Hey, Guess What?

it's her birthday! happy birthday sister, i love you!

top 10 reasons krista rocks:

1. She makes awesome humans

2. she is very crafty and not in the weird, loner way. her handmade christmas decorations would put anthroplogie to shame.

3. she writes gorgeous poetry. who even does that? she does!

4. she is smokin hot. well. you are. have you seen your smile?

5. she's a mover and a shaker, but no matter where she goes, she's happy and content.

6. she's not afraid of spiders

7. she is generous of all things, including her time.

8. she has the best cursive handwriting of anyone you or i know. don't even try to fight me on this one, it's the truth.

9. she's not as mean funny as i am, but just enough mean funny to be really funny and not so mean.

10. she is my best friend and i love her guts.

A Litta Christmas Post

I don't have much to blog about, but it's been such a long time so I thought I would discuss just how much

I. Love. Christmas. Everything about it makes me happy. Getting a tree, wrapping presents, decorating (mostly I just love decorating my house, but I pretend to love decorating for clients, too), baking, shopping, the crowds (mostly the happy ones, but I pretend to love the cranky ones, too. Afterall, it's Christmas), the chilly weather (and boy is it cold these days), the music and movies, the yummy treats, FAMILY, I could go on. Good times. Here is a glimpse of our little apartment's cheer. Love to all!special thanks to eric for his great posing as I positioned the camera for one of the most ghetto photo sessions ever. lots of timers and running. good times.

6 days to LA!

Said Uber Post

everything you've heard is true. the family came. they did kick pj out of his room, but what he didn't tell you was how much attention he got and how much fun he had with the new additions to his fam. i will admit i was a little apprehensive about organizing and shuffling around 5 extra people in our limited space, but we totally rocked it! and let me say, they were the best type of houseguests. they did dishes, folded up their beds, even taking the time to deflate and reinflate air mattresses every day, gushed about the great food eric made (special shoutout to stetson) and best of all, slaved away in my christmas world all week long! some highlights:

we went to market

we feastedwe wii'd

we rocked

no seriously...we rockedwe saw santa
one of us got jiggy with the snowflake lane dancers (no judgement)

we had a great week

we also got in some good arrested and office watching. thanks for coming guys, you're officially welcomed back. game on.

Just So You're Aware

i am kind of a rock legend. instead of making the huge uber post about the holiday week and the company and what not, i decided to become a rock legend. that's right, mia and lakin and stetson. bring it.

halfway through battling the devil to pass the level:

pj: "lauren, you are playing for your soul."

...and i will be bringing tales of turkey week soon, no need to fret.

Giving Thanks

i know i've been a bit MIA lately, but this time of year gets me pretty worn out. many halls to deck, very little time. but, this being such an important day of remembering all things blessed, i would like to thank my family, new and old, for being so generous with their time. they have helped me so much this week and as eric and i woke up this morning, we agreed that we were most thankful to not be completely exhausted as we typically are on thanksgiving day. we woke up refreshed and enjoyed our day of cooking delightful things to eat. even as i write, i feel a little verclempt. my list of thankfuls continues to grow as i am unceasingly blessed.

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Ummm...

how else can i stall doing all the things i need to get done by tomorrow?

i.e..
-plan my primary lesson
-alter my friend's dress so i can give it back to her at church tomorrow ...and the other gazillion sewing projects i keep meaning to work on
-clean the kitchen
-beat super mario brothers 3. yeah, you heard me. bring it.

i think i'll go try on the new sweaters i bought today....again.

later.

Hello, People!

Didn't you hear the news? She's no longer an innocent bystander, she's one of us!!! sucker.

Go see her, it's fo real.

http://www.dointhelaundry.blogspot.com

Barack My World

is any else's stomach in knots? i did not expect it, but i tossed and turned last night and i think tonight will be no different. here's to hoping for the best and preparing for the worst!

Everything's Coming Up Pumpkins

this past week has been all about the pumpkin around our house. on saturday we finally trekked out to the pumpkin patch (phew!). we picked out 5 rockstar pumpkins after much mud tromping. i always have a hard time picking out pumpkins and the same goes for christmas trees. have you ever seen that Friends episode where Pheobe wants to buy all the sad, charlie brown trees so they can fulfill their christmas destiny? that's me. if i pick one up and especially if i pull it off it's stem, it's hard for me to leave it in the patch to die. i know. it's a problem. and eric is mostly patient with me as i fret over which ones get to come home with us. he tries to remind me they don't have brains or feelings and i try to believe him. we got all green ones again and the one i finally decided on is the greatest of any of my years of pumpkin patching. i was very pleased.
the final results. eric did the 2 on the left and the one on the far right. mine has star eyes and if you look close enough, you can see why pj's is named guido. good times were had by all.
pj and i made pumpkin pie sunday night and i made pumpkin cupcakes for our ward activity.

The Best Yet

Obsess Much?

i don't feel like i have much to chat about, but it's been so long since i've posted, i figured i should check in with the masses. so. how're things?

i've been entirely consumed by sewing these days. i haven't finished my stockings yet, but i did make some progress during conference. they are looking stinkin cute if i do say so. and i do.

i must say, it's kind of taking over my life. and when i say kind of, i mean entirely. a rather healthy week consists of only 3 trips to the fabric store and making it home with no more than 4 new projects. oh dear. i have about 6 projects in progress (as soon as i get about 3/4 of the way through, or i stop liking where the project is heading, i start on the next) and close to two dozen waiting in the wings. oh dear. **

so far, i've completed (keep in mind that nothing is ever complete with me. i can always add, tweak, remove something already considered finished) a few things i can actually wear. 2 shirts, a skirt and a pair of soft pants (eric's name for my pajamas). oh, and a pair of pajama pants for RD.

but i mean, seriously. go big or go home, right? i think martha stewart would tell me it's a good thing. i don't know. i'm just sayin.

evidence of a couple trips to the fabric store....in case you didn't believe me.

**a shout out to the hubs for being so patient and supportive as our hard earned dollars continue to be replaced by fabric. thanks, dude.

IN OTHER NEWS:

:: my hair goes severely darker. wha?

:: eric got in a car accident last week on the freeway. not hurt, luckily, and not his fault, but our car is pretty crunched. ugh.

:: the red sox almost come back to win the ALCS but, sadly, the rays steal the victory.

:: to my surprise and disappointment, i have yet to be to the pumpkin patch this year. MER! remember earlier in my post about the sewing and the sucking up of my life? i wasn't kidding people!

:: the diaz trio continues to root for obama.

:: in an attempt to get pj excited about reading, i bribed him to read harry potter with me. he was pretty hesitant. until i promised him 5 packs of baseball cards. my mom tried to bribe me to read when i was little. i'll let you know if it works better with peej than it did with me.

Two Things I Love

jim halpert & the red sox.

the sox just beat the angels (sorry, dad) to take them to the ALCS. they'll be facing the tb rays.

oh, it's gonna be good.

a quick update for the fans:

:: i've started a drawing class to help with my sketching. it's so fun to be in a classroom again. doing something so enjoyable is a total bonus. i've also been progressing with sewing. yay me.

:: pj just got his first cell phone (don't get me started). they have come out with a cell phone for kids called the firefly. do i think kids should have cell phones? uh, no. i will say, however, that pj really earned it. a couple years ago he spent the entire summer coloring pictures and selling them to earn enough money for the phone. just before he had enough, he lost his wallet with almost a hundred dollars in it. devastation. and now, 2 years later, you may be getting a call from a 7 year old with his very own phone.

:: eric turned one year older a few weeks ago. he also had yet another victory while fixing his car and continues to earn rockstar status in my book. love that guy.

Hooters

just when i thought it couldn't be more fun to eat a cupcake!

behold, pj and my parliament. yum!

I Heart Tina Fey

Creations from Christmas' past, present & future

in preparing for the annual christmas

craftiness during general conference this year, i dug out some treasures thunk up by the great ceri jo when us chillins were little. it was a great way to keep us awake during conference back in those days and, coincidentally, does the same today! i wish the halverson grills could be together this weekend, but know that i'll be thinkin 'boutcha. and definitely about mom!

i started these stockings last year, but wasn't able to finish them in time. i was up until 3am christmas eve trying to hack them out, but my machine was not cooperating and i almost lost it! this year i'll add the names and do all the fun things i wanted to last year, but wasn't able to.

can't wait!

Oh no they didn't!

A First

Sex And The City came out on video yesterday and they have it on sale at my QFC (yay!). so perfectly convenient as i am still carless and it's on my way home from work. when i got to the counter to purchase it, to my surprise, the lady behind the counter asked for my ID! "Come again?" she told me the computer system was requiring it, so i dug it out and she eyed my suspiciously (my license still shows me with blond hair), but let me have the video. i understand them checking when i buy my booze and cigs, but this is the first time i've ever been carded to buy a movie. kinda funny.

well, i'm off to watch my smut...cheers!

"I'm not superstitious...

...but I am a little bit stitious."

-Michael Scott

The Office starts in two days, wahoo!

Over and Out

the teacher strike is over and PJ finally started school yesterday. a sigh of relief was heard around the world. Well, at least around our little world.

How much do I love these ladies?

...and i mean Tina & Amy

Dictionary.com sends me an exciting new word every single day to help me expand my vocabulary.

Word of the Day for Friday, September 12, 2008

hoary \HOR-ee\, adjective:

1. White or gray with age; as, "hoary hairs."
2. Ancient; extremely old; remote in time past.

...if only i could come up with an example to help me fully grasp the meaning...

on strike

sometimes i am forced to learn lessons about myself, even if i have to do it kicking and screaming...which i usually do.

september 2nd was supposed to be pj's first day of second grade. unfortunately, the teachers in the bellevue school district met with the union, decided they weren't being paid enough and have now been on strike for a week. negotiations continue to fail and although it is illegal, the striking continues.

eric and i have been scrambling for a week now to find daycare for pj until this is all resolved. we are using up all our favors and the "strike camps" that have been set up are definitely not free and are now eating into our budget.

it's particularly tricky in this district as it is located in one of the wealthiest areas of the country. we are one of the very few families in the district that live in apartment homes and not million dollar mcmansions (seriously, bill gates' estate is less than a 10 minute drive from us). the teachers in this area just want to keep pace with the community, but inside, my guts are saying: if you wanted to live in a 2 million dollar home with a boat and 3 cars, wouldn't you have chosen a different profession? isn't that horrible? i think it's just my frustration talking. i just want school to start already!

here's my problem(and why i am so selfish): if the same situation arose somewhere else in the the country, i can see myself in complete support of these teachers i so admire. as i've had some time to mull this situation over, i find myself torn.

i consider teaching one of the most noble professions and will be forever grateful for those influential teachers that did so much for me growing up. and then this thought occurred to me yesterday: would i consider them so commendable if teachers were paid what they deserve? would they hold such a special place in my heart if they made six figures? is it their sacrifice that makes them so memorable? i don't even know the answer.

to any teachers reading this, i mean no offense. i think you are wonderful. i'll get down off my soapbox now. it's bedtime, anyway...

thoughts?

the new dark hair

a bit curly and messy today...but you can get the general idea...

what i did on my summer vacation: part I

now that summer has come to a close, it's time to document the lovely happenings of the last three months... i'll start with one of my favorites....

krista and ally made their way up to seattle last

month and boy, did we have a good time!

...i guess we forgot to warn little of the dangers of hanging out with uncle eric..

some
highlights...

...we ventured south and ran into these lovelies... ...the good times continued...

come back soon!