What our last week and a half has been like

We came home on the 18th after a long day of running errands to find a giant puddle of water on the floor in our bedroom. We did our best to suck it up with a wet vac and then got fans blowing to dry out the carpet. Long story short, we have moved out of our bedroom into a small room in our house because it seems like the repairs are going to take awhile. We're battling with insurance so they will cover roof repairs. We will be very glad when all of this is over and a memory.

Seattle 2010

This post is a little late, but I'm trying to use my time off this week to get caught up on a few things, i.e blogging. About a month and a half ago, I went to Seattle to have a 'sisters weekend' with John's 5 sisters and mother. John's lovely sister Christine and her awesome husband Jon hosted us. They have two Vizsla dogs, which are John's dream dog. They are beautiful. See:



We went to Pikes' Place Market, which was so interesting.


I especially enjoyed the humor of some of the vendors. (I agree completely)


These are two of my adorable nieces and John's sister who is next oldest. I loved getting to know my 3 nieces in Seattle better. They are hilarious little girls.


John's sister Corrin always goes to Beecher's cheese and stands in line to bring home a giant wheel of cheese that she shreds and uses for a whole year to make delicious things like enchiladas. While we were waiting, we watched them make cheese, which isn't something that I ever really wanted to see. I LOVE cheese, and not so much any more.


I had such a fun time and it was great to get to know John's sisters and mom better.

BYU Christmas Card Competition

John is awesome. So awesome that he won one of two honorable mention spots in the BYU Christmas card competition for the College of Fine Arts. There were a lot of other entries and I'm very proud of John for the 3 cards he decided to enter in the competition. For those of you who want to go see it, it is on display in the main lobby of the HFAC at BYU until January some time.

Sad, Sad Day for All in Provo

For those of you who don't yet know, the Provo Tabernacle burned early this morning. I almost start crying every time I think of it. I had stake conference almost every single year there while at BYU (twice a year) and in our ward in south Provo. Click HERE to read the Salt Lake Tribune's article. It is truly a sad, sad day.

Fabric is My Bag Blog

Hello everyone. I decided that rather than continue to take over our blog with stuff for my creations that I would start a blog to post new things, tutorials, etc. We are right in the middle of finals (we being John) and will hopefully post something more interesting here in a week or so.

Check out my new blog fabricismybag.blogspot.com. It is still a work-in-progress, but it's something....

Our "Bloch" Party

The BYU Museum of Art is hosting a fabulous exhibit on display until sometime next year slammed full of beautiful and inspiring art by Carl Bloch. We went for the first time tonight and it was amazing. I warned John that I would probably cry uncontrollably for at least part of it. His art is so touching to me, especially because he is Danish and my dad served his mission in Denmark.

They have a short intro movie to help introduce you to Carl Bloch and then you walk into the main gallery right to his rendition of "Doubting Thomas". I could NOT stop crying. It was such a huge, grand piece. My emotion might have been partly that I have always considered myself somewhat of a doubting Thomas, especially since that was my maiden name. It was a very touching moment to see that piece and think of how merciful our Savior really is.

It was amazing to me to think that just a few short months ago, and for the entire rest of their lives, 8 of these gorgeous altarpieces were in churches in Denmark and Sweden. It makes me wonder what, if anything was put in their place. Do the people miss them? Do they realize how amazing they are? It was truly an inspirational exhibit and next time we will pay the $3 a piece and rent the iPad to have the full experience.

Christmas Music

Every year growing up (that I can remember and that I was at home to remember), my parents and sisters and I would always set up allll of the Christmas decorations the day after Thanksgiving. My mom has quite the collection of nativities that are mostly packed in their own box for each piece that go in a specific place in the house. We also have a ton of ornaments. My mom had the great idea to start getting an ornament from our vacations to help us remember them as we decorated the tree each year. My absolute favorite one is a sumo angel complete with sumo wrestler "garb" (aka a thong) and wings. He is probably going to be the most fought-after item with my sisters after my parents die. My dad would always get the assignment of setting up the tree, which at one point in time was an artificial 12-foot tree. My mom bought a pre-lit tree a few years ago to help alleviate some of the holiday stress with stringing the tree with lights. Some of my favorite holiday memories envolve a certain parent grumbling and growling about the lights and getting poked with the tree. I can't blame them. My sisters and I would usually chuckle a little as it went on and then go set up some nativities far, far away in the house.

Anyway, the point of the story is to say that the first, and I mean the absolute first, Christmas music my mom would always put on was Barry Mannilow's Christmas CD. I don't love Barry Mannilow, nor his Christmas CD, but it doesn't seem like Christmas without it. Last year I bought Ella Fitzgerald's "Ella Wishes You a Swingin' Christmas" and I LOVE, love, love it. She has such a fabulous voice reminiscent of times past. What's on your Chrismas music list? We always listen to Handel's Messiah along with a few choice Weezer Christmas songs that are surprisingly fabulous. I hope everyone is enjoying the start of the Holiday season and that we can all remember the true reason of the season being Christ and His glorious birth thus saving us all.

Happy Thanksgiving

Happy Thanksgiving everybody.

34 down, 39 to go

I have been busily working in the sewing sweatshop trying to prepare for the Bijou Market that will be going on November 19th & 20th. I had 74 onesies to begin with and am working hard to get all of them done. I figure the more that I have, the more likely I am to meet someone's "needs" and hopefully the more likely I am to sell some of them. I have also been working on some baby shoes, which are way more adorable in person than they appear in picture, but they take at least 2.5 hours to complete 1 pair. Couple that with the stomach flu that hit me HARD two days ago, the horrible sick feeling I've felt for the past few days and it's been a little rough these past few days.

We are thoroughly enjoying the leaves that are changing in our neighborhood. One of the more main streets right by our house is flanked by the biggest, most beautiful trees. I love the fall for the leaves, especially for the sound of them crunching underneath my feet. Unfortunately, it also means that winter is on its way and soon it will be covered in snow..... Sad.

A Temple in Lisbon, Portugal

John and I so enjoyed General Conference this morning and afternoon. We sat down to listen to this morning's session in the comfort of our own home (I actually think we were eating Twinkies at the time) and heard President Monson announce that a temple will be built in Portugal. We both were SHOCKED and I immediately started bawling. John also joined in with the tear fest and we rejoiced at this announcement. For those of us in the states, it is really exciting to hear of a temple being constructed and making things closer for us. For those who live outside of the states, a temple even in their COUNTRY is a huge, huge deal. The Portuguese people are our favorites on the earth and we really came to love them as we served our missions there. We are so excited for what it means, the declaration that it is that Portugal will have a temple, that will probably only be populated by Portuguese, that the members are ready to have a temple to stand on its own for them, that Heavenly Father trusts them with the sacred responsibility of a temple. We feel so blessed to have served there and to have come to know such amazing and wonderful people. We are already planning on going to the dedication (whenever that will be....) with Laura and look forward to seeing the Church growing even more in Portugal.

New Hair

Since some of you (aka my parents) have been asking to see a photo of my new hair cut, here's the best I can do in self-portraitry. I have really enjoyed having short hair again, this time not looking like a boy with a horrible hair cut like my last adventure in super short hair. It's nice to spend 5 minutes doing my hair, which is the amount of time I used to spend putting it into a pony tail......

Giveaway on C Jane's Blog

Dear Everyone Who Reads Our Blog: (which may in fact be very few of you out in internet land)

I wanted to let everyone know about a giveaway that C Jane is hosting for one of my onesies. Here's the Link: http://www.cjaneanswers.com/2010/09/evers-onesie.html I'd love for anyone who wants to enter or tell any of your friends about it. Who doesn't need a onesie?

Thanks.

We are doing well other than being incredibly busy. We just enjoyed a brief visit from John's oldest sister and are missing all of our family members terribly, even those that live close by, but especially those that don't.

Updated Store

Hey everybody. We hope everybody had a great summer. Ours is winding down as school begins again on Monday. We have enjoyed a trip to Texas (someday we might actually post pictures from our trip) and working a lot. I have been very busy making new onesies for my Etsy shop as well as for the Provo Hump Day Market. It has be a lot of fun and I've really enjoyed getting to know some new people. If you haven't checked it out yet, you should join us this Wednesday from 6-9ish for the vendors and then there's an outdoor movie. Here's a picture of my new favorite onesie. Check out my store for other new things as well.

There are 3 Jobs Available to Elves

They can either make shoes at night while the cobbler is sleeping, make cookies in a tree (which is dangerous during the hot season), or make toys. I'm going to focus on the awesomeness that is now being made by the elves that make cookies in a tree. John and I went to the store last week and wandered down the cookie/candy/everything you want to put in your cart but shouldn't aisle and saw these:



Those Elves have done it again. They taste almost exactly like our favorite Samoas that we hoard when the Girl Scouts are selling them in March.

Beware of "frightful" speeds.

Recently, one of my professors shared with us the following quote in regard to the advancements of the 19th century in both England and the US.

“You are welcome to use the school room to debate all proper questions in, but such things as railroads and telegraphs are impossibilities and rank infidelity. There is nothing in the Word of God about them. If God had designated that His intelligent creatures should travel at the frightful speed of 15 miles and hour, He would have foretold it through His holy prophets. It is a device of Satan to lead immortal souls down to Hell.” — President Martin Van Buren, 1830 in Ohio

Today I went 4 times the "frightful" speed that Presiden Van Buren referred to. Disgusting.

After Wednesday, It's All Downhill!

Starting tomorrow and every Wednesday thereafter (indefinitely), Downtown Provo has started what they decided to call the Hump Day Market. I will be selling my things along with my friend Annie. Come visit us. I have no clue what else will be there, other than lots of food, music, and hopefully some awesome things to buy. See you all tomorrow!!

What Happened to 7-11?

No, really, what happened to all of the 7-11's in Utah? I went to go buy John a Slurpee a few weeks ago and drove down to 800 N in Orem to the store on State Street. It was CLOSED. Boarded up, closed. Yesterday we were going to Target on Center Street and I noticed that the 7-11 there closed as well. Anybody in Provo, please tell me that the 7-11's still exist down there. Our closest one without them is in Draper by Ikea, assuming that one is still open as well. Tears of sorrow.

Dear Utah:

Dear Utah,

You know that sometimes we don't get along. Sometimes I really don't like living in a "bubble". But I've been trying really, really hard to like Utah, especially since we don't live in Provo anymore. WHY I ask you, dear Utah, must you decide to have the most bipolar weather ever? It was so warm on Saturday that my face is the color of a tomato from the 4 measly hours I spent outside. Today, I opened my back door, sad to be going back to a job I don't like and to people who will inevitably be rude to me, and I saw SNOW. Big, huge, blizzard of snow. Dear Utah, don't you know what the date is? May 24th. That means it's almost June. Please decide which season you want it to be. As for me and my house, we'd prefer the warm season, but just pick one either way.

Sincerely,

Jen

Moving, Projects, and Celebrities

It has been a busy last few months. In late February, John and I found out that John's parents would be coming home from their missions on May 7th. We were living in their house and wanted to be as considerate for them as they have been for us. That meant that it was time to find a new place to live. After much deliberation, we found a great place and have since moved. It took us many a car load to get our stuff over here and thanks to the help of great friends/family, we did it! We have since been trying to unpack and feel more settled, which has been great. We have a wonderful ward that we love already and have never felt more welcome.

John has started a new semester and is taking a class from none other than Lloyd Newell. For those of you who don't recognize this man (and you might not without his stellar voice), he is the voice of Music and the Spoken word, done by the Mormon Tabernacle Choir weekly. I am soooo jealous and I have invited myself to come to class with John sometime this semester, if I can muster up the courage to do so.

I have been busy sewing (see my Etsy shop for my newest projects) and am trying to find some sort of bazaar/boutique to sell my things at. If anyone knows of anywhere great, let me know. I'm trying to get my name out there, which is very difficult. I have enjoyed the creative side of thinking up completely new ideas, and even doing some without patterns... GASP.. like this little beauty right here. Don't you want your child/niece/granddaughter to have such a cute onesie? I know I do... Anyway, that's it for now. I know I always say this, but we'll try to be better at posting. We have a few projects around the house we're working on, so we'll post some before/after pics when we're done.

Fabric is My Bag

I love fabric and sewing, as most of you would know. I decided to open an Etsy shop and it's FINALLY up and running. Please feel free to visit, drop my name to your friends for all of their purse/quilt/other fabric needs... :) We are really, really busy right now or this post would be longer. Hopefully we can update our blog soon.

fabricismybag.etsy.com

Name Suggestions

No, not for a baby. I have been toying around with the idea of opening an Etsy shop to sell my quilts and I cannot for the life of me find a name that I like. I thought of "Fabric Fetish", but it's taken. Shoot. I don't want it to be too dorky and once I pick my name, it's picked forever. I guess unless I open a new shop, but whatever. Any suggestions? I only have one quilt that I could sell for now, so once I make a name, I'll get it listed and we'll see if anyone out there in internet land wants to buy it. Wish me luck, but first help me come up with a name. THANKS!

And I feel like I should make this a huge post to try to move my huge Jayhawk further down the page. What an embarrassment....... :(

March Madness is Upon Us!!!

For those of you who know me well (or even somewhat well), you will know that during the month of March, my heart definitely beats for John, as it always does. We just celebrated our 2 year wedding anniversary on Sunday. Time sure flies when you're having fun! John is a wonderful husband and I'm amazed at how he balances his life, staying up late to work on school projects, spending time with me. He's great.

Not to diminish or make my love for John seem less important, but during March, my heart also beats for NCAA March Madness. So far, I have predicted 5 of the 7 games that have finished correctly. We'll see if my "luck" continues. From my years of living in Kansas City, I learned to love one particular basketball team. All I have to say is:

ROCK CHALK JAYHAWK KU!!

The Waiting for Your Bangs to Grow Out Collection

Apparently we've been watching a lot of TV with the Olympics on and such. This is one of my favorites, as it struck so true to every single haircut of my entire life. I always leave, inevitably cry, and hope that it will grow out sooooon. Luckily I've found someone who actually does an amazing job, but I still freak out on day 1 of the haircut, and thus this commercial still rings true.

the Lympics

Jen and I were watching the Olympics today and we saw an ad that I found hilarious. You may not think it is that funny, but I wanted to share it. "Get out of my way Saturn." Happy Lympics everyone.

Sometimes 3 Lbs is Too Much

Haribo Gummy Bears. Arguably the best gummy bears on the planet, minus the random gummies you can buy from bookstores in Portugal. Maybe they're the best easily accessible gummy bears? Usually I can only find these in teeny, weeny bags that are at least $1.50 for the smallest amount of gummy satisfaction, so when John and I were at our favorite, not so close, neighborhood Target (said with the french accent, of course, thanks to my dad) and I found this 3 pound bag, I thought it was one of the best candy finds I've ever seen. We bought it, I actually lasted until we got home to open it, and now I don't know how long it will take for me to get up the desire to eat gummy bears again. I have no self control. John ate a very, very minimal amount of gummy bears. :(

The funny thing about this story is, we were at Target to buy Milka chocolate (also something we learned to love while in Portugal). We've been watching a lot of world cup downhill skiing, as the Olympics and world cup events are my favorite things to watch, and for this one race Milka was the main sponsor. So there were Milka banners ALL over the fences of the course, a giant inflatable purple Milka cow, purple Milka racing helmets, beanies, etc. We went to Target to fulfill one of my cravings and came back with a huge bag of gummy bears as well. Self control, where did you go? Or did I ever even have self control??

And that is why I need this: Jillian Michael's 30 Day Shred. It's incredible... and it's kicking my rear, especially if I could be more consistent.

Design Contest - January 2010

Every month at work we have a review of the prior month with a design contest. There are 6 different areas in which you can submit a design you had done within the past calendar month and then all of the designers have an internal blind voting. The 6 categories are enclosure logo (eg. NASA), logotype logo (eg. Coca-Cola), iconic logo (eg. Nike), illustrative logo, stationery design (letterhead, envelope and business card, and website design (based on the home page design).

In the design contest on Friday, I won 3 of the categories as voted by my peers at work. This was a really huge accomplishment and a huge honor. I have receive a lot of good help and guidance from some amazing designers and feel very lucky to be where I am and with such a great support team at work and at home.

I thought I would include 2 of the designs in a post and let you see what I have been up to. On the logo design, I created the logo for a re-branding of a hair straightening product. On the stationery design, the logo had already been created by a different designer, but I had applied the logo to a custom stationery, envelope and business card design to accent the company and draw the eye back to the logo. I hope that each of you have a great day.

my portrait project

As some of you know, I am currently in a figure drawing class. This semester, we have had homework assignments like drawing body shapes for 4 hours. Throughout the semester, we will have different assignments drawing different parts of the body and bodies as a whole, each assignment being about 4 hours. That is a lot of drawing. This is where you come in. I would like to ask all of our readers to send me photos of themselves that I can draw. These photos can be photos of your eyes, arms, or ears. Really anything would be appreciated. If you would like, you can tell your friends and families to participate if they would like. I just need a lot of people to draw. So, here is the address: myportraitproject@gmail.com, or you can click on this link. I will be posting the drawings throughout the semester, if you would like to take a look.

What we've been up to...

So, many of you may have noticed... maybe... that we have not been updating our blog as often. That we have neglected our web presence and that we have, to some extent, fallen off the face of the earth. Well, this is what we have been up to. Aliens. They arrived, tried to conquer and we overcame. You can plan on hearing from us more often. Happy new week, and have a great day.

Quilt #3

AKA a quilt for Kim's baby boy who should be born any day now.

One of my best friends, Kim, is having a baby any day now. When I found out she was pregnant, I was working on quilt #2 and secretly hoped she would have a girl so I could give her that quilt. When I found out she was having a boy, I figured Kim and Lee wouldn't want a pink and purple quilt for their little boy....... She lives in Rigby, ID and came down to visit in October. We took a trip to JoAnn's and picked out the fabric for this quilt, which is the same quilt as quilt #2, but with different, more masculine fabrics. I just finished it a week and a half ago and got it mailed off to Kim on Monday. Now that I know she's received the quilt, it's time to blog about it. :) I loved the fabrics for it. They are so fun, but not too crazy as well. I also quilted around the border in a lime green thread to show off the hand quilting a little more, even though it still doesn't show too much. It turned out better than quilt #2, the corners matched up in almost all of the squares and things just worked out better. Good luck Kim and Lee. We can't wait to see pictures of the little guy!!

Run Forrest, Run.

We hope everyone had a wonderful holiday season and survived them. We had a very busy month of December. Jan and Margot (John's parents) were in town for a 1 month break from their mission in Brazil. We spent a lot of time with family and loved it, even though John's whole family wasn't out here. This year we didn't make it to see a movie on Thanksgiving day nor on Christmas day, so sadly I think that family tradition of mine might be ending. It was just too stressful with things going on that we didn't make it. We did, however, see Invictus, which was fabulous. How can 1 person (Nelson Mandela) make such a difference to millions? It was very thought provoking and made me realize that I could be doing more.

John is back in school and I am working on quilt #4. I finished my last quilt and got it off to my friend Kim for her baby, but I want to wait until she gets it to post pictures of it.

So now to the subject of the post. John and I decided last year that we wanted to train for a 5K during 2010. We both realize this isn't a huge feat to most people, but when neither one of us are avid runners and frankly running 1/4-1/2 mile now is a task, we're pretty excited about this. We both got the Nike + iPod sport kit for Christmas and it is revolutionizing our lives, or at least mine. It is amazing. Hopefully we can get in shape and finish a race or two this year. Maybe we need to keep a "miles ran" tally somewhere on this here blog thing. Anyway, we hope everyone is healthy and happy.