies: they are delicious. And the last truth I will share with you is by way of some brilliant lady who said: "I believe in a well-balanced diet--a cookie for both hands." Amen, sister! Amen!

one of these things is just like the others

2011-09-23T10:12:00.000-06:00

to do and NOT to do

2011-09-18T11:33:00.000-06:00

Stuff I hope I never do (or in some cases, never do again)

suppress a generous thought
do my hair like I did in the 5th grade
call myself fat or stupid in front of my daughter (really I shouldn't do it at all)
forget who's in charge of my life
eat crisco-based frosting
think too much about tomorrow and not enough about today
make my kids be something I am instead of letting them be who they are
want money more than happiness
wake up wishing I lived someone else's life (it's OK if that's how the day ends...)
pretend to be someone I'm not

Stuff I hope I eventually do

choreograph a tap dance
learn to play a song on the piano--like a real song
open an etsy shop--or some kind of business
regularly bake bread instead of buy it
paint a picture of Bear Lake
run (or at least walk) a mile every day
be a good neighbor all the time
stop and smell the roses
listen before I talk
become a True Aggie

Does anyone else make lists like this? If so, do you actually DO (or not do...) the things on them? Notice none of these have time frames or ways to measure if I've actually accomplished them. But at least I have it written down. That's a start, right?

One Month Bloomed

2011-09-11T12:05:00.004-06:00

This little blossom is one month old today. I couldn't be more grateful for her. And also more fed up. She's everything she's supposed to be, and we are so lucky and blessed.

She is a good eater and Christian fed her her first bottle today! I am glad she's learning early that food is very important around here. She's growing a ton. I have this weird fear sometimes that I'm going to put her down in her crib and when she wakes up she'll be in kindergarten.

She sleeps great--usually wakes up for a 3 AM(ish) and a 6 AM(ish) feeding. We've probably only had three or four nights where she's been up more than that. I think that's pretty much amazing and I'm sure that's why I am feeling as good as I am. Sleep is the best medicine (other than good food, of course!).

She loves her dad. We've missed him a lot lately since he's racing toward another tax deadline. Busy season is not an ideal time to have a baby, but for some reason that's when she was sent to us. I am trying to learn what I'm supposed to learn...as of now it's a lot of long-suffering and how to get infant poop out of anything. Surprisingly I've felt a lot of compassion lately. I didn't expect that to be something caring for a baby teaches, and I'm sure that won't be the first surprise-lesson either. I've also learned the art of spontaneous song-writing. I've come up with some really awesome "bouncing" songs. In addition to my originals, Rosie loves anything by James Taylor. Now that's my girl, for sure.

It was a big day for me.

2011-09-03T18:11:00.001-06:00

My current dilemma of the day:
Which fight song to teach our little miss.

Really, the Aggies need all the good vibes they can get at this point so I'm leaning toward just teaching her The Scotsman and Utah Man will have to wait. Although I did give one of her onesies a little Utah flair for game day on Thursday. I guess I'll have to make an Aggie one to balance things out.

Favorite conversation of the day:
(I am holding Rosie)
C1:How's my sweetheart!?
Me: Which one?
C1: I'm not answering that.

Non-Rosie accomplishments of the day:

I showered.

I cleaned the kitchen.*

I went to the grocery store.

Boy, I'm pooped.

*by "clean the kitchen" what I really mean, is I emptied the dishwasher and loaded the dishwasher. AND washed all the pots and knives by hand.

It's true what they say...

2011-08-30T11:33:00.002-06:00

When you love someone and you love something, you just HAVE to share the thing with the one. I couldn't bare the thought of an entire year passing without visiting my favorite place on earth. So, it was perhaps a bit selfish to drag little 15-day old Rosie on a long car ride in a seat she hates...but I think it was all worth it.

The lake was beautiful as usual.

Miss R loved looking at it. All day long. When she should have been sleeping.

I got to watch the sunrise both mornings while she ate her first breakfast.

She fussed and was fussed about.

And, as is usual for this place, some good memories were made!

In the words of someone wiser.

2011-08-24T11:36:00.002-06:00

Thanks you, GBS. I think you are spot on.

1 week already!

2011-08-19T14:47:00.001-06:00

Thanks to Heather for her amazing photography skills!!

It's all a blur! But I am beginning to forget the labor pains already. Here are a few (I'll admit, somewhat cliche) things I've found to be true after one week of mommy-hood:

I am so blessed to have so much support from friends and family.
Christian is the absolute best daddy in the entire world--I totally scored, people.
I never knew how fast 9 months would go.
I never knew how stinking hard labor is.
I totally forgot what it's like to hug my husband without a big belly.
It feels SO good to sleep on my back....that is when I get any sleep.
Hearing her cry is really really hard.
Watching her sleep is fun and boring sometimes.
Crying when she cries isn't a good idea.
Knowing she is alive and growing means I did a good job!
Breast-feeding is such a cool thing...totally weird, but cool.

I can't imagine life without her--what in the world was that like?

I never knew I could love anyone so much.

Rosemary

2011-08-14T19:09:00.008-06:00

Well everyone, she is finally here! No more guessing about when she is coming or what she is going to be called, she is finally here and absolutely beautiful.

I figured the dad should get a chance to announce this for once, although I'm sure Candace will be filling you all in about this much later. And since I only post about the most important things, I thought this was appropriate. So consider this the announcement post part 1.

We have been going back and forth on names for a long time and we just didn't want to commit to any one name. And, since we went to the hospital we've called her everything from Rosie, to little stinker, prissy pants, daddy's girl, and the precious one. We think Rosie fits the best, though we will probably use the others fairly often.

We have been waiting a long time for her to come, I told her she had to come early for daddy, but she didn't listen. I figured she either had my stubbornness or her mother's lackadaisical sense of urgency. We finally found out we would be induced and went to the hospital Wednesday night at 6:00 to have a baby. We asked everyone in the family for guesses on when she would come and most said between 4 and 11 the next morning. Well Candace's dad said 6:45 PM and he was the closest.

26.5 hours after arriving in the hospital and getting into our room Rosie decided it was time to come out. By then all the doctors and nurses had given up on us and were preparing for a c-section. But incredibly Candace kept on pushing and she is finally here. A little inspiration from a Rosie the Riveter picture and some beautiful roses helped her keep going and remember why we were doing this. Of course our Rosie is healthy and beautiful.

We were talking about how much trouble this little girl has been as we've waited for her to come the last few weeks, and Candace insisted that Rosie will meet her match in her mother. But I quickly told her that Candace has met her match and that I was in big trouble. I'm already a total pushover for my girls, they will get whatever they want.

My favorite part of this whole experience was when right after birth they stamped her little feet for the card at birth and then proceeded to stamp my arm. Then I got to go and give her a bath for the first time which she loved. I've never really liked the thoughts of a tattoo but that’s one I wouldn't mind keeping. Though probably not right on my forearm, and probably only one footprint. On second though I don't need a tattoo of anything, just a picture is nice.

Finally, as we were getting ready to leave the janitor lady came into our room to take out the trash when she saw Rosie. She gasped and said "It's the precious one!" She saw her in the nursery earlier and had been calling her the precious one and talking about her since she was born. We are inclined to agree with her.

Happy birthday Rosie, we are so glad you made it here! You're dad loves you and can't wait to see who you become, as long as you are my little girl. (Candace is responsible for uploading better pictures to this, so we'll see how that goes ;)

ready or not, she's not here yet!

2011-08-05T14:25:00.001-06:00

I woke up this morning to an empty bassinet and very big belly--

which means, our little girl is officially late. I really can't blame her though. I'm kind of late for a lot of things, myself! I guess I'll go tidy the nursery one more time...

My dear friend Shirley made our little girl one of her famous "Joy" banners. Isn't it sweet? She recently passed away, and I'm so glad I have something to remind me of her sweet, sassy spirit! I can't think of a better wish for my little girl than for her to be able to find joy in her life. Note:This has been strategically placed above the changing table...so that even when I'm changing diapers all day, I can be reminded of the reasons why it's a JOY to be a mother, too.

"You know you have to be 18 to buy dry ice, right?" and other favorite comments as of late...

2011-07-26T10:09:00.001-06:00

Well, you know you reach the un-cute stage of pregnancy, when friends, family, and strangers start saying things like:

There's only one baby in there?

Wow! You look like you are about to pop!

Well, you sure carry big, don't you?

Any day now...right?

Are you sure you're not carrying a boy. It looks like you have a basketball in there. It has to be a boy.

You must be ready to be done.

Wow! Has it been THAT long since I've seen you? You're huge!

Man, that bun has gotta be baked by now! How much longer?

Oh, look at your swollen ankles!

So are you just dying to have that baby or what?

You're past THE point, aren't you?

Let's compare which is bigger you or the watermelon.

etsy seller

I have actually been able to enjoy most of the comments like these--especially in retrospect. And there have been a few strangers who actually managed to say something in regards to having a baby without referencing one of pregnancy's physical downfalls. One lady at the grocery store came up to me and said, "I'm sorry, I just have to tell you--you are the cutest pregnant lady, and you are just glowing! Enjoy it while you can!" Another one of my favorites was a lady in an elevator who simply said, "Oh, congratulations on the baby!"

So, I say to the world--bring on the comments--you only have a short time left to judge the size and shape of my stomach without receiving a snide comment or a sneer in return. Also--if there's some chance that you could explode all your opinions about my body rather than my soon to be born little girl, that would be fabulous. I hear the comments only get worse once your baby's actually here (which, of course can't be soon enough, because yes--I'm about to pop, past THE point, AND am bigger than a lot of watermelons).

yep, my camera still works!

2011-07-10T21:16:00.000-06:00

These two were such good sports...letting some prego lady take their pictures on a hot july morning...but that's the prego lady talking...it's always hot.

This photo is not approved by Christian. But hey, I'm no hater.

love those boots. uh hu.

I asked about a girlfriend....his answer was vague...

his dimple kills me! nice tie too, eh?

she curls her hair with a straight iron. apparently people have been doing it for years...but I couldn't figure out how to do that on my hair. Not for a million dollars.

what you don't know about this picture is there is an old man on a jazzy off in the left background. it got a chuckle out of both of us!

James Taylor sings about the 4th of July

2011-07-05T20:54:00.002-06:00

Which is one of the many reasons I love this holiday. Here are a couple more:

1. Neighborhood celebrations:

Pre-4th of July fireworks with the neighbors.

The pancake breakfast.

Characters like these, amping up for the parade.

2. The Little's tradition: A party all about Grandma June's Scones...Well, mostly I like the after-party.

Hearing this girl say "wibbly-wobbly"

Finding something RED I can wear, no matter how big that belly gets! (If only it wasn't so dang hot, I could have worn the boots too!)

3. Once in lifetime moments:

Seeing this incredible outfit. Happy Birthday America.

This Yankee Doodle Boy was born!! (the baby, not Christian...)

4. Avoiding the crowds and still getting an amazing show:

These fireworks actually made me scream they were so loud and high!

Witnessing "The Conqueror" with lots of family and friends.

Sun Valley Highlights

2011-06-30T23:42:00.002-06:00

We spent some fun days in Sun Valley with some of Christian's family. This is the third time I've been there--the first was on our honeymoon, the second was last September. And I have to say, it was an awesome vacation! We ate good food with fun people and I even got in a set or two of tennis. Our little girl is already loving the sport, I just know it. Here are a few highlights of the trip...

Here are most of the ladies I spent the trip with. I want Helen's hair cut. She's the little blonde on the left. CiCi--the platinum blonde on the right told me she likes me because I "just say it how it is." It's so fun getting to know this side of the family more...hopefully they can say the same about me and Christian!

Christian practiced being a dad. He and Molly were pretty much inseparable--until she had to go home with the rest of her family, anyway. Christian held Molly so much that one of the relatives was confused for quite some time, thinking HE was the father. It was pretty funny.

Laurie's mom, Grandma Marlene is the whole reason why we get together and why we stay in Sun Valley. We are super lucky to belong to her flock.

how cute are these two? Another inseparable pair. You may recognize our favorite Sarah Grace (on the left). Aubrey turned three while we were on this trip. She called Christian "Squish-ton." And I think she may have beat him at dominos.

We watched Roger fly his plane--and he landed it perfectly, too!!

Don't worry, our little girl didn't miss out on a thing!

Pool time.

What do you do when you see swans in a pond? You pose like a swan, of course!

Meet Laurie's brothers: Chef Dave and Chef Chris, as I called them. I was lucky enough to be their pretend sous-chef. I look a bit worn out in this photo...it may be because I'm 9 months prego, or it could just be that that night we had grilled bacon-wrapped shrimp with halepeno pepper and jack cheese, asian drumsticks with a garlic, ginger cilantro sauce, and ham fried rice. Either way, these guys are as amazing as their food.

Relaxing time. Do you think these two are related??

Happy Anniversary Mom and Dad!!

2011-06-22T07:07:00.002-06:00

I can't remember if it's the 22nd or 23rd of June...but whichever it is, I'm sure glad it happened!!

He liked my boots.

2011-06-09T11:54:00.001-06:00


Taken by Eric Delphenich, 5/19/2011

It's weird to think that in 6 short weeks I won't be working at the magazine anymore. It's also kind of exciting and kind of scary. At a recent photo shoot, our very favorite photographer asked if he could snap a shot of me. He said he couldn't pass by the red boots and jacket...well, I couldn't either!

My mom was one big cry baby.

2011-05-17T07:11:00.002-06:00

But now she's one of the most patient, long-suffering, self-sacrificing people I know. I guess that's what years and years of being my parent will teach you! I hope you have a GREAT birthday, C the G!

still happy

2011-05-15T22:35:00.000-06:00

Salt Lake City Temple
May 16, 2007

POP!

2011-05-01T15:14:00.000-06:00

Ok, so my baby belly popped out a while ago. But I still got strange stares from strangers...trying to figure out if I was awkwardly fat, or if I was pregnant. Now you'd really have to be a dummy not to know I'm great with child, right?

Other things are popping too. We have some pretty tulips in our front garden that finally showed their petals this week! Even with all the Dr. Jekyll and Mr. Hyde weather we've been having.

Also--did you know you can make your own microwave popcorn? Well, I haven't tried it yet. But I think I might.

One last thing...my friend JME posted about builders, maintainers and wreckers. I've been thinking about it all weekend. She says:

In this world, there are builders, maintainers and wreckers. Builders are those people who make you feel like you’re worth a million bucks – and they mean it! They’re not only complimentative, but they act like they like being around you and enjoy your company. Maintainers are those who don’t tare down but don’t really build up. People that are just, kinda, there.

Wreckers find subtle (and sometimes not so subtle) ways to tare down. After spending time with a wrecker, you may get in your car and think, “wow, I am really stupid,” or “wait, now WHY do people like me?”.

I think you all should pop over there and read the rest of her down to earth wisdom!

100 days and counting

2011-04-26T17:09:00.003-06:00

I'm counting* because I'm excited and because I'm scared out of my mind.

etsy seller

I'm excited because of all the things you might imagine:

I'll get to eat cake batter and cookie dough again, for one. (Most other things with raw egg I have been happy to avoid.)
Everyone will get to meet daddy's little girl and make all the comments like "oh she has Christian's nose!" To which, my dad will most-likely reply, "no she doesn't, she has her own nose." I just hope she doesn't get my nose (but that would fall more in the things I'm scared of category).
I'll get to stop thinking things like "why does it feel like I'm carrying around a bucket of water...oh because I am."
I'll finally get to be my own boss and have my dream career. I'll be an entrepreneur--well, a social entrepreneur, anyway. My new business will be full of imagining, telling stories and making pies. And probably a lot of other stuff...but that brings me to why I'm scared out of my mind.

I'm scared out of my mind because:

etsy seller

I know I'll mess up with some of the little things and not make her practice her piano enough. Or too much. Or she will catch me laughing when she's trying to be serious. Or I will let her cry too long. Or I will cry too long.
What if I mess up with some of the big things, too? Like what if we name her the wrong name?
As much sleep as I am NOT getting now, I'm pretty sure in 100 days, I will be getting much less.
What if my gag reflex never goes away and her first memory is of me gagging while I change her diaper or feed her some awful baby food? (OK, I hope she's out of diapers before her memory kicks in).
What if she likes Christian more than me? That's pretty clear already because she hasn't once kicked him, and she loves to kick me.
What if she loves glitter? I really don't think I can handle glitter.

*Disclaimer: I'm not really expecting her to show up right on her due date, since I'm not sure those really mean much of anything anyway.

My Favorite Place on Earth

2011-04-13T22:24:00.001-06:00

Taken Fall 2005.
I'm thinking about hanging this one on my wall.
But, I think that about almost every photo of this place.

Uncle T

2011-04-10T14:55:00.000-06:00

Thank you for asking.

2011-04-07T19:51:00.005-06:00

Question: Candace, are you excited for tax season to be over soon?

Answer: YES!! I can't wait for more of this:

Q: What will you name your child??
A: We have always loved the names William and Lucy...and when we moved into The Village and met these two folks (Bill and Lucy), we knew we were meant to be friends. When most people ask the gender of a child they usually say, "are you having a boy or a girl?" Well, when they asked us our baby's gender it was: "Is it a Bill or a Lucy?" We don't know what we're naming our child. But there's at least two or three votes out there for Lucy. And everyone knows voting is the absolute best way to name a child.

Q:Have you been making anything delicious in the kitchen lately?
A: Why yes, yes I have! Conference Sunday brought this lovely pizza along with it. And I made myself another one tonight because of the miracle of Artisan Bread in Five Minutes a Day.

Q: Is this your sister?
A: No. This is my cousin cheesin' it up for the camera because she just got engaged. She also has the red hair I've always wanted. Thanks for reminding me.

50 Percent

2011-03-28T12:40:00.000-06:00

I'm more than half way there, ladies and gentlemen. Well, I guess I should say my baby is more than half way there! It boggles my mind, and I'm hoping the last half will go as quickly as the first half (I'm guessing, however, that it will not). I've been thinking a little bit about nursery stuff. But mostly just cute little girl shoes. She doesn't need a cute nursery if she has cute shoes, right? I've been collecting my inspiration on Pinterest. Feel free to check out my pins! I think it's a pretty cool tool.

Update: Veggie Heaven in 2011

2011-03-25T19:57:00.003-06:00

Despite my lack of posting my daily pictures, I actually have been following through with my veggie heaven in 2011 goal! I've missed 4 days...but out of however many days that have gone by, that's still pretty good.
Thanks to my wonderful iPhone camera, here are a few of my favorites:

poppyseed dressing over mandarin oranges, peppitas, dried cranberries and spring greens

Green Smoothie!! Plain yogurt, orange juice, frozen strawberries and spinach. (thank you VitaMix)

this is amazing yogurt ranch dressing over red leaf lettuce, cheese and black beans.

this is the first salad of the year!! The garlic stuffed green olives and fresh lemon juice made this salad yummy!

Avacado: probably my favorite salad topper, and some delicious bean salsa from Harmons.

The DoDo's house salad. forever and always my favorite. I think I've had 3 of these so far!!

I won't feel bad if you don't watch the whole slideshow. I kinda posted it more for my own sake than anyone else's.

This free photo slideshow created with Smilebox

Tweet Tweet

2011-03-14T17:00:00.001-06:00

NESTING, as defined by the internet: "Around the fifth month of pregnancy, the "nesting" instinct can set in. This is an uncontrollable urge to clean one's house brought on by a desire to prepare a nest for the new baby, to tie up loose ends of old projects and to organize your world."

etsy seller

Does baking a 7 pound ham for just Christian and I to eat count as a sign that I'm nesting? How about bringing home lots of free stuff (2 couches, a piano, 4 chairs, a dresser, 3 bookshelves, and a bench) in the past month? I don't really think so...but I'm hoping for signs of this instinctive mother-to-be nesting phase...I just don't feel anything close to it yet. I only see a desperate mama bird collecting other people's throw-aways and cooking way too much food for dinner (stuff I'm likely to do at any given time in my life). The only uncontrollable urge I have is...nothing. I have an urge to do nothing.

I think nesting would be more natural for me, if all I had to do was build an actual nest!! Fitting pieces of twigs together sounds like a breeze! I've never really been an organizer, or very particular about how I clean stuff, and I don't really make things pretty. I'm not careful when I fold clothes, and I rarely iron anything. I also have a bad habit of forgetting where things go...or not even assigning things a place to begin with. I have an entire room of "projects" that need all of those things, and worst of all, I don't really mind living in this chaos!

And THAT is why I am really counting on this nesting instinct to kick in--to bring some type of method to my madness. And for Christian's sake (can you even imagine what it's like living with me??), I hope it's sooner rather than later.

I take eating cake very seriously

2011-03-07T17:37:00.000-07:00

Etsy Seller

I have never been much of a chocolate lover. When I was a little girl I was all about vanilla. One time I won a drawing contest put on by Hostess. My prize was a box of Twinkies or Ho Hos (maybe it was Ding Dongs). Being the non-chocolate eater I was, of course chose Twinkies and my siblings still will not let me forget my foolish decision. They also will not let me forget that all I drew was a circle and that I shouldn't have won anyway.

Now, don't get me wrong--I've grown up a lot since then--I do love a good brownie or chocolate chip cookie. Oh--also a chocolate shake from Iceberg with Reese's peanut butter cups. But I wasn't surprised when, this weekend, my mom made a cake that surpasses all chocolate goodness and all cakes and certainly all Hostess treats I've ever eaten! And it happened to be a vanilla cake.

White cakes get the short end of the stick--and they usually deserve it. They're dry and sometimes they come with some "filling" that leaves you wondering if you have just eaten something that was really meant to be eaten. While you try to pry cake and filling from the roof of your mouth, you are left wondering...Was it supposed to be fruit or jam of some sort? Was it leftover Sunday Jello sandwiched between two cake layers? Will I ever have my normal mouth back?? You just never know. White cakes also tend to be paired with some nasty frosting--probably Crisco-based and died funny colors. This is perhaps only a good idea at Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle birthday parties...when the point is the turtles and not the taste. (Turtle power!)

Needless to say, the best cake ever has none of those qualities listed above. It's moist. It's white, but off-white enough so you know it was baked with real eggs, real vanilla, real butter and real unbleached flour. This white cake needs no filling (although lemon curd is a perfect pair). This white cake is perfectly delightful on its own, but absolutely heavenly topped with whip cream or chocolate almond butter cream frosting. And best of all--this cake was baked up by mom.

And that's how I like my cake. How about you?

speaking of balloons

2011-02-23T17:23:00.000-07:00

How would you like this lovely print for free??

Readhead and Balloons by canyouhearme

My super-talented friend Samantha Kelly (OK, I call her Sam, but her full name has a special ring to it, don't you think?) has an awesome give away going on right now. And there are many more fun prints to choose from! It ends Sunday, so hurry up and get over there.

Let me read you a story.

2011-02-19T18:50:00.000-07:00

One night this idea came to me and I thought I'd write a book for Sarah's birthday. So I did. And then my cousin illustrated it for me (isn't she's amazing?). And now, thanks to Blurb.com it has a hard cover and pages and everything.

Click here to read the whole thing!

It's a gift that I think can only get better and better over time, and I can check off that "write a book before I die" box on my list. If you're in the mood for a story about Sarah Grace with a smile on her face and her head all covered in curls, go ahead, sit back and read it! If not--well, I guess you'll have to miss out on the adventure for now!

roses are red. and yellow.

2011-02-16T19:13:00.007-07:00

This year, C1 really pulled through for the V-day thing. I can't wait to hang this print in my new creativity room! We had some delicious Crown Burger, too--something I think we should make a tradition!

I loved making these valentines last year and decided to do some more. I've told you all to paint before. But really, I mean it. It's so much fun.

Here are some of my favorites from this year's bunch:

For someone who LOVES giving high-fives.

For someone who had a decision to make (he chose Utah!! yay!!)

For someone who drinks diet Dr. Pepper--like a lot.

For someone who found out we're having a baby girl in August!

twice the fun

2011-02-10T12:57:00.008-07:00

Remember when Sarah Grace was born?? Well she is now big sister to

Molly June

who is one week old today! TWO nieces?? Wow! We are super excited!

Dear C1,

2011-02-08T09:38:00.005-07:00

Remember how we were talking about what to do for Valentine's Day? And I said (with not enough regret) I don't really do anything for you for Valentine's Day, but YOU usually clean the kitchen and get me flowers? And how you said yeah, but flowers are ridiculous. And I agreed? Well, I have an idea for this year:

I saw on Robbie and Catilin's blog (hueandhum.blogspot.com) that Caitlin is doing an oh-so-cool Valentine "Pay What You Want" deal on some of her prints. She says whether it's a small or large donation doesn't matter--she just wants to share her art!

I love how she has a "friend-tine" and a valentine or "lover-tine" option--I think either would be great on one of the empty walls in my creativity room!! This would be the perfect replacement for flowers this year, don't you think?

I'm just trying to give you some suggestions...but don't feel too pressured to do anything...it's not like the whole Internet knows what I'm hoping for.

Love,
Your mean wife

p.s.
For those of you who don't know these amazing folks at Hue and Hum, Caitlin sells her art for screaming deals (obviously) and is always finding fun creative projects, and Robbie is a real live rock star and releases free songs on their blog. One time in High School Robbie and I performed a duet for our East High Seminary class. It's no surprise to anyone that HE is the one that went on to be in a band on tour.

Confessions of an Editor

2011-01-31T16:55:00.008-07:00

etsy seller

Today at work, a man called and asked if he could talk with one of our freelance writers.

Me: well, she isn't in our office, but can I take a message for you?

Man: don't you mean MAY I take a message for you?

Me (thinking to myself): well, actually now I really CAN't take your message because you've hurt my editorial pride and I am now useless for the rest of the day. Plus, I kinda think you are rude.
Me (out loud): Of course, I mean MAY I take a message for you?

Man: Well, no you cannot. I need to speak with her directly.

Me (thinking to myself): Don't you mean "no you MAY not?"
Me (out loud): Let me transfer you over to my managing editor and she CAN help you.

your opinion please...

2011-01-26T16:44:00.006-07:00

Would you hang one of these prints in your home or give it as a gift to someone who might? Which one is your favorite? Do you like the colors? Are they too sassy? Am I trying too hard? Are they just plain dumb? Please, oh, please, my Etsy shop (to be opened some time this century) depends on your feeback.

The sizes I have above are 8 x 10 and 8 x 8. I've been thinking about putting these on dish towells or greeting cards...would that be of interest to any one, do you think?

everyone does it

2011-01-13T10:13:00.004-07:00

i know everyone picks their nose at some point in their life. but for the most part, i think we should all avoid committing the act in public. seriously. do we not all agree that there is absolutely no one who wants to see someone else pick their nose?

"OK, OK," you might be saying, "but why are you looking if it bothers you that badly?" Well, I say-- when was the last time YOU looked away when someone picked their nose? It usually happens so fast that by the time you've realized you've crashed their should-be-private-moment, you have ruined your delicious breakfast egg and toast sandwich (which you were late to work in order to prepare).

etsy seller

I heard of a missionary who had a chronic nose-picking problem (DISCLAIMER: this missionary is of NO relation to me or anyone i know...but could likely be related to above mentioned breakfast-ruining culprit). While the mission president met with the nose-picker for a routine interview, he said to the 19ish-year-old, "Elder, you might want to be careful about how you scratch your nose--some people might think you are picking it."

So--to the public nose-pickers of the world--I ask you, in the words of the the president--please consider carefully how you are "scratching" your nose.

a Sneek Peek & the House at Christmas

2011-01-05T21:39:00.008-07:00

Christmas Recap

2011-01-05T20:58:00.005-07:00

* * Christmas Morning at the Mabeys * *

My dad set up his toy train. Choo! Choo!

My mom went all out with wrapping this year. Isn't it cute?

Thomas (Elder Mabey) sent us all presents. My mom got a Michigan cook book. There are some doozies in there.

More from Thomas' phone call. All the women are trying to understand the geography of Michigan and all the places he's served in so far. I'm not even going to try, since I still don't know the geography of Utah very well--I wouldn't want to confuse myself.

* *Christmas Morning at the Littles * *

C1 loves to make Sarah smile. Isn't that a cool plane?? Roger and Laurie handmade their gifts this year. Such a cool idea, huh?

Heather really outdid herself on this one--she followed suit and handmade this flag!

Roger and Laurie opening a gift from the kids! A Beach bag full of fun things to do on our family trip to the beach this summer.

* * Christmas Eve with the Smiths * *

the Nativity. Oh, the Nativty. It's just not Christmas without it.

C1 and his fan club. I'm serious. They go CRAZY over him.

My Grandma let me be in charge of the appetizers. But she still made her cellery and cheese sticks. I love Grandmas--especially mine.

The party never ends here.

I always tease these two because they do some similar things...I had to get a picture of their simultaneous santa hat.

One Year Older

2011-01-05T19:32:00.007-07:00

Most people celebrate three holidays in the winter time...we celebrate four (Thanksgiving, Christian's Birthday, Christmas, New Years). It's just one more time when I'm reminded that we are indeed getting older. But also a time to celebrate my No.1.

I am so proud of C1. He has done a lot in his 25th year. Here are few biggies...listed in no particular order, of course:

1. He let us buy a house where we get to have people over and they get to sit on real couches. And have real conversation. And drink real gourmet ginger ale.

2. He's been taking CPA exams like crazy. And passing them too! With pretty good scores, I might add. It's always a good day when you find out you married a genius. Isn't he a handsome CPA-to-be? I wouldn't mind him working in my office.

3. He's been fixing up the new house like a regular handyman. I knew all along I married one of those.

4. He graduated--which is a HUGE deal. Sometimes I forget about how important it is and definitely take it for granted. He also went to the Notre Dame game where he saw his Utes lose and he's seen many other sad losses as well...So I thought he might like a U of U red and white cake. I special-ordered some red food coloring. Unfortunately it didn't show up until the day AFTER I made this cake from last year. That's ok, I'm sure there will be other cakes to try it out on.

5. The biggest accomplishment of all is, that he put up with me for a whole 'nother year. Really, I'm nice to almost everyone but him. I hope he gets his wish, he deserves it!

Veggie Heaven in 2011

2010-12-29T21:42:00.008-07:00

one of my heroes, mary, told me that she likes to make a rhyme for her new years resolution. i thought it was a great idea. we came up with mine together. you see, in 2011 i am going to eat a salad every day. wait, scratch that. i am going to attempt to eat a salad every day. inspired by my friend who ate a bowl of leafy green goodness every day in 2009, i decided to try it for myself. check out yearofsalad.com for more details about the challenge. don't you love this cute button? it was put together by yours truly. jenny's simple style is catchy, don't you think?

last year i went off of carbonation. that was easy compared to this (and i haven't even started it yet). it seems easier to NOT DO something...i am going to have to DO stuff like plan ahead and store salad ingredients neatly in my fridge. and maybe even go to the store more than once a month. oh, and the part of actually eating the salad. sure, i like green salad...but EVERY day? i hope i'm converted by the end. i know it will make me feel better and be healthier. even with all that parmesan lemon-garlic-oil and bacon dressing from the Do Do. ok it doesn't sound that bad. now i just need to get some of that dressing.

i know i'm jumping ahead a bit...but i still need to find my camera cord to post all my fun pics of the house and Christmas. not to mention C1's birthday...the MOST important thing about this past month. eventually i'll get to it. stay tuned if you're interested.

Merry Christmas to C & C!

2010-12-16T09:42:00.005-07:00

Our washer and dryer were supposed to arrive tomorrow. But, I got a call from LG yesterday letting me know that the model we ordered from Home Depot is no longer available. Don't worry, though--they just upgraded us to an AMAZING model with more capacity and steam drying and sanitizing wash settings and lots of other things that I'm sure I'll have to find a reason to use...we'll get the set on the 23rd. How cool is that?! Thanks to this upgrade and a lovely contribution from some very generous elves, we are doing our wash in serious style! Maybe I'll enjoy doing it now...but I'm not gonna hold my breath.

p.s. I will post some photos of the new house soon!

Just thinking about our

2010-11-29T13:05:00.000-07:00

Etsy Seller

Longest Train Possible

2010-11-26T14:16:00.006-07:00

Despite my brother's ridiculously long train (the red), and the fact that I (the yellow) kept referring to my destinations as "U.S. countries," I still managed to pull off a Thanksgiving win. AND, I beat Mr. Longest Train by more than 20 points. I can't get too proud, though. I'm sure there will be plenty more games of Ticket to Ride this holiday season, and I have to keep my head in the train.

my nikon has been busy lately

2010-11-23T20:42:00.008-07:00

from the cabin journal...

2010-11-18T07:15:00.000-07:00

Now the REAL holidays can start

2010-11-02T21:06:00.005-06:00

Or so C1 says.

We had a pretty good Halloween, though!

I decided to get festive for our meal and broke out the watercolors again for some hand-painted name cards. I love painting--you should try it some time.

We dipped caramel apples at my parents' house. My mom is serious about her chocolate.

Please notice the shirt. And yes, it's puff-paint.

I had the best and only costume of the night (other than the trick-or-treaters, anyway).

C1 liked to smooth his caramel by hand, while Joe (along with the rest of us) chose the drip method.

mmmm mmmmm. Now that's one scary-good apple.

We Can't Wait...

2010-10-24T22:08:00.009-06:00

to sign the papers

and have a place of our very very very own,

where we can do things like fly the U flag on game days.

We can't wait to hang stockings at Christmas time,

we can't wait to eat our first meal here,

we can't wait for kids to fill up these rooms,

to finally feel like we're "settling down,"

to make cookies for the neighbors,

and we can't wait to pay off the mortgage (in 100 years).

Two Goods and a Sad

2010-10-18T22:29:00.004-06:00

This past week

I went to my sister's voice recital. She is amazing. I'll post the sound as soon as I can get my hands on it, but for now...you can just gaze and imagine the songs...I went on a Northern Utah adventure...on a quest for delicious ice cream and pyrex with my Retro friend. I found a lot more than that though...(more to come on my DI/Antique finds).
And, sadly, my managing editor left Utah Business to work for a national publication. She always called me "Miss Candace" and I'll miss that (among many, many things).

I love Fall

2010-10-14T22:47:00.002-06:00

Happy 10-10-10!

2010-10-10T22:43:00.003-06:00

What were YOU doing at 10/10/10 at 10:10? I was, I confess, sleeping in! Can you believe I actually slept that late? It was a busy weekend, OK??

My dad was, of course, with his iPad and sent my family this picture. I love technology and my dad!

H20 Esq. (that means water attorney)

2010-10-09T13:22:00.005-06:00

My dad was nice enough to let me take his firm photos for their new website! I'd want these guys to be my attorneys...wouldn't you?

capturing time

2010-10-02T09:36:00.003-06:00

yesterday

i found these lovely jars at the DI with her.

Any suggestions of what to fill that HUGE one with?

I'm not sure how many quarts it is...maybe 3 or more?

I was thinking applesauce.

and

i also took some family photos with her.

here's one of my faves:

Antique Road Show

2010-09-26T22:39:00.006-06:00

On our way to Sun Valley, we stopped at a few antique shows. I love looking at things from a different time. Don't think I'm crazy when I say this, but sometimes some of the antiques speak to me--they tell me stories about their past owners or boast of their high quality or amazing retro-appeal. My imagination just cannot be tamed at a place with things like these:

I confess...

2010-09-13T22:48:00.004-06:00

these boots are causing some serious tenth-commandment-breaking. (the tenth does talk about coveting, right?). I first saw them in Jackson Hole (oh, which I need to post about still...) in June. I've really been trying to forget about them ever since.
I had convinced myself that I wasn't going to get these boots this fall...even though boot season is most-definitely upon us. But then, as I was innocently filling up my gas tank...this girl had to be hanging her feet out the window...Go ahead...just rub it in my face that I don't have some broken-in red cowboy boots. i mean, really--if she'd only known the pain I was going through. And if only I'd been thinking...I could have gone over and bargained them right off her feet...instead, I was just barely able to snap a shot before she and her little doggie friend drove away.

P.S.

If anyone sees these at at thrift store...oh, please let me know!! They are Ariat, heritage red, luster, size 7.5...the cheapest I've been able to find them on ebay is close to $100, and I actually think I'd like them better if they were a bit worn around the edges...

JT knows just how to say it

2010-09-09T09:48:00.007-06:00

etsy artist

Well, the sun's not so hot in the sky today
And you know I can see summertime slipping on away
A few more geese are gone, a few more leaves turning red
But the grass is as soft as a feather in a featherbed
So I'll be king and you'll be queen
Our kingdom's gonna be this little patch of green

Oh, september grass is the sweetest kind
It goes down easy like apple wine
Hope you don't mind if I pour you some
Made that much sweeter by the winter to come

Sun Valley

2010-09-06T20:49:00.008-06:00

While C1 works long nights and weekends, I go on vacation.

Might as well be missing him away from home, right?

So this past weekend I went to Sun Valley

with Christian's parents (Roge-Dawg and Laurie)

and little sister. Hi Annie.

Sun Valley reminded me of a setting for a Hans Christian Anderson story. Rainbows, ducks, street musicians, mountain air...

Oh, and we ate some delicious food! Sweet potato fries, delicious pasta,

wraps and berry crisp among the hardest to forget!

This is the 5th Rainbow I've seen in the past month! Now, where's the pot of gold?

Bear Lake Blue--always photo worthy.

Roge-Dawg's favorite of the car show.

There were no ugly ducklings!

Annie took this pic! Isn't that the sweetest birdie ever?

I've been wanting to take a photo of a horse since June!

I'm sure due to my continuous reading and looking at her cook book.

OK, she really is taller than me, but not THAT much taller!

When I met Annie, I think she came up to my waist...

Can't wait to go back! Maybe next time with my CPA.

one day...

2010-09-01T20:18:00.003-06:00

my pillow won't smell like the last thing i cooked

i won't wear heels every day

my rent won't be $0/month

my name won't be in print...as often

i won't wear t-shirts i bought in high school

i won't be asked what high school i'm going to

my favorite show won't be on the Food Network (that's debatable)

i won't have dishes in my sink. all. the. time.

"God lives in these clouds." --C the G

2010-08-13T10:23:00.001-06:00

thought you might wanna know...

2010-08-05T14:23:00.002-06:00

My mom is giving away this cook book on her blog.

The neat thing about it, is it's going to be signed by the artist--Melissa Peck. I've mentioned her art before. It's so unique and I love how bold and brave her style is. You can read more about the cookbook and enter to win it here.

catching up...

2010-08-01T14:44:00.004-06:00

so i know it's been...oh...2 months since graduation, but I just recently downloaded the pictures...and remembered how totally awesome it was/is to NOT be the "most educated" one out of the two of us. I am so proud of my Master of Accountancy. Of course the BBQ after was way more fun than the actual ceremony...so we'll start with those pictures first!

my parents' lovely back patio

caprese skewers

Hires blue cheese dressing and Crown Burger fry sauce for the bacon burgers.

Also on the menu: chips, salsa & guacamole, A & W root beer and

ice cream with chocolate fudge sauce...CWL's favorites.

and a hand-painted sign--wow, how classy is that?

U U U U U U U

on the to the commencement ceremony

Do you have plans for tomorrow night?

2010-07-30T09:06:00.001-06:00

Heaven on Earth

2010-07-27T22:24:00.005-06:00

Candace vs. Reading

2010-07-11T19:27:00.001-06:00

It's not that I don' t like to read...it's that I like a lot of other things more. Which is probably terrible to admit, since I kind of write for a living...but either way, it's the truth. But maybe one that's slowly changing.

I just finished listening to a "book on tape" (aka my iPod). Kathryn Stockett's The Help is amazing.

etsy seller

Have any of you read it? The story takes place during the Civil Rights Movement in Jackson, Mississippi. The lives of two best friend black housekeepers and a hopeful white writer collide and we all learn a lot about life together. It's about race and equality, but mostly just about people and relationships. It's about food and friendship. It's funny and sad and real. It will open your eyes.

My next literature adventure will be reading the Anne of Green Gables books.

etsy seller

I'm embarrassed to admit I've never read the entire series. Especially since I can't even count the millions of times I've watched the movies. I told my cousin I have never read it and she was shocked. I promptly came home and read her reasons for reading about Anne. And she's right on all accounts. Anne is heroic, the author (Lucy Maud Montgomery) is most-definitly an artist and paints the most vivid people and places, there's an awesome love story, and it is simply inspirational. Oh boy! I'm off to read it!

Honestly,

2010-07-08T23:06:00.000-06:00

I cried the night before C1 started his new/first "real" job. This is how it went:

C1: why are you so sad?

me: I'm not sad.

C1: then why are you crying?

me: I'm not crying.

C1: why are you crying?

me: I just don't want to grow up.

C1: well then how about I just grow up and you don't?

me: OK!

But tonight, since the grandparents are out of town, C1 snuck upstairs and played the piano. I mean he really played it. And the music sounded so nice. And sooo much better than the sound doing homework makes (ummm...no sound at all?). I honestly can't remember the last time he did that.

And then I decided. OK. It's kinda fun to grow up. As long as it means there's more time for piano.

I really miss this place

2010-06-22T22:16:00.001-06:00

can you blame me? i think not.

any of you looking forward to a favorite summer spot??

Does Being 25

2010-06-15T13:21:00.000-06:00

make me old or young? I can't decide.

Down Time

2010-05-25T16:41:00.000-06:00

Because I've recently graduated and am temporarily unemployed, I've had a lot of down time while Candace is at work. Thankfully I have the internet to teach me new skills. I'm finally living out Candace's life long dream for me to act. I think after watching this lesson taught by the great Sir Ian McKellen I finally understand how to do it.

congrat U lations

2010-05-07T08:42:00.001-06:00

gifting strawberry jam

2010-05-02T22:21:00.000-06:00

my sister made some delicious strawberry jam. and i'm helping her come up with cute packaging so she can use it as gifts...here's a sneak peak of what i've beeen working on for a label. Which do you like better?

today for lunch

2010-04-27T13:11:00.000-06:00

The Table Runner's Hawaiian haystacks. SOOOOO good.

when I don't run

2010-04-26T13:59:00.000-06:00

in the mornings, i am antsy, and tired and hungry the whole day. happy monday.

yours truly,

In Honor of my Mother

2010-04-18T09:20:00.000-06:00

I'm going to help save another mother's life. She lives in Africa, though, and I don't know her yet. I am part of an organization that's trying to decrease infant and mother mortality rates in rural Senegal. And this mother's day, we've put together an awesome campaign. We're giving away a free necklace to help get the word out about it.If you, would like to wear this, or give this away to your mother this mother's day--check out our blog and enter to win it for free! Or, you can just check it out because you love me and you want to see what I've been spending all my free time on lately...

Of course, feel free to tweet it, blog it and tell all your friends about it, I'm really hoping this is a success!

My Favorite Part About April

2010-04-09T10:00:00.000-06:00

I think I will be posting about The Napkin Lady every year in April--do you remember hearing about her last year? I can't believe you'd be tired of seeing her...she's just amazing! and she is one sassy lady, hu? And we get to see her every April at my mom's house. My mom started a really cool series on her blog called "A Note from the Napkin Lady." She's sharing good old-fashioned thoughts and advice straight from The Napkin Lady. Don't you want to know what she's saying? It's amazing. go see.

How to Impress a Boy by Baking

2010-04-05T19:49:00.001-06:00

Joy the Baker is one of my most favorite foodies. Pretty much every one of her cookies is on my "things to bake" google list, especially her crispy toasted coconut cookies and orange poppyseed sugar biscuits.

I loved one of her recent posts called How to Impress a Boy by Baking.

Joy says things like, "Note: If your particular boy doesn’t like baked goods… I’m afraid I don’t understand. He’s weird. I’d question his motives." and "You know how boys… the good ones, at least… bring flowers to a first date? I think girls should bring brownies. Easy chocolate brownies with walnuts. Wrap them in wax paper and put them in a simple box. The next day when they’re trying to play it cool and not call you back? They’ll have a brownie and pick up the phone. Guarantee."

Isn't she delightful? Go read the rest of her post. I promise you'll hear some sassy and sweet truths ringing from the page and definitely find a new recipe to try!

Easter already?

2010-03-30T11:45:00.000-06:00

I had no idea Easter was this Sunday. If only I'd planned ahead...I could have found me a hat for the occasion!

Homecoming 2002

2010-03-24T09:12:00.000-06:00

a football game
a friendly face
a familiar ache
a heart to take

a grassy ground
a happy sound
a white cap found
a dream unwound

a bit of sass
a flirty trap
a smile to last
a future and past

a little white truck
a hope untucked
with fate and luck
in love I'm stuck

Luck O' The Irish

2010-03-12T16:31:00.000-07:00

Every little leprachaun deserves to have warm feet!

Especially if he is our cute neighbor and only a few days old!!

When Life Gives you Lemons...

2010-03-09T19:22:00.000-07:00

(and other deliciously dangerous stuff)...

make lemon bars (Aunt Donna's to be precise).

And when Life gives you lemon bars with burn bottoms...you still take them to the party because people will eat them anyway. And, then you take the left overs into the office because even burnt-bottomed lemon bars are too hard for some people to resist...and some poeple would eat the entire dozen or more that were left...Now really, tell me, is there any other dessert so delicious you can enjoy them burnt??

Dear Elder Mabey,

2010-03-03T22:45:00.000-07:00

Don't forget to write us.

I hope you survive without Mom.

Your face looks so nice without the goatee...but I'm still getting used to it.

We will miss you, and pray for you.

I am so proud of you.

See you in two years!!

2010-03-01T20:48:00.001-07:00

we're gonna miss you, T-baby

We Love the Olympics

2010-02-17T16:04:00.000-07:00

more hearts and hands

2010-02-14T21:53:00.000-07:00

C1 knows I am going to try to win his heart with food. But I know that the real way to win his heart is through something University of Utah related...so I compromised with this cookie...

These bran muffins were inspired by my mom--heart healthy and festive! Oh, and delicious! Mom, don't you think this muffin has incredible crumb? I posted that picture just for you.

I went to an incredible "galentine" party on Friday night and left C1 home all alone...he was supposed to be catching up on homework. It turns out he was busy doing other things. I came home to this:

and this (really, is there anything better than clean kitchen?):

Isn't this birdie print so delightful? It will really brighten up my office, I'm sure of it!

I was definitely feeling the love, so naturally I had to share the love. I spent my Sunday morning painting these for some of my favorite people in my life. I'm really loving watercolor these days.

from my heart, with my hands

2010-02-08T21:25:00.001-07:00

This past weekend we celebrated Sarah Grace's birthday.

I knew she wanted a ball...and I knew any old ball wouldn't do--it needed to be special. So I crocheted one, knowing that it's easier to give something from your heart that you build with your hands. But I couldn't stop with the ball...so I went to my mom for help, and soon I had this doll sewn up. Isn't she sweet?

Growing up, my birthdays and Christmas mornings were filled with handmade gifts...mostly clothes. Some for me, some for my dolls...some outfits even came in my size AND a mini size so I could match with my doll. My mom secretly slaved away for months, I'm sure. She made a comment to me about how I must have had really nice friends who didn't make fun of me for having homemade clothes instead of the ones from the catalog. The truth is, I must have had a really nice mom to put in all that time and effort for her little girl.

February Past

2010-01-31T22:17:00.000-07:00

When I was in the 4th grade I wrote a poem called February Grump...I can't remember how it went but I know it involved an old man being upset about Valentine's Day. To prevent myself from turning into a February grump, I decided to look back on what February brought me last year...and I don't know February 2010, you have a lot to live up to...

baby Sarah Grace

baked oatmeal

crocheting hats like crazy

Ebay money and a roomier closet

making some sweet earrings (too bad that didn't last too long...)

opportunity knocks

2010-01-21T22:12:00.000-07:00

so, no one likes to clean the office microwave.

but everyone seems to like to dirty the office microwave.

result: dirty, splattered, smelly, crusty office microwave.

scary.

so scary my Lean Cuisine-eating coworker now goes hungry instead of eating contaminated food.

so scary I wrapped my twice baked potato in a double layer of paper towels to protect it from debris that just might fall off during the zap, zap zapping.

so scary that I finally decided to do something about it.

I spread the word that I would be cleaning the office microwave.

Three people gave me a dollar and said they'd pay me a dollar every week I cleaned it.

I then realized cleaning that microwave was not worth it for only $3.

Then I had an idea.

That night I left a note by my garbage can, it read:

Cleaning Crew
Do you clean microwaves?
If so, will you clean our microwave?
[ ] yes [ ] no

The next morning the sticky note was gone, but the microwave was spotless.

Everyone thanked me for cleaning it and promised my weekly payment.

I couldn't help but laugh out loud as I pocketed my first installment of $3.

That will almost get me 2 loads of wash...

p.s.

i finally felt too misleading and had to admit to them all that they paid me $3 to write a sticky note. I'm not sure if I'll get next week's installment...stay tuned.

Proud to Belong

2010-01-13T16:16:00.000-07:00

Church Response to Haiti Earthquake

SALT LAKE CITY 13 January 2010 We express our sympathy and prayers on behalf of the citizens of Haiti following the recent devastating earthquake. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints is immediately shipping humanitarian relief, including personal hygiene kits and supplies for newborns. Efforts are underway to determine further humanitarian response in coordination with government and disaster relief organizations. Donations for relief efforts can be made at http://give.lds.org/emergencyresponse.

All missionaries serving in the country are safe, and we continue efforts to account for Church members in the area.

- - - - - - - - - - - - - -

I belong to the church that ships immediate relief--not only humanitarian, but spiritual relief too. And that makes me proud (but I suppose it humbles me too).

i LOVE my mechanic

2010-01-08T11:22:00.000-07:00

can any of you say that? If you can't, it's time you give my mechanic, Paul a call.

photo credit

I know nothing about cars--here's proof:

Paul: Candace, the most concerning thing is your spark plugs are in really bad shape

Me: oh, is that why my defroster doesn't work?

Paul: . . .

Christian: ha ha ha

Me: Christian, what's so funny!??

Christian: How embarrassing

For those of you who are as bright as me--spark plugs are what start your engine and play a much bigger role than keeping your defrost going.

I had a "whole laundry list" of things to fix on my car and Paul took me under the hood to the engine and battery and belts and stuff and showed me everything that was wrong. He explained to me what would happen if I didn't get things fixed and rated my problems A, B, and C so I'd know which were most important to fix. I've never been so happy to spend money on my car before. Really--have any of you ever been excited to fix your car and spend $$?? I hadn't either.

He also told me that whoever did my break pads last time used shoddy material...very useful info--those cheapskates! I can't remember who did my break pads...but it doesn't matter, my car's heart belongs to Paul at Straight Line Automotive and will never see anyone else.

2010 means...

2010-01-01T19:43:00.000-07:00

3 years of marriage
C1 graduating and starting a job
running a race
turning 25
The Old Testament and Gospel Principles
more graphic design

more pretending to be Lois Lane
more exploring my favorite hobby (that would be food)
saying goodbye to The Village
Reading one more book than I read in 2009
dinners for C1 from this book and this book
Visiting Teaching
smiling, praying and scriptures

working with my mom on TheTableRunner.com
recording my grandparents' oral history
sending my baby brother on a mission to Michigan
lots of dishes

celebrations thus far

2009-12-28T22:12:00.000-07:00

a birthday wish
(italian cream layer cake recipe here)

some fun fun friends
Have you all met J Me?

a humble birth
Thanks Mustini for this perfect little display for our not so perfect little apartment

some carolers with lots to sing about
they took requests...and even sang C1 happy birthday!

a white Christmas
C1 and I both gave white clothing items to each other...I suppose there could have been some subliminal messaging going on through the radio waves

a morning of Santa Surprises
paintings from our trip to europe framed, and "go utes" and "Little" in chinese Characters (because there's nothing like Chinese characters on Christmas morning!)

two turtle doves and a partridge in a pear tree
stockings I am still in love with that I made last year. no, I don't expect to have 10 children or put the entire 12 days of Christmas on stockings.

A Quarter Century

2009-12-21T18:41:00.000-07:00

that does sound old. happy birthday CWL!!

Here are some of my favorite moments of this past year...

Make a Smilebox slideshow

a quilt for baby Sadie & a Chinese proverb

2009-12-18T21:07:00.000-07:00

A bird

doesn't sing

because

it has

an answer

it sings

because

it has

a song

It feels good to do something you love.

2009-12-11T14:18:00.001-07:00

When I was in elementary school, there was a computer game I loved..I think it was called The Daily Scoop. It took the player through all the steps of making their own newspaper. I wrote stories, I laid out the newspaper, I checked the weather for the weather section, and the computer game had "events" I could watch like crimes and baseball games that I wrote about. Then I'd print it all out on legal size paper, and roll it up in a tube, just like the real deal.

When I was in middle school, I started carrying around a tape recorder. For the most part I just thought it was fun to be sneaky and record people without them knowing...but when I realized I actually had some valuable and quite funny information recorded, I stuck with the hidden recorder and I think this practice continued into my sophomore or junior year of high school.

When I started high school, I went through this survey phase--I'd go around during lunch asking students of East High if they preferred jelly or jam, crunchy or smooth peanut butter, red or blue, and many other "or" questions. I kept a running tally...for who knows why. I guess I just loved knowing...and I loved asking (except I did get cursed at a few times). You can learn so much about a person just knowing they like jelly, smooth peanut butter and like blue more than red...don't you think??

When I was in college, I somehow forgot about my love for asking questions and evaluating answers, my love for descretely pushing the record button, and my love for reporting on animated crimes and baseball games. But when I was let go from my job last year (it's been exactly one year to the day!) and started working at Utah Business magazine, I was reminded.

This week, I asked hundreds of questions, researched and gathered funny and valuable information, I pushed the record button oh, 10 times, attended a really cool event and wrote an article about it.

Dear Candace of Yesteryear, how did you ever let me forget to do what I love?

cookie swap

2009-12-05T16:39:00.001-07:00

I tagged along with The Table Runner to a Utah Food Bloggers brunch today. We went to The Wild Grape Bistro. Maybe one day I'll be a real food blogger...until then I'm happy to tag along with one.

My mom and I split their version of eggs benedict and a blue corn waffle. The eggs came served on thick, flavorful bread with a Wyomato slice (remember these from the farmer's market?), delicious ham and a very lemony sauce. The blue corn waffle was crisp and soft and was topped with a fancy shmancy orange marmalade and vanilla cream.

We all came with a dozen cookies and left with a dozen different cookies. I was definitely out of my element. Just look at some of these treats...

I didn't get a chance to take a photo of my mom's cherry chocolate crisp cookies...but they are like a Milano cookie only better (which I didn't think was possible)! I think over all my favorite were Tiff's cookies--the ones with red cranberries and green pepitas in a crunchy butter cookie. They were so Christmasy looking and I loved the texture and flavor.

I brought some sweet n' salty chocolate chip cookies--my mom's recipe, of course. They are fun twist on the normal chocolate chip cookie.

The Pilgrims and the Indians...and Turkey

2009-11-30T20:52:00.000-07:00

I got a little more rustic this year with place cards for my mom's Thanksgiving dinner. Instead of using my good friend Adobe Illustrator, I decided to go the old fashioned route and hand write and hand paint place cards. Just like the Pilgrims and the Indians would have done...if they did have place cards at their pow-wow.

post # 100

2009-11-15T12:47:00.000-07:00

the first squash pie I've ever made (well, technically the first two squash pies I've ever made) and the 100th post to this blog. I would invite you all over to celebrate this amazing occurance with a slice of pie...but I've seem to have caught a bit of a cold and would hate to pass it around...

p.s. if you fill your pies too full and they spill over the edge while you're trying to get them in the oven (in my case a ridiculously small oven), you get that lovely burnt edge...just FYI..

Hubbard Squash Pie

This pie tastes a lot like pumpkin pie and is ...

See Hubbard Squash Pie on Key Ingredient.