cheering section

allie is such a lucky girl.

she always has a very large cheering section whenever she dances. lots of family, although only pictured with us this time.

some of her cheering section are other dancer's parents too...

but some come just because they love her...

and ethan wishes he could take hip hop too.

lovely and lucky girl.

and the recital was so much fun - love you allie girl!

caution: exploding pants ahead

if i'm not careful this week, my jeans might explode right off my body.

it's true, and all because of this:

oh. my. goodness.

have you tried this stuff?

if you haven't, it's at costco, by the guac and dips.

if you go, treat yourself to a fancier box of crackers to eat it with. fancy crackers make all the difference.

but don't say i didn't warn you.

oh my gosh, here it comes....

mmmmm.sigh.

heaven on a cracker.

oh, and do yourself a favor, and just skip reading the nutrition facts.

i was ok with those evil numbers printed on the back, but it might ruin it for some of the more health consious readers out there.
hence, the exploding jeans.

time out

considering my agenda for this week includes:
wrapping
crafting - yes a little more
grocery list making and shopping
a few more gifts
gingerbread houses
baking
hosting
lights at temple square
laundry
painting the bathroom - i really want to cross this off my list!
dinners
neighbor treats
hair appointment - gotta get that in
photos
christmas breakfast party
stuffing stockings
family get togethers
oh and did i mention the laundry?
and at least one trip to costco...

i thought it appropriate for a little time out:
merry christmas.

falling off the face of the earth - or maybe just my blog

i'm not dead - thanks for checking on me though. here are ten reasons why i haven't blogged in forever.

10. it's december people! i'm pretty ready but still finding myself running around trying to do those last minute little projects and things. exhilarating AND exhausting all at once. - that could be the title of my autobiography.

9. winter sometimes equals depression. i'm fine. but sometimes things fall off the list of priorities when you're trying to just stay afloat.

8. i feel like i already blogged everything christmas tradition related two years ago. i sort of feel like i'm being repetative. i ran into the same issue last year.

7. i'm working on a new photography website. it's going to be months of work and won't be unveiled for a while, infact, i'm only as far as working on my portfolio, because these things take a ton of time.

6. i just finished my seventh custom-designed christmas card in about three weeks. i love doing this for people, it just makes me happy!  need a card? email me, i'll hook you up!

5. sewing! i've been sewing. a lot. i finished making christmas pajamas for every person in my family, started a new quilt and cranked out a dozen or so of my favorite burp cloths with the ribbon sewn on. nothing super fancy, but time consuming instead. i also sewed several long tubes that i filled with beans to act as door draft blockers. my own invention.

4. we're having heat issues again. sometimes it's too cold to type. for reals.

3. rich is in the middle of a toy story 3 death march and is working haneous hours. poor guy. but it means i'm holding down the fort by myself a lot, and at night, i just want to veg and surf other people's blogs.

2. laundry - ok lame excuse, but i just can't seem to get on top of it lately. i guess the kids are dressing in twice the layers - ok maybe three times the layers lately because it's been so dang COLD, inside and out.

1. the BIGGEST reason. my camera is dead. and i can't afford a new one. in fact, almost all of the photos i've posted for several months now have been taken by other people and emailed to me. bless their hearts. i have a crappy point and shoot, but i just have no desire to pick it up and shoot with it when i know how lame the photo will turn out when it's done. and, i think i'm going to switch sides this time. meaning, i have my eye on a canon - gasp!  i've been a nikon girl for a while now, but i thought i would just like to TRY the canon and see the difference. but. i have a couple of cute little videos to post, but i can't figure out how to post them with the new blogger?

however. there are lots of fun things coming up really soon that are all blog worthy. so i will be posting soon. even if it is with a crappy camera.

i heart ree

for years now, i have been following pioneer woman on her hillarious journey of "high heels to tractor wheels" on her very well done blog. this woman completely amazes me, i am always in awe of how much she can do, and that she does it all so well.

her photos are stunning and she knows exactly the right kind of tweaking with photoshop to make them that much better. she lives on a cattle ranch, she home-schools her beautiful children, she is in love with her handsome cowboy husband, oh AND she can cook. like nobody's business. but all of this goodness isn't what i love the most about her. it's her ability to tell a story and make me feel like i'm a part of her little life out there in the country, like we've been friends for as long as i've been reading. her stories usually send me laughing, sometimes crying, sometimes a little bit of both. she's just so REAL, such a down home cookin', kind of a woman, and i love her! i love ree drummond!

ok, so we've established that i'm a fan, maybe a little too much, but seriously, everyone i know who reads her feels the same way i do. so imagine how excited i was to hear that she was publishing a cook book! yay!

of course i pre-ordered it on amazon, several actually, and i couldn't wait to see it, i knew she would have written and photographed everything in it herself and it would be amazing. and it is by the way.

so imagine how over the top excited i was to find out that salt lake city was on her book tour!!!!

of course we planned a big girl's night out, got there way early because we knew there would be a million people there (even if the tiny little book store had NO IDEA - which they didn't). and it was worth all the waiting and standing in line, and evening buying another expensive copy from the tiny little book store because mine hadn't arrived in the mail from amazon yet. (guess what arrived the very  next day?) all of it, totally worth it, she was wonderful! 

it was great to hear her speak, the question and answer session was a lot of fun - i could tell right away that everyone else in the room loved her as much as me.(we are in the fourth row back on the leftish - you can see patsy waving).

she also brought her sister in law missy who i was thrilled to meet, she's beautiful!

after the Q&A, we waited in another long line that wound through the tiny but delightful bookstore - though not as long for us since we were there super early and got tickets to the signing - woohoo!

but that line was worth it too, because she signed my book for me and chatted for a minute, and chuckled when i told her that she "saved thanksgiving gravy at my house".

i really wanted her to know this. i explained about having my SIL hold the laptop for me by the stove top while i scrolled down to each photo with one hand, whisk in the other, following along to make sure i was doing it just right. then she had a good laugh,  she said, "oh the gravy is so important, i'm so glad i could help!"

i wish i could have come up with something memorable to tell her, like how amazing i think she is.  i just didn't know what to say without sounding like a psycho - kind of like i am now i'm sure. i heart ree.

traditiooooon!!

clytie adam's nutcracker is one of my favorite traditions of the year.

the smith girls always get together and go to the saturday matinee - this year laurel was finally old enough to come so all the girls in our family were accounted for.

we went to breakfast this year at doug and emmy's before the show- oh my was it good! 

we waited for ever for our food so we had lots of time for photos.

some how i missed getting a photo of addie at breakfast.

allie, and all the little girls, were especially fond of their hot chocolate.

we were in a huge hurry by the time the food got to us, so i missed getting a photo of the giant scones, i couldn't believe how big they were! we will definitely eat here again, but some time when we're not pressed for time.

we barely got to the show on time, but thanks to april's illegal parking job, we got a spot right up front and ran in just in time. (don't worry, we did not take a handicap space, just "extended" the row by one spot)

we especially love seeing so many of allie's friends in the production, everyone did a wonderful job. next year i need to make a point of taking allie's photo with all of her friends who dance in the production, it really is a highlight for us to get to see them in their element.

i am always completely stunned at the grace and athletisism of the professional ballet dancers. which is good, because you need to have something to distract you from the sprayed on pants of the male dancers. wow. i mean, talk about self confidence.

the lady taking our photo kept moving to the right which accounts for our weird posing.

what was she thinking?

over all it was a wonderful day, yummy breakfast, beautiful dancing, happy girls and of course, TRADITOOOOOON!

i have to admit though, i was sad to be missing ashleigh from this year's photo. sigh.

minus - a billion other things

the killer cherry jello salad is chilling

the sweet potato casserole is ready

the cranberry sauce is cooling

the cherry pie is beautiful

the pecan pie didn't turn out - waa!

the stuffing is almost ready

AND....

the eagle has landed!

well, technically, it's a turkey.

and when i say, "landed", i mean it's cooking in my oven.

which means, i have about an hour before

finishing the stuffing

peeling potatoes

rolling the dough

and (my favorite part)

  working the drippings for gravy baby

with that break comes this list

gratitude for-

rich's intense work ethic

employment

healthy bodies

our lipstick house

my american citizenship

i have kids! i always wanted to be a mom

pioneer woman - she taught me how to make gravy baby

being able to stay home with my kids

so much love and friendship in my life

jesus christ

my knowledge and testimony of him

sunbeams!

teenagers and a toddler

aprons and gel heel inserts

rich's big heart

kids who are good cleaners

awesome extended family on both sides

jc bigalow cinnamint lip gloss

tweezers

beautiful photos (not necessarily mine)

creativity

theraputic thursday

fiestaware to make a pretty table

amazon.com

my toyota sienna

contact lenses

flexibility

music

SILs and friends with great recipes

christmas lights - and the teenager who hung them!

my warm and wonderful bed

hand sanitizer

clean water

happy email in my inbox

education

that's a pretty good list,

i think i only left out about a billion things.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

the kid wrangler

this is the time of year for family portraits. everyone loves the autumn leaves. unfortunately, it's also the time of year that i feel the most anxiety about my craft. i still get knots in my stomach before a shoot, especially a family one. it's really dumb, i know, but welcome to my anxiety, it's the irrational kind.

there's plenty to worry about with a family shoot, they seem to be the hardest ones for me. i worry about being able to capture the right tone and feel of the family, getting the group to all smile and hold their heads just right at the same time, and of course all the technical aspects of the photoraphy itself. it's enough to make a girl quit her glorified hobby job, and believe me, i've considered it several times. but, i have a secret weapon, and her name is allie.

  you thought i was going to say xanex didn't you?

not unlike xanex, allie has a nice, happy, calming effect on me.

makes me feel like i'm not alone at the shoot, and takes away some of the anxiety for me. makes me feel like i brought a "crew" with me which helps me feel more professional. 'cause you know you only bring a crew if you're a pro. right?

she's also good at placing people, which is such a relief, that's one of the hardest parts for me. she's also fantastic at "wrangling" the children, which can include, but is not limited to: jumping up and down,  making funny faces, loud zerbert-like noises, etc. no matter what, she gets the job done.

oh and did i mention?

she is a fabulous photographer herself.

and i feel a little twinge of JOY when i see this...

so she's also my little apprentice, except she has a way better eye for beauty than i did at her age.

is there nothing that this girl can't do?

and of course, we have to have a little self portait before we leave the shoot.

freezing cold red noses and all.

 love. this. girl.

mom and dad are cool - really

friday nights are usually crazy at our house with three teenagers coming and going with their friends. last friday night, it ended up that everyone was going instead of coming and ethan found himself with just lame old mom and dad to hang out with. what's a four year old to do?

he wasn't so sad when he found out dad was taking us for ice cream.

and agreed to sitting at the tiny kids' table no less!

(thank goodness the chair i sat in didn't break and thus my self esteem remained in tact).

so over all,

the seating could've been more comfortable,

but the ice cream was really good,

and the company, was even better.

i love how ethan is holding our faces in this photo.

mom and dad aren't so bad after all.

swooning

so here's my ten (ok eleven) cents about new moon.

1. i liked kristen stewart better in this movie than in the first.

2. jasper is still totally lame. and why do they make him wear that horrific wig?

3. i could have used a lot more of this in the film...

4. i'm not a fan of the new vampire contacts, edward's real eye color is much more handsome.

5. taylor lautner is so yummy in this movie, for a few minutes i almost switched teams. there, i said it.

6. but i'm still team edward, because, let's face it,  he looks like he was carved out of cream cheese.

7. i thought the wolves looked ridiculously fake. i mean, c'mon.

8. i thought the wolves in their man forms were ridiculously good looking.

9. there was still not enough of the cullen family on screen - this was a complaint of mine from the first movie too. they are one of my favorite parts of the books and they're practically non-existant in the first two movies.

10. the scenes with victoria were very cool. i officially want her hair.

11. over all, i thought it was better than the first one, and really well done.

loved it.

toddler's eye view

funny little surprises from the camera tonight.

ethan must have gotten ahold of my camera.

spencer is composing a song, taylor is doing his homework, very observant.

some artstic takes on ordinary things around the house

even some self portaits!

(he must be taking lessons from mom)

this is my favorite - what is he trying to say with this face?

over all i thought it was so funny how i could tell from these photos that he really was trying to take photos of specific things. i don't really think of his brain working like this, but i was wrong.

he must get his great eye from his mother.

i'm a quilter! i quilt!

tonight, i'm feeling a little like bob when he went sailing for the first time.

i'll tell you why...

for about a month now, i've been seeing a lot of this...

...and i love it!

i'm not much of a sew-er, but i've always wanted to learn. especially quilting, i just adore a well-made quilt and have always wanted to learn this beautiful skill.  about a month ago i was in our local quilt shop admiring all the stitched up goodness, lost my mind, and signed up for a quilting class! what the?! the lady promised it was a good class for a beginner, a very "forgiving" quilt because at the end you throw it in the wash, let it frey and it hides all of your mistakes.

and so, i picked out the fabric, went to the class, and tonight, i finally finished my

VERY FIRST QUILT! 

it was not easy, especially going to the class. it as a panic attack waiting to happen.
i was so intimidated, especially by the sewing machine, and i knew immediately that i was a fish out of water. i had butterflies in my stomach, and allie, the real sewer in our house, called me three times during the class to make sure i was doing ok. i should have checked her out of school and made her come with me!

but, like bob, i conquered my fear, wrangled the sewing machine and got it done. it feels so good!

i pulled it out of the wash tonight, and the lady was right, all the freying that took place added a ton of charm and made it harder to see all the bumps i hit along the way. it's adorable!

i am so happy with how it turned out, i already bought fabric for the next one.

i'm quilting! i'm quilting!

thanks bob.

just plain silly

after a night of panini making for dinner,

ethan found a funny mirror in the top of the panini maker.

he found it particularly hillarious to pinch his bottom lip and chin together.

and he kept making this same face over and over.

cracking himself up every time without fail.

you could say it was his favorite.

but this one was mine.

he keeps us young

it's a good thing we have a four year old around the house on a day like halloween.

the teenagers all went in different directions to go to parties of their own, mom had to hand out candy, so someone has to stick around to take dad trick-or-treating!

otherwise, he might get bored.

how about the cutest buzz ever? that should keep him busy.

to infinity, and beyond!