What in the Jill Sam Hill?

They call me Martha...

2011-10-25T23:59:00.001-06:00

So there you are, trolling the blogosphere checking out the parties thrown by other bloggers and getting ideas for your own events. And in your trolling, you come across many, many posts about children's birthday parties that would put Martha Stewart to shame. Coordinated themes, hand-crafted decorations, gourmet goodies. There will invariably be candid (but professional quality) photos of the guests looking like they're in an Old Navy commercial (the quirky fun ones, not the mannequin ones), and the hostess will be looking stylish and relaxed. By the time you finish the post you're feeling more than a little inadequate. Sound familiar? Then this is the post for you!

Sam turned 6 at the end of September.
At the time of the party I had a 3-month-old baby and had been back to work for about 3 weeks. I wanted something simple where someone else did the work for me. A location birthday! But after all of her choices didn't work out (#1 - closed for the season; #2 - out of business; #3 - closed for annual cleaning), we decided to do a home party.

[I briefly considered Chuck E. Cheese, but I couldn't bring myself to do it. I've been to the new one, and it just felt wrong, like I was cheating on my childhood memories. Where was the poor lighting? The creepy, oversized robots serenading you as you eat your pizza?]

I would throw a simple but still awesome party.

Hand-crafted decorations? Check.

I blew up some balloons and let Sam and her friend put them wherever they wanted
about 20 minutes before the party started. There are no pictures of the other decorations because there were no other decorations.

Coordinated theme? Check.

Sam and her friends always want me to do their nails, so I thought we'd do a spa party.
I painted their fingernails but decided we didn't have time for toes.
[That, and I've smelled sweaty little girl feet. I didn't need that.]

Then we broke out the tattoos and made it a white trash spa party.

[Sam became so obsessed with tattoos after her party last year that I had to

make an "only at parties" rule.]

One girl had to wear long sleeves to church the next day to cover up

the skull tattoo on her arm. Parenting point to me!

High-class, super-fun games? Check.

Sam and a friend decided the day before the party that they were going to make some games to play. I intentionally didn't check up on what they were doing before the party because I didn't want to be a creativity killer. I just sat back and let Sam and her friend explain the games and the rules when the time came.
I think I deserve an award for keeping a straight face during this portion of the party.

Game 1: Throw the tissue darts with tape on the end...

...at the page ripped out of the Justice for Girls ad.

*Note: It's ingeniously held up by a Belle wall sticker because

I don't let her use tape on the walls.

She does listen!

Game #2: Pin the tail on the hand-drawn koala.

With the object being to get it on one of the ears. Or the head.
Or the circle with the "X" drawn on it. Or wherever.
As you can imagine, this made it difficult to name a winner.
Not that it mattered, since I didn't bother getting prizes for the game winners.

Gourmet goodies? Check.

Despite the great horned pig fiasco of 2010, I was still willing to try my hand at some sort of fancy cake. So I asked Sam what kind of cake and ice cream she wanted.

Answer? "Fat boys and popsicles." She's the birthday girl.

The girls had a good time, and that's all that matters.

It was fun to see what stuff Sam came up with, and it really was "her" party.

So there you have it. Don't you feel better now? You're welcome.

But if you're feeling masochistic,

check out my nephew's party thrown by my awesome sister-in-law.

You can always re-read this post when you're done to make yourself feel better.

It's a [BIG] boy!

2011-07-15T22:29:00.000-06:00

This post probably isn't necessary since I'm pretty sure all of my readers (can I even pluralize that?) have already seen pics on Facebook, but it'd be weird ignoring the birth of my child, so here we go.

Despite assurances by my doctor that I wouldn't make it to my due date on the 16th, I made it to my "scheduled-just-in-case" induction on the 18th. We finally got to the hospital around 10:00 P.M.. Yes, P.M. I'll spare you the details, we'll just say it was a busy day for deliveries and I kept getting pushed back. But on the bright side, we got to fit in one last movie in the theater that we hadn't planned on. (Green Lantern was okay, but I love you, Ryan Reynolds!) Also, I wasn't the lady down the hall, screaming bloody murder as she had her baby in the toilet of the delivery triage room because she barely made it to the hospital in time.

Me when we checked in. One last belly shot.

They started me on the pitocin around midnight, broke my water around 1:00, and gave me my epidural an hour or so after that. We tried to sleep for a little while after that (I tried, Jim succeeded), then the "real" labor started and after a few pushes, I had him at 4:47 A.M. About the same difficulty level/"hard labor" duration as Sam, but the waiting for "hard labor" to start was MUCH shorter this time.

I can't remember if this shot was pre- or post-birth, which is why I'm including it--to illustrate how FREAKING awesome epidurals are. I've never experienced natural childbirth, but I can hazard a guess at how painful it is based on the pre-epidural labor pains and the post-labor carnage. But I can smile through it like that, and even enjoy it, because of the joys of modern medicine. Really, when the epidural was in full force was the most comfortable I was for weeks before and after birth. Yay, drugs!

So after I start pushing and the head starts to appear, the conversation in the delivery room goes something like this:

Jim: "Red hair?!?!"

Me: "Shut up."

Then the doctor/nurses verify that he's not pulling my leg, and we start wondering where in the heck in our families of blondes and brunettes a redhead would come from. As this discussion is going on, I keep pushing when told to.

Dr.: "This is going to be a pretty big kid!"

Me: "Really?" (Internally I'm remembering how the entire pregnancy, the doctor has been giving me size estimates, based on the ultrasounds at each appointment, in the 7-8 pound range. At my appointment two days prior, he measured at 7 pounds. But I don't want to call the doctor out on this and distract him from his efforts to save my lady bits from total destruction, so I abbreviate it to the oh-so-articulate, "Really?")

Jim: "Look at the shoulders! They're huge!"

Nurses: "This is a big baby! How big was your last one?"

Dr.: "I'd say he's going to be at least 8, 9 pounds."

Me: See above internal dialogue, which I now translate into a puzzled expression and a "Wha?"

After a couple more pushes and some skillful maneuvering by the doc, out came Mr. Max James Hill.

The official measurements: 22 inches long, weighing in at 10 lbs. 1 oz.

My reaction when they said the weight (flattering pic, I know--I'm pretty sure some giant stuck their hand in there--I refuse to believe that's mine).

After a little cleanup (the hair is more strawberry blonde, not flaming red)

Jim is slightly excited to have a man-child...

And Sam has been a fabulous big sister.

It's been sort of a sleep-deprived haze since then, but we're settling into a little more of a routine. He's a little more alert now (I think this was at 2 1/2 weeks)

And for the most part he's very patient with the loving attentions of his sister.

Max is a sweetheart and we're so excited to have him in our family!

Nesting

2011-06-15T22:34:00.001-06:00

I was doing so well at posting for a while and then [-wham!-] nesting kicked in. Then it puttered, now we're in the mad dash to the finish. Cause my due date is tomorrow. (I'm not officially scheduled until Saturday, but there will be some membrane stripping at tomorrow's appointment to get things going.) So before el nino arrives, I figured I'd at least do the nursery post I've had swirling in my head. The rest of the February-June posts will have to wait.

Since we only had two bedrooms finished when we moved in, it was necessary to finish the rest of the basement. Sam was a little apprehensive, but she's been a trooper about moving down. It helped that she got to decorate her room how she wanted. (Mostly. Jim shot down the initial paint choice of pink.)

The curtains, currently in a puddle on the ledge, still need to be hung, but I figured I'd better take some pics while I could because my daughter is the queen of clutter and this is as clean as the room will ever be. Every picture she draws and every piece of flotsam she finds is a "special treasure" that she needs to incorporate into her decor. Sometimes my inner clean freak has a meltdown, but overall it's fun to see what she does.

Her craft corner. She's got an artistic streak a mile wide, an area where she luckily didn't take after me.

Although the downside of her wanting to draw and "create" all the time is that, other than her bedtime story, she never wants to read. :-( Her poor neglected bookcase/dollhouse.

So with Sam moved out, it was time to start on the nursery. The color Sam had in there worked for a boy and I LOVED it, so we didn't need to repaint. I looked around forever trying to find baby bedding that matched, and can I just say it KILLS me how much baby bedding costs? But unless you want to pay mucho $ for something custom, you're pretty much stuck with pastels. Not that I have a problem with people using pastels, they're just not for me. Luckily on a trip to IKEA I spotted this crib duvet:

$10 and a perfect color match? (Sam's quilt that I picked the paint color from is in the same bedding line.)Winner!!!

I was stumped on the big wall, though. The room has super-high ceilings, so I needed something to take up a lot of space. I stole my idea from one I saw on the interweb.

They're Paul Frank alphabet flash cards, which I put up using poster tack.

Some of my faves...

I love the crab because in the midst of a bunch of Arlos, Shakas, Pufaks, and Clancys, he's just "Steve".

My other fave about the room--the light fixture. I had a awesomely girly chandelier in there for Sam, which had to move with her because a) she loved it and b) it wouldn't work in a boy room. I was worried I wouldn't be able to find something that would be fun without being babyish. Then I remembered one I'd seen when I was looking for dining room lights that had been awesome, but didn't really fit with the dining room style and shot down by Jim as "too funky". So this time I ordered it without telling Jim. :-)

As usual, my pic doesn't really do it justice. But neither does the stock photo.

Picture the color on the stock photo with the size somewhere in between the two.

We still need some finishing touches, but my nesting has been squashed by swelling and an unwieldy belly. So details can wait. Suggestions are welcome, though!

For now the only other thing we need to put in there is a baby!

Chicken Tortilla Soup

2011-02-23T13:40:00.000-07:00

Because my life seems to revolve around food (eating it, preparing it, smelling it, daydreaming about it), I feel the need to do another recipe post. I don't claim any great cooking skills, but since I enjoy eating so much I also enjoy making yummy food, and I'm always on the lookout for good recipes. So I'll go on the assumption that the one or two people reading this blog also like to find good recipes.

This is one I found after I became addicted to the chicken tortilla soup at Cafe Rio. I know a lot of people haven't tried it because they get stuck on the sweet pork, and I don't blame them, but it's definitely worth a try. I wanted to be able to make it at home, so I search the interweb for a good knockoff recipe. You can find the original here. I've made a couple minor adjustments. It doesn't take long to cook but does take a bit of prep work, but if you use a food processor or chopper it speeds it up. Sometimes I actually like this one better than Cafe Rio's. Enjoy!

(Sorry, no photos. I was making it last night with 4 little girls playing "kitchen" in the kitchen with me and while trying to rush out the door to Hobby Lobby before it closed. Instead you get a stock photo of the onion goggles I wear while prepping the soup. I got them a couple years ago at Sur la Table and they are a necessity in my kitchen. The only ones that mock them are the ones who don't experience the burning pain that comes with chopping onions. Jerks. Or Sam's friends when they're over while I'm cooking. If you're lucky, I'll post a pic of me wearing my goggles some day. Smokin'.)

Chicken Tortilla Soup

1 recipe Taco Chicken (see below)
1/2 - 1 onion, chopped
6 cloves garlic, minced or pressed
4 cans chicken broth
1 (15-oz.) can chopped or diced tomatoes
1-2 jalapeno or serrano peppers (serrano are a little hotter)
1/4 c. fresh lime juice (~2 limes. You can use bottled but it is better with fresh.)
1 tsp. Kosher salt
1/4 tsp. black pepper

TOPPINGS:

Store-bought tortilla strips (you can actually buy a bunch from Cafe Rio), or 2-3 corn tortillas, plus oil for frying
Avocado or guacamole
Grated cheese
1/4 c. fresh cilantro, chopped

Early in the day, begin marinating the chicken. Right before you start preparing the soup, start grilling it.

In a large stockpot, heat some olive oil over medium heat. Add chopped onion and saute 3-4 minutes. Add garlic and minced jalapeno/serrano and cook a few minutes more until pepper is softened and garlic is fragrant. Add chicken broth, tomatoes, salt, and pepper and bring to a boil. Reduce heat and allow to simmer 15-20 minutes.

While soup is simmering, juice the limes and set aside. Start preparing the toppings: grate the cheese, chop the cilantro, cut up the avocado (or make guacamole), and fry the tortillas. Right before serving, add lime juice and chicken to the soup. Ladle soup into the bowls and add desired toppings.

TACO CHICKEN

1 lb. chicken breasts or thighs (I don’t know if I use that much—2 lrg. breasts, pounded to about ¾ in. thick)
A couple of juicy limes
A couple splashes of red wine vinegar
2-3 cloves garlic, pressed or coarsely chopped
1 tsp. chili powder
1/2 tsp. cumin
1/2 tsp. Kosher salt
1/2 tsp. black pepper

Juice the limes and combine with a couple splashes of red wine vinegar. Add garlic and spices. Pour over chicken. Marinate for at least 4 hours, no longer than 8.

Grill about 7 minutes per side. (If flattened, grill about 3 minutes per side.) Remove from heat and allow to stand a few minutes so it doesn't lose its juiciness. Shred before adding to soup.

GUACAMOLE

2 avocadoes, peeled, pitted, and mashed
lime juice (to taste, but ~ ½ a lime)
Kosher salt (to taste, but ~ about 1 tsp.)
Fresh onion, chopped (to taste, but a few tablespoons)
½ to 1 serrano pepper, seeded and minced

Mesquite(o?)

2011-02-16T22:26:00.001-07:00

A week or so ago we went on our annual/semi-annual trip with Jim's parents to their timeshare in Mesquite. Sam was a little concerned when we told her where we were going because she worried that for a city to be named after mosquitos it must have an overabudance of them. :-)

But overall she was stoked because she's been wanting to go back to Las Vegas ever since our last trip two years ago. It's only a 45 minute or so drive from Mesquite to Vegas--last trip we spent half a day there and it must have made quite an impression. In Primary a few months ago when it was her turn to be the "spotlight" where they answer questions about themselves, her answer on "Where do you want to go on your mission?" was "Las Vegas".

Proud parenting moment.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Friday we drove down and just got settled in and relaxed. Saturday Jim and his dad went golfing, and while they were gone Sam, my MIL and I had a picnic, hit a jewelry/purse show put on by local vendors, did a little Superbowl party prep shopping...

got some ice cream goodness at Dairy Queen (which we could actually enjoy OUTSIDE)...

watched for the guys on the golf course...

and made Valentines.

Which led me to wonder: how frickin' long does it take to golf? We accomplished an awful lot of stuff during their one round of golf.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

The next day we hit the Sunday brunch buffet at the Casablanca, which I look forward to every year because along with my French toast and other breakfast goodies, I get to have all-you-can eat shrimp and crab legs. Mmmm...

None of us are big gamblers, but Jim and his rents always have to put a few bucks in the slot machines, so Sam and I try to amuse ourselves in the car while we wait for them to lose their money.

In between brunch and the Super Bowl we made a jaunt up to St. George to walk around the temple.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

Monday Sam finally got her trip to Vegas.

She had no use for the M&M factory, and I totally agreed--they have every color and flavor imaginable EXCEPT dark chocolate--what the balls? But she thought New York New York was awesome.

In the past I've been pretty anti-Las Vegas, but the last couple trips I've learned to appreciate it for the fun buildings, the people watching, and the FOOD. I've decided I'm going to take a trip there someday soon where all I do is try all the different restaurants (with a little walking in between to check out the buildings and burn off enough calories to start on the next meal).

Also, I think it's hilarious that when you're walking down the strip with a child, you suddenly become invisible to the guys handing out porn fliers. LOVE it.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

On the last day (not counting drive-home day) we started driving over to Hoover Dam, discovered it was further than we wanted to go, and settled for Lake Mead. It was too cold to do more than a quick
"stick your finger in to see how cold it is", but pretty.

On the drive to Lake Mead you go through a little town called Logandale, and we saw this awesome house that looks like a castle! Yes, they have a drawbridge. And turrets.

☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼☼

It was hard coming back to the frigid wasteland we call home, but we consoled ourselves by making every food we possibly could into heart shapes throughout the weekend in honor of Valentine's Day, including:

-banana muffins--blueberry, cranberry, and plain. (It's a relatively healthy recipe and they're really good...)

-grilled cheese sandwiches...

-and some gluten-free chocolate cupcakes w/ cream cheese frosting for
Grandma Neese.

We didn't make the heart-shaped pancakes yet, but I figure it still counts as long as I get it done during February!

My Stew Can Stand on its Own Feet

2011-02-01T21:58:00.003-07:00

It's only been a week or two and I'm already ruining the title of my last post.
So sue me.

It's that time of year when I want to cook warm, hearty meals with rich, yummy sauces and such. It's also the time of year when Jim always goes on an exercise/diet binge because he's tired of being cooped up inside, and the two don't always go together well. -Sigh- So one of my favorite winter staples is Crockpot Beef Stew. Growing up this was one of my favorite dishes my mom made, so after I got married I dug through her recipe box, found the recipe, and have been making it ever since. Then a year or two ago she was over for dinner and I was serving it and she was like, "Wow, this is good stew. Where did you get the recipe?" "Uh, you. You know, the same stew you've been making for the last 30 years?" "No it's not." "Yes it is. I got it out of your recipe box." After comparing ingredients we established that no, it is in fact NOT the same stew she makes. She must have had another recipe stashed in there and I grabbed the wrong one. At any rate, I'm glad I did because it's easy and delish.

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

I know, not the best picture. I have a point-and-shoot,

no photography skills, and I didn't remember to take a picture

until I was halfway through my bowl.

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

Crockpot Beef Stew

2 lbs. beef cubes
4-6 potatoes, peeled and quartered
4-6 carrots, peeled and chopped
1 large onion, chopped
1 can Cream of Mushroom soup
1 (8 oz.) can tomato sauce
2 bay leaves
1 pkg. onion soup mix
2 c. water
salt to taste

Combine all ingredients in crockpot.

Cook on low 8-10 hours.

Remove bay leaves before serving.*

*The bay leaves in my spice rack are crushed,
so I've never taken them out and it's been just dandy.

hhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhhh

And because I'm physically incapable of thinking of stew
without also mentioning this, here you go:

Adam: Smells good enough to eat.

Milly: Tastes good too, so they tell me.

Adam: Got any ketchup handy?

Milly: My stew can stand on its own feet.

It's the Annual Blog Update!

2011-01-17T17:22:00.003-07:00

Blah blah, I never update, blah blah, good intentions, blah blah, I'll do better...blah...here we go.

A quick overview of the past year (or at least since August, since I don't particularly want to relive the time prior to that).

Since Sam missed the kingergarten deadline by a few weeks, she started her second year of preschool, which she loves. I can't decide if her fashion icon is Cyndi Lauper or Punky Brewster.

September was her 5th birthday, and for her friend party we did a unicorn theme. Unicorn races with some awesome stick unicorns (like stick ponies) I found online, pin the tail on the unicorn, and of course, horned-pig, I mean, unicorn cupcakes. Sorry, I claim no great cake-decorating skills. I think it wouldn't have been so bad if I had used a color other than pink, but that was a realization that came too late.

My sister Jen's birthday is the same day, so later we had a party with my fam and I convinced everyone (even my mom!) that it would be fun to use the extra party tatoos, especially since they wouldn't have worn off before church the next day.

A few days later was my daddy's b-day, and we decided it would be cool to get a bunch of helium balloons (my mom's awesome friend got her a machine to fill them), write messages to my dad on them, and release them at the same time.

After the post-funeral stuff died down, we took a few trips with my fam to the cabin. We did geo-caching, which was totally fun for both kiddos and grownups.

Board games are always involved, and I think this pic of my little brother Jeff perfectly captures the serious mood we always maintain.

On another cabin trip, we noticed that a big tree had fallen over on the outhouse (which we don't actually use during the summer--there's indoor plumbing. It's just there for the winter when the water isn't on). Since there were no men folk on that trip, my mom, my aunt Diane and I decided to showcase our lumberjack skills and, with nothing more than a rusty hacksaw (which broke halfway through), we cleared it off.

And of course catching fishies, which we cleaned ourselves (but I'll spare you the pics).

A trip to the corn maze...

At the Bonneville seminary, planting the tree that the teachers donated in memory of my dad (the half hour we were doing it was the worst torrential downpour I've seen in a long time--it was hilarious. At least from my vantage point inside)...

and the shelves I made (actually two) to hold DVDs and games in the family room downstairs (I lined the back of a cheapo bookcase with this awesome fabric from IKEA. There are mountain goats!! Jim thinks it's hideous.)...

For Halloween, we had our annual witch party with the girls in Jim's family

(we do all of our "spooky" food)...

Ogden Witchstock with the chicas
(we may go back to Witches' Night Out at Gardiner Village next year, we'll see)...

A sleepover with the nieces where we painted pumpkins
(because if we carved them, I'd be the one doing all the grunt work)...

I went all rebellious and made mine an easter egg

And Halloween itself.

Helping my mom rake leaves--I LOVE this shot!...

The arrival of my leg lamp (I didn't get a picture of it out of the box yet, but it was glorious)...

Sam's Christmas dance recital (I promise she really does show her teeth when she smiles, just not in pictures for some reason)...

And a trip to Ogden's Christmas Village. FREEZING, but fun.

I haven't actually gotten Christmas itself off the camera yet, so that's all for now. Phew!

Die, Winter, Die!!!

2010-03-24T00:52:00.000-06:00

Okay, that title seems a bit harsh, but I figured "Spring Has Sprung!" was already being overused by everyone else. (Apologies if you used it. I'm sure you were the first...)

Last week was so nice that Sam and I got out the sidewalk chalk twice and I got to lay on the grass, soak up the sun, and actually be warm. I did take pictures of the sidewalk chalk, but that will have to wait for another post because, frankly, I'm too lazy to walk across the room to get my camera.

I haven't posted for a while and wanted to do something to celebrate the return of non-artificial warmth to my life (Spring!), so I thought I'd do a nice Springy recipe. So here you go, courtesy of Melissa at work (aka my own personal Martha Stewart). Enjoy!

Lemon Poppyseed Bundt Cake

1 lemon poppy seed muffin mix (I think I usually use Krusteaz)
1 c. hot water
1 lrg. box vanilla pudding
4 extra large eggs
½ c. canola oil
2 c. powdered sugar
1 or 2 large lemons

Directions: Preheat oven to 350°. Grease and flour a 12-cup Bundt cake pan. Mix muffin mix, pudding mix, oil, water, and eggs. Beat 5 minutes at medium speed. Pour into pan and bake 40-45 minutes. Cool in pan 10-15 minutes. Loosen center and sides with plastic knife, then invert onto rack to finish cooling. Drizzle with powdered sugar glaze (see below) and top with lemon zest.

For glaze, add just enough lemon juice to powdered sugar to moisten. I usually leave it thicker than I initially think I should--if you make it too runny it will all run down instead of drizzling prettily and will soak into the cake instead of showing up. Experiment a tiny bit at a time. The picture above is the first time I made the cake and you can tell I did the icing a bit too runny--it sort of pooled at the bottom. Also, if don't put the zest on until you're about ready to serve, or it will soak into the icing and not look too swell.

I'm usually more of an "If it's not chocolate I don't want to eat it" kind of gal when it comes to dessert, but I LOVE this stuff.

Decisions, decisions...

2010-02-14T10:42:00.001-07:00

So now that the house is coming along nicely, I'm down to the wire on color decisions. The last few weeks every waking thought is consumed by paint colors, plumbing fixtures, lighting fixtures, oil rubbed bronze, brushed nickel, chrome, tile, cabinets, etc. I always have somewhat of a dilema when I'm decorating my house: I care very much what it looks like and I see lots of ideas that I like, but when it comes to incorporating them into my own house I always seem to be off a bit. Good intentions, poor execution. So I've been trying to pre-plan a lot more this time to keep from re-doing stuff later. Here are some of the ideas I'm leaning towards:

Kitchen--I love retro kitchens. Someday I will have my new-but-look-old applicances, like so...

but as I cannot yet justify spending $3,000 on a fridge, they will have to wait. I've always wanted white cabinets, and I think I may finally have Jim talked into them this time, despite how much he loathes them. (I think it helped that I mentioned my REAL desire is to have cabinets painted pale mint or pistachio--he realized that white is the lesser evil.) Here are a couple of my inspiration pics I've found:

I have a serious thing for glass tile backsplashes, but I'm leaning more toward white subway tiles.

We've got some beautiful dark brown/cherry-ish hardwood for the floors, and I love the pale blue walls. I may base the wall color and mood off this mug I just got at Tai Pan

(You can't quite tell from my mad photo skills, but it's square and awesome. It even managed to knock my green mini-tea cups off the "favorite cocoa mug" pedestal.)

Main bath--I must be on a blue kick, because I'm thinking of the same color scheme for the main bath.

Inspirations:

I'm trying to talk Jim into those fabulous mini-hex subway tiles for the floor (minus the black flowers in the pattern), but may end up going with the rectangles. Here's the faucet:

Master Bedroom--Here was our biggest struggle. My first idea was muted purples and grays, but at the mention of "purple" Jim got a freaked-out look in his eye. (Are you getting the idea yet that we have completely different decorating tastes?) So instead I got this quilt at Target

(just the quilt, not the silver bedding) and will accent with various shades of teal and green to match the desk I already have

(doesn't it look stunning with the patterned pink wallpaper in our rental?)

I just don't know what color to do the walls. Something light and neutral from the brown family or a really light shade of the teal? Opinions/suggestions are greatly appreciated. Also, I'm fresh out of ideas for the master bath. The only thing picked out so far is the faucet and hardware:

If anyone would like to post inspiration for me, I'll be eternally grateful. I think I need to pick paint and tile this week.

Really, any comments/suggestions/critques would be vastly appreciated!

Chistmas, Christmas Time is Here (and Gone...)

2010-01-10T16:13:00.001-07:00

Okay, so I'm already slacking off after my "I'm going to do better at blogging" resolution. But hey, it was the holidays. Speaking of which, here are a few highlights from the last month or so (please excuse my poor photography skills):

So we have a big pre-lit fake because I don't like dealing with the watering, the needles everywhere, and the waste of a real tree. We've had it for a couple years and it's pretty easy to set up. So there I was, throwing the tree together without a care in the world,

when I got to the 2nd to last section and it scraped the ceiling. Wha??

Oh, yeah, we had vaulted ceilings in our last house and our rental does not.

Did I think of this before setting up the tree? No.

So first I tried skipping the 2nd to last section and just using the top...

Funny, but not too stable. Hence:

Yep, it's our gimpy tree. I kinda liked it.

Will the problem be solved next year when we're in our house?

Of course not, because we're not vaulting the ceilings. -Sigh-

Moving on...

Since my dad got to check into the hospital on Dec. 15th for his extended stay,

we did a Christmas celebration the Sunday before.

Nothing says Christmas like ham carved by a crazy guy wearing blue latex gloves.

Christmas day we did the usual rounds: stockings and stuff at home, Jim's parents' for breakfast,

my family for lunch, and back to Jim's parents' for dinner.

"Sadly", the annual karaoke sing-off at Hills' was postponed
because the karaoke machine had been lent out.

I somehow managed to contain my grief.

Sam had a blast and properly rejoiced over every gift

In between breakfast and lunch we added an extra stop down

to LDS Hospital to see Chemo-sabe (my dad)

Not the most cheery place for someone to be on Christmas,

but it was a couple days before he started feeling too crappy so we got a little bit of celebrating in.

You can just see the corner of the "Christmas Story" leg lamp stocking I hung on his IV tree.

(On a side note, anyone looking for gifts ideas for me--I totally want one for myself.)

Sam got a snowman kit from her Grandma, so on New Year's Eve she and Jim tested it out.

It was a fun season, and now I'm ready to settle down for long winter full of cocoa, baked goods, hearty warm meals, and, most importantly, lots of reading!

Is there anybody out there?

2009-11-04T13:51:00.000-07:00

So it occurs to me that given the length of time since my blog was active, no one is likely to be checking it anymore. The observant person may notice Tasha's handy "Last updated" list, which is what I'm counting on. So to see if anyone is indeed reading this (cause really, if it's just me I might as well start a diary), I'll give a goodie (of your choosing) to the first person to post a comment. What's that you say? I have to bribe people to read this? Yes, yes I do.

Back from the dead

2009-11-01T22:47:00.000-07:00

What's this, you say? Jill, blogging again? Yes, the switch to high-speed internet has finally been made. Hallelujah! I'm not promising frequent updates because, frankly, I just don't have that must interesting stuff to blog about. But I'll try to do better. (Which seems to be my life motto lately.) We'll start off small with Witches' Night Out pics...

Are we some hot mammas or what?

My best attempt at the pic of our outlines

(we need to try again with all of our hats on next year)

•• I'm a frickin' moron! ••

2008-04-05T18:06:00.003-06:00

Okay, back in the day I was a pretty technologically savvy gal. I could fix slightly complex problems on computers, I was the go-to-girl for programming the VCR, I could make a basic website from scratch with html code, etc. Well, I have apparently become obsolete in a few short years. It just took me like three hours to change the template on my blog. I tried ten different template websites and couldn't get anything to work. I finally found one that did, but my widgets (which I had to look up see what the heck a widget was) somehow changed their titles to Spanish! And to cap off my inadequacy, I had to call my mom to ask how to get the DVD to play on their TV! What happened to me? -Sigh- So I was going to do a little more updating on the ol' blog (work has been crazy busy the last month or so because we had a huge filing deadline and our other paralegal left to have a baby--her replace just started this week and the deadline is past, so it should be easing up now), but it looks like it will have to wait...

•• Finally, a picture! ••

2008-02-05T00:02:00.000-07:00

Okay, so Sam's birthday was in September. My normally abysmal photo taking has been even worse the last few months: I've been shockingly negligent and I vow to take more pictures so Sam doesn't get a complex when she's older. Anywho, I've been meaning to put a pic up for a while and I like this one: Sam is showing what a monkey does (though the picture doesn't capture her accompanying monkey sounds) and I get to show off my mad cake decorating skills. I didn't attempt any words and thus avoided a repeat of the Great Cake Debacle of '06.

•• 15 Favorite Things ••

2008-01-23T13:52:00.001-07:00

Okay, so it's been over a month since Tasha tagged me, but here goes (better late than never):

1. Books - I know this is a little broad, but I just love to read. I guess I could narrow it down a little: I generally prefer fiction over nonfiction, and I don't like unhappy endings. Some of my faves are the Harry Potter series, the Anne of Green Gables series, and the original Dragonlance trilogy. I'm always open for new reading suggestions!

2. Dark Chocolate - Mmm...I've become sort of a chocolate snob lately and I'm having a hard time eating some milk chocolate. Even things like M&Ms I don't really care for (except the dark chocolate ones). My best quick fix at the moment is the plain old Dove dark chocolates.

3. Chuck - If you haven't seen this show yet, you have to watch it. (It's on NBC. Though with the %@*! writers' strike, who knows when we'll get new episodes). It totally cracks me up. I think I have a thing for geeks, though I totally don't think Zachary Levi could ever be a geek in really life. But all the characters are so dang funny!

4. The Office - I have a Dwight bobblehead on my desk at work. (Thank you Jen!) If you know what I'm talking about, you get my love for the Office. If you're going "Huh?", I just can't explain it.

5. Eating out - again, I should narrow this down, but I can't. I just love eating out. Good food, chatting with whoever I came with, being waited on: it's just fun.

6. DVR - How did we live before this was invented? I can record my shows every week without worrying about the timer being set right on the VCR, then watch them after Sam and Jim have gone to bed and forward through all the commercials. And I love Jim, but the man is a TV hog - which I guess just means he's a man. And we don't really like the same shows. With DVR I actually get to watch my shows!

7. allrecipes.com - I love to cook, but I'm not very good at it and I need help. I love the organization on this site and the sheer volume of recipes. But the best part is the ratings and comments on every recipe, so I can go through and everyone else has already tweaked the recipe for me to make it better!

8. jewelry - I've always been a jewelry freak on and off in my life, and it's definitely on right now. Sparkly stuff, dangly earrings, big chunky rings and bracelets: I can't get enough!

9. Disney Princesses - Sam is obsessed with princesses in general and most of all with Cinderella. I think it's so funny and cute that she constantly runs around in her Cinderella dress and "glass slippers", dancing with the prince (me), getting her dress made in her "garden" by the fairy godmother (me with some improvised magic wand), stealing the key to her room from her stepmother's (me) pocket.

10. Zits and Dilbert - I need my daily comics fix, and these are my two favorites.

11. Hobby Lobby - A huge store full of every knickknack and home decor item imaginable, usually at 50% off. Need I say more?

12. Holidays - Decorating, making goodies, parties. I just like holidays in general.

13. Firefly/Serenity - The TV show/movie by Joss Whedon. I didn't discover these until recently (the TV show was on in 2002 and the movie came out in 2005), but I am now a devoted fan. An awesome show like this get cancelled because the network execs won't market it right, but "Watching Paint Dry with the Stars" and every other inane reality show imaginable gets eaten up by the brainless masses. No that I have strong opinions on the subject...

14. Garlic - I've been cooking with it a lot lately, and I love it! I should be free from vampires (and anyone wanting to come within 5 feet of me).

15. Dr. Pepper - Liquid of the Gods. Not diet, not from the fountain. Just sweet, delicious, brain-awakening Dr. Pepper from the can or bottle.

Whew! Since I don't think Britt or Brooke have answered Tasha's tag for this yet, I'll tag them both again!

•• Holiday Ideas Needed! ••

2007-12-11T13:13:00.000-07:00

Okay, so my brain has turned to sludge this year and I am having problems thinking of gift ideas for a few people on my list. I figured if I sent a cry for help, everyone could give me some ideas (2 heads are better than one, etc.). My biggest problem is what to get for my babysitters. (My mother-in-law, two sisters-in-law, and mom.) They're all (but one) babysitting for free, so I try to get them something nice on Christmas and Mother's Day to say thanks. One year I wanted to get them gift certificates for massages, but didn't know if they would be comforatable getting massages, so I got them to a salon that also did massages. I don't know if they actually ever used them, because they never said they did. And I can't ask now and force them to say "Oh, yeah, I wasn't really into that and didn't use it so you wasted your money." But maybe they did use them and loved it. Do I risk it again? I was thinking of getting them to a spa so they could choose between facials, mani/pedi, massage, etc. Are there people out there who actually wouldn't like going to a spa? I've never been but think it would be heavenly. What does everyone think?

Also, I'd love for people to post their favorite holiday dessert recipes. Our family does a progressive dinner for Christmas every year and I have dessert. I can go to allrecipes.com, but thought I'd see if anyone had any fun favorites.

Muchas gracias mi amigos!

(While I'm at it, does anyone want to finish my Christmas shopping for me?)

•• I've Been Tagged! ••

2007-11-28T14:15:00.000-07:00

Hmm, six things that noone knows about me...now I've got everyone else's lists stuck in my head and might have a hard time thinking of anything original...

6. I completely overanalyze EVERYTHING. This applies to both making decisions and my interactions with other people. A good portion of each day is spent worrying about stupid things like whether the stranger in the elevator thought I was a moron because of the inane smile that I gave them because I couldn't think of anything interesting to say and had to do something because there's no damn elevator music!

5. I should have been born in the 40's or 50's. I am so hopelessly uncool in today's modern world, and I LOVE old movies/music/clothes/etc. (Carey Grant, anyone?) I totally would have fit in better back then.

4. If I see someone I know in a store, I often go out of my way to avoid them, even if it's not someone I dislike. I think this goes along with Tasha's not wanting to talk on the phone thing (I'll do ANYTHING to avoid having to call people other than immediate family members.) and with my overanalyzing thing. I don't do well with small talk so I don't want to have to talk to the people and look like a moron. Not like I'm hiding behind stacks of vegetables or anything, but I'll change my route through the store or pretend like I forgot something at the end of the aisle I was just at so I can turn around.

3. I eat my Lynn Wilson burritos with Miracle Whip. I know, it sounds gross! I don't know how it got started, but I've eaten them like that since I was little. It's just sort of like sour cream. And no, I would never do it with mayo--it's not the same thing. And I don't do it on any other kind of burrito or Mexican food. Now everyone knows and I can stop pretending it's sour cream.

2. I like a couple Brittney Spears songs. I think this is the hardest to admit. Normally I don't associate an artist's (and I use the term loosely in this case) personal life with the quality of their music, but I REALLY despise her as a person. Such a trashy, skanky, well, you know. And her music is trite crap. But there are a couple songs that I find myself singing in my head and I want to put them on my iPod but I'm aftraid someone would see them there. There is my secret shame.

1. I'm a total germaphobe. I have hand sanitizer everywhere, and I can't eat without using it or washing my hands first. I flush toilets with my foot, and I have to use a paper towel to open the door of public restrooms. I also have to stop myself from yelling at people in public restrooms who don't wash their hands (I usually content myself with a scathing glance). I mean, we're talking grown women who should know better. Movie theater patrons seem to be the worst, but I see people do it at work all the time too! Eww!

•• Greetings! ••

2007-11-20T12:59:00.000-07:00

I'm finally starting my blog, though I don't really have the time to maintain it. It just looked so fun! I'm already past the end of my lunch break, though, so we're just getting the bare bones for now. I'll try to update more soon...