Domestication Projects...

I just got my mill! WooHOo, thanks mom and dad! I've been dying to try it, but I was sick for a few days after the Thanksgiving invasion at our house. So now that I'm so better, I got out some wheat.
Ground some flour...And used another special gift (thanks Chris and Esther).
To make Ebelskivers. Though messy, and time consuming, these little pancake balls with fruit in the middle (called Ebelskivers - and no this is not a made up name, they are Norwegian pancakes). A fun filled family tradition from somewhere way back when!
My husband (and his friend Allen) enjoyed the project. And now I have home ground wheat sitting in my freezer ready for more baking projects!

The most wonderful time of the year

The time is officially here to break out the Christmas decorations. Each year my husband helps me hang lights outside (I think this is in an effort to make sure I don't fall off the ladder), pick out a fresh Christmas, and decorate it! Now it smells like Christmas trees all over my house! MMmmmmmm...

These are some of my favorite ornaments. The first one is a little mountain climber and he climbs the rope when you pull the bottom string... hehe

too funny...

If you're familiar with "The Onion" this is one of their latest videos.


Obama Win Causes Obsessive Supporters To Realize How Empty Their Lives Are

Our favorite time of year

The weather is beautiful outside right now! The last several days we've turned off the a/c and just left the windows open. This is the time of year that I love living in Arizona. I even hung our hammock up the other day, now occasionally I catch my husband sleeping in it. Only on Sundays though, he has to work hard the rest of the week so he deserves his break!

huh... well then

I tried not to watch the elections yesterday after I turned in my ballot. I had a feeling it would ruin my evening. And as I thought about who would be our future president I reflected on some of my favorite funny campaign ads, and some of the hilarious SNL skits that people came up with this year, I thought I'd share a few...



And finally my favorite... hahaha, this is just funny (sorry for the bad word).

On a more positive note I was happy to hear that the propositions to amend the state constitutions in favor of traditional marriage in Florida, Arizona, and California all passed, as well as a good piece of legislation in Arkansas. However, I know that we are in for more of a fight as suits have already been filed to California trying to strike down the amendment, and I'm sure more are to follow.

3...2...1...Blast Off!!!

Today I went with my sister-in-law Jenna to Linens N Things (they are going out of business and you can get some killer deals right now). I was just giving Jenna some moral support, picking out stuff for her and Curt's new apartment, and didn't intend to buy anything. On our way to the checkout I spyed something that I had to get. Jason and I are always looking for ways to make healthier snacks and treats and I've been wanting one of those make-your-own-popsicles molds. Well they had one on sale, with just one catch...


They are mini rocket ships... I figured, oh well, we'll have kids eventually, so these will make some little kidlets happy later.


My first batch of rocket ship yogurt pops is now in the freezer. They are actually kinda cute... Who says eating healthy is no fun?!?! ;)

Pumpkin Carving

We love this time of year! So many fun things to decorate, good smells, and lots of yummy food to eat. Jason and I look forward to kicking off our favorite string of holidays every year on Halloween. You've already seen our Halloween decorations, but they are not complete until the pumpkins have been carved. Last year we did it way to early and our little guys didn't make it to the big day. So this year we waited until a few days before Halloween to carve our pumpkins. Boy does it smell good to cut into them! I guess it's time to make some pumpkin bars...

Here's our test run with the candles! Sorry the pictures are so crappy, I was using my phone.

Trick-or-Treat Forecast

Hahahaha! This is hilarious and sad all at the same time. Out here in the phoenix area, it's more truth than fiction. Good luck this year all you adorable trick-or-treaters...

Fro-Robin

I've noticed that the clothing/fashion industry is cycling through styles from the yester-years. Bell-bottom jeans and leggings, I've even heard the perm is coming back. In and effort to keep up with the times I re-vamped my look. My inspiration is my own dear Mom.

(MOM)

(ME)

(the next morning)

And for those of you who think this is a joke, I assure you, this is my real hair and not a wig! SEE

I'd like to give a special thanks to Jenna who helped me with my new doo, and Samantha (you were a clutch player last night with the whole pumpkin bar thingy!)

Our latest adventures

Sooooo... It's been awhile since I posted last, and to be honest it's because we've been keeping pretty busy. So here's the rundown of what's been going on.

We had a special little visitor for a few days, who is an excellent kitchen helper (almost as good as our dogs ;)).

I dyed my hair black

Our (well technically Jason's) little sister Jenna got hitched. Cute couple eh?

Jason had a birthday! WOO HOO! And we had a fun filled barbeque with family and friends. His present (a blue-tooth) is now, semi-permanently attached to the side of his head but I caught him without the new toy for this picture. (Yes the hat is photoshoped in)

My brother and his wife and my little nephew came for a visit from Dallas. Jay was so much fun to play with, he is a sweetheart and we were so happy to see him and Chris and Esther!
I decided to change my hair style (yet again). It's kinda a throw back to my mom! Love ya mom. I'll post some pictures tomorrow.

And I put up our Halloween decorations (Jenna's favorite is the scary guy in the chair, just ask, and Sam loves the phantom in our tree so much that she hit the curb last year staring at him, or was that Jenna?).
Oh, I love this time of year. (Minus this whole election thing, it really stresses me out).

Yes for marriage!

On Novermber 4 we have an opportunity to amend the Arizona constitution to specifically define marriage as:

"Only a union of one man and one woman shall be valid or recognized as a marriage in this state."

For those of you who live in Arizona you can find out more about this proposition through the permanent link I hyper-linked to this graphic at the top right side of the page.


Please give careful consideration to this proposition, and register to vote. This is our chance to help institute a change for the better in our state. For those of you who live elsewhere there is a good chance that something similar is coming on a future ballot in your state! Now is the time to stand up for the value system we want to raise our kids with, and I am positive the result of this proposition, and others, will indicate where our country is headed in the future!

P.S. Everything went fine for my parents down in hurricane country, they didn't have power for about 48 hours, but things weren't too terrible.

Trouble brewing

Well we're home now! Have been for about a week. It's so nice to be back in our own house after living out of boxes and apartments all summer. The pups are happy to have their backyard back, and all their favorite hiking spot too.

In other news, I've been closely watching the weather the last few days. I'm from hurricane territory and as of today Ike is headed straight for Houston. My parents still live down there in a suburb south-east of town as well as friends scattered all over the place. Thankfully the people who needed to get out have and the rest of them are in for a killer storm. My parents are in an area that will be safe from any water walls or flooding so they just boarded up the windows and will weather the storm, but their not in any real danger. Here's a picture of what's brewing in the gulf.


Cool huh? Nature is amazing... but scary too. Hopefully Ike keeps sucking dry air and stays at a category 2.

Jason Appreciation Day!!!

Tuesday was Jason Appreciation Day! A whole day completely dedicated to my husband. My new friend Liz Marshall introduced me to this wonderful idea. In a nutshell it is a random day I pick each year to tell my husband thank you for all his hard work to support our family! This was my first go at it, and I think it went over pretty well! To start off he woke up to a big sign in our living room window and some new toys (he's been missing his dirt bike while we've been traveling for work this summer)!

Then I drove him to his appointment for a massage. And after that I picked up Indian Food for lunch (yum yum). That night we spent some quality time together over dinner and a movie in bed.

Thank you for all of your hard work sweetheart, I hope you had a great day! And thanks for the idea Liz!

A date with destiny...

A friend of mine explained a very important concept to me this summer. It's called your shoe destiny. Every girl has a shoe destiny. It is the pair of shoes that fit you so perfectly and are so you that they were MEANT for you. If you pass up your shoe destiny, you will inevitably regret it FOR THE REST OF YOUR LIFE. I thought I found mine Wednesday night at Aldo.com. Unfortunately my date with destiny will have to be postponed, as I was seriously disappointed when I actually tried them on. You can imagine Jason's relief, they were not cheap! Just remember girls, there are a few things in life you don't want to regret, and passing up your shoe destiny is one of them!

On Sunday we took the dogs to the river about 20 minutes from our apartment. The water and play time was greatly anticipated by all. Thought I'd share some pictures so you can see where we're currently located.

An update!

Jason and I are currently in a small town called Tracy in central California located near Modesto. It's nice to be in an area that is a little greener, even if only for a short stay. We will be back in Phoenix sometime in September.

We'd like to say congrats to all of our family members that have had exciting news lately! Chris and Esther have a new little boy, Jay Leslie; Jenna is engaged and getting married to Curt Kleiner on October 3rd; and Jarrod and Rachel have a new little girl, Brooklynn Elisabeth!

Hello

Well we thought this might be an easier way for everyone to keep track of us. It also provides a great opportunity for a readers digest version of our lives in the last few years so here goes. We got married, went to school at BYU, bought a house in Provo, got our first dog Koda, got our second dog Kira, started Jason's company, moved to Arizona, sold our house in Provo, bought our house in Mesa, got our third dog Titus, started Robin's company, moved to Las Vegas for a few months, moved to Tracy, California for a few months, and will soon head back home to Arizona (for at least a few months). Now that was a mouthful!