A Christmas Miracle

Tonight was my church's Christmas party. I admit, I've never been fond of the church Christmas party. There is always an attempt at making it a spiritual occasion with the primary kids acting out the Christmas story, but mostly it's just chaotic. Then all hell really breaks loose when right after everyone sings Silent Night the conductor turns to the crowd and announces, "Hey everyone, I heard we have a special visitor. Let's see if we can welcome him by singing Rudolph the Red Nose Reindeer!!" Any Christmas spirit that was in the room has now blown right out the door as Santa Claus comes jingling in. The kids go wild. I go crazy.

That is why I don't go to the church Christmas party. I'd rather be home watching Tactical Armor on the Military channel with G.

This year I was asked to sing a duet for the program and also play the piano for a small ensemble. Basically, I guilted myself into participating because I wanted to be helpful. 'Tis the season, right? But the best part of the whole night--get ready--NO SANTA CLAUS! Nope. The program ended with a lovely musical number, our bishop said a few words and it was over. The end. Lights on, go home. Now THAT'S a church party worth attending. A Christmas miracle.

Have you ever wondered...

...what the view from the top of a 36 week pregnant lady looks like?

Meet JW.

Being pregnant for the first time has taught me a lot about growing a human and the physical demands on my body. Things that are really unexplainable until you go through it yourself. For example:

• nausea
• sleepiness
• fat ankles
• taffy-pulled ligaments
• loss of brains
• loss of breath
• waddling
• hearing a heartbeat
• seeing a baby
• kick
• punch
• roll
• hiccup...hiccup...hiccup

And a new one for me today - checking the cervix. Holy s-h-i-t {sorry moms}. I thought this would just be a few finger poke around. No. It's a whole hand scrub down. Thank you very much. Now, would someone like to give me the REAL story on labor and delivery? Because I don't want any surprises.

The good news is, I'm 1 1/2 cm dilated and 70% effaced. That's ahead of schedule! JW just might make it into this world in December. I hear jingle bells!

Gourmet Twist

I love a good soft preztel. When I worked at the BL in Trolley Square I used to go to Pretzel Maker almost every shift - the parmesean covered pretzel with a side of marinara dipping sauce was my favorite.

When I moved on to a bigger career, my job took me to NYC a couple times a year for industry conferences. I would ditch the conference lunches and networking events and wander the avenues. I remember passing a pretzel stand near Central Park thinking yes! a BIG New York pretzel for lunch. I don't know why, but something about the pretzel street vendor screamed classic New York snack. It had to be good. So one lunch hour I picked up a giant pretzel with a side of cheese sauce. I took a bite. Blech!! It was like chewing a warm piece of cardboard covered in cold orange goo. I wanted to love it. I tried to eat it, but I'd rather starve than choke it down. NYC pretzel vendor, you so disappointed me. I should have gone to the conference lunch.

Today I went to McDonald's for lunch. I almost never go there so little did I know they are now serving up soft pretzels. It sure looked good in the display box, but it's McDonald's - pretzels aren't really their specialty. Anyone dumb enough to buy that was taking a big fat $2.15 cardboardy risk. The risk taker I am, I indulged. I mean, what the heck, nothing could be worse than that NYC hockey puck. I went for the cinnamon twist and to my delightful suprise, it was hot, soft, cinnamony goodness. Next time I'm in NYC and want a big pretzel, forget the street vendor, I'm going to McDonald's!

A Word from the Womb

"A Utah man am I!"
Go UTES!
35 Weeks

Pregnancy Survival Skill

This came across my 33 week informative -what's happening to your body and baby- email and made me laugh. Do you really have to be pregnant for this to apply? You decide...

Pregnancy survival skill: How to get out of a soft chair:
Put your feet flat on the floor and bend from the hips. Push on the armrests with your hands! Use your stomach muscles. If upward motion is still elusive, pick up your magazine and yell for more mint-chip ice cream. (Standing up is totally overrated anyway.)

Happy Halloween

JW was a jack-o-lantern for Halloween.

31 Weeks

A Lesson in Forgiveness

My sister called me the other day in a panic. There was a helicopter that had been circling around her house for an extended period of time. Her mind automatically goes into worse-case-scenario mode and immediately assumes there is a boogieman on the loose in the neighborhood and the chopper is hunting him down, and he's probably hiding in her backyard. She's a bit paranoid {it runs in the family}.

Later she tells me there had actually been a serious accident on the road just behind her home. A woman under the influence of drugs and alcohol was driving around 80 mph down the residential street, lost control and ran over a grandma pushing her 3-yr old granddaughter in a stroller on their way to the park. The chopper on the hunt for the boogieman was actually the life flight looking for a place to land to rescue the victims.

My sister forwarded an email to me that was sent by the mother of the 3-yr old. Her mother and daughter had miraculously survived the accident, though grandma, who shielded the child from being seriously injured, was is critical condition and the 3-yr old kept recalling how scared she was of the traumatic event she had just endured. The mother was asking for prayers for her loved ones for peace and healing, but the real clincher was when she also asked her neighbors and friends to also pray for the woman who caused the accident, and her family, as they were probably also suffering with a loved one held captive by addiction and the pain this person had caused others.

The email made me cry. I think my natural response would have been anger and revenge, but this woman sought forgiveness after an event that had just turned her innocent mother and daughter's world upside down in an instant. What a testimony of humility and compassion.

Friend or Faux?

I was flipping through the JCrew catalogue, which I love {never mind that I think the models are too skinny and that I actually emailed JCrew once and told them so}. I came across this fun fall outfit. Isn't this jacket yummy? I love the color. Or maybe it's the green cashmere hoodie she's layered underneath. Alas, Big Mamas House (me, 27 weeks prego) can not fit into such cuteness at the moment. You know what I really love, though? THE BAG!! I could buy that today, prego mama and all, and I wouldn't have to worry about the fit. That bag fits, no matter what. Wowza, did you notice that price tag?! I don't think I've ever spent that much on an entire outfit, let alone a single accessory. I went to Target this weekend, looking for nothing in particular when lo and behold I found a similar bag for about $275 less than the especially cute one above. So what if I settled for cheap faux leather, I feel darn fun and it fits too!

Good Fortune

I was feeling a little disgruntled when I got home from work today. G knows if I'm in such a mood that he's on his own for dinner, so he opted to take me on a mid-week date night. We went to Pei Wei and waited FOREVER to get our order, but in the end it was worth it to read this fortune from my cookie:
Three months from "this date" will be December 30th. Hmm...that's awfully close to JW's expected arrival. Could it be so? If so, I'll be thanking my lucky stars.

24 Weeks Will Do This to You

A girl who is 24 weeks pregnant... gets home from work to put her feet up. They are puffy from a long day...

of walking around in these:

UPDATE from previous post: I called Dr. L's office after a very long 24 hours of hysteria (which resulted in puffy eyes and a cold sore) and asked a series of questions related to my abnormal ultrasound results. It didn't help that Nurse Sid, right off the bat, says to me, "It's just a velementous cord insertion" as if there was nothing dangerous or delicate about the situation since this happens every day (all 1% of pregnancies, thank you). She assured me I have NOTHING to worry about. Dr. L (who is a well respected, high-risk pregnancy OB/GYN) has dealt with VCI many, many times. I am in good hands. My baby is healthy and I don't have any of the other potential coexisting conditions that can make the VCI that much more critical and dangerous to JW. I asked her if I could elect to have a C-section. The answer, "Not unless it's necessary." Lame. While Nurse Sid put my mind at ease, I am going to take my list of questions to my next appointment and get the same answers from Dr. L. For now, I will need to stop worrying about it and deal with this nasty cold sore.

Thank you all of you who sent your thoughts and prayers our way, either directly or in your heart. This news was tremendously difficult for me and it was comforting to feel supported. G and I are ok and JW is ok and can't wait to meet the little bugger.

I had my regular monthly appointment for the wee one today. Everything seemed normal until you hear the doctor say something like, "Your ultra sound presented an abnormality." Then everything turns to Charlie Brown talk, you know, whooa whaooa whaooa whaooaa whaooa. He told me I have what is known as velamentous insertion, which is where the umbilical cord is attached to the membranes of the placenta as opposed to the directly implanted. Dr. L was kind enough to draw me a little picture explaining the condition and told me it occurs in about 1 - 2% of preganancies. Awesome. How could I be so lucky? Other than this, all things look great. The position of the placenta is great, the baby is getting oxygen and nutrients and is growing normally, but that he needs to be careful during delivery to ensure the cord is not ruptured.

Now, at the time I had no idea what he was talking about and didn't know what questions to ask. The Dr. seemed confident that all was well and I didn't leave terribly worried. Than later today, because I have to know everything, I Googled velamentous insertion. Oh boy. Why did I do that? Now I'm a wreck. Don't Google it mom, I don't need you to be a wreck too. I have to have faith that Dr. L knows what he is doing. He is the best Dr. in town. I may give him a call tomorrow just so I can sleep at night, but, my friends, I am not going to lie - I am freaked out. Please keep JW in your prayers.

A Whole Lot of Nothing

I feel the need to blog, but am lacking in material. Usually G makes for some good blog material, but my pregnancy-onset alzheimers has me forgetting just how goofy he's been lately. I could tell you some new developments in my growing mid section. I'm sure this is such a bore to most of you who have a half-dozen kids already, but to a new mom, it's pretty cool.

New developments:
1. JW has gone Kung Fu Panda on me. He's a karate chopping fool all.day.long. and I love it.
2. I'm starting to pop. Today my neighbor noticed and said I look "cute." I'm sure I've used this on other prego women, but hearing it myself I'm wondering if "cute" is really the right word.
3. Yesterday, for the first time ever, I saw my belly move with a karate chop. I thought I was hallucinating.
4. I'm battling a cold. It's all I can do to not think about swine flu. Seriously, swine flu is life threatening to prego ladies? The thought alone is killing me. {I'm sure some of you, my overprotective readers, are thinking how irresponsible I'm being about not going to the doctor. I'm getting better, so I'm pretty sure it's not swine flu. Plus I never had a fever, or vomitted, or had the runs. Just a good ol' fashion runny nose}
5. Somebody asked me recently if I was going to make JW a quilt for his nursery. I quickly answered, "No. He's getting one already made from Pottery Barn." This didn't make sense since I've made quilts for every new baby that has breathed life for at least the last 10 yrs. Now I feel bad. Ok fine, I'll make JW a quilt...maybe.
6. G has been awesome about tickling my arm without me having to demand it. This is huge. Maybe I should be prego mama all the time.

When Husbands Try to be Smart

This is going to be JW's room. As you can see, it is far from ready for him. It has been used as a spare bedroom/craft storage/fabric warehouse/misc don't-know-where-else-to-put-it room for the past several years and I am now starting to clean it out for baby, as you can hardly tell from the photo. I bought three bins yesterday thinking that would be plenty for ALL of my blankets and fabric. They barely accomodated the fabric/blankets that were being "stored" on the bed. I haven't even touched the fabric and other notions in the closet, which also needs to be packed. I sorely underestimated how much craftiness I have accumulated. Eye, ye ye. G, thinking he was being helpful, asked me in the midst of all of this where we were going to put the crib. When I pointed to the specific wall, he said, "What are you going to do with the bed?" (seen pictured above). "Take it to the basement, or move it to the cabin..." To which he replied, "How about if we put the crib over in the corner?" {as he points to corner at the foot of the bed, implying that the bed stays in the room and one would have to crawl over it everytime you wanted to get the baby in and out of the crib}. I kindly asked him to leave the room and not come back until the baby is born, unless of course I need him to move something out, i.e. the bed.

My Sweet JW

I had my 20 week ultrasound yesterday. G joined me for the appointment. It wasn't 10 seconds after the ultrasound tech turned on the machine when G asked her, "Is it healthy?"

It was so fun to see the little bugger grabbing his feet and kickin' in the womb while we sat in awe of what we were watching. It's funny how I see other people's ultrasound pictures and I think, "Wow, that looks just like skeletor." But I took one look at this picture and knew we had a cute baby, seeing features only a mother can identify from an ultrasound photograph.Oh, and in case you were wondering, it's a BOY!

I was a hair's breathe away from buying a Steinway & Sons grand piano today. I nearly pulled the trigger until I came to grips with the four zeros behind that $5 and actually scheduling a delivery could result in financial ruin for the G family and the possibility of my sudden disappearance. So I just played some beautiful music on one of the beauties and pretended it was about to be mine (in about 50 years after I've saved enough cash to make the purchase). Afterwards I drowned in my no-Steinway-for-me sorrow alone at the Training Table restaurant located next to the piano store. I didn't feel one bit guilty eating every last cheese fry since I had already exercised extraordinary self control just moments earlier.

*Picture taken by Kati: Noelle after Emily's wedding. This is how I felt after leaving the piano store.

By-Low Baby in Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine

Several months ago I was contacted by one of the editors of Pregnancy & Newborn Magazine about a feature they were doing on baby blankets. The editor asked me if I would be willing to send her a couple blankets to potentially be used in the July issue of the magazine. I was reluctant, of course, because I 1. didn't know if she was for real, and 2. I was basically being asked to donate my blankets (again, is this for real, or is somebody just fooling me into sending my cutest blankets??). After researching the magazine and the editor for legitimacy and finally getting over my paranoia, I donated my blankets and have been waiting for the July issue ever since.

Well, the July issue of the magazine is on stands now and lo and behold, there is one of the blankets I sent them! While it doesn't have it's own centerfold, By-Low Baby gets the credit. I couldn't be more thrilled. My blanket is part of the pink pinwheel - the pink and green one at the bottom on the stem. Fun, eh?

Click the picture to enlarge. Website details are given in the shopping guide, in case you were wondering how to find By-Low Baby.

R.I.P Michael Jackson

I was pretty much over the death of Michael Jackson 30 seconds after I heard the news. No doubt a music legend, also no doubt a complete wacko. The man creeps me out and quite frankly I'm tired of hearing about how he died, who is responsible, who gets the kids, the fortune, the memorial place, rights to the wax Michael in Madame Tussauds museum. And for that one fan who said Michael is a "living-day prophet," you're a wacko too.

To be fair and to put Michael to rest, I'd like to pay a little tribute to his greatest hits. Come along with me down a path of THEN and NOW.

Off The Wall - Then

Off The Wall - Now

Rock With You - Then

Rock With You - Now

Bad - Then

Bad - Now

Thriller - Then

Thriller - Now

We Are The World, We are the Children - Then

We Are the World, We are the Children - Now

R.I.P. Michael Jackson

Bouncing Babies

Last week was a busy week for a couple of my siblings. Two babies, yes, TWO babies born in a week. Let me introduce you:

This is Cassidy, born Saturday, June 20 to B and A and big sister K. Weighing in at just over 5 lbs, she was born a few weeks early. She gave her mumsie a little trouble with high blood pressure and cankles. The doc said it was time to go. She sure is beautiful. And so, so sweet.This is Suzy "Sydney" Sunshine, born June 26 to R and R and big sister N. Weighing in over 7 lbs, baby Sydney was right on time. In fact, her mums had to wait a few days because there was no room in the inn. Luckily there was no reason to resort to a manger in a barn. Baby Sydney came in style. And her mom looked great too!

Welcome to our world, little ones! This auntie is excited to spoil you rotten!

Happiness is...

...soft feet and a new set of toes. Not much can beat a metallic pink polishing by Lu Kim Lee and quality girl chat with AJ. Top it off with a Chocolate Bon Bon Hazelnut gellato for complete exaltation.

..."LOOK G, BIRDS!" My mom gave me this feeder for my birthday last year. We hang it with every visit to the cabin. Unfortunately not a single bird had perched here and not one seed had been cracked since the inaugural hanging last summer. The feeder has always been a fun fixture, but it's never proved functional. Last weekend at the cabin we hung it again, as usual and with low expectations. In no time the birds emerged from the forest and went coo coo for coco puffs! We had to refill the seed after the first day. The chipmunks were thrilled too, as these birds were total slobs and dropped many of the seeds to the ground.

...a happy G and his Dutch oven. Testing out the new oven for our upcoming G-family reunion, this guy served up his first-ever Dutch oven peach cobbler. Add a scoop of vanilla ice cream to the gooey goodness and you get nothing but peachy numminess and a new cabin tradition.

Just when you think you're done you start over

I was on the University campus a few days ago for a meeting with a certain "college" to learn about the pre-requisites and application process to enter their program. As I was circling the area around the Union building looking for parking I could feel my nervous system starting to react as I recalled the days of my life when I was a student and how great it felt to be done. Perhaps it was the memory of the horrible parking situation - reserved 'A' lots and 'U' lots and 30 minute parking meters - my meeting was for one hour.

I wanted to be on time to the meeting. In the back of my mind I thought there would be an attendance nazi from the college taking note of all the people who wandered in late. I imagined if I were late they would put a star next to my name on the attendance list and be sure to deduct points from my application to the college. It's competitive, you know. I was on time.

I left the meeting full of information and overwhelmed by the requirements. I felt like the oldest person in the room, and the smartest. Ok, maybe not that smart. If I were smart I would have done this 15 years ago. Oh to be a student again.

Spring has Sprung

Picture of the cutest girl ever, Noelle, and her auntie enjoying the gardens on Temple Square, May 2008. Notice the flowers!

If you want to see the most beautiful gardens full of every spring flower bursting to life, then now is the time to stroll through the gardens on Temple Square. I took a stroll through the gardens today. The smell of hyacinths reminded me of the bike ride I took with my sissy through the bulb fields in Holland. I love spring.

Lisse, The Netherlands 2005

The Dentist Part II

Today was my follow-up visit to the dentist for what I believe to be an imaginary cavity. Since this is only the second time in my entire life to have a cavity filled, I am stressed out. I hate the dentist just for a good ol' fashioned cleaning, let alone getting fillings!

The dental assistant (bless her heart for taking on this vile profession) is kind and gentle and even offers to let me watch a movie. I remember this on my first cavity trip to the dentist. Why on earth would I want to watch 10 minutes of Harry Potter? Perhaps she could sense my distress and was trying to divert my attention to something other than a drill and spit vacuum.

The dentist comes in very quickly, busts open my mouth and starts numbing my tooth area. Wait...wait...wait for it to numb and then starts drilling. Ouch! I can feel that drill, so he gives me a "little more." Meanwhile he takes care of the cavity, the dental assistant is spraying stuff all over my face (yes, I know it's gross. I'm even grossed out by my own grossness) and in a matter of five minutes or less we are done. My hands were sweating and my fingers white knuckled together.

On the way home I can gradually feel the entire left side of my face becoming more and more numb. My tongue feels like it's three inches thick, my cheek is a little tingly and my eye lid I know is droopy. I can feel it. All I could think about is not drooling. Just for fear of drooling in front of my colleagues, I decided to take the rest of the afternoon off.

Half Marathon Goodness

Today marks the second year G and I have run the Salt Lake 1/2 marathon. You may recall our first 1/2 marathon last year - G "gave" it to me for Christmas. I spent the next three months prepping and training. Afterall, 13.1 miles is a long distance and I didn't want to die trying.



This year I don't think I prepared as well for the big event. Sure, I did several long runs the last month or so, but I slacked big-time on my weekly runs. G had me beat this year, particularly at mile 11.5, which was a pretty gradual incline up State Street. I slowed to a snails pace for fear of my calf muscles seizing up entirely on me, but G - who ran most of the way at my pace - at that point I let him loose like a dog free from a chain. We both had a goal to finish the race in under two hours, and slowing on the last couple miles was not acceptable (regardless, we both achieved our goal! G did finish about two minutes ahead of me though).



One thing we've learned on long distance runs is to go to the bathroom before starting a race. Last year G had to make a pit stop at one of the port-o-johns on the course. Not great for your time, especially since there's usually a waiting line. He finally got smart and decided to-heck with the port-o-john. Just ditch behind some guy's garage and let it out. This really happened on our recent 10 mile race down Emigration Canyon. Never mind that the river, 5 ft from where he got his relief, is also a watershed. This year we started the race late with about 1,000 other people because we, of course, were standing in line at the port-o-john. After looking at our results, this doesn't matter. It appears as if we literally passed 3,000 of the 4,200 participants along the route. Pat me on the back!



Although we're both a little sore after today's push, it's nothing a beef stick and a Diet Coke can't cure. I can assure you, I will sleep well tonight.

You may recognize the picture. It was one taken at last year's race. Since I wore the exact same thing today, this year's pictures won't be much different. Also, BIG THANKS to my dad and step-mom, who live along the race course, for being up bright and early to cheer us on!

Come back, ladybug!

I received the saddest call last night from my three year old niece, Noelle. She was utterly distraught on the telephone. I could barely understand what she was saying through her tears. When it all came down to it, she had been outside in the garden and found a ladybug. This little creature was her new best friend, that is, until it flew away. She just could not understand how her BFF could leave her so suddenly.

I chatted with her mom this morning who told me the first thing Noelle asked when she woke up was if they could go out to the garden to find the ladybug. She's so heartbroken over the loss of her little friend.

I Spy

I was just catching up on my evening Internet browsing when I looked over my shoulder and saw this:

Apparently my sewing area exploded. Here are a few things amongst the disaster. Can you spot them?

1. basket full of fabric scraps and a bonus paper bag full of additional fabric scraps that I have good intentions of using for something yet to be imagined because I just can't throw any of it away.

2. blanket give-away neatly wrapped waiting to be delivered to the lucky winner

3. new set blanket set made with the most delicious "Al Fresco" by Michele D'Amore fabric with an edge of Egyptian thread, almost finished and ready to be posted on By-Low Baby

4. bunny-soft purple fleece fabric waiting to be made into a blanket just like the one in the give-away

5. sewing machine yet to be unpacked from it's recent trip to the cabin (I never leave home without it)

6. box of pins which I've had since 6th grade. The little white ball tips are all starting to come off leaving 70% of the pins useless

7. machine peddle, which I probably removed from the machine cover pocket so I could dig out my the safety pins I needed to pin on my race number for the 10 miler I ran on Saturday, in a snow storm.

8. rotary blade sharp enough to take off a finger

9. plastic bags to ship blanket orders

10. paper cutter to slice blanket tags for blanket orders

11. a Llardo calendar, still on January, that G gave me for Christmas. It was free with the one Llardo wise man I got from Santa.

12. the "dream board" I made one day at work in our Yes I Can committee

13. a self-healing cutting mat that has been cut into so many times it is nearly beyond the stages of self-healing

14. A grid ruler essential to any seamstress' repertoire

15. a bag full of Royale Classic Crochet Thread in every color this side of Easter

16. The Yarn Girls Guide to Beyond the Basics book, which seems to be written in a language I have yet to understand (I think it has something to do with knitting or something?)

17. Multiple piles of fabrics and scraps strewn about (this is a gimme)

18. G's poker chip organizer

This is what my life looks like, my friends. I didn't even have to try.

On this day 7 years ago, we promised to be true loves forever.

Happy Anniversary, Pookie

And the Winner is......

Congratulations to POLLA, the lucky winner of the the softest fleece blanket ever! Wow, thanks everyone for entering and leaving such nice comments. I feel like I need to make one for everyone! We can probably make arrangements to do that if you really want one :)

Meanwhile, I've finished this adorable little quilt. It's made with the Look and Learn cotton fabric by Moda. The white fabric is actually a very soft flannel. I've machine quilted - free motion - so when washed will give it a vintage, crinkly look. I love it - so bright and fun. I've put it in my Etsy shop. Hopefully someone else will love it as much as I do.And the signature strip on the back for a little added interest.

Blanket Give-Away - Last Chance!

If you want this super-soft fleece blanket, all yours for FREE, enter now by leaving a comment. I'm going to randomly select a winner before the clock strikes midnight tonight! Good luck!

By-Low Baby Give-Away!!!

I am adding a fleece blanket with a silky edge to my By-Low Baby collection. Tonight I made a prototype, which I love and I think you will too. It isn't perfect enough to sell, but it just great for a blogging friends give-away! It is made of bunny soft, light-weight fleece with a coordinating silky border. The blanket is mint green (in terms of color, the first picture is the more accurate then the second - I'm working on my photo skills!) measures 34"x38" so it is the perfect size for the wee one to wrap up, sit on, or cuddle. Or if you don't have a wee one, that's OK too. It makes a great lap blanket. So everyone, enter to win by leaving me a comment!!

The winner will be randomly selected on Wednesday, March 25th.

Disclaimer: this blanket is a prototype and only near perfect, which means you might notice a minor flaw or two. It is still completely functional and I have every bit of confidence it will last through years of wear and tear.

The Marriage of Figaro

Last night I had the pleasure of attending Utah Opera's production of Mozart's The Marriage of Figaro, a comical yet profound tale of love, betrayal and forgiveness. I went with my friend, who I call The Ven-I. She and I used to have season opera tickets together. She reminded me that this opera was the first one we saw together nearly ten years ago.

I was first turned on to the opera when I took a Music in Culture class at the University. The professor would elaborate on several of the classics, then would show a clip from a production put on by a huge company, such as the Met. The class left me intrigued. I wanted to see Don Giovanni's deliverance to hell in person.

After I married G, I added him to my season ticket subscription. His attendance to the opera was entirely to fulfill his duties as a good husband and had absolutely nothing to do with his desire {or lack thereof} for art and culture. It wasn't until the production of Julius Caesar did I get much response from G. He is a Caesar fan and actually looked forward to this opera. When the opera opened we were sorely disappointed to discover it wasn't the classic Roman Caesar with togas, scrolls and olive leaf headbands, rather a campy production set in the early 20th century. On top of that, the nearly four hour production far exceeded G's two hour attention span. That was it. G felt his duties as a good husband had been fulfilled, and marked this as the end of our season tickets. Such a tragic ending.

I don't know that I will ever be a season ticket holder again, but I do know that my appreciation for the arts has not waivered. I thoroughly enjoyed the production; the comedy, the love, the music, the set. Bravo!!

Me to my boss as he's leaving for the day {with a what-up head nod}: "Take it easy."

Boss to me: "If it's easy, take it twice."

Ok.

Say AH...now spit!

I had the joy of visiting the dentist today. I go every six months, as I believe in good dental hygiene, but I have to say, visiting the dentist is right up there as one of my least favorite things to do in life. I think the dental hygienist could sense my discomfort, even though I was trying so hard to be brave. I told her her "types" were one-of-a-kind to do the job of cleaning people's mouths. I can honestly say if that were the last job on earth, I wouldn't do it.

Usually I leave the dentist office with a clean bill of health. I have only had one cavity in my entire life, which I got about three years ago. You can only imagine my disappointment after that visit. How could it be? I brush at least twice a day, I rinse with Act Restoring mouthwash, and I really try to floss more than just when I eat steak or corn on the cob. My teeth are perfect. They're even straight and I've never had braces! I really believed my dentist knew he'd never make money off of me, so he made the whole cavity thing up. I considered getting a second opinion.

Today's visit took me back to that day three years ago. The dentist walks in, takes a look at my x-rays and says, "Oh look, you have a cavity." Just give me my free toothbrush and leave me alone.

Just Us Girls

Poofy skirts and candy sum up this little girl. A sunny delight.

New Rule: You Have to Like What I Cook...

Tonight I committed to going back on my nutrition plan, which means if G wants to eat, he's on the plan too. To do this meant some serious grocery shopping that consisted mostly of fruits, vegetables and poultry. Throw in a few cups of yogurt and cottage cheese, and we're set. On the way home G was asking me what the hamburger buns were for. When I told him we were having turkey burgers for dinner this week he winced. That is when I made the new rule: if there are any complaints about my meal plans, than the complainer is responsible for planning and preparing next week's menu {to my specification, of course}. I'm pretty sure G will "enjoy" the turkey burgers.

Big Love

The other day my sister was telling me about HBO's newest controversy over their drama series Big Love. Now, to be honest, I watch the show religiously {ha!}. It has a place on my DVR. It's rather entertaining and can be quite ridiculous, particularly since I fully understand modern Mormon culture. I don't really get polygamy, but the show portrays it as I imagine it.

When I first read the article depicting the controversial scene and saw the picture of the actress in temple robes, I was sick to my stomach. Maybe even a little offended. I couldn't really understand why HBO felt it was necessary to cross the sacred line. However, being a faithful viewer and knowing how the show typically runs, I figured whatever they show is likely going to be out of context and probably won't make any sense to the general audience - it just won't help the "peculiar" image. I've read the statement from Church. I couldn't agree more. The Church is big enough to draw media attention, negative and out of context as it sometimes may be. Don't let the media attention distract you from the Church's real purpose. Big Love? Big deal.

Photo from HBO

I like to...

One of my Facebook friends had this in her "Notes." I couldn't resist trying it out myself. Google "{your name} likes to" (with the quotation marks) and see what the first 10 hits say about you. I found mine to be rather entertaining:

Rebekah likes to:
1. party
2. sell some of her crafts at the local farmers’ market
3. use grown-up words like "monetise"
4. compare her life to that of Laura Ingalls Wilder from Little House on the Prairie
5. play in the woods and sing
6. spend time with Cody (of course!), take care of her niece and nephews, and shop!
7. shoot
8. hang out in the feedlot {does it show?}
9. be known as Bek (she tells us she only gets called Rebekah when she is extremely naughty)
10. sing, dance, do yoga and hug trees!
and the best honary one - 11. punch things. Girlfight.

Sounds just like me, doesn't it?

Bag Lady

I recently finished up a custom quilt set for a customer on By-Low Baby. This was a really fun project. While the pattern is a very simple patch quilt, it turned out so cute with a classic oh-so-soft polka-dot, check and stripe fabric.

I like to add a little special detail to the back of my quilts to give them interest. My customer loved the finished product. I couldn't ask for anything more.

Since BLB momentarily slowed down this week, I started another project for my friend who wanted nothing more than a "cute and sassy" bag for school supplies and laptop. I chose fabrics from Amy Butler's Daisy Chain collection, and used her Swing Bag pattern to create this fun little number.

Of course it's reversible!
My sissy wants one too, so I'm going to use some fabrics I bought awhile back to make this too-hard-to make-again bag. This funky lovey fabric is also from Amy Butler {yes, I'm having an affair with Amy Butler fabrics, can you tell?} . LOVE. IT.