The Harrison House

Say ... Hot and Humid!

2011-11-22T12:37:00.005-07:00

Back in August before we moved from Georgia, the Wilson side of the family was able to accomplish a never before done feat - which was coordinating every member of the extended family's work, school, out of town, and church schedules to take a family portrait. Nine adults and four kids under the age of four at 4pm on a Sunday afternoon with high humidity, less than ideal lighting, and 30 minutes to work with (remember - this was the only window of time that worked with everyone's schedule). I give the photographer full props that day.

But we liked how the pictures turned out and with Canvas People offering a free 11x14 canvas right now (you pay the $20 shipping) I'm having a hard time deciding which picture I'll be ordering. Maybe one of each...?

One of our little family pictures were able to take after the big family photos were shot.

And I'll give you props if you can name the Reese Witherspoon movie that has a scene that took place in that Starr's Mill red barn. No guessing from any Georgia folk- I know this is old news :)

Candy Corn is Not For Snacking

2011-11-02T08:37:00.006-06:00

With cousin McKayla

We spent Halloween weekend in Utah with the extended Harrison family this year - where these cuties got in lots of quality play time.

Other Utah highlights included early morning drives, taking family pictures, trunk-or-treating, running into old friends, a baby blessing (welcome baby Avery!), an early Thanksgiving meal, and having every member of the extended Harrison family present where good times were had by all.

P.S. And for all those who think I haven't been updating enough...have you been checking Savannah's blog lately...?

I can't stop thinking about it

2011-09-30T12:19:00.005-06:00

There's a rest stop located 1.5 hours outside of Houston on the 4 hour drive up to Dallas (where we visited Ma & Pa Harrison earlier this week). The kind of place where you see billboards advertising for well over 200 miles before you actually get there. We had heard about this place prior to stopping there, so we had really high expectations.

And let me tell you - it did not disappoint.

With its sparkling clean, roomy stalls- and dare I say- beautiful bathrooms, the only thing that makes it better is its well run deli counter (self service touch screens? sweet!) and it's selection of classy Texas souvenirs. No, not those tacky "Someone Went to (insert destination) and all I got was this lousy magnet" gas station souvenirs, but tasteful, non-annoying souvenirs.

I've kind of always liked how Texans were so proud of where they are from and enjoyed looking around this rest stop. And since I'm well on my way to becoming a Texan woman, I'm pretty sure that I won't be able to stop thinking about this apron that I have to have... until I drive the 1.5 hours back just to get it.

Now how many state flags can make an apron look that fun??

I can explain...

2011-09-20T07:27:00.006-06:00

*Disclaimer: picture has nothing to do with this post!

Remember that one time I posted about going to the Braves Stadium and then didn't post for over a month? Remember also in that post when I mentioned that my camera had pooped out?

I know, blah, blah, blah, right?

Well, it turns out that the lens was broke and needed to be replaced (the the camera body was just fine). It shouldn't have taken so long to replace, but I had already wanted to look into getting a different camera anyways, and since that was back when we were still living in Georgia and had too many other things (a move to Houston, Texas) going on that took priority over taking the time to research and find a good camera ... well, no blog posts. Until now.

At any rate, my Nikon D40 (soon to be replaced by a Cannon) has been packed up and shipped off to KEH to be replaced, so it still may be a couple of weeks before I get pictures back up on this blog.

In the meantime, you can see on my Facebook profile a picture from the Sprint Triathlon (my first one!) that I completed back on August 20 when we were still in Georgia. This was a birthday present to myself and I'm so glad I was able to participate in it. .3 mile swim, 14 mile bike, and 3.1 mile run - in that order. I had trained for two months prior to it and had a great support team waiting for me at the end (Brant, Savannah, and good friend Lacy - who also picked me and my bike up at 5:30am that morning. Is she a great friend or what?) I wish I had more pictures of it, but remember how I mentioned that I've been camera-less the last little while? I'm just happy for the picture that Lacy took on her phone and posted to Facebook before the start of it!

What else have we been up to the last little while? While still in Georgia - dental work (cavity and then on top a crown - boo), lots of get togethers with Georgia friends and my family, my birthday, consignment sales, packing, moving, settling into our rental house in Texas (our home in Georgia sold quickly, but we were holding our breath towards the closing when there was a two week delay due to paperwork issues on the buyers part), flying back and forth between Georgia and Texas tying up lose ends, and lots of other boring things that go along with moving.

And while we sure do miss our house and everyone in Georgia - and wish that Skywest hadn't ever closed its Atlanta base - we love it here in Texas. We got here on Sept 1st and have been setting up shop and learning the area since. And even though it definitely is hot here (still in the 90s in mid September), we love that Brant is home every night with us and has weekends off. And having him home is worth any sacrifice.

This is Braves Country

2011-08-05T11:31:00.004-06:00

One of the things on our Houston bucket list was tour Turner Field (it's where the Braves play for you non baseball fans). We've been to many of games there before, but had yet to do a formal tour of the stadium until this past Tuesday (and let me tell you - it's awesome!)

Hanging out in the visitor dug out. It's a whole other ballgame when you have seats that close!

Check out all of Savannah's hair - she's got lots of it!

My favorite parts were being in the broadcast booth, luxury suites, dug out, and clubhouse locker room (hello- I was thisclose and literally inches away from Brian McCann and Chipper Jones personal lockers).

A quick tip I learned? I shoulda gone for the Cannon instead of the Nikon. I've been having fits with my camera lately and missed a lot of good pictures (like of the clubhouse locker room... or a cool family photo on the field at home plate). Ah, C'est la vie.

P.S. Did you see the new post over on Savannah's blog? Poor blog has been so neglected lately.

Annual Garden Post

2011-07-25T16:45:00.001-06:00

Since this is the first year that we've been in a home for two consecutive summers, Brant's garden pretty much stayed the same as last year - with an added bonus of getting bigger and better harvests this time around.

But the biggest bonus this year? Finally having someone to help Brant in the garden (since I'm nowhere near an avid gardener as he is). And she loves it.

Time to go to work

It's like an Easter Egg hunt finding these potatoes. We used those same potatoes for tin foil dinners the next night.

They make a great team - Brant digs them up and Savannah puts them in her apron for safe keeping.

We've been busy soaking in these last few weeks enjoying our home and where we live before we pack up and head out to Houston - stay tuned!

Movie Theaters

2011-07-15T12:00:00.001-06:00

We usually pass on going to them (since our cinema entertainment strategy is to utilize Netflix) but today was an exception - I took a gamble on having Savannah sit through an hour long movie (she actually did really well - but then again she probably had just as much fun bouncing on her seat as she did watching the movie) and caught the matinee showing of the new Winnie the Poo movie with our little cousins. A perfect outing for a rainy morning - and the theater only had a few other people in it!

Heading out after the movie with cousin Matthew

Another fun rainy day activity we're doing today? Looking at our recent family pictures that are now up online. Click over to Savannah's blog for the password to the online gallery if you want to look too!

Any Rolls Royce Golf Cart should be a novelty

2011-07-06T12:53:00.000-06:00

Spotted during the annual Peachtree City parade

The 4th is such a fun holiday - and this year was no let down!

The weather was pleasant and we had shade during the parade with our extended fam. We were situated by a nice family with two young kids who shared their candy and red beaded necklaces. We were able to go home and nap before heading to the afternoon bbq at my bro's house (and got to play in the mini jump house there). Played with the cousins and on the wii at the bbq. Went to the fireworks in PTC with the cousins, grandma, uncle & aunts. Had another picnic and played with glowsticks while we waited for it to get dark
....and to top it off the rain held out until after the fireworks were over and we were on the way home.

With the Wilson cousins at dinner after Leah's baby blessing on July 3rd. Grandma coordinated all the little girl's red white & blue matching dresses.

I couldn't decide on an outfit for Savannah, so she wore them all. One for the parade, one for the afternoon bbq, and one for the fireworks. (And one for the day after on July5th... but I didn't get a picture of that one).

What a fun holiday and great country we live in!

The Farmhouse

2011-07-01T10:47:00.000-06:00

The Farmhouse Restaurant at Serenbe is a great way to kick off the last year of your 20's - especially if your an avid gardener like Brant.

A little hoity toity if you were paying full price (they specialize in a farm-to-table concept using only locally grown farm-fresh ingredients), but the $25 giftcard I scored for $2 from Restaurants.com made for a fine dining experience at a Chick-fil-A price.

Happy Birthday Brant!

It's true

2011-06-29T19:07:00.003-06:00

You can pick your own blueberries at Hammond Farms for $2/lb.

It's also true that we'll be relocating to Houston, Texas in the near future with Brant's base transfer. That means for the next little while we'll be busy polishing our home and keeping the lawn in impeccable shape for potential home buyers. And keeping the colorful red and pink flowers in the front yard alive.

Brant likes to think of it as putting lipstick on the house.

ATL - DFW - SLC - DFW - ATL

2011-06-20T21:34:00.006-06:00

Taken on my pleasant evening drive around downtown Salt Lake last Thursday

A husband attending an annual three day simulator training in Salt Lake City + Savannah away at her first Grammy camp in Texas = perfect timing for a trip to Utah for me. Our six day trip from last week notes:

- A flight to Texas and spending a day swimming with Ma & Pa Harrison before leaving Savannah in their good care
- Flying 1st class (yay for breakfast!) from DFW to SLC where I would spend the next two nights
- Killing two hours in the SLC airport waiting for Lacy to arrive from Atlanta - great time to catch up on the latest from William & Kate and then Consumer Reports best picks.
- Cafe Rio lunch with Lacy & Linsey in Salt Lake City
- Touring a few of the sites on Temple Square with Lacy
- Hitting up REI in Salt Lake before heading over to enjoy a beautiful evening of chicken enchiladas at Linsey & Kevin's place
- A sweet king sized bed and warm cookies courtesy the Comfort Suites Airport hotel (provided by Skywest).
- A nice morning drive with Brant down to Eagle Mountain to visit Kyle, Amanda, McKayla and have lunch at their new house. Good to see them!
- A shorter (but still enjoyable) visit with the Wilson side relatives before heading back to Salt Lake
- Dinner with Lacy & Linsey at the Spaghetti Factory at Trolley Square (and the rest of the team who were loading up on carbs in preparation to run the Wasatch Back).
- Enjoying an evening drive around downtown Salt Lake City - taking pictures and not wanting an end to the beautiful evening.
- A too easy car return to Thrifty Car rental at the airport (after how long it took to pick it up I was anticipating something much more complicated)
- A flight back to DFW and getting into the car to a sleeping Savannah in the carseat - Grammy camp was a blast and tuckered her out.
- A traditional stop at the eyebrow threading kiosk at Grapevine Mills mall and then Old Navy and Carter's.
- Visiting, swimming, Outback Steakhouse, and having Brant back with us in Texas.
- A Father's Day spent Texas style with a grilled salmon dinner and watching the last of our 3 game series with the Rangers vs. Braves.
- Watching about 5 episodes of Extreme Couponing
- A healthy dose of stress experienced on trying to nonrev back to Atlanta (we made it though!) and a toddler who would have nothing to do with falling asleep on the plane past her bedtime. Still, it could have been worse for sure.
- Realizing that there is no easier/ fun way to navigate a toddler through an airport than with our new Go Go Babyz booster (thanks for the extra motivation, Val!). It wasn't really too hard before, but getting through the airport now with Savannah is as easy as pulling a roller suitcase. A lot of other passengers in the airport commented on how neat it was too.
- It was great seeing family & friends - and being able to visit for more than just a day or two with Ma & Pa Harrison!

Happy Fruit and Flowers!

2011-06-09T07:01:00.007-06:00

.... or linen & silk.... or (electrical) appliances. It all means a four year anniversary because - turns out, you can choose between a list of traditional U.S., traditional UK, or modern U.S. for yearly anniversary gifts.

Either way, so glad this guy is mine. For these past four years and for many more to come.

Wantessity

2011-06-03T10:47:00.004-06:00

Since the idea of rain gutter bookshelves didn't fly high with Brant, this ABC bookcase is going to be my next pitch to him for our storage solution of all Savannah's reading books (thanks for all the book recommendations!).

I can already see his response now .... "You don't have to buy it - I can build it!"

Love that guy.

Thanks for the babble post

Think Back: 2008 Summer Olympics

2011-06-01T12:58:00.007-06:00

Remember USA star sand volleyball player Kerri Walsh? And how she lost her wedding ring during a match against Japan? Even though she still went on to win that match I bet she had an awful nagging feeling in the back of her mind wondering if she would ever find her ring again.

I know because last week I couldn't find my wedding ring for five consecutive days.

But don't be alarmed - this story has a happy ending because Kerri Walsh was eventually reunited with her ring - and so was I (so be it was because I simply needed to look under the soap dish on the bathroom counter!) But I still learned a few valuable lessons.

(1) I have a lot more appreciation for our local trash collectors. I bet you've never stopped to think how fast maggots can get into your outside trash can.

(2) With the right attitude, you can have fun with your spouse doing anything - even searching through maggot covered trash. And posting "missing wedding ring" signs around your own house.

(3) Although it sure is nice to sit here typing with my ring safely back on my finger, and although a wedding ring is a symbol of our marriage, it by no means defines our marriage. Something that Brant kept reminding me of -which brings me to the next point.

(4) *Gush Alert* That I love my husband. A lot. Well okay, I already knew that, but at no point in time was he even a little agitated that I couldn't remember where I had put down such a sentimental piece of jewelry that he picked out especially for me. In fact, it was quite the contrary - he was the most patient and helpful in trying to find it.

(5) Even though we went through the painstaking process of pulling out to look under the washer, dryer, stove, refrigerator, dishwasher- and unscrewed the kitchen sink pipes- and hunted down a metal detector - and went piece by piece digging through all trash that went out of our house.... all I needed to do was simply lift up the soap tray off the bathroom counter. Sometimes it really is just the simple things!

(7) I can tolerate a little discomfort of having the moisture caught from washing my hands with my wedding ring on (which is why I take off my ring in the first place). A feeling I'm happy to take over the feeling that you may never find your ring again.

(8) No matter what material thing I misplace or break in life (car keys, sunglasses, or my wallet that I subsequently lost - and then found- during that same week) that as long as I have my wedding ring I'm perfectly happy.

(9) *Gush Alert* Did I mention I love my husband? A lot? And for many more reasons (and reasons to come) than from just this one experience. Thanks hon!

1 in 14 aren't bad odds

2011-05-27T11:19:00.002-06:00

Especially if your commenter #12...

Congratulations Kellie Toothman! Random.org has selected you to win a copy of Emily & Jenn's course.

Kellie- leave me your email to collect your prize!

P.S. Really- you have 3.5 year old triplets??

Win It!

2011-05-23T13:51:00.004-06:00

The 4th of July is creeping up on us and I'm already perusing the seasonal aisles at the stores scoping out the patriotic sweets (seriously, did anyone notice that we're nearing the end of May soon?) Anyways, remember the red, white, & blue ribbons from this post last year that I made? I found the idea from a manual full of fun other ideas from a course Emily & Jenn put together. And good news - they want to give away a copy of their course 'Secrets to Bow Making Success' to a reader of this blog!

So if you have a little girl (or a little girl on the way), know of someone else who has a little girl, or just plain want to learn how to do it yourself (they even show you how to make wrapping paper bows and bows for holiday events), first visit here and grab your free hair bow lesson (yep, Emily & Jenn want everyone to get at least one free lesson) and then come back here and leave a comment saying that you want to enter to win the full course. It's that simple!

And don't forget to show some love to these woman entrepreneurs Emily & Jenn by visiting all three of their websites:

http://www.learnhowtomakebows.com

http://www.learnhowtomakebows.com/boutiquebows.html

http://www.misstutu.com

Contest ends this Friday 5/27 at noon (EDT).
Winner will be emailed the downloadable course and also receive the DVD in the mail
Come back then and see if you've won

A Little Backyard Paradise

2011-05-20T11:48:00.003-06:00

Doesn't this look nice? Or more like absolutely amazing?

We thought so.

But since we're a good ways away from any place that would even remotely resemble this picture, we decided to improvise. Cashing in some credit card rewards points and one Amazon click later, we had this sweet handmade thing on its way to our front doorstep straight from Merida, Mexico (true story - we watched it travel via the DHL tracking).

The delivery guy barely got the package into my hands before Brant took over attaching it to a couple trees in our backyard (maybe we were anxiously listening for the truck to pull up to our house?) A couple ropes and bungee cords later and we were in business!

We love it! I picked the "Matrimonial Size" Hammocks Rada over some more traditional American hammocks so all three of us could climb on and off and fit together to enjoy it without getting flipped over. And even though it may not look like it in this picture, we all can fit comfortably and relax on it.

A little hammock reading on a nice afternoon!

Thank you Delta Community Credit Union Reward Points!

P.S. Stay tuned next week for an upcoming giveaway

Swim Season Commences

2011-05-11T13:35:00.000-06:00

An orange carrot to go with the orange floaties in celebration of the first backyard swim of the season today - 92 degrees!.

Showing some love for the celery too...(and then of course finding the same celery at the bottom of the pool later on).

Some of the cutest bathing beauties around!

Thank you friends for celebrating with us...and thank you Rite Aid for last year's 75% off pool and inflatables clearance.

Booster Shots Aren't So Bad

2011-05-09T18:18:00.000-06:00

When you get to come home and play in the red painted sandbox that was built especially for you over the weekend.

...and when you've found the blue suction ball.

P.S. Hey local mamas - tomorrow is the 2nd Tuesday of the month and (if your looking for something to do) that means free admission to the Children's Museum of Atlanta. Pics are on Savannah's blog from when we went last month.

Bringing out the Pretties

2011-04-28T11:17:00.007-06:00

This pic is for you Linsey! Your getting a lot of them lately :)

We're not going to hide it. We're excited for the big Royal Event tomorrow morning. Not wake up at 4am excited. But maybe wake up at 6am excited. And maybe even cupcake making excited with these free printables.

Really - I can feel the excitement/ nerves all the way from London here to my kitchen. But then again maybe that has something to do with the endless watching of "Inside the Royal Wedding" shows and documentaries about the royal family we've (I've) been doing (.....show us the dress already, Kate!)

Looks like we're not the only excited ones... we spotted this Royal Barbie Babe Wedding on our drive down to Savannah last week.

Weird. And funny.

Have a Good Friday

2011-04-22T13:43:00.003-06:00

Easter egg hunts, baskets & bunny ears are a lot more fun when you have a kid! We've already started the Easter festivities this week and are looking forward to more this weekend with the Atlanta Temple Open House.

But among all the marshmellow peeps (if they don't make you gag first) try not to forget the real meaning of Easter here

Savannah's very first coloring piece. Handed to me when I picked her up from the gym child care the other week. I had no idea my child could stay in the lines so well ;)

Savannah H goes to Savannah GA

2011-04-21T20:27:00.003-06:00

A few photos from our drive down and quick overnight trip to the city of Savannah earlier this week... (and its a beautiful place but nope, our child wasn't named with any association to this city)

Strolling down River Street and watching the boats pass by. And having a street musician break into a rendition of The Itsy Bitsy Spider on his trumpet when we passed by and he saw our baby. Cute!

Don't let this face fool you - 90 minute trolley tours of Historic Savannah and young toddlers do not mesh well!

Getting a pep talk for her first experience with the ocean out at Tybee Island Beach...

"Don't be afraid, I'll hold your hand..."

Atta girl! Thought you'd like it! Next time we'll rent a condo on the coast and bring our swimming suits!

Dang sippy cup ruined any potential of a cute family photo

Trying to get the "Don't you wish you were here" beach shot with my toes and the (far off) ocean. Not sure if that can really be achieved with grass stalks in the way though...

Tybee Island Light House

Stopping for lunch at The Crab Shack where the "Elite Eat in Their Bare Feet" (but not to be confused with Joe's Crab Shack)

Wonder what she's looking at? Me too.

This crab shack was crawling with these alligators

My favorite find for a little souvenir shopping - for our toddler, of course!

Rats, no toddler sizes... and the smallest size would take her about 10 years to grow into.

My souvenir? A shirt with Mr. Pig from the local Piggly Wiggly . True story.

The original Savannah's Candy Kitchen on River Street - they give out delicious free samples. Remember this post?

Getting one last walk in before the four hour drive back home... the Spanish moss created great shade around town.

Fun, fun visit! And next time we go we'll make sure to spend more than 24 hours there!

One last P.S. picture - thought of you when we passed here, Linsey!

Clever

2011-04-15T17:38:00.003-06:00

A local church shares this message today... please, does someone have a spare "Y" they can lend??

And in case you hadn't heard ... after a lengthy renovation, the Atlanta Temple is currently hosting an open house for the public to attend. Didn't get reservations in time? I have extra reservations for anyone looking to go on Saturday April 23rd...

Know what else is clever? Some advice I picked up today from a parenting class that a friend invited me to. But since I'm not a giver of unsolicited parenting advice (or any unsolicited advice for that matter), you'll have to go here if you want to see my notes.

A Happy Girl

2011-04-11T17:38:00.009-06:00

...might be the result of a combination of 75 degree weather, purple Iris flowers... and an authentic dress from Grandma's recent trip to Israel. (I'm assuming that the "Women Lingerie" written on the collar is a translation error.)

Nah, she's happy like that a lot- especially when she's outside. Or after waking up in the morning. Or waking from an afternoon nap. Or riding in the car with the windows down. Or in the bath tub.

P.S. If you like the hair clips from this post, you'll love what Zulily is oferring right now. Hurry- they are going fast!

Heard of Woombie?

2011-04-06T16:46:00.001-06:00

I don't know about other little ones, but Savannah was definitely a swaddling baby when she was born. And when I first discovered the Woombie (on a deal a day website), I was immediately sold. We may have gotten a few chuckles from others when they would see our baby girl zipped up in it , but we (Brant, Savannah, and I) all loved it. It was easy to use and we liked the stretchy comfortable material that kept her swaddled, but also allowed her room to move inside of it (and no - the company didn't even pay me to say any of that!).

Anyways, what made me think about this? I recently came across a giveaway for a lucky winner - check it out if you want! And if you don't need if for yourself, chances are you know someone else who has a little one on the way.

I think this would fit into the category of the "Wow, I wish we had those around when my kids were babies!" comments I often hear from older parents. You know- like the bumbo.

P.S. Hey all you local mama's- did you know that Jump 2 It in Peachtree City offers free admission to parents and little ones under the age of two? We took Savannah there yesterday - a great place to go if your looking for entertainment!

Some Friday Thoughts

2011-04-01T18:27:00.004-06:00

I'm pleasantly surprised to find that Frank's House of Prime Rib is actually a nice place to dine. Instead of the vinyl checkered tablecloths that I have pictured in my mind for the past year and a half, they actually have nice white linens at each table and serve upscale Italian food with fancy deserts. How very odd it is that this fine dining establishment is hooked onto a filthy gas station.

Speaking of odd, I've never understood how this Disney Monorail and dragon found its way to the parking lot of a local consignment shop in the small town of Tyrone, GA. But who really cares when you can find gems like a brand name beige wool sweater for $1 at the Red Door Consignment shop on their Friday dollar day?

But no matter what piece of clothing I find at a consignment shop, it will never look as cool as anything this chick could pull off. And I think it would be really really cool to be friends with her. Shes down to earth and an all around good person (from what I read, anyways).... and I wonder if we were friends if she would me borrow her sense of fashion. Count me in the 2.5 billion viewers that will be watching on April 29...I'm a little (or a lot) awe struck.

On the other hand, I wouldn't have anywhere to wear those kind of clothes when I spend the majority of my time entertaining a toddler. I wonder what the appropriate age is for a kid to have a sandbox. I love the idea of this DIY sandbox, but the kids in the picture are way older than my kid, but I think she'll still like it... or will she just eat it? Either way, it'd be fun to have Brant build this and then paint it fun colors.

....And I wonder if there is any ice cream left in the freezer?

Boys will be Boys

2011-03-28T14:59:00.003-06:00

We've got a small crowd of out of town family visiting for a coupla days. I am in charge of food; Brant is over entertainment. And at this very moment I think all the boys are giddy in the backyard being entertained with the compound bow while us girls stay inside and visit.

On a side note, don't these touch screen fountain drink dispensers look cool? Kind of a cross between a stainless steel fridge and/or front load washing machine. Be on the look out for these at your local restaurants. We found them when we toured the World of Coca-Cola this morning.

Some of us may still be coming down from a sugar rush from the all you can drink soda. If you've been to the World of Coke, you know what I'm taking about.

Lock & Load 'em

2011-03-23T14:37:00.002-06:00

Nope - that's not a high school band trombone you see. Guess again.

Yesterday we went down to the shooting range where Brant could fire his .12 gauge and .22 riffle (that have been collecting dust) to his heart's content.

Side note: you got me on what the difference with these guns are. Maybe guns to me can be compared with purses to men - no one can understand why you need more than just one!

First on the agenda- clay pigeons with the .12 gauge. Don't let this guy fool ya - he has a great eye!

I may have shot a clay pigeon or two myself (...okay, maybe one).

Then shooting targets with the .22 riffle after that. Yep, a bullseye shot by me onto my target.
For the record, Brant may have been able to hit more pigeons, but I was the one who could hit the bullseye on the target.

(love ya, hon! had fun!)

Here's a little bit of a secret

2011-03-21T12:59:00.003-06:00

Remember this post almost three years ago when I went to the Salt Lake Farmer's market? I'll be honest- local honey, jam, bread, and a headband weren't the only things I bought. But when I passed a portable tent with a woman and her homemade clothes, I couldn't pass up her cute little girl pillowcase dresses. Since Savannah wasn't even a twinkle in our eyes yet, nor did I even know anyone that was having a baby girl, I felt a little silly buying it (I even told the woman that)...but I thought it was darling and have held onto it ever since.

Its a 12 month size and has been hanging in Savannah's closet ever since she was born. And since it seemed like forever before she would be able to wear it, the dress started to not even register to me anymore whenever I opened the closet. I got a little anxious the other week when I realized I had yet to dress her in it and that she might have already outgrown it. What a tragedy that would have been, right?

It was a little on the small side, but crisis averted - she wore it to church yesterday.

That was a close one.

Tots Travel Too

2011-03-18T12:26:00.002-06:00

Now that we are moving from the infant traveling stage and into the toddler traveling stage, I'm adjusting my approach to taking off with a little one in tow as Brant and I plan our spring/summer family get aways.

And until Savannah is big enough to haul her own suitcase, I'm still limited to fitting both of our stuff into one carry one and looking for the easiest/ most efficient ways to travel. I've read a number of articles about traveling with kids, but they all seem pretty bogus (i.e. "ask you husband to help with your kids so that you don't have to do it alone.") ....seriously?

Anyways, has anyone tried these carseat travel boosters? Or any thoughts on these travel high chairs?

Like Mother

2011-03-16T14:33:00.008-06:00

Me with Grandpa Kimble on my first birthday - August 1983.

Like Daughter

Savannah on her 14th month birthday - today.

That classic red & blue toy that was given to me on my 1st birthday was also given to Savannah for her 1st Christmas, which was 3 weeks before her 1st birthday.
Close enough.

*note of interest - I didn't know that picture of me even existed until about one week ago*

Find Tinkberbell

2011-03-14T10:40:00.005-06:00

Your getting closer...

Ding, ding, ding!! You found her!

Over the weekend, I was looking for a hair clip to match this St. Patty's ensemble for church (we like to root for the lesser celebrated holidays) and found this vendor at a consignment sale.

Turns out, these Disney Princess clips can be easily found on Etsy too - try here if you want to buy them or here if you want to download an ebook and learn to make them on your own. Not a fan of the Disney princesses? Try the Wizard of Oz clips.

And how ironic was it that I came into the living room this morning to find Brant & Savannah watching Peter Pan?

Mii Schmee

2011-03-11T12:09:00.004-07:00

We've been having fun finding new games and such on our WiiFit that we got last Christmas.

Savannah? Her favorite is the Bubble Balance game. Good thing we set her up with her own Mii.

Did you know that you can track your baby and your pets stats on the WiiFit too? Guess we'll have to get a dog now. Or later works for us too.

P.S. Thoughts and prayers to those in Japan. I made some dear friends from Japan while on my mission. Their families are all well and accounted for, but there's a lot more out there.

Three things I love this week

2011-03-07T12:45:00.003-07:00

This is a new staple to the diaper bag. No sugar added and found in the produce section. Maybe I buy them in bulk.

Consignment sales! Tis the season for these two day sales and I had my first experience of selling at a local one over the weekend for the spring/summer season. Loved what I bought and loved what I sold. And this upcomming weekend I'll be consigning/ buying at this one.

Thin Mints, of course - and Peanut Butter Patties (Tagalongs?) are my favorite.

In all honesty, Carmel DeLites (Samoas?) were never really a favorite. Good thing I know a girl scout or two - it made it easy to track down these cookies this year.

By the way, Girl Scout cookies was kind of a big deal for us growing up. My mom was the cookie chair of our troop and our garage would be stacked to the ceiling with cases of cookies around this time of year. This is picture perfect of how I remember doing booth sales - with a card table outside of a hardware store (dads are suckers for cookies, you know).

Well, maybe I wasn't Asian or a brunette. Nor did I get to wear a giant cookie.

Mini Me

2011-03-04T14:03:00.006-07:00

Often times it will be the middle of the day and I'll look down and realize that Savannah and I are wearing unplanned coordinating outfits.

Today it was Brant's turn. While I was getting Savannah ready this morning, Brant came out wearing the almost same long sleeved brown stripes and jeans - in a matching brand even (maybe that's why they matched so much).

They matched even down to the white shoes.

P.S. See that stack of wood? Brant is really into cutting his own firewood from the trees on our .8 acre lot. I told him we wood (get it? wood?) watch him cut down this tree, but only if he yelled TIMBER at the top of his lungs for the neighbors to hear. Good job honey!

36 hours in Texas

2011-02-28T10:18:00.003-07:00

Brant had a few days off last week and on a whim we tossed around the thought of going on a trip. The best place to go on a moment's notice? Our standby is to Grapevine, Texas - to visit the Harrison grandparents of course! A few notes of interest (including a few of our usuals):

-Discovering a cute shop on the B concourse in the Atlanta airport called Savannah's Candy Kitchen

-A turbulent - very turbulent - last half of the flight there. Good thing I didn't have any cookies because I just might of tossed them. Savannah, on the other hand handled it like like a pro. We think she actually enjoyed it.

-Papa Murphys Vegetarian pizza (its better than you would think!)

- Walks in the evening around the neighborhood in perfect weather (Brant & me)

-A walk in the stroller around the neighborhood with Grammy (Savannah)

- Watching Disney's Tangled and using the AMC gift that has been burning a hole in my wallet since I got it as a christmas gift 3 years ago (the closest AMC theaters have been at least over an hour drive from where ever we've lived)

-A walk around Grapevine Mills Mall - including a stop at the eyebrow threading kiosk

- Hitting golf balls at the driving range - and then better yet softballs at the batting cages

- Grilled Salmon dinner with drumstick ice cream cones

- Checking out Carter's (we don't have one here) and Old Navy

- A much smoother flight on the 7am departure back. Arriving in ATL 25 min early *almost* forgave for the turbulent ride there.

How do ya like 'dem bum ruffles?

2011-02-23T14:55:00.001-07:00

Like I suspect most babies are, S is curious and loves to be involved with whatever Brant is up to around the house and yard. Isn't that camo outfit fun? The front has a little deer and says "Daddy's Little Deer"

By the way, this 12 month photo of her is entered in a fun little contest.

And she'll love you forever if you vote for her by Feb 28th :)

To vote:
(1) Go to here and like their FB page.
(2) Give this photo a thumbs up
(3) Your fabulous!

Photo by Debbie

24 hours in Sacramento

2011-02-21T09:17:00.009-07:00

A few weeks ago one of my friends posted a picture of their new house on FB. I made a comment asking which window is ours for when we come visit. She commented back saying our room would be the one facing their "perfectly manicured backyard". We had to check it out, so off we went to California!

Our Valentine's trip to Sacramento (in chronological order):

- Chatting with friends on Facebook and watching HGTV from 33,000 feet in the sky

- The railroad museum (my favorite part was the Costal Ridge cart...way to travel in style)

- A walk through Old Town Sacramento

- Walking around the Delta King ship

- Free taffy and candy at the candy shop

- Dinner at Joe's Crab shack

- A walk around California's capital building

- Lots of chatting and meeting Kelly's husband

- Watching Secretariat on the way home

-Coming home to a happy Savannah... we think she had too much fun with Grandma while we were gone and suspect that we missed her more than she missed us!

- Oh wait...and a purple toilet in their neighborhood too. That was weird.

Over the river & thru the woods

2011-02-14T16:00:00.002-07:00

She's all packed with her pj's on and ready to head to Grandma's for the night.
And the night after that.

Here's to a Valentines getaway trip to Sacramento, CA.

We miss her already.

Quiet Friday afternoon =

2011-02-11T13:49:00.000-07:00

New sunglasses and a sparkle wand.

That's the last time we go shopping when I'm bored.

Dang you Old Navy.

Luggage for Little People

2011-02-09T09:11:00.001-07:00

I'm pretty sure that Savannah's first suitcase will be a trunki. What little traveler wouldn't love waiting in the airport with a cute little suit case that has wheels that you can ride around (the strap is even long enough for parents to pull like a wagon too) It's carry on size approved which makes it especially perfect for us standbys.

Thanks for the babble post, JF.

What'll Ya Have?

2011-02-07T19:28:00.006-07:00

When you go to the Varsity restaurant in Atlanta, you do it for the experience (not the meal because its overpriced and greasy. But we all pretend not to notice that).

Doesn't Savannah look captivated by this Varsity burger? Good for us - it kept her distracted from the fact that she is not wearing her little pants anymore - but my sweater tied around her waist.

Here's to keeping an extra set of clothes on hand for those leaky blow outs that we all love :)

I now carry this

2011-02-03T14:16:00.004-07:00

Not because we have pets, but because we have a baby (toddler? wow, that sounds weird)
With my pint sized lint roller, gone are the days when I'm down on my hands & knees picking up individual crumbs after my baby/toddler in church or out at a restaurant - a tip I recently received.

Genius.

What didn't I think of that?

P.S. The link to 12 month pictures is now up on Our Little One's blog.

If Savannah was school aged

2011-01-31T18:24:00.003-07:00

I'm pretty sure I'd make her these valentines to pass out at school.

Ever used SeeHere? We used them for our Christmas cards last year. They are offering 24 photo cards for only $2.49 shipped when you use the code 25cards. (translation: .10/card)

Please tell me that someone will do this. Too cute!`

Thanks Crystal!

That's a lot of Grandma's!

2011-01-27T17:03:00.006-07:00

Savannah has six (count them SIX) grandmas.

Two grandmas and four great grandmas - all blood relatives and all living.

All of Savannah's six grandmas have unique qualities about them. This here below is Great Grandma Harrison, and some of the qualities we like about her are:

- At her age she still does major home improvements. For example, she completely re-tiled and remodeled her master bathroom. And she retiled her kitchen counter. By *herself* with only the help of 'how to' books.

- She can sew like a pro and made Savannah's blessing dress

- She sure can make us laugh (remember the dialogue in this post?)

-She is beautiful even without makeup (check out the picture below)

And my new favorite (even if you aren't a bachelor watcher, you can still appreciate this):

I received an email from her recently that started off....

"Hi Kristen - I saw the picture on your blog with Jake, the bachelor, anyway it looked like Jake."

-She knows things like who the Bachelor is! How many great grandmas do you know that can recognize people like that?

Thanks for reading our blog, Great Grandma Harrison!

It's My Party...

2011-01-24T18:22:00.004-07:00

Luckily only one mini -melt down
(maybe the sparkler candles weren't such a good idea).

And yes, there are four candles (what's the fun with just one candle?)

Head over to Savannah's blog for a plethora of catch up pictures.
Don't have access? Let me know.

Why I Can't Stop Reading Mormon Housewife Blogs

2011-01-18T16:57:00.016-07:00

A fair and impartial opinion from "a young, feminist atheist who can't bake a cupcake".

If you have a few minutes, its entertaining and worth the read here

Pros - I found a few more cool blogs mentioned in this article to add to my IE bookmark

Cons - I found a few more cool blogs mentioned in this article to add to my (already too long) IE bookmark

(Wasn't one of my NY resolutions to cut down on blog surfing time? And didn't I just mention something about this in the last post?? And don't my posts need more pictures because they are so text heavy at the moment?)

Ever find yourself blog surfing

2011-01-14T16:58:00.002-07:00

and then happen upon really cool blogs authored by folks that aren't professional photographers (or claim to be), but still have super cool camera equipment - not to mention the know how to take rock star pictures?

I might be craving a crash course in photo right now. And a new camera.

Here's to wishing for the day when we can download knowledge like we can download music.

P.S. Blogging comeback starts next week. Stay tuned!

A lost cause?

2011-01-10T11:23:00.010-07:00

I was recently contacted by a sponsor (actually two) who wanted to do a give away on this blog.

How can that be when I've barely posted on this blog for the past year (and a half)? Which, mostly has been due to the fact that I kind of like looking at other design/organization/cooking/funny/ personal blogs more than posting on my own blog.

Well, that - and the Facebook/ social networking movement has taken over.

.....Does anyone still read this blog?

Is there any interest for a Harrison House blogging comeback - part II (see part I here). Or is blogging now a lost cause and we should all go completely Facebook?

Let your voice be heard. Show me some love folks - 15 comments means I'm back in business (for real this time, like I used to blog) - under 15 comments means interest is lost and this blog will be archived forever. (And being archived isn't a bad thing by any means :) And no, Nancy - you can't leave all 15 comments ;)

By the way, anyone recognize this guy? I thought that maybe one day I'd run into him in the Atlanta airport - such was the case a few weeks ago on our flight to Texas.

I may have had a slightly embarassed husband after taking this picture. Maybe because it was the scary look on my face. Or how cozy this guy can be with strangers.

While we were still dating

2010-11-12T19:27:00.008-07:00

Brant and I took a road trip from Provo, Utah to Dallas, Texas via Payson, AZ where Brant's grandparents live and to stop for the night. That same evening we went fora jog down to the local park and pond where we enjoyed the summer night weather. Who would have thought that over four years later that we would return to that pond as a family of three! Although not under ideal circumstances (Grandpa Harrison will be missed) we really enjoyed the time we spent there last week.

Look for more pictures of our Arizona trip from last week on Savannah's blog.

And what's a trip to Arizona without a visit to Cambi - and feeding the ducks?

And a nice little nature walk.

Three kids later and still just as I remember her. Until next time my friend!

Just because

2010-11-01T18:22:00.004-06:00

this blog hasn't seen an update for almost two months... here's some Halloween pictures! Halloween was really low key this year with just the ward potato bar and trunk or treat on Saturday - but really fun to see Savannah and all of her little ward friends dressed up!

Our little wingless fairy (or ballerina with headpiece... take your pick)

Isn't she getting so big?!

And since last year we ran out of candy from snacking on it while we waited for trick or treaters, (sad that we've since become known to the neighborhood kids as the house that ran out of candy) I came up with a fool proof plan of giving out the nice hotel shampoos & lotions that Brant brings me home from all his trips! I think it's way better to be the car trunk/ house that gives out hotel lotions than the car trunk/ house that runs out of candy!

Hope you liked it trunk or treaters - because your getting it next year too! mwa-haha!

When we travel

2010-09-08T13:27:00.017-06:00

We pack light.

It's the only way to go since we only take carry ons with us when we fly (we gate check the car seat or bring it on board if there's an extra seat in the row). And since we now travel with an infant, I pack for two- in the same carry on that I used to pack for one- and I'm always looking for ideas to pack more efficiently. Here's the top three that I've found:

(1) pack your baby's clothes by the day in ziplock bags.

This is great because not only does it keep your carry on bag neat and organized (like if you get lucky and TSA wants to search your bag) but the air can be squished out of the ziplock bag (you know what I mean) to create even more room in your carry on. I liked the idea so much that I even did it with gallon sized bags for my clothes.

(2) Roll your diapers tight. In the past, I usually packed just a few for the trip over and then bought more once we got to the place we were going. But since we recently received some diapers that were originally part of a diaper cake, I kept them rolled up and stuck them down the bag wherever there was a pocket of space. This worked great because they stay rolled tight and didn't get smashed or loose their shape at the bottom of the bag.

Which left us with feeding while on the flight. (3) And this is my favorite: the bazooka of all baby spoons, aka the Boon Squirt! Before we leave for the airport, I pour a jar of baby food into the handle of the spoon (ours is a bright pink) and wha-la! A no mess, easy handling feeding ready to go when it was time. Which also works great because the spoon never needs to leave the baby's mouth- just a continuous squirt (which is a bonus for us since Savannah gets impatient when we don't spoon fast enough for her!)

In the end, I was able to pack into one carry on (that fit under the seat in front):

4 days of outfits (including Sunday dresses & pajamas) for both Savannah and I

4 days worth of diapers & wipes

A pair of dress shoes for me

Shampoo/ Conditioner/ Shower gel/ make up

My flat iron

A church shirt for Brant (who was meeting us down in Texas after his trip)

My bulky SLR camera

A light weight baby blanket plus baby sleep sack

A (small) diaper bag with toys and baby food that also doubled as a purse

And I had room to spare.

Time for take off!

I know there are more out there that travel with infants- what are your packing secrets as well??

P.S. Look for Texas pictures on Savannah's blog- they are all mainly of her!

Summer

2010-09-03T10:32:00.006-06:00

....where did it go?

Or better yet, what did we do for the last half of it??

For starters, we went to the Braves game on Mormon Night.

The big Braves drum

Cousins... they really do like each other, I promise!

Wide awake till the 7th inning stretch

Home Depot's top of the inning tool race. The paintbrush won.

What a fun game- time for bed!

Up next: Texas Trip and expert plane carry-on packing for two!

Pssst....

2010-07-29T13:53:00.004-06:00

Want to hear a secret?

You see that white stuffed bunny with the pink ears sitting in the corner of the crib? That's the one- behind the mushroom mobile.

I'm pretty sure that when I put Savannah down for a nap and then walk out of the room that it comes alive and entertains her. I haven't actually caught the bunny in its "live" form because every time I walk back into the room, it hurries and goes back to sitting in the same form that it was when in when I walked out of the room.

But I can't think of many other reasons why Savannah would be so content to just lay down awake in her crib (like she is as I type this) for long periods of time in the afternoon trying to take a nap as I hear happy baby squeels/ talking/ singing comming from her room.

Yeah, pretty sure it comes alive ;)

Baby's First 5K

2010-07-22T11:25:00.004-06:00

One of the goals that I have for our little family (besides taking lots of pictures) is to live a really active lifestyle. I'm not really a big runner nor did I run cross country in high school or college or anything, but its the one thing that everyone can do as a family and is a low maintenance sport. Back when we were picking out our stroller before Savannah was born, we went for the one (and only) jogging stroller travel system that we could find (by the way- are you listening stroller makers? your missing the mark here - we need more options of jogging stroller travel systems please!)

Last Saturday we woke up early and headed up to North Atlanta to participate in the annual Clydes Run. This was a special 5K because it is held yearly on Clyde May's birthday - someone I've never met, but who died from complications of Prader-Willi Syndrome. If you aren't familiar with Prader-Willi Syndrome (which you most likely aren't because it's not common) go here.

Matthew, our one year old nephew (born six months before Savannah) has PWS and we all ran to show our support.

Matthew's fan club at the start line- minus a few that didn't make it in the photo (like me who was the photographer)

The course was set up to run a 5K, but was also set up with a shorter course for folks that wanted to complete the 1 mile walk. I really enjoy these kind of 5Ks because everyone is running with a purpose- or for someone. It's not a competive run and you see lots of folks along the course who are just trying to support the cause and make it to the finish line. We especially noticed the 60-something old man who was running with his dog, wheezing the whole way, but determined to finish.

I let Brant have the opportunity to be in all the pictures this time! A funny side note - at the end of the run Deahl thanked us for comming to support Matthew and Brant automaticaly replied "Yeah- no sweat!" Then he thought about it for a second and realized that was kind of a lie - there was a lot of sweat!

And this sweet litte guy is Matthew! With his dad (my brother Adam and his wife Deahl - we all wore those buttons with Matthew's picture on them.)

A group picture after the run of about half of all the participants. When we were running I noticed a girl that couldn't have been more than 6 years old (running a 5k!) with her mom. She was sweating, determined, and oh so cute with her determination (and her adorable skirt running outfit). I hope Savannah and I will be running like that one day! But in the meantime we'll look forward to pushing her in the joggling stroller and look forward to running again in it next year!

It's the most wonderful time of the year...

2010-07-05T05:37:00.011-06:00

And since it fell on a Sunday this year, we got to celebrate both the Saturday before and on Sunday. It's July 5th now, but we're still celebrating at the Harrison House - Savannah is now in her third 4th of July outfit.

Plus, we're celebrating with the extra pretzel sparklers that I made to share for the Independance Day bbq's that were going on.

Not to be a downer on other holidays, but I think I heard it said perfectly at church yesterday - that Independance Day is such a great holiday because you don't worry about presents or crowded shopping malls. Just lots of food and good times with family& friends.

I won! I won!

2010-07-02T13:27:00.014-06:00

To see what I'm talking about, go here.

Yes, it was bold of me.

Yes, you can laugh.

YES - a fair warning that it might make you blush!!

And YES - it's all worth it for what I get!!

But you better hurry before Brant sees this post and wants me to take it down.

I mean, it's already online for the world to see, so I might as well share the good news on my blog, right?!?

(And yes, I need a tan!)

UPDATE: All right, the gig's up (a few hours after I posted this Brant saw it). I took out the hyperlink above, so you'll have to leave me your email so I can send you the link individually if you want to see.

P.S. I got my free photo luggage tags in the mail and they are super cute.

If you haven't already gotten yours, there is still over 20,000 left before the promotion ends!

Wasatch Back 2010!

2010-06-23T15:53:00.014-06:00

I first heard of the Ragnar Wasatch Back Relay last summer and thought it sounded really neat! If your not familiar with it, it can be thought of as an 188-mile running party (Logan to Park City UT) with 12 best friends. You start running early Friday morning, then all day and all night and through the next morning until you finish. Teams of 12 runners each run three legs of the relay while rocking out to live bands, enjoy wacky participant costumes, and make life-long friends with teammates and competitors. My explanation really doesn't do it justice, but this link will give you more of an idea of it.

So about the time that I was writing this October post last year (and was six months pregnant), my good friend Linsey in Salt Lake City was also putting together a team to enter the 180 mile relay that would take place that summer. When she invited me to join her team I eagerly accepted!

It may have been a little ambitious of me to be so eagar to want to run in this relay, but I can now say that I've done it! In reality, it wasn't the running that was the tough part (I ran three legs of four miles each in about a 26 hour time frame) it was the logistics of flying out to Utah and taking care of/ trying to figure out who to watch her while I ran- 5 month old that nearly killed me! Good thing she's so cute and made it worth it. I'll spare the details, suffice it to say that I think my dear husband is more of a saint now that ever before with how he endlessly supported me completing this and working out the never ending details. And a million thanks to my sister Shannon, my friend Linsey, and Brant's brother and brother's wife Kyle & Amanda for helping me with details and hosting us!

My first four mile leg - your team leap frogs you in the team van while you run to support and give you water.

With part of the team just after finishing my second four mile leg. This was my favorite leg. I had the baton passed to me and started at 9pm and ran for an hour while it got dark. All that was on the road was me, darkess, and the headlamp and reflective vest I was wearing. When I would look behind me, all I could see were the quiet floating lights of the headlamps of the other runners behind me.

On to leg three for me - 9am the next morning to finish my last four mile leg. So maybe I'm not really a natural runner and was a little tired and walking by this point...

But kept on chugging to finish my last leg!

Some of the awesome scenary (notice all the team vans).

And more scenary along the relay (that was our team vehicle - we were team "Huffin and Puffin")

And finished at last! I'll have to photoshop myself into this team photo (duty called as a mother at the time this was taken).

Since Linsey was the only one I knew on the team to begin with, I got to meet some great new friends during the relay. Awesome job ladies - Wasatch Back 2010 was a success!!

Annual Garden Post

2010-06-11T13:11:00.010-06:00

Meet Brant's gardening Bible.

Brant loves to garden. In fact, I think he secretly wishes he could be a full time gardener. He's at it again this year and his garden is bigger than ever (If you've missed it in years past, see here and here.)

When we first bought our house nine months ago, Brant spent a good deal of time sketching out and plotting our property lines, making a diagram of where his garden would go (similar to what he did with the moving truck in this post). I think he asked me twice a day back then what I thought he should grow. Since then, he has spent hours (and hours) reading his square foot gardening book.

He sketched some more, bought some wood, built some boxes, made some fencing (so the deer don't get it), constructed netting for the tomatoes, planted some seeds, and..... ta-da!

These three boxes above are planted with tomatos, jalapeno peppers, bell peppers, cayanne peppers, chives, more tomatos, banana peppers, red potatoes, pineapple sage, onions, head lettuce, leaf lettuce, radish, carrots, chives, squash, cucumber, watermelon, more onions, spicy basil, and celantro.

And here he has string beans, more onions, broccoli, more raddish, more carrots, parsley, more head lettuce, more leaf lettuce, more onions, more carrots, more raddish, sweet basil, and corn.

And then not pictured, but in other spots in the backyard he has rosemary, sweet mint, sage, blueberrys, wild raspberries- and then what I'm excited about for next Halloween - our home grown pumpkins!

It's fun for me to watch him take Savannah out back and show her everything he's growing and teach her all he knows about gardening. We hope she likes it, because I'll be making it into her baby food once it's grown!

Now if we can figure out what is eating all our sweet potatoes...he started with 9 sweet potato plants and now he mysteriously only has one left...

This day three years ago

2010-06-09T08:10:00.003-06:00

Three years = 4 different apartments, a move across the country, buying a home, having a baby, travels to Sunny Isles Beach FL, Texas, Georgia, Payson AZ, Sacramento, San Fransisco, St. George UT, Bozeman MT, Denver CO, Hawaii, Long Beach CA, Disneyland twice, DisneyWorld twice, Hollywood, Alaska, Washington DC, Idaho Falls, Rexburg ID and Phoeniz AZ . Here's to many more memories!

10 years...

2010-06-04T14:29:00.002-06:00

6/4/00- In Georgia graduated from high school one week ago/getting ready to leave for Ricks in one week
6/4/01- In Orlando working at Walt Disney World
6/4/02- In Rexburg taking summer classes to get ahead
6/4/03- In San Antonio working at Del Sol across the street from the Alamo
6/4/04- In Provo on my mission
6/4/05- In Georgia working for the summer and probably at a Braves game
6/4/06- In Rexburg getting ready to graudate college
6/4/07- In Utah working at KLAS/ getting married in 5 days
6/4/08- In Utah working at KLAS
6/4/09- In Utah working at One on One Marketing
6/4/10- Back in Georgia sitting on my living room couch with a sweet sleeping baby girl remembering the past 10 years!

Fam Stick Figures

2010-05-26T08:53:00.007-06:00

You know those stick figure decals people put on the back window of their cars (usually minivans or SUVs)?

I never decided if I liked them or if I thought they were too gimicky and cutsey cutesy. But I'm pretty sure that since recently comming across these, that I've decided they're awesome.

Would it be weird to put a stick family on the back of my Honda Accord since we don't drive anything bigger? (I converted Brant to be a Braves fan when we were first married. I even bought him a Braves hat in the Atlanta airport on our way to our honeymoon.

Do you remember

2010-05-24T15:10:00.007-06:00

back when you were a lot younger and the books you read/ had read to you?

Brant especially is looking forward to reading bedtime stories and I'm (slowly) starting our collection of small classic children's books. I would love for Savannah to hear the same stories that I/we did when we were younger -something about the nostalgia of reading the same books that I did from over 20 years ago is so appealing to me. It would be fun to find these in an old thrift store- but if I'm going to be realistic, I'll just end up ordering them from online. Off the top of my head, the ones I remember most are-

The Velveteen Rabbit

Corderoy

The Little Red Hen

Brown Bear, Brown Bear

Help me out - what am I missing?

Renaissance Festival & Texas Trip

2010-05-20T19:29:00.011-06:00

Last Saturday we got together with a few couples in the neighborhood (all first time parents and all parents to babies born within 2 months of each other) and went to the Georgia Renaissance Festival.

Clint and Brant in as much costume as it gets. We had apparently picked to go on a weekend when they were having their big Renaissance Costume contests. A lot of the costumes we saw were, uh- creative (to say the least!).

I didn't get a ton of pictures, but we walked around and looked at the different booths and things vendors were selling, watched an acrobat show, ate some fish & chips, and- while we were waiting for the jousting match to start- Brant took a picture of this Renaissance time period ride where people sit in the octagon shaped box and it gets wound up the pole. He thought it was pretty cool and wants to build one in the backyard now (see me in this photo?)

There's nothing hotter than a guy pushing a stroller (right, Jill??)

That evening (and since Brant had a six day break from work) we caught a flight to Texas to visit Ma &Pa Harrison for a few days.

Some cliff notes (since this trip was really just for visiting and down time):

We are pretty big gym goers, but when we moved to Georgia we decided to forego our gym memberships and invest in a WiiFit instead. On the agenda of things to do in Texas was to test out their WiiFit to make sure we still wanted to make the investment (we totally do!!)

Brant snowboarding on the WiiFit

While there we also were able to catch up with Dustinn and Val (and their two super cute kids)

"Hello Oliva and Bradshaw - nice to meet you. My name is Savannah."

Oliva was born about four months before Savannah, and look - already good friends (promise Val didn't stage this pose with Oliva's arm around Savannah!)

I didn't get a ton of pictures on this trip (and we missed getting one with Aunt Shannon), but Savannah is a great traveler and slept the entire flight both to Texas and back.

(and a thank you to Delta for giving us all of row 10 at the front of the plane with all that leg room for both flights. we'd like to do that again!)

Because I'm still laughing

2010-05-03T17:08:00.005-06:00

1. Sometimes I'll look down at my watch 3 consecutive times and still not know what time it is.

2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.

3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.

4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.

5. How in the world are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?

6. Was learning cursive really necessary?

7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.

8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.

9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.

10. Bad decisions make good stories.

11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.

12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.

13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of Word and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page paper I swear I did not make any changes to.

14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this - ever.

15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello? Dang it!), but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What did you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?

16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of any importance the entire day. What a waste.

17. I keep some people' s phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.

18. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.

19. I wish Google Maps had an "Avoid Ghetto" routing option.

20. I would rather try to carry 10 plastic grocery bags in each hand than take 2 trips to bring my groceries in.

21. Somestimes, I'll watch a movie that I watched when I was younger and suddenly realize I had no idea what the heck was going on when I first saw it.

22. Even when opportunity knocks, you still have to get up off your seat and open the door.

23. How many times is it appropriate to say "What?" before you just nod and smile because you still didn't hear or understnad a word they said?

24. I love the sense of camaraderie when an entire line of cars team up to prevent a jerk from cutting in at the front. Stay strong, brothers and sisters!

25. Shirts need washing. Underwear needs washing. Pants? Pants never need washing, and you can wear them forever.

26. Is it just me or do high school kids get dumber & dumber every year?

27. There's no worse feeling that that millisecond you're sure you are going to die after leaning your chair back a little too far.

28. As a driver I hate pedestrians, and as a pedestrian I hate drivers, but no matter what the mode of transportation, I always hate cyclists.

29. Even under idea condition, people have trouble locating their car keys in a pocket, finding their cell phone, and Pinning the Tail on the Donkey - but I bet that everyone can find and push the snooze button from 3 feet away in about 1.7 seconds, eyes closed, first time, every time.

Thanks Linsey - I forget how funny those office emails can be sometimes.
*By the way, I'm still laughing...

Chick-fil-a is cool

2010-04-21T18:05:00.015-06:00

(From google images. I have no clue who that guy is)

Chick-fil-a is such a neat, family oriented company. One of my visiting teachers works at the Chick-fil-a headquarters and invited us to come for lunch and a tour of the corporate office yesterday.

Wow. It was almost like going to DisneyWorld.

After arriving on the beautiful Chick-fil-a campus (surrounded by waterfalls, walking trails, and colorful flowers) we were first lead downstairs to eat lunch in the classy cafeteria (we felt a little out of place in our jeans and t shirts) where every day Chick-fil-a provides free (breakfast and) lunch for their almost 600 employees of their headquarters.

Talk about taking care of their employees! Not only do they feed their employees delicious meals, but they let their employees invite their family and friends in to eat for free as well. After lunch Heloisa took us to tour the (really nice) employee wellness center that included workout facilities, a racquetball court, lockers, and showers, the test kitchen where new menu items are thought up, the antique cars around every corner (they even have one of the original 3 batmobiles that was used in Batman Begins!) and even Truett Cathy's office! (He was out of town, so we didn't get to meet him personally). They've also got a neat DayCare in the building so that working parents can visit their children at any time of the day.

Everyone was also super nice to us and welcoming as we walked around in awe. If I were looking for a job, I'd definately start looking here first!

Truett Cathy's office. You can't see it in this photo, but there's an adjoining room that acts as kind of his living room with a TV and couch (among other things). Heloisa says its where Truett takes naps since he's gotten to be a little old man - he's 89 and still comes to work. So cute!

The tour was complete with Chick-fil-a signature shakes waiting for us on the wayout!

Thanks so much Heloisa!! (oops- we caught this shot with someone's eyes closed!)

Attn: Everyone who is traveling this Summer

2010-04-19T10:14:00.009-06:00

Head over here to design your own free luggage tags, courtesy of KLM Airlines. They may add you to their e-newsletter list, but you can always unsubscribe from it later.

Upload a photo of your own, or choose from their selection. They are giving these out (with free shippping, even) until they are gone and there are still over 37,000 left. Order as a gift for someone else, and they'll deliver it to their doorstep too.

I've never flown KLM (and probably never will), but I once saw one of their crews that had just arrived from overseas that were walking through the Atlanta airport. I may have been in a little awe of how polished and sharp looking the entire (huge) flight crew were in their teal blue uniforms. They practically walk in formation too.

Happy traveling!

Winner, Winner!!

2010-04-16T10:26:00.002-06:00

At 12:30pm (ET) today Random.org picked the following two winners of these sweet reusable totes:

Commenter #16

and

Commenter #7

Congratulations Joyce and Kristen for being the newest owners of these stylish totes! I'll e-mail you the details!

If you didn't win, stay tuned - I've got another fun post comming up on Monday. One where everyone is a winner :)

P.S. FYI - That would be a former co-worker also named Kristen. Come on now - did you really think I'd enter my own giveaway??

The good stuff

2010-04-12T14:13:00.012-06:00

Remember when I did this giveaway back in 2008?

Well guess what...

It's time for another one :)

The reusable totes that I gaveaway last time were cute, but they were a bit on the big and bulky side. And after awhile, the majority of the time I would forget to grab mine on the way out the door to the grocery store (which isn't super encouraging when your trying to do your part to save the earth...by the way, Earth week starts next week)

I've since found these sweet reusable totes from Bath & Body Works - I love the material because it rolls up with a snap and fits right in my purse. So even if I find myself on an improptu shopping trip, I've still got my reusable tote with me.

Plus, these bright colors and patterns are fun for spring and summer. The checkers usually get a kick out of it when I hand them my rolled up bag to use for my groceries.

So, I'm giving away at random two of these cute bags - one for each winner. That means there will be two winners!

All you have to do for a chance to win one of these fashionable totes is leave a comment so I know you want it.

That's all.

None of that "Leave a comment to enter, leave two comments if your a follwer of my blog, leave 3 comments if you follow me on facebook, leave 4 comments if you tweet about this giveaway, blah, blah, blah "- because those kind of giveaways are annoying.

This is just a dinky little blog (its not like Bath & Body Works sent me these to give away as a sponsor. I just like them and want someone else to have them too), so you've got a good shot at winning. Well, at least better than those giveaways where there are hundres, if not thousands, of comments.

And since Savannah's 3 month birthday is this Friday - and I like giving things away on birthdays - you have until this Friday April 16 at 12:23 pm to enter (Well, she was born at 12:23 am but I'm not planning on being awake at that time).

Check back then and see if you've won :)

And I'll even mail it all the way to Alaska if you win.

Why yes, Dale Murphy

2010-04-09T12:08:00.010-06:00

I'll come meet you at Turner Stadium on August 2 for MORMON NIGHT!!

Which happens to be on a Monday evening - how appropriate.

Let me give you the details (if your blessed to live in the Atlanta area) just in case you can't see this flier that Brant received from the BYU alumni association:

Braves vs. Mets

Mon Aug 2nd at 7pm

-Bring your family to Mormon Night

-Brief meet-and-greet with Dale Murphy in the RF pation at 5pm

-Join the pre-game parade around the field at 6pm

-Dale Murphy scheduled to throw out the first pitch

Contact Anthony McClendon for ticket at 404.614.1401 or email anthony.mcclendon@braves.com

Are you as excited as I am?

My Blogging Comeback

2010-04-07T17:55:00.013-06:00

My blogging comeback has begun! I betcha thought I'd forgotten - I don't blame you. People used to tell me that they liked my blog.

Then after a dry spell of posting, people asked when I was going to update my blog.

Then after even more time passed, people stopped asking at all.

So it's back to business - with the first order of business being Our Little One :) What that means is (even though her name is in the header above) that you won't find many more pictures or updates of baby Savannah on this blog - you'll have to head over here.

But not so fast.

Because it's a private blog (insert groan here). Private blogs wouldn't be nearly so annoying if blogger would pick up the feed and tell us when people have updated their private blogs. That way you don't go scrolling down to click on the link of a private blog, only to enter your email and password - only to find out that they haven't updated their blog.

Because of that, this blog will still continue and I'll still be posting to it - but Our Little One will generally just be baby photos, updates, and milestones about Savannah for those that are interested. And its a way for me to post pictures and videos for Brant to see his little girl while he's on trips without me draining the battery in my phone sending the same pictures and videos to him via cell.

Anyways - you know the routine. Leave a comment/email/Facebook/text your deets (as in your email address) and you'll get the all exclusive access to the Our Little One blog (which includes never before seen photos and cool things) about our baby Savannah. Yes, that means when you send me your email address that you'll be in the cool club too.

See ya over there!

Patience is a virtue...

2010-03-17T13:58:00.005-06:00

Yes, I realize it's been over a month since the last post - so uncharacteristic of me, I know!

Hang tite folks - because I'm working on a big blog comeback!

A few of the things

2010-02-10T09:15:00.015-07:00

That I've learned over the past 3 weeks:

(1) Pampers newborn diapers with the yellow that turn blue stripe when wet makes life a lot simpler. Especially for first time parents.

(2) Velcro swaddle wraps are the best invention. Ever.

(3) Changing pads are not to protect your baby from the surface you change their diaper on. It's vice versa.

(4) And it's never a smart idea to change a diaper on a bed with freshly washed sheets. Especially without a changing pad. No matter how fast you think you are.

(5) Blow up excercise balls are excellent for sitting on while bouncing an upset baby.

(6) It's a good idea to have more than 1 diaper on hand when leaving home. Even if your already running late and you think you wont be gone for long. Because your always gone longer than you think you will be.

(7) It takes over a half hour longer than you think it will to get ready before leaving home to go somewhere.

(8) It's always a good idea to have a burp cloth close by. Using your bed sheet as a substitute in the middle of the night just constitutes more laundry in the morning.

No Frills

2010-01-26T17:53:00.009-07:00

No Bows.

Just us.

Welcome Little One!

2010-01-19T15:55:00.016-07:00

Savannah Grace

Born January 16 at 12:26 am

7lbs. 10oz. and 21 inches

It's been 2 days since I last posted- did you think I'd forgotten to post the details? ;)

For those that are interested... the cliff notes labor story. If your not into reading labor details, skip down to the few photos at the end.

Friday 5:45 am - I woke up to a small, subtle contraction.

5:53am - another contraction

6:11am - another contraction. At this point I'm thinking there is definately something going on here - I hadn't felt any kind of contraction during the entire pregnancy until that morning and right off they become pretty regular. I jump in the shower because I know it could be my last chance before contractions get stronger.

Around 7am - My little leaky, polite, H20 rupture begins that I don't even realize it (because I envisioned to be soaked when that happened, which is not the way it was at all.) At this point I wake Brant up to let him know that I don't think that he'll be going on his trip to Salt Lake in a few days because there is definately something going on different here.

By 9am - Contractions are now anywhere from 3-5 minutes apart, but still bearable. Our plan is to labor for as long as I can at home before calling the doctor. And since I still hadn't really realized that my H20 had already popped, Brant encourages me to get some more sleep because I'll really be needing to save all my energy.

Around 10:30am - I wake up for good because the contractions are getting stronger and waking me up every few minutes.

By noon - I'm pretty confident that I've gone as long as I can at home and call the doctor. They ask me to come in at 1pm. In the meantime we (ok, really is was just Brant) is packing, getting the carseat in the car, and finishing last minute things.

1:24pm - we arrive at the doctors office. As we walk back to the examining room, the Medical Assistant takes one look at me and says "Oh, no- your not in labor. You'd be acting a lot different"

1:35pm ish - the doctor walks in and after a quick check informs me that I'm dilated to between a 6 or 7 and that indeed my H20 has ruptured - she can see the baby's head and the hair on her head! She's surprised that I could wait for this long before comming in. We get sent over to Labor & Delivery, but not before I'm told that this baby is comming - fast - and that there may not be enough time for an epidural.

By 2pm - we're checked into a room and the nurse is working with me on breathing through contractions and that we'll have this baby in 30 minutes at this rate!

Long story short... it was not 30 minutes later when she was born. It was almost 10.5 more hours! The combination of trying to turn a sunny side up baby and getting through my apparently small child bearing hips was no easy task.

Anyways, there's some gaps with these times, but that's pretty much how it went. At 12:26am our sweet baby Savannah came into the world!

Looking just a little tired and puffy faced after more than 5 hours of pushing and 18.5 hours of total labor for our first family photo op (don't worry - I had an hour break in there when the doctor had to run do a c-section on another patient).

The sum up - Since I had a pretty easy pregnancy, I knew I'd probably be in for a long labor. Even though things slowed down dramatically once at the hospital, it still felt like it went by really fast. We had a terrific doctor, a fabulous nurse, a really good hospital experience, and now a beautiful baby girl.

A Sneak Peek of Our Weekend

2010-01-17T21:53:00.006-07:00

The early (healthy) arrival of our baby girl just after midnight on Friday (or very early Sat morning to be correct)!

More comming soon!

Too Good to Be True

2010-01-13T17:49:00.008-07:00

Remember this sweet free snuggie offer?

Don't hold your breath because it's not comming.

Read here.

Sorry folks. Good grief.

Work Smart - Not Hard

2009-12-31T13:16:00.006-07:00

We eat a lot of cheese. In fact, Brant once dared to ask me if I wouldn't mind trying some new recipies that weren't so "heavy" (apparently the cheese was slowing him down). Or maybe it was the fact that it was such a hassle for him to grate all that cheese by hand (that was usually his job - along with any onion chopping).
.
But now, with the thanks to a 20% off coupon to Bed Bath & Beyond, another 20% Kitchen Aid manufacturer rebate on attachments, and the the remaining balance of a gift card - I've invested in this sweet attachment to our Kitchen Aid mixer.

We tried it out this afternoon and it took about 15 seconds to shred half a pound of cheese! It will be even harder to cut back on cheese recipies now! (Sorry Brant...)

I love Kitchen Aid.

By the way, have a Happy New Year!

Merry Christmas!

2009-12-24T12:59:00.007-07:00

(click the pics for the full effect of the text :)

Can you...

2009-12-19T15:51:00.005-07:00

eat an entire box of Cuties in a 24 hour time period?

I can.

It's what happens when your husband is on a trip and your alone wth a box of them in your kitchen.

a babymoon!

2009-12-17T20:27:00.016-07:00

We've been wanting to take one last small trip before our baby makes her arrival next month. And since we're in Georgia now, we're got a plethora of new places around to visit aren't too close, but not too far away to travel to. Brant took it upon himself to plan everything and (at least tried) to keep it a secret until one night the other week as we were drifting off to sleep when he casually mentioned "Oh, and we're going to Callaway Gardens (a "13,000 acre Pine Mountain Resort and center of enrichment that offers endless opprtunities for adventure, discovery, and recreation") for our babymoon."

Well, there went that suprise ;)

Last week he had Tuesday and Wednesday off so we made the hour drive down to Callaway Gardens and enjoyed a low key day of:

(1) Visiting The Butterfly Garden

You wouldn't know from looking at this picture, but when this little guy opens his wings, he's got a beautiful blue color inside. Too bad he was more interested in eating the orange than in showing off for the camera.

(2) Strolling through the Virginia Callaway Discovery Center

(3) Watching the outdoor show Birds of Prey

Did you know that owls can't move their eyeballs - hence the reason they can turn their necks at such degrees?

(4) Walking through the Sibley Horticulture Center (Brant was pretty excited here since he recognized a lot of plants that he's been learning about lately with his landscaping research)

(5) And taking a short drive through some of the nature trails (the bikes would have been fun to rent to ride through the trails, but will have to wait until we can latch a baby trailer to back of one)

(6) After checking into the Mountain Creek Inn and enjoying a pizza dinner as the only customers in their lounge, we headed back for the best part - Fantasy in Lights -meaning a sweet hour ride in the Jolly Trolley enjoying all the Christmas lights throughout Callaway Gardens.

A short little outing, and since we went in the middle of the week, everything was super low key and we were happy to avoid the weekend crowds and busier days that are here now with Christmas just around the corner.

If your in the business

2009-12-15T12:39:00.003-07:00

of selecting a baby name (now or in the near future) you may find this article interesting: predictions of the top ten baby names for both boys and girls for 2019 (since many parents want to know which names that sound fresh and stylish today might be headed for overexposure tomorrow).

Note of interest: We may or may not have had a name listed in the article that we have now crossed off our list of baby names.

It's the simple things in life

2009-12-14T20:51:00.007-07:00

That humor me most.

Like this afternoon when I glanced down and realized my car had reached 123,456 miles on the odometer.

(Let's pretend that the last number on the odometer is a 6 and not an 8. Or that I really missed the 123,456 by two miles - because I may or may not have been waiting for the past 200 miles to reach this milestone.)

Ta Da!!

2009-12-08T13:20:00.017-07:00

So remember the other week when I said we had a Ta Da post comming up soon?

Let's just say the word "soon" is a subjective word :)

Anyways, back at the beginning of this year, I had a goal to learn how to play the church hymns by the end of the year. And since I had gotten a Best Buy gift card from KLAS back when I still worked with them, I took it and invested in a sweet Yamaha key board. Except when we were living in an apartment in Utah, we had no where to set it up except on the kitchen table and then box it up and put it up in the closet when I was done.

Now that we live in a house and have room to spread our wings (and our stuff), I've been looking for ways to fill our space. And this sweet idea was perfect for setting up a keyboard.

So, I enlisted Brant's help...

He researched and researched and figured out how to go about it. He bought some wood from Lowe's, took some sandpaper, and got to work.

Brant LOVES his power tool!

After lots of measuring, sanding, drilling, and spraypainting, he had a finished product! So then we went to Craigslist and found exactly what we were looking for - a beat up plain wood piano bench that was up for grabs.

After picking up the bench, more sanding, and more spraypainting....

Ta Da!!

Thanks for the sweet idea, Crafty Nest! For all the wood, materials, and piano bench, this project cost about $65. (You can't even buy just an unfinished sofa table for that price!)

And now, reason number 16 we love being homeowners-

We can take a spare white room in our home like this one:

And again, enlist the help of a handsome husband- this time with painting the wall:

And then enlist the help of our new, very talented friend Christine:

Add a crib, and... Ta Da!

A room for our baby! (none of these photos have been resized - click the photo for details on the mural.)

We still have work left to do on this baby's room (bedding, curtains, and more furniture are still in the works, but some people were getting a little anxious about seeing this post before I got to those parts ;)

By the way, if you live in the Atlanta area and are looking for a mural painter, Christine is terrific and very reasonably priced. I can send her contact info for anyone looking.

Lastly, I found this tree blossom design online, but don't know who it belongs to - if its yours, let me know so I can give you credit and major props on a pretty design!

Tired of seeing

2009-12-04T14:09:00.002-07:00

the Woot! post below from the other week yet? The Ta-da! post is comming soon- I promise :)

Woot! Woot!

2009-11-20T15:50:00.008-07:00

I've had some pretty good couponing trips lately (triple coupons at Food Lion - weird name, I know - earlier this week was pretty exciting), and I know I said I wouldn't ever do this again- but today I hit up Rite Aid for the second time this week and put these four things in my cart and headed to the check out stand -

Once the lady rang every thing up and was about to tell me the total (we were having small chit chat), I casually mentioned "Oh, I have some coupons for you."

One by one, she scanned each coupon in. After she scanned the last coupon, she looked back at the total and, with eyes wide, turned to me and said "55 cents! WOW!" Then she turned to the worker and manager at the register next to hers and exclaimed "Her total is 55 cents for this!"

She was a friendly woman and since the screen to the register was big enough for me to see too, I pointed to the numbers and nonchalantly mentioned "Actually....I think you owe me 55 cents." (That doesn't include the $4 in rebates from that transaction I'll get back in the mail).

The lady was pretty excited. After studing the screen for a second and realizing that my coupons actually did bring me to a negative total of .55, she was amazed. But Rite Aid must have some policy because she said that she couldn't give me money back from the register.

I told her that was perfectly fine as I picked up the items she placed in the bag (now that I think about it I should have grabbed something else in the 55 cents range). She kept saying "Tell all your friends! Tell all your friends!" I told her I definately would.

And then I left the store smiling.

And I mean really smiling.

P.S. This is not the ta-da post.

Us

2009-11-19T20:42:00.006-07:00

So maybe I've lost a little steam for blogging lately - but we're still alive and kickin' (especially this baby!)

Today was the last day of tax classes for me. After I take the online test to pass the certification I'll post a few really interesting things that I learned - including surprising tax deductions that I had no idea of before.

We've also got a fun Ta-Da post comming up soon. Stay tuned :)

We Survived the Swine of '09

2009-11-04T08:04:00.008-07:00

If I were a drugstore (and actually had stock of the vaccine), I'd advertise that we had H1N1 shots with this slogan in the windows.

I'm a believer in flu shots and try to get them every year. Especially this year with a baby arrival expected in the thick of a rampid flu season. Some people aren't comfortable with this vaccine and that is hasn't been tested long enough. I brought it up during our last doctors visit and got the confirmation that yes, this would be a good thing to get. I felt comfortable with that.

Last week I was watching the local news on a night where they dedicated half of their broadcast to the swine flu. The news station had added a page to their website of places they had found in the metro Atlanta area that had stock of H1N1 shots- and we were in luck! Our county's health department would be getting in a shipment of H1N1 shots at 10am the next morning and then have an open clinic from 1-3pm that day for people to come get them.

Brant was such a trooper about it- he definately is not a fan of getting shots, but I was able to convince him that with all the people he comes in contact with at work, that flu shots may not be a bad idea for him. Meaning both the seasonal flu shot and the H1N1 shot. I'm not paranoid- just prepared. Plus I've already had a mild cold that lasted about two weeks and do not look forward to the possiblity of becomming even more sick at the same time of having a new baby.

If your a believer in the flu vaccine and live in the Atlanta Metro area, go here for a list of available places with the H1N1 shot.

Our Anti- climatic Halloween

2009-11-02T19:29:00.021-07:00

With the drizzly/rainy weather, Halloween was a little bit of a bust this year. The ward's chili/ trunk or treat was moved inside and folks just lined the hallways giving out candy instead of the kids going from trunk to trunk (but talk about efficiency! those kids all left with loads of candy!)

Although we did start a new way of carving pumpkins this year- with a power drill! And I didn't even catch any pics of it.

So instead here's a black & white pic of nothing to do with Halloween:

28 weeks down (that's six months), 12 to go (that's three months) . . .

Taken Saturday afternoon on the back porch. In between rainfalls we had a little sunshine- maybe that's why I'm squinting so much and have a funny face expression on my face...?

A couple points of interest:

This baby thinks she's really cute when she settles in and sits on her mama's bladder. And refuses to move for hours at a time causing her mom numerous trips to the bathroom (does anyone else average 6 bathroom trips a night?).

This baby girl also loves to excercise. The treadmill, weights, and circuits are all ok, but she especially gets excited and likes to participate in my aerobic classes. And when we're watching Dancing with the Stars.

Have a Great One!

2009-10-31T09:20:00.002-06:00

We're spending this Halloween day carving pumpkins, buying candy, baking cornbread, and getting our car trunk ready for this evening's ward Trunk-Or-Treat/ chili contest. I'll be back on Monday with the deets.

Sweet Stuff

2009-10-21T07:18:00.010-06:00

Since I'm off my couponing hiatus (and made another $20 this week at Rite Aid after 'purchasing' a plethora of cold and flu remedies that were free on rebate at Rite Aid) I've come across a couple of useful free poromo offers (opposed to free junk).

Remember the first time that you saw the infomercial or heard about Snuggies? I laughed. And definately never would have thought that they would become all the rage- but they have! And since its your lucky day, click on over to here and get a Snuggie of your very own for free! (Including free shipping).

I'll plan on having a movie/snuggie party once everyone gets theres too :)

Or, if your like us and are getting ready to be first time parents, go here to to get your Free 11 issue subscription to Parenting Early Years Magazine.

Back in the Game

2009-10-12T12:07:00.010-06:00

Remember this post when I offically went on a couponing hiatus? And that one of only two ways that I would start using coupons again is if we moved out of the state of Utah (where couponing is super trendy) and to a place where couponing was still underutilized?

Well guess what.

I'm back in the game.

And yes, I'm a geek.

Now, I don't generally take what I've bought and then set them up on the kitchen table to take photos (because we all know that there is an overload of folks that already do that on their blogs- in fact I'm sure there is someone else somehwere posting this exact photo on their blog) but this is just to illustrate why couponing is a fun game to me (and I won't bore you with the tedious details on how I saved it all or post a photo like this again- promise!)

All this:

(My favorites are the Gillette battery powered razor, lip balm, heating pads, and cough drops)

Normal Cost: $71

Now, not only did I get all of the above pictured for free, but after coupons and rebates I got back $27!

I know what your thinking- "That's nice, but come on- nasal spray and Poligrip? Why would you even waste your time- who cares if its free if your not going to use it?"

And the reason is- is because they are free on rebates, I can also use my $3.00 off coupons and make money by simply buying it. And then somewhere down the line I'll eventually figure out what I could use Poligrip for.

Plus, it was the most pleasant shopping/ couponing experience I've had- a friend and I rolled into Rite Aid almost an hour after it opened, where we were the only ones in the store- and the shelves were still stocked full of all these products. In my past experience (and why I went on a couponing hiatus back in Utah), was that unless you could go Monday morning and were waiting at the store when it opens, the shelves will be wiped out within a matter of minutes.

No joke.

But like I said before, I'm a geek. And this kind of stuff excites me :)

Oh, and P.S. - if you want to know how exactly I got the stuff above with rebates and coupons, just let me know.

Hi Ho... Hi Ho

2009-10-09T10:17:00.007-06:00

It's back to class I go...

Tax class, that is.

When we moved to Georgia (and with a baby on the way), I would often get the question from folks if I were still going to work. My thoughts were - sure. But on the stipulation that if I can find a part time job that could be super flexible with hours and still be challenging enough (but not stressful) of a job for me to want to do it, I'd totally be up for it.

The other day I was skimming the local newspaper and found that Liberty Tax (you know- the ones that have the Statue of Liberty wavers outside during tax season) was looking for tax preparers for the up comming season. I gave them a call, and after leaving a quick message about the experience I had and wanting to maybe pursue an opportunity with them, I got a call back from the owner of the Liberty Tax franchise in town asking if I would be interested in not being a tax preparer- but doing the marketing and bringing in business for their location. That would mean starting in January, I would work 10-15 hours a week (up to 30 if I really wanted). And that if I also wanted to be a tax preparer on the side, I could do that as well.

Ding, ding, ding, ding!!

Talk about excellent timing. But, what do I do from now until January? I've had lots of folks mention that between moving into a house and preparing for a baby (including the Moms in Motion fitness class for expecting moms that the hospital offers that I enrolled in) that I'd have plenty to keep me busy... but well, it hasn't. And in the meantime, Brant is keeping busy with keeping up with the yard and making small home improvements (he's outside pressure washing the house and driveway as I type this).

And since I'd like to understand and actually learn how to do taxes (and not just pass them on to someone else to do each year- even if it's Brant) I enrolled in their (free) tax class that meets twice a week, three hours each time, and lasts for the next month and a half. We've met twice so far and I'm learning TONS! Its actually pretty neat.

Needless to say that Brant is definately in favor of me learning to do taxes because it means that he doesn't have to do them anymore. And I'm always wondering what is out there that we can use as a tax deduction that we're not already aware of (because there's tons! the cost of dry cleaning work uniforms, anyone?)

And we'll just see how this works out. The due date for this baby is January 23 (right as tax season starts) but the franchise owner can be flexible with that and let me pick my own hours and then I could work around Brant's schedule allowing him to be home for one or two hours a day when he's not on trips so that I could do this. And then I wouldn't go stir crazy being home with a baby.

All.

The.

Time.

Don't get me wrong, I mean being a mom is rewarding, I'm sure- and of course that will be my first priority, but I can see that unless I have something else that will keep me at least a little intellectually stimulated (not to mention the adult interaction) that I'll have a little bit of a tough time with the adjustment to being a mom. And one to two (or three at the max) hours a day of work would be perfect.

Yay for this- I'm stoked :)

Oh, and P.S. - now that we've got the internet set up at our place I'll be be able to post more frequently :)

(Finally).... Ta Da!!

2009-09-29T14:37:00.030-06:00

Have I kept you in suspense long enough...?

Without further delay, here it is...

In between house hunting and work, Brant has completely torn down and rebuilt the bathroom in my mom's basement (a much welcome change from the outdated early 80's faded blue look it had)

After a few days of hammering, tearing down, chipping away, and hauling away debris, the bathroom looked like this (photos aren't resized and will blow up if you click on 'em):

After 7 weeks of instense internet research, consulting with my uncle the plumber, his pops who is doing a similar bathroom remodel as his place, and (I swear) two daily trips to Home Depot and Lowe's (pretty sure they know Brant by name by now) ... Ta Da!!

The new and amazing basement bathroom! Beautiful floor tile!

And beautiful paint job with the sage green! (One last touch that didn't make in this the above photo is an oval mirror that will hang above this sink.)

The cabinet shelving that he repainted that hangs on the wall to the right of the toilet didn't make it in this shot.

The custom shelves he built between the shower and the wall.

Remember the first two photos of this post? Brant ran into a hurdle (actually, he had a lot of hurdles with this bathroom) and built around the concrete drain to put up the shower.

AMAZING job sweetie! All manual work done by Brant- great, great job!

Oh, and then here's my (much less impressive) ta-da:

A blanket for our baby girl :) My goal was to make this entirely out of materials I already had. A few months ago I had started making an apron with this fabric- I had cut the fabric and started sewing it, but then lost my steam to finish it. Then after we found out we were having a girl, I took the fabric that I had bought for the apron made this quilt instead.

You can tell that I was running out of fabric and had to improvise with a couple of corner squares (and hoping that the flower iron/sew on would cover it up). Then I took some pink satin ribbon I already had and finished the binding. But don't be fooled- I had a lot of help from my mom on the cutting and binding and from borrowed quilting frames courtesy of Ma Harrison- who took some time to help with the tying :)

But for the most exciting ta-da....

We're officially homeowners!!

(That's the key we're both holding)

Last Friday afternoon at precisely 5pm, we signed the last of the papers for this home :)

We have (both) worked (very hard from scratch), saved like crazy fools (since we've been married for the past two years.... call us old fashioned but we're believers in putting down 20% for a home), did (lots) of research on home buying, waited till the best time to buy....and now it's paying off.

We are so excited- this home couldn't be more perfect for us.

Some of our favorite things...

-Located in Newnan, GA (a quick 20 minute interstate drive to the Atlanta airport)

-3 bedroom, 2 full bath (not too big, not too small, and perfect for starting a family)

-2 car garage that is hidden to the house (meaning that looking at the house you can't see the garage door that takes up half of the house.. that was a big one for me)

- built on a .8 acre lot (that's almost a full acre for Brant's garden)

-a cute little shed in the back yard with matching shutters to the home (and a

place for Brant to keep his gardening and other tools)

-Wood fenced in back yard

-Screened in back porch with sun shades (perfect for BBQs and watching thunderstorms pass through)

- Vaulted ceilings with ceiling fans (and an open floor plan)

- built in 2002 (quirks from a brand new home have been worked out and lanscaping done... well, except a few plants in front of the house that need to be pulled out).

We actually have room for entertaining guests now! Come on over everyone :)

Okay Pops- you can breath now. This post is done.

Stay tuned...

2009-09-23T17:49:00.004-06:00

I've got some Ta Da! posts comming from both Brant and I tomorrow...

Update: hang tite- I love that Blogger isn't letting me upload photos for the second night in a row ;)

So.

2009-09-16T08:43:00.006-06:00

Baby names.

Wait, let me back up.

Up until we found out that we were having a baby girl, the question that I was asked most frequently was "Are you going to find out what it is?" as well as "When do you find out what it is?"

Now that we know the answer to that question, the most frequent question I get is "Have you thought of any names?"

No. Nope. None.

I think that naming a baby is a really big responsibility - so big that we both decided to procrastinate even thinking about it until after we knew what we were having. Now that it's been a few weeks since we found out, we're still procrastinating. And we better get crackin!

Here's the dilemma: choosing a baby name that is unique but not too trendy, that none of your friends/family already have, and that neither you nor your husband associate (especially negatively) with someone they already know.

And then, once you do have a name picked out, your faced with another dilemma: Should we tell people what it is when they ask? I'm leaning toward that answer to that being no... and here's why-

(1) Someone else may steal your baby name (not the biggest concern I have because, in reality, I feel for the baby who will have to go their whole lives knowing that the best their parents could do was take someone else's baby name).

(2) If you do tell others the name you've thought of, you run the risk of having to see their reaction. On one hand they may like it- on the other hand they may (unknowingly) make make a face and then proceed to tell you who they know by that name and are you really going to name your kid that? As if naming a baby wasn't a big enough responsibility, I definitely could do without double guessing myself once we actually do decide on one. But once the kid is born and the name is definite all they can do is smile and nod...

We'll come up with one and it will be a good one - but in the meantime I'm not asking for suggestions - mainly because you may have one that we've kind of already thought of (and I don't want you to get the impression that we stole your name!)

So instead, I'm asking how did you (or your parents, friends, etc.) decide on baby names? I'm a believer in having, especially the middle name, some kind of significant meaning (my middle name Diane is after my mom's friend who brought her into the church), but other than that I got nothing :)

(Extendend) Weekend Wrap

2009-09-15T08:27:00.006-06:00

It has recently been brought to my attention that my postings have been sporadic lately.

I can't say that I haven't noticed that too... Anyways, here's what we were up to this weekend- its text heavy since I didn't have my camera with me.

Friday evening - Since Brant was going to be on a trip over the weekend, I made plans with Rissa to go to the Women's Expo going on at UVU (meaning a weekend trip out to Utah). Arriving in Salt Lake later than planned on Friday evening, we made a dinner stop at Jason's Deli and then called it a night.

Saturday - after an awesome egg and bacon breakfast cooked by John (thanks for letting me hang out with your wife all weekend, by the way) a quick trip to University Mall to check out baby ideas at all the cute kiosks. And then onto the expo!

I love this expo and have gone the past, I think 4 times in a row (it happens every 6 months). This one was the best one yet- they've gotten big enough to outgrow the McKay center on UVU campus and now have booths outside. The first thing we got before even entering the expo from one of the outside booths was a free key safe lock from one of the booths. We made (free) scrapbooking cards, got (free) massages, got my ring cleaned and shined (for free), lots of (free) food samples, and I picked up a few baby things that I haven't seen out here in Georgia yet (those weren't free...but that's ok!)

Ater getting our fill at the Expo, we hit up Costa Vita for lunch (pork salads are the best) and stopped by the hair stylist I was going to in Utah for me to get a trim up/ thinning haircut.

Back to Rissa's place for an afternoon rest... and then a trip up to Thai Pan Trading for a crash course from Rissa on home decorating (remember this post?). I may have been crazy for attempting to bring home so many breakables, but luckily made it back without breaking anything. And once our home closes on the 24th of this month, I'll actually have some home decor!

Afterwards it was already dark outside, so we started to wind down the evening by heading to Provo to drop off my mission photos to a girl that I found on Craigslist that would scrapbook them for me (I think it's about due time to get that done since I've had a box sitting with them for the past 4 years). I'm excited to see how they turn out.

Back to Rissa's for dinner and an episode of Gilmore Girls. Since Rissa and John moved into the apartment we were living in, they have been able to reap the benefits of the garden Brant planted earlier this year (we don't mind- Brant would much rather have left his garden to friends than if strangers had moved in after us). John went out and picked some peppers and jalepenos for me to take back to Brant. Needless, to say, they were fantastic and Brant was stoked.

Sunday morning - back to the Salt Lake airport by 9am and arrived in Dallas where Brant (who was now done with work) picked me up after 1pm. Too late to make it to church at his folk's ward (I'm not a fan of traveling on Sundays, but this was the best way to plan the trip back with the flight options), the rest of the day was spent showing Brant the loot that I collected from the expo, napping, dinner, and visiting with Ma and Pa Harrison.

Monday morning - Brant had brought the baby blanket with him that I have been working on back home and, after hitting up the fabric store for the right batting, we were able to quickly do the tying on it with his mom's quilting frames. Some more visiting, and then back home to Georgia that evening.

I'll see if I can come up with some entertaining posts...

This is amazing

2009-09-01T08:33:00.005-06:00

If any of my friends around here were expecting a baby and were baseball fans, I'd get them this Braves diaper cake in a heart beat.

I can't stop looking at it! And it comes in pink and white too!

Weekend wrap

2009-08-31T11:08:00.015-06:00

Friday Evening: Since Brant had thought that he might be on a trip that night, I made plans with Lacy and Amara for dinner in Atlanta at the Old Spaghetti Factory. Not sure if each OSF is custom to the town its in, but the moment we walked through the front doors, it was a very Phantom of the Opera-ish feeling with fancy chandeliers, overstuffed velvet chairs, and dim lighting. So cute and fun!

Saturday early morning: My mom and I headed over to a baby consignment sale- the kind that only happens twice a year and the prices are so low, that the sale only lasts a couple of hours before being completely wiped out of inventory (the really good stuff only lasts for about the first 5-7 minutes after they open). I picked up this sweet rocker for a few bucks-

Of course my intention was for this to be in the baby's room, but Brant really likes it- especially when its raining outside and he can sit and watch the rain fall on the trees through the window. It has become his choice of seating over the couches.

Saturday afternoon: When we moved to Georgia, I was pretty sure that we wouldn't have nearly as many out of town visitors. After all, Utah is a pretty convenient place to live for family and friends that come into town and need a place to stay when dropping off missionaries, kids at BYU, weddings, mission reunions, etc. My thoughts were, "Who really just 'happens' to be in Georgia and wants to visit?" But to my surprise, we've already had two visitors in less than a month that just happened to be in Atlanta!

Over the weekend, our friends Laci and Todd were in town from Utah for work. While Todd was in seminars Saturday afternoon, I took Laci to the World of Coke in Atlanta. Since Coke was originated in Atlanta, its a pretty big thing here. The World of Coke is a museum all about the history of Coke- complete with a 3D show (comparable to a Bug's Life at DisneyWorld), a HUGE coke souvenier shop, and- the best part- a room of all you can drink fountain drinks with several stations of over 60 different types of Coke from around the world!

Old fashioned soda fountain replica

Only a very few of the different decorative coke bottles

Some weird furry dogs with big heads, no eyes, and huge lips which must be one of the mascots for the World of Coke museum...

With all the different cultures, some of the Coke flavors can be very different around the globe. I think Laci liked this one called Beverly that's made in Italy ;) (Click on the photo for the full effect of that expression on her face!)

Saturday Evening: Bummer that the Braves were out of town this weekend or else we would have all gone to the game on Saturday. So instead we met up for dinner at the Waffle House (we wanted Laci and Todd to have the full southern experience- they had never heard of the Waffle House) before dropping them back off at the hotel.

See how fun it is to visit Atlanta? Come visit any time anyone :)

Sunday: While sitting in church, learned that one of the missionaries was just transferred into the area- and this one was from Brant's ward back in Texas. Such a small world! Afterwards, headed to the hospital to visit my 18 year old brother who's back in the hospital for a 3rd time this summer with complications and kidney stones. Poor kid!

2009-08-26T09:44:00.006-06:00