Fresh Air {take two}

There's a First Time for Everything

Since I'm still working out how to post my pictures from Photobucket {that site is NOT happy with me}, I decided to do a little Q&A for you. I saw this on another blog and I think it's kinda fun.

You're fascinated already, I can tell.

1. First thing you do when you wake up in the morning:

Blink like a madwoman {why are mornings so bright?}.

2. First thing you do when you get home from work:

Honestly? Usually I have to pee.

3. First kiss:

I thought it was incredibly romantic-- it was in the rain. Although, technically, we were inside. Eh, but who cares! It was my first kiss. ;)

4. First home:

The first house I remember growing up in was a duplex in Bountiful, Utah. My first home after I moved to college was in Cedar City, Utah.

5. First car:

The awesome little '93 Honda Accord that now belongs to my brother! Yep, she's still running.

6. First car accident / traffic violation:

My first ticket was on the freeway heading home one weekend from Cedar City. It was totally unfair.

7. First thing you wanted to be when you grew up:

The little mermaid! Baha!

8. First choice of beverage:

Orange juice. Deeeeelicious.

9. First choice of dessert:

Now that's a tough one. Mmmm....at the moment I'm feeling Mountain Dew Cake.

10. First choice of restaurant:

For fast food: Taco Time. For sit-down, Olive Garden.

11. First song that comes to mind:

Two Black Cadillacs, Carrie Underwood.

12. First major purchase:

Its happening this week! The Christopher and I are buying our very first brand-new washer!

13. First job:

I scored the glamorous job of sales associate at Old Navy.

14. First time you flew on a plane:

I think it was for the choir trip in high school. New York, baby! Wait...maybe it was San Francisco...

15. First real "grownup" job:

Copywriter! I was super lucky to score my first freelancing job last year; this year I'm working on my second! It makes me very excited.

Well, there you are. Fifteen firsts. Did you learn something new?

Summer Treasures

You know what I've discovered about myself so far this summer?

I really like polka dots.

And I really like braids.{despite my extreme lack of braiding skills.}

And I think that {most of the time}Blake Lively has a pretty sweet style.

Also, that I consume ridiculous amounts of sugar when left alone at night. 

And that I have a serious addiction to loud music when there's no one else in the house.

And that, when my husband is gone, I have no desire to ever brush my teeth. Ever.

TMI?

Forget Me Not

Yesterday I read this post  by a friend of mine. She asks the questions, "What am I? What makes me special?" 

It was a little crazy to read as she pondered her questions, because strangely enough I had been having some of the same doubts and fears as she did. 

{maybe we all go through the same things at the same time and just don't know it until one brave soul says something.}

You know in classrooms and church when everybody's being introduced, and they ask you to say one unique thing about yourself? 

Oh man do I hate those games. My mind always goes blank.

And afterward, I find myself complaining to Chris:

There's nothing special about me. I'm not unique. I'm not doing anything noticeable in the world. 

These thoughts tend to stick around.

This morning as I was making the bed, I decided to grab the book, "Forget Me Not" by Dieter F. Uchtdorf and thumb through it. 

Here is what I read:

God is fully aware that you and I are not perfect. 

Let me add: God is also fully aware that the people you think are perfect are not.

And yet we spend so much time and energy comparing ourselves to others--usually comparing our weaknesses to their strengths....As a result, we never celebrate our good efforts because they seem to be less than what someone else does. 

....be thankful for all the small successes in your home, your family relationships, your education and livelihood, your Church participation and personal improvement. Like the forget-me-not [flowers], these successes may seem tiny to you and they may go unnoticed by others, but God notices them and they are not small to Him. If you consider success to be only the most perfect rose or dazzling orchid, you may miss one of life's sweetest experiences.

And I realized, I have been so very caught up in what I'm not accomplishing, that I've missed the tiny flowers that have been blooming all over my life.

Man, did I feel stupid. 

President Uchtdorf compares the five petals of the forget-me-not to five things we should never forget. So, here are five small successes/blessings I will remember:

1. I was worthy enough to marry a strong priesthood leader in the temple. We are sealed for eternity--I know he will be a righteous influence for the rest of our lives, and preside over our family as such. 

2. Even though some days I feel as if I don't have a single friend to lean on {stupid college town--everyone moves away}, I guarantee that I could text one friend who is 300 miles away, and she would happily respond. And even if I felt awkward asking,  my sweet VT partner would be willing to help me in a heartbeat out if I ever needed it.  

3. As much as I worry about my hair not being up-to-date, or not knowing how to do it in the cute fashions I see everywhere, it still looks decent. I am complimented on it almost every week at work, and though I tend to discount that quite often, I must be doing something right. {seriously....i want cute hair.}

4. We live in a beautiful, spacious apartment where we are able to let our two cats run around. And if we haven't found a place up north yet, then it's because this is where we need to be right now. 

5. The Lord thinks we are doing all right. 

A little backstory for you-- a couple weeks ago, Chris & I were called in to meet with the stake president of a single's ward {yeah, we were thinking the same thing you are.}During the interview, he told us that Chris's name had come up. After we told him we would be willing to serve in whatever position Chris was called to, we also told him that we expected to be moving sometime this summer. He kindly nodded and closed the interview without extending a calling. He told us that if we felt that moving was what we needed to do, then the Lord would 'catch us some other time.' 

"Think of it like this," he told us. "The Lord knows that you have been living righteously. He's proud of what you're doing. And even if He isn't able to call you now, He'll call you to serve wherever you are, because He trusts you."

All in all, it kind of sounded like he was saying the Lord was giving us a thumbs-up. 

I hadn't been thinking of it like that, but it changed my perspective. 

We're trusted. He's proud of us.

Our successes are not small to Him.

I should be proud too.

The Adventures of RIT and Bleach

Someone should let me name a TV show.

Once upon a time, I had an orange sweater that was THIS color:

Kind of a so-so faded orange.

But THEN.....

I mixed up some bleach solution {10 parts HOT water to 1 part bleach}and soaked the orange sweater for half an hour. {for more tips on bleaching, go HERE}{i love her. she is my hero.}

When I pulled it out, it was now THIS color:

{off-white....ish. sorry these first few pictures are crap. couldn't find my camera.}

Next, with a handy bottle of  golden yellow RIT liquid dye {instructions on bottle}, I mixed up some dye solution in which I proceeded to swirl said sweater around for approximately fifteen minutes. {you don't have to leave anything in for the full amount on the bottle, just pull it out when it turns the color you want}

Now, I have a yellow sweater:

Are you amazed????


Let me tell you, when I pulled that sweater out of the dye and rinsed it out, I swear I saw millions of doors opening before my eyes.

Maaaaaaaagiiiiiiiiiiiiiiiic.

Go dye something. It'll change your life.

On a somewhat-related topic, that picture you see above was taken at my friend Kim's baby shower. {awww, babies!}

Having been on a sewing kick, I decided to make her something for the shower. {who doesn't want something that no one else has??!}This is what I came up with:

Blanket {my first!}:

Burp cloths:

And the part of which I am MOST proud....a FISH:

Remarkably easier than you'd think. I just pulled up a silhouette on our computer, then held a paper up to the screen and traced the outline. {i suppose if you want you could actually print it off.}Then I cut it out, pinned it to some fabric, and cut out two shapes. I decided to get a little fancy at this point, and used a narrow zig-zag stitch to attach some strips of cloth leftover from the burp cloths and blanket. Then, I pinned it right sides together and sewed everything except a small gap to turn it right-side-out. Turned it the right way, stuffed it full of stuffing, and then used a handy ladder stitch to close the opening. Ta-daaaaaa!

I'm so proud.

It's Thursday

Today was just one of those days. 

You know, where the only thing going through your mind is "Blaaaaaggggggghhhhhhhh....."

Maybe it was because I worked 6 hours by myself. Maybe it was because I was tired. Whatever it was, when I got home the only thing I was motivated enough to do was make myself a cup of hot chocolate {no, it is not too warm for that yet}, sit on the couch, and watch Modern Family. 

Most of the time I wasn't even motivated enough to laugh out loud {though i DID enjoy some long chuckles in my head}.

Blaaaaaagggggghhhhh.

Then the husband came home, and offered to make me a fire to sit by outside. That motivated me enough to grab a few hot dogs and roast us some dinner. 

I love sitting by the fire. 

One of the benefits of living in Cedar City is that it's pretty dang easy to build one in your backyard. Or in a barrel, because we're wanna-be hobos.

Also, Carl's Jr. makes me laugh.

Addicted

Okay, seriously? 

I am loving knit skirts.

They are suuuper comfy, and suuuuper easy to make.

So.....I made another one.

Remember the black and white striped skirt I made out of t-shirts?

Well I made another.

I went to the thrift store, bought a white tee and a floral patterned....well, Chris calls it a muumuu. 

$5.

The teal shirt I already had. It has a stain near the neckline so I never wear it, but I loved the color so much I couldn't throw it away. {so glad i didn't.}

Seriously, guys, you have to make one. 

<3

Also, we tried to go see The Hunger Games on Saturday afternoon {as much fun as they are, midnight showings require a 2-hour nap beforehand....mebbe we're old}, and it was sold out. I almost cried. Here in Cedar things never sell out.

Sigh.

Until next week I guess.

5 Things You Never Knew

Five things you never knew about me.

Seems self-centered, maybe? Welllll....maybe I just know you have a desperate need to know more about my life. {or maybe i need to remind myself there are actually interesting things about me.} 

1. I am a poetry fanatic. 

I love William Carlos Williams and Ezra Pound. 

{and i'm going to throw Willa Cather in there....her writing is pretty much poetry.}

Imagery is my favorite. 

If you couldn't tell.

2. I love apples, hate apple juice. Love grapes, hate grape juice. Hate oranges....love orange juice. 

I'm a complicated woman.

3. I am absolutely terrified of ladders.

Why be afraid of heights when you can be afraid of what takes you to heights?

4. I was accepted into every university in the state, but chose SUU because it had the prettiest campus. 

{not counting UofU, to which i didn't apply.}

I promise I'm not shallow.

5. When I was little, I secretly wanted to grow up to become the Little Mermaid.

Leave me a comment with your own 5 interesting things!

Who knew we were so fascinating?

10 Things I Hate About You

Let's all take a moment for Heath Ledger.

Okay, now don't take these personally. {unless you are guilty of any...in which case stop immediately.}

On a snowy day, with nothing else to do {except avoid cooking dinner}, I present to you...

10 pet peeves.

The compilation of a brief discussion between me and C. 

1. Tailgaters who won't move over to pass you in the wide open lane to your left. Even when you slow down to a crawling 45mph on the freeway in the hopes of shaking them. Just. Move. Over.

2. Loud singers. Not everyone can be as obnoxiously loud energetic as you are. Thank goodness that woman was only visiting today.

3. People who text you, "Hey what are you doing?" and then mysteriously drop off the face of the earth when you respond. {maybe i'm being a little obsessive here...but WHAT??? WHAT DID YOU WANT???}

4. Facebookers who post their relationship problems as their status. And you wonder why you're having problems.

5. People who discount your opinion simply because they are older than you are. Librarians are particularly guilty of this. {i would know....i worked in a library once.}

6. Drivers who signal after the lane change. Now I'm going to hit you out of revenge.

7. When the dryer doesn't dry your clothes all the way. It's a dryer, not a dampener. Curse words.

8. The fact that I have spent the last half an hour trying to come up with 10 pet peeves and have burned out at 8. 

That's either a good thing, or my memory is going.

What are your pet peeves? I know you have them. 

{and please do not say people who blog about pet peeves. cruel.}

I've just had a lovely nap that left me with major bedhead and now I'm off to make cookies instead of real food.

I feel like Farrah Fawcett. 

The One Where I Feel Like I Have Talent

So this past week I seem to have caught a bug.

A crafting bug! {Ha! Gotcha!}

I was looking around on Pinterest {join it} and saw a couple cute necklace projects that I just HAD to try. Because they are super-duper cute.

So I made this necklace:

 {Sadly, not my ACTUAL necklace...I was too lazy to take my own pic...but it looks EXACTLY the same I PROMISE.}

 Total cost? $5.

And then I made this one:

 

Cost of this piece? $4.

I think I'm on a lace kick. 

Just look at this dress.

 

Anyway. Moving on. To something completed unrelated. To my next subject.

Chris and I went on a drive up into the mountains today, and can I say, it is absolutely beautiful up there.  We ended up at Duck Creek Lake, a small pond that is surrounded on all sides by pines and aspens. 

I love it up there.

It reminds me just how wonderful God's creations are. 

 See the squirrel?

{aw}

Don't judge too harshly on the pictures here. I don't have a tripod. That means the camera was balanced on rocks, trees, and other various small objects to  get it pointed in the right direction.

I love nature.

I love Chris.

I love crafts.

That's all you need to take away from this post.