Three little words

Six and a half years of marriage.
Two children.
Five years as Assistant Scoutmaster.
Two and a half years as ward Young Women President.
Fifteen(ish) out-of-state road trips.
Forty(ish) camping trips.
One 2002 Mazda Protege with a dent in the rear driver's side door.

And it all comes down to three little words:

Hyundai
Santa
Fe

Wishful Wednesday: Revisited

Remember the last WW post I made? Dishing about dishes? Well, my totally awesome friend Kellie happened across the exact dish that I wished for at TJ Maxx, for only $10, and she picekd it up for me! I was really excited. It was a thoughtful gesture, and I was not feeling well the day she brought it over, so it really cheered me up. I promptly washed it and started making dinner, because it was begging to be used. I used it again later that week, and twice again since then. I love it.

Wishful Wednesday: Dishing about dishes

I need this dish. Really. It's not a want. This is something I cannot do without.

See, I found another new macaroni and cheese recipe (not this one) that is really so good, but it needs a deeper dish than I have. It also really requires a pretty dish. Plain old white Corningware just doesn't cut it. So naturally, I need this one.



What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: The kitchen (again)

Why do I always wish for kitchen things? I don't know, but I do seem to.

A couple of weeks ago, I saw these nifty herb scissors on a food blog, and thought "I have to have them!" Well, they would be nice, but I don't actually use fresh herbs very often. Chives and cilantro, and that's about it. Someday I'll have an herb garden, where I'll grow basil, oregano, chives, cilantro, thyme, and maybe even rosemary. I'll think about these scissors again then.

Wishful Wednesday: A few kitchen additions

I have a confession to make. I'm cheating on my husband. I'm in love with one of my kitchen spatulas. It treats me well, it's flexible, and it just makes me so happy. It's got me contemplating the course of the future of my marriage.

Okay, so I'm exaggerating a little bit. But it really is flexible, and it really does make me happy. I need another one. Sure, I've got other pancake flipping styled spatulas, but this one is really special. I want another one.

Also, since we know I'm a domestic mama (or getting there at least), I will one day be a cookie-baking fiend. At least, that's what Ben would like. He wants to come home to the smell of freshly baked cookies. Honestly, I don't really object that much. But I need a good cookie scooper.Lately I've just been using my 1 tablespoon measuring spoon. It's the perfect size, but I think I'm going to snap the handle pulling it through the dough one of these days. I need to be able to bake perfect cookies, and have them look like this when they go in the oven.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: New diaper bag

It's not that I need a new diaper bag. Not really. It's more than I don't need the big backpack of a diaper bag that I've been carrying around for months now. If I go out for a whole day at a time, then sure. But for trips to church, or running a few errands, etc., I can get away with something much smaller. Soon I won't have to carry a nursing cover-up (or a burp rag). I don't need the extra blanket. Julie hasn't needed her extra change of clothes in months (which I guess means she's probably due). I can get away with a wipes case, a few diapers, and a onesie. And all of that will fit quite nicely into one of these:

This is a mini diaper bag made by Jujube. I've seen a couple girls at church with them, and I think it would be just perfect, and not so bulky.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Bulb Syringe

I haven't done a WW post in a few weeks because there really hasn't been anything to post about. Today, however, I have a wish. I wish that I had a working bulb syringe nasal aspirator.
I know, it's kind-of a weird thing to wish for. There's a back story here, believe it or not. When we brought Jules home from the hospital, we had two (a la style above). We kept one upstairs and one downstairs. They both worked perfectly fine. Fast forward to our Christmas vacation. We took one with us, just in case (which turned out to be a good thing because Julie got sick). Well, we accidentally left it at Ben's cousin's house in Boston where we stopped on our way from Maine to Connecticut. Not such a good thing. So Ben bought another one while he was out doing last minute Christmas shopping in Connecticut. Problem: it was so stiff I couldn't squeeze it with one hand. It required two hands. And anyone who has ever tried to suck the snot out of a baby's nose knows that an extra hand is required for the purpose of immobilizing baby. It was useless. By the time we got home, I threw it out and started using the other blue one from the hospital. Somehow, it got lost. It's gone! I have no idea where it is. So we went to buy another one the last time Julie was sick. Neither the drug store I went to nor Target had normal ones. Okay, the drug store might have, but they were out. Who runs out of baby nasal aspirators? Really! Target had some fancy-schmancy Red Cross used-in-hospitals variety that opened on the bottom so you could dump the snot out (lovely). I squeezed all of them through the packaging to pick the most flexible one. Even the best one was still a stretch. By the time I tried to use it the first time (last week), it wouldn't work. I tried a couple of times, but it didn't have any suction. I figured it was because the tip was tapered and wasn't creating a seal. I looked at the bottom a few days later, and found a crack that doesn't show up unless you compress it. ARGH!

So I can't clear out my poor baby's passages because no one has a normal flexible bulb syringe nasal aspirator, and I can't find mine. That's why I wish for a working one.

Or I could just wish for a healthy baby. Maybe that's what I should wish for.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Follow up

There is nothing today that I am particularly wishing for, but I wanted to give an update on past WWs.

My sister-in-law Crys saw this post about notecards, and got me some cute ones for my birthday. Thanks sis!

Benjamin saw this post about kitchen stuff, and got me the pot I wanted for my birthday. I have used it so much already since then. I've loved it! Then, he got me a food processor for Christmas! He's the best!

In this post, I lamented my inability to find a simple square frame in a reasonable size for my project. Well, I finally found one! Unfortunately, it was still too big for my needs, so I sat and stewed over it for several weeks. I finally had a good idea. I made a matte myself. I glued some plain cardstock to an empty cereal box in the size I needed. This piece is finally finished (it should be...I started it roughly 18 months ago, and it was the inspiration for the entire nursery theme in the first place).
In this post, I was excited to go see the Dale Chihuly exhibit in Providence while I was home for Christmas. My mom, sister, and I all went to see it, and I have to say that I was thoroughly disappointed. It wasn't very big at all. I did take some pictures, and you can see them here.

Finally, in this post I bemoaned that I had purchased a fake tree this year, and wasn't otherwise decorating for Christmas. I am pleased to say that as fake trees go, I actually liked ours, and that the idea of having one has really grown on me. I also hoped that my mom would really decorate her house for Christmas, and I was not disappointed.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Wet Air

Okay, so you're probably thinking, "Wet air? Does she mean 'wet hair'?" Nope. I want damp weather. Winter...meh. Whatever. Snow, cold, wind. Yeah, we've got it. I'm just sick and tired of my fingernails breaking every other day. My cuticles are awful. I've got hangnails up the wazoo. In order to prevent any and all of this, I'd have to be putting lotion on every five minutes, which obviously isn't realistic. So I want wet (or damp) air. The air is too dry, and I'm sick of it.

While I'm thinking of it, a manicure would be nice. And that makes me think a pedicure might be in order as well.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Dryer Balls

Good morning, and welcome to the return of Wishful Wednesday!

In preparing for my Christmas vacation, I knew I was going to be gone for two and a half weeks, and that I was going to have easy access to a washing machine, so of course I only packed about a week's worth of clothes. I had to do a few loads of laundry at my mom's house. (Side note: I love her washer and dryer. Maybe it's just that I really don't like mine all that much.)

Now, I don't use fabric softener. It's expensive and it leaves a filmy coating on fabric. I prefer dryer sheets. However, my mom uses dryer balls.
She's used them for several years, actually, and I never really knew what they were or why, but I asked her about them this time around. Here's what she had to say about them:

• Dryer balls help your clothes dry faster (by lifting and separating the wet layers)
• They are anti-static, so they replace dryer sheets
• They help your dryer run more efficiently

She did say that although they are anti-static, she'll still use a dryer sheet when she's washing underwear or socks. I think the dryer balls are about $10 to start with, but they're definitely a money-saver in the end. So that's what I wish for today.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Christmas

I'm not used to traveling at the holidays. The first year I was married, we went to visit my parents for Christmas. It was a 3.5 hour drive. Not too bad. The second year (last year), we went to visit Ben's parents. It was a six hour drive. Longer, but still bearable. And only Ben and I. This year is different. We're going to visit my parents again. This time it's a 9.5 hour drive to them. However, we're going to visit friends in Maine (where we moved from) first. It's about a 14(ish) hour drive to Portland. We're taking it in two days. Oh yeah, and we have a little one now, too. We're leaving on the 19th. With Thanksgiving being later this year than usual, and us leaving sooner than usual due to longer drives and multiple locales, my Christmas season is being cut short at home.

We bought a fake tree. I just didn't want to deal with going out to find a real one, to have up for two weeks and have to take down before we left (for safety's sake). Plus I didn't want to deal with keeping Julie out in the cold while we hunted for the perfect tree. So we bought a fake one. And a tree-scented candle.

The tree actually looks really good. I was nervous, because fake trees often look really fake. This one fills out really well. It took us a week to get the tree set up, fluffed out, and strung with lights. Then it took two days for me to get ornaments on it. Less than half of what we normally put on the tree. I just didn't feel like pulling out all the layers of ornament separators from the bucket this year.

So my tree looks a little barren. And I just don't have the energy to do any other Christmas decorations this year. And we don't have lights on the house, either. I'm not sure we ever will. Ben has a fear of heights that mostly manifests itself on ladders.

So today I wish I have the energy and/or desire to "do" Christmas more. I know that the decorations and stuff aren't what it's really about, but they help me feel the Spirit of Christmas.

Mom, I hope you're decorating your house for Christmas, because I'd really like to see it.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Museum Exhibits

Wishful Wednesday has returned after a two (I think?) week hiatus! I know you've all been waiting with baited breath and just can't wait to see what I wish for this week. This week I am going to cover a few museum exhibits I want to see.

Several years ago, an exhibit came to the Portland Art Museum while I was living in Oregon City. It was one that interested me even as a teenager, and I went to see it with my mom and my aunt. It took my breath away, and I would love to see it again. A couple of months ago, I Googled the guy's name to see if there was anything within a two-hour radius of Cleveland anytime in the next year. No dice. I still lucked out though. I'll get to see an exhibit while I'm home for Christmas.

Dale Chihuly is a glass artist. He creates art like I've never seen before. It's simply amazing, and I honestly don't have words to describe it. Pictures are one thing, but if you ever have an opportunity to see a display of his work, I highly recommend it. You can visit his official website here. Dale attended the Rhode Island School of Design, which is currently hosting an exhibit of his work through 4 January. Since Providence is only a little over an hour from my parents' home, I'll be able to visit the display while I'm there. Since this is where he attended school (he has also taught there), it will be one of the biggest exhibitions of his work ever. I'm really excited!




The second part of this week's installment of Wishful Wednesday is a more local feature. The Cleveland Museum of Art has a unique display going right now. It's called Artistic Luxury: Fabergé, Tiffany, Lalique, and it's almost one of a kind. The last time these three artists' works were displayed together was at the World's Fair in Paris in 1900.

I fell in love with Fabergé eggs at a young age when my great-grandmother and my dad took me to see a showing of them in La Jolla, CA. Actually, it was going to be a nice afternoon for the two of them together, and I talked my way into going. I loved it. My great-grandmother loved Fabergé eggs, and I've taken every opportunity I can since then to see them. Throw in Tiffany artwork, which is also beautiful, and Lalique, which I've never heard of, and it's bound to be a feast for the eyes. This exhibit is currently open, and runs through 18 January. Anyone want to go with me after the Christmas break?




What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Julie's Wish List

Julie has asked me to shamelessly use today's Wishful Wednesday to share her Christmas wish list with the grandmas and grandpas, and so I shall.

Julie doesn't really need any toys. She might want some, but she is perfectly happy to play with a clean pair of folded socks or tear apart a magazine. Grammy, if you finish off any rolls of wrapping paper for Christmas this year, please save the tubes, as she will soon enjoy those.

She does want some music though. We have downloaded some lullaby music from iTunes, as well as some Silly Songs With Larry, which she enjoys. I suggested some music to Julie that I used to listen to as a child, and she said it sounds good to her. It was a little hard to find though, since the manufacturer has discontinued it. The Wee Sing series is great fun music, and can be found here. Julie especially wants "Wee Sing Silly Songs," and would be happy with any of the others. This website offers the music on CD packaged together with the book, which is great, because on Amazon I can mostly only find cassette tapes of the Wee Sing music.

The other thing the Julie really wants for Christmas is Baby Signing Time. This is a DVD series that teaches children (yes, even as young as Julie is) signs for basic early words they might learn. While children are yet unable to formulate proper sounds with their tongues and mouths, they are still able to communicate their needs and wants through signing. I've seen many other families use this program and am excited to try it with Julie. These DVDs are readily available on Amazon (click here for a direct search link).

As Julie is a growing girl, she will be needing new clothes, too. Most of what Ben and I get Julie for Christmas will probably be clothes, since we know we have to buy them anyway.

Julie just told me she wanted to say something herself before we post this. I don't know what it is yet, but grandmas and grampas, she says you'll know.

ggccv8xc xcvjk xcl xc xc j xcnk
,tn g tmd d d d d bjhxc xcccccccccc xcv,m xvc,r , . 7bnhjbn

Well, there you have it. And here she is:

Wishful Wednesday: A Simple Picture Frame

Julie nursery is still not complete. The theme is bugs and flowers, and mostly super bright colors and stimulating patterns. None of this pastel business. I got the idea from a cross-stitch pattern I bought at Michael's over a year ago, and worked on while I was pregnant. It has bugs and flowers on it, and I built the idea for her nursery off of that piece. It is done now, and is a simple 4.5x4.5 inches. I need a plain black frame -- 5x5 inches to put it in, so I can hang it in Julie's room. Even something not black, as long as I could paint it. But I haven't been able to find it anywhere I've looked (not that I've combed everywhere that sells frames). It doesn't seem like it's that odd of an item, and I don't want to have to custom order a frame to be able to put this cross-stitch in. What's so hard about this?


What do YOU wish for today?

(Update on last week's Wishful Wednesday: We will not be going to the ice skating show, as we have the opportunity to attend the temple with our ward. Time-wise, we could do both, but going to the temple is a long day. We've reserved space in the 9:00am session. Is there anyone going to the 11:00am session who might be willing to go down early to babysit Julie and do a kid-swap with us?)

Wishful Wednesday: Date Night

Living in Cleveland, I have the special opportunity each November to see one of my favorite figure skaters perform. An Evening With Scott Hamilton and Friends is a special one-night-only show that he does here in Cleveland each year. Scott Hamilton is an Olympic gold medalist, US and World champion known for his fun and quirky style on the ice. In 1997, it was widely publicized that Scott had testicular cancer. In 2004, it was announced that he had a benign brain tumor. Scott chose to be treated at the Cleveland Clinic, and now hosts a benefit night for the Taussig Cancer Institute each year. He brings great musical/vocal talent to perform with the Cleveland Pops Orchestra, as well as numerous performers on the ice. Many of them are names people might know (last year Ekaterina Gordeeva was one of the performers), and others are up-and-coming stars. This year, Kristi Yamaguchi will be co-hosting with Scott.

The event is being held at the Q on Saturday, November 8th at 5:00pm. Ben can get discounted tickets through his work, like he did last year. Last year he skipped his Boy Scout camping trip that weekend to go with me. This year his campout is the following weekend, so he won't miss anything (although I suspect that he wishes it was the weekend of this event).

So, I actually get my wish this week! Yay!

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Childhood Memories

Today is part wishing and part reminiscing.

Every October as I was growing up, my parents and I would head north (from Anaheim) to my great-grandmother's house (in Paso Robles). October brought a great central Californian tradition: Pioneer Day. Pioneer Day is an all-day free and super-fun event that includes a parade and lots of food. The best part is Pioneer Day Beans, cooked in giant barrels in the park and in the streets.

October 11th (just a week and a half ago) marked the 78th annual Paso Robles Pioneer Day. The tradition still happens almost as it originally did. My mom and grandmother grew up going to Pioneer Day every year. I think they were even in the parade at least once. My great-grandmother was even the "Pioneer Day Queen" in 1980. I have history there.

The other special event in Paso Robles that we frequently attended was the California Mid-State Fair. The best part of that was the cinnamon rolls.

I went through my scrapbooks and found a bunch of pictures of me and my cousins at the Pioneer Day festivities over the years. I know that most of you reading really probably don't care about a bunch of pictures of me as a little kid, but my grandmother will appreciate this.

1982
A costume that one of my aunts wore in the Pioneer Day parade as a child
My cousin Brian with a character in the parade
My cousin Brian and I admiring the animals

1985
My great-grandmother and I enjoying the parade
Me accepting a balloon from a parade character

1986
McGruff the Crime Dog (take a bite out of crime), me, and my Aunt Lori (nice hair!)
My great-grandmother ("Bobbo"), a lifetime resident of Paso Robles, enjoying her 55th Pioneer Day

1987
My cousins (back: Brian-Brenda-Me, front: April-Melissa) and I at the parade

1988
My sister's first and last Pioneer Day, and my last. We dressed up in matching western outfits (western was a theme at the parade)
Some reporter (or photographer) thought we were just so cute in our matching outfits that they snapped our picture and it was in the paper the next day. Note the incorrect spelling of my first name.
This was Bobbo's last Pioneer Day before she passed the following March. There were a few articles in the paper about her that year. This was her 57th Pioneer Day. She was an original member of the Pioneer Day founding committee. She had been Queen in 1980, and in 1983 she was crowned "Roblan of the Year."
Here is what she said about why Pioneer Day got started (and she was there...she should know): "I love Pioneer Day; it's a part of my life. Don't ever charge for it. It was started in the Depression days, and [the] idea was to honor the farm and ranch people -- the people from the country. ... The secret is getting people to work because they like to do it. It's a volunteer labor of love."


1987
These (strangely) are the only photos I could find of the mid-state fair. Someday I'll go again. Someday.
Don't ask, because I have no idea.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: A House of Order

After being gone all weekend (we got home late last night) and not having finished everything I wanted to prior to leaving, today's WW is for a clean house. Most of the laundry is clean, but it needs folding and putting away. Bedrooms, bathrooms, and kitchen all need cleaning. I haven't done any of this today because (1) I've been catching up on reading blogs (very important) and (2) Julie's schedule was thrown way off this weekend, and she's not having a great day. I'm not even going to try to get any blogging from our trip done.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Concert Tickets

Last week I heard a radio commercial for a concert that will be in Cleveland in November. It features these two (yes, two) fabulously talented ladies:

Kelly Clarkson and Reba McEntire have a history of performing together. Okay, they appeared on CMT Crossroads, but they will be here in Cleveland on their 2 Worlds 2 Voices tour. What a fun show that would be!

Part of this Wishful Wednesday is my confession that I have only ever been to one (yes, one) concert, and it was while Ben and I were dating. We went to see Green Day, with Jimmy Eat World opening for them. It was fun.

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: Crafting Stuff

Last week I went to a new (for me) Enrichment group at a friend's house. Card making was the activity. I've never made cards before, other than with the Print Shop Deluxe program on my computer, but these were some cute cards! I felt inspired. So now I want crafting supplies.

Scrapbook paper

Glue gun

Ribbons

Double sided tape

Foam tape, for dimension

Various other cute accessories

And of course, somewhere to keep it all

What do YOU wish for today?

Wishful Wednesday: The Chococlock

This cute little clock satisfies your tiny chocolate cravings every hour on the hour. It also has an "instant craving" function where you can push a button and the little door opens up whenever you need a fix. It'll hold your favorite bite-sized treats. Who wouldn't want a Chococlock??



What do YOU wish for today?