5.30.2008

So Tempted...


I really want long locks. Do I dare purchase these?

5.26.2008

Always a fan

Indiana Jones was close to a religion in my home growing up. I have loved the concept of the show (archaeologist/professor/hero who saves the world). Oh, and I LOVE a good Harrison Ford flick. Think "Han Solo".

So, it was only appropriate that I saw Indiana Jones on the opening weekend. Ryan and went to see it for our monthly date night. We filled up on Noodles & Company before going to see Indy.
Let me just say that my review of the film is totally biased. I am a humongous fan of Indian Jones and I will always be a fan of the show. I do not care that it was cheesy or far-fetched. I loved all 120 minutes of it.


"Da Na Na Na danana Da Na Na Na nanana naa naa naa"...if you know the theme song, that makes sense.

5.23.2008

Shopping, anyone?


Hello all Utah friends and family!!!
Here is a shameless plug for my friend, Nissa. She is going to be a vendor at a really fun Boutique/Expo this weekend. If you are in the mood for some one of a kind items, you should check out this boutique. I would definitely be there if I was still living in Utah. Darn Chicago!


Have fun and let me know what you find.

5.21.2008

4th of July Friends


I was looking through some old photos (pre-digital and blurry) of a trip Ryan and I took about 4 years ago. We visited our friends in Seattle over July 4th in 2004. It was such a fun time. It was the best fireworks show I have EVER seen in my 31 years. Seriously, the best!
Our friends, the Chisms, really took care of us. Sarah is a fantastic cook -- I want some of her yummy fajitas! We miss you guys!

5.19.2008

Poor Wormie


We have been spending alot of time outside these days. The kids love to play in the dirt, and I kind of enjoy cleaning the yard, but mostly like planting stuff. So, I was raking up leaves in the and I found a big, fat worm. I wondered what the kids would do if they saw it. So, I showed it the them and loved it. The would put it on their slide, their bike, or wherever they thought the wormie would like to play.
Well, about 30 minutes later, I saw Holland holding a small piece of the wormie. It looks like they liked it so much, they decided to tear it apart so each could have a piece. Poor Wormie.

Our animal abuse does not end there.

The kids were left alone for 5 minutes Saturday morning. Ryan and I walk into a large, wet mess. There is water everywhere...on the TV, the bar, the floor, all over their jammies. Our poor little fishie, Nemo, was in Ethan's litte hand. The fish bowl was filthy. It had all sorts of food mixed in it. Needless to say the kids were in timeout for a good while. I am happy to report the Nemo pulled through. However he is not fond of the kids anymore.
I can't decide if my kids are finally entering the naughtiness stage or if they are just curious. Either way, we have our hands full.

5.18.2008

Moms can't be lazy

Ethan - 2 1/2 months old

The other day I was giving my kids and bath and I noticed something floating in the bath that should not be there. Yes, there was poop in the bath tub! Seriously. Gross, I know.

Immediately, I got the kids out of the bath and transferred them to my bathtub for another scrub down. Cleaning poop is a really big pain, but I chalk it up to another part of my job description as a mom. During this stinky situation, I thought "can this wait?" or "maybe I will wait until Ryan gets home and make him do it".There is no time to wait in a situation like this. You HAVE to clean out the tub, the kids, and disinfect all the toys. The thought came to me - Moms can never be lazy.
You would think I would have come to this conclusion much earlier in my momhood. Like when I was pumping breast milk 10-12 times a day. Or maybe when I was up all night with 2 crying infants. Moving to a new state with two 6 months babies. Nope, not then.

Trust me, I am lazy about plenty of things. If I go to the grocery store I often purposely don't buy everything on the list because I am too lazy to walk my butt to the other side of the store. Call me crazy, but I do it all the time.
I will spend all day doing laundry, but then the folded clothes stay in their baskets in my room for days.
So ,those are things I CAN be lazy about. But stuff like poop in the bathtub cannot be procrastinated.

So my point is, my days of laziness are really over. Some days it make me happy that I am so productive, but other days I am so exhausted that the thought of washing another dish will make me vomit. Moms and laziness is an oxymoron.
To all the moms out there - You are fabulous!

5.17.2008

Yummy Fondue

We had a fantastic night with my girls of GNO. The fondue was especially good if I do say so myself. Here is a photo of the girlies.

If anyone is interested in the receipes, here you go. They are delish!


The Melted Turtle
Add 4 ounces of melted milk chocolate and 4 ounces of caramel. Stir until smooth. Top with 2 ounces of chopped pecans.
Recipe from: The Melting Pot

Chocolate Smores
Add 1 teaspoon of marshmallow fluff to 4 ounces of melted milk chocolate. Stir slowly until marshmallow fluff is swirled through chocolate. Top with 1 ounce of graham cracker crumbs.
Recipe from: The Melting Pot

Spinach and Artichoke Heart Cheese Fondue
In a fondue pot over heat:
4 ounces Vegetable Bouillon Base
1 spoonfuls of chopped garlic
2 ounces chopped spinach (drained well)
2 ounces chopped artichoke hearts
Stir all ingredients to mix

Add Cheddar cheese to proper consistency

2 spoonfuls Parmesan cheese
3 - 4 shakes of Tabasco

Recipe from: The Melting Pot

3 Cheese Fondue

1 cup white wine / chicken broth
1 tablespoon butter
1 tablespoon all-purpose flour
7 ounces Gruyere cheese, cubed
7 ounces sharp Cheddar cheese, cubed
7 ounces Emmentaler cheese, cubed

DIRECTIONS
Bring the wine to a boil in a small saucepan. Meanwhile, melt the butter in a medium saucepan over medium low heat. Whisk in the flour, and cook for about 5 minutes, stirring constantly to avoid sticking and burning.

Once the flour is cooked, stir the wine/broth into the flour mixture slowly. Use a whisk to smooth the mixture. Slowly add cubes of Gruyere, Cheddar, and Emmentaler cheese; stir until cheese is melted. Transfer cheese mixture to fondue pot. Keep warm over low flame.

Recipe from: Allrecipes.com


5.14.2008

Short Hair

Haircut Update: I called the salon and they have refunded my money. I am so relieved. I am pretty talented with a round brush, so it hides the hideous haircut very well. Now, all I have to do is wait for my hair to grow.

I found this picture on the web...apparently the lady paid $450 for it. Absolutely absurd!

5.13.2008

My Little Dutch Dancers

Enjoy the clip of my little ones dancing on the streets of Holland, MI. It is a long video, so don't feel you need to watch the entire thing. Although I do expect all grandparents to watch the entire video. There will be a quiz afterwards...

5.12.2008

Tulip Time



We had a fantastic family weekend in Holland, MI. It was great to get away from our normal life. Ever since we bought this old house, we constantly have projects to do around the house. I feel like every weekend should be dedicated to house projects.


I am so glad we finally tore ourselves away from the "normal life" and ventured off to Holland. It was a 3 hour drive to our final destination. The kids slept the first half of the trip, making it very easy and relaxing.

We stayed at a little cottage outside of town. It was small and quaint, and perfect for our family of four. Our first stop was to the Dutch Village




where we sampled on fudge, cheese, and licorice. The Dutch like the really salty licorice...I prefer the less salty. We bought bags of it anyway for Ryan and the kids.


We loaded up on wooden shoes and delftware and we were on our way...We met up with the Seversons and the Christiansens for some pizza at Fricano's. The pizza was delicious and I think I ate the entire pie. I know that because Sarah made sure she was not eating more than me - impossible, really! That evening we watched the "Dutch Dancers" perform downtown.

The twins really got into it and began copying them. I am sure they get that talent from me.

The following day was absolutely perfect!



The tulips were in full bloom all over the city. We headed to Windmill Island where there was an actual working windmill and fields of tulips.

The kids rode on an authentic carousel from the Netherlands, which was a little slow and crickedy for my taste. The township puts on a parade every year and we headed toward the crowds for floats and marching bands.


We managed to squeeze into a spot on 8th street with a funnel cake in hand. Some of the bands wore wooden shoes, which look SO uncomfortable, but it made the coolest sound as they marched down the street.


Most of the little kids wore little Dutch outfits, which was very cute.

I think if we lived there, we would have the Dutch outfits for our kids too. I am SURE my little Holland would grow up wanting to be a dutch dancer!

After our naps, we headed to the local Carnival where the kids rode dumbo and another carousel. We ate elephant ears (think LARGE scones) and Ryan won a few toys for the kids at the ring toss.

On Mother's Day, we headed to brunch at the

Windmill Restaurant


and ate a hometown breakfast before heading back to Chicago. Mother's Day was fun because I received the best gift of all - sleeping in (and cards, gifts, and lots of kisses)!!!

It is hard to be home after such a fun weekend away. The little ones never really slept. It was a true vacation of staying up late and fitting everything in. I love to be with my little family. We have the best time together. I would not be surprised if we head back to Tulip Time next year.





5.06.2008

Friends from Home

In the last few months, we have had a couple friends from Utah move to the Chicago area. I was so excited to have old friends living minutes away from us. Here are a few pix documenting some of our exciting times together.

BBQ at the Sharpley's Home





Lunching at the Chicago Botanic Gardens



5.04.2008

Taggety Tag Tag Tag...

Husband Tag

engagement photo - 2000

I have been tagged by Lindsay, so here i go...this is for my sweetie pie!



engagement photo - 2000


What is his name? Ryan Jeffrey/Jeffery (neither of us know the correct spelling)

How long have we been married? 7 1/2 years

How long did we date? 1 1/2 years

How old is he? 33
Who eats more? Ryan does. He eats like 3 servings in one sitting

Who said I love you first? Ryan brought it up, but technically I did. It is still confusing to me. It is kind of a funny story. Maybe at another time.


Honeymoon in Belize -2000

Belize - 2000

Who is taller? I am pretty sure Ryan is...
Who sings better? I do, but that is not saying much. I can't really sing




Yellowstone - 2001

Who is smarter? Ryan is smart (but so am I)


SLC - 2004


Whose temper is worse? Mine..I like to push his button just to get a reaction out of him

Who pays the bills? Mr. Ray

taking twins home after 4 weeks in NICU - 2005


Who does the laundry? Me. I like doing laundry. I especially like folding towels.

Who cooks dinner? Me. I am better at it :)Plus, Ryan will eat anything I make.. It is so great. However, Ryan makes the best french toast.

Who drives when together? Mr. Ray

Who is more stubborn? Totally Ryan

Who is the first to admit when wrong? I am always admitting when I am wrong. I am really so selfless.

Who wears the pants in the family? Ryan tries too...

Who mows the lawn? Ryan tries too. Just read this post and you will know what I am talking about.

Who proposed? Mr. Ray


Utah - 2007




What is my favorite thing about him? I have a couple things...He tells me he loves me all the time. He is the greatest dad. He washes Sunday dishes. He goes grocery shopping. He eats anything I cook/bake. Watches "The Bachelor" with me. He does not care that I have a crush on our contractor or Patrick Dempsey. He plans great vacations (did you see those Belize Photos?)
The list goes on and on...









this is not my husband...but I love him too.

5.03.2008

Don't know what else to say...

(i want my hair long like this again...)

Thanks to everyone who came to my rescue. It is pretty lame that a haircut can cause me so much stress. I mean there are worse things that can happen...like losing a job or a loved one. Just so you don't think I am completely shallow...the haircut thing was just a trigger for lots of things that were bothering me. You know how it is when you finally just "blow". That is what happened last week.

Thanks to Bex...she called me and just listened and I felt much better. Thanks to Lindsay for offering to fix my hair. If only I could get long beautiful locks like her, then I would feel much better!

Thanks for all your great comments...I am feeling sentimental. I love you all!

5.01.2008

Horrible Haircut Today...

This is me about a week ago...
(me with cute long bangs)
I went to a nice salon in Evanston...paid more than $50 ...
Me: I am trying to grow my hair out. So, I just need a trim. Please don't take any length off. However, I do like to have a little bit of an A-line because I like the front longer than the back.
Hairstylist: Okay...
45 minutes later:
Me: Sniff, Sniff
(I am crying all the way home from the salon. He chopped my bangs and the back of my hair off. He also cut it very uneven).

I am so frustrated. I called the salon asking for my money back. They told me that is not their policy. I forgot to tell them my policy is to tell everyone how crappy their salon is....hopefully is will ruin their business. The manager was practically fighting with me about my hair. She said she saw it when I walked out and it looked fine to her. Whatever!
(bangs are too short, it looks fine from this angle)

What to do next? Try another salon? Cut it myself? Have Holland cut it?

does this look right to you?

or this?
All I know is that I have never had so many issues with my haircuts. I have gone 29 years with GREAT haircuts and then as soon as I move to Illinois it all goes to H*ll. Has anyone here gone to beauty school? I am a self taught stylist and it is not that hard!