.around here

What have we been doing?

1. Christmas shopping! I just love the decorations at the mall right now.

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2. Air likes hot apple cider. I like hot chocolate.

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3. Air’s back on his detox diet. For meals we buy a big eye of round and cut it up into steak slices and seal them up to freeze with a Food Saver. That’s a lotta meals!

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4. Basketball games.

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5. I taught our little beehives some cake decorating techniques for mutual. They LOVED it

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6. Dinner with Tam and Jadey at their favorite pub. This place is awesome. Ohhhh and the wings are to DIE for

.I find myself wanting

You guys “know the drill” pretty well by now, right?

You probably know its that time of year where my Christmas wish list is growing ever speedily once again. And once again, shopping for other people is second from the top of my mind. The top being my selfish self. But, you know, sometimes it is really hard to know what to get for people. Air and I are struggling to come up with some really great gifts for the people we’ve drawn in our families. We would appreciate some ideas.

I’m going to share with you my wish list, because I think these things are so awesome they may very well become objects of your desire too, if you are anything like me? Ready?

Item ONE:

This awesome necklace is sold by lemongrass jewelry, but I’m thinkin’ it would be easy to make with little diamond wood chips painted these colors (gold cream black) and a long gold chain. Cute right?

Item TWO:

I have died a thousand deaths already over how much I love this hanging fruit basket and want it in every kitchen I live in for the rest of my life. It’s from an Etsy shop I found while searching around.

Item THREE:

This cute cord dress from Boden.

Item FOUR:

This stained glass is sold by the Frank Lloyd Wright Preservation Trust. (he’s my favorite architect you know) I love it because it’s called the Tree of Life and looks just like the stained glass windows at the Cardston Temple.

Item FIVE:

I love that Urban Outfitters is selling vintage cameras that look brand spanking new! Maybe they are new? Probably are. Anyway, I would love this.

Item SIX:

Urban Outfitters again, of course. This comforter is perfect. The inside is the same color as our current one, but the patched quilt side is just soooo beautiful!

Item SEVEN:

And yes, I obviously watched Man of La Mancha a few too many times growing up and had it ingrained in my brain to “Dream the Impossible Dream”. But whatevs.

(last year's list) (the year before's list)

What do YOU want this year??

.first snow

We got our first snow here in Edmonton this weekend.

I don't even mind it since it usually would have come about a month ago.

Snow in mid-November is no problem.

Anyway, as you've probably guessed, the real purpose of this post is just to brag to you guys down in Utah that we win this year.

You had snow long before we did.

CHAMPIONS!

That never happens so I've gotta take these opportunities as they present themselves, sorry guys.

Hope you all have a lovely week!

.11/11/11 11:11

This is what we looked like at 11:11pm tonight. Beautiful right?

I'm feeling grateful on this Remembrance Day/Veterans Day. Grateful for people's sacrifices and for the two incredible countries that have both hosted my life gracefully.

But also just grateful for a wonderful day today.

I finally got to sleep in this morning with my Air until 8:45 and then he made us some delicious bacon and eggs for breakfast. I was so grateful to have the day off and to get to spend some time relaxing at home and listening to music. I read the happiest conversion story from a childhood friend's blog and just felt complete joy for my friend who went through the temple with her family today. I'm grateful for the spirit.

Noon rolled around and Air was over helping some friends drywall their basement so I went over to hang out with the girls and kids upstairs... so fun.

Then Air and I drove around town all afternoon running more of his work errands. We got lunch at McDonalds. Bad huh? But oh it was so good.

We got home in time to meet up with our friends Mr and Mrs Caddy and went out to dinner. Vietnamese! I had chicken vermicelli. My favorite dish at Noodle 42. We all went shopping for a space heater and we came back to our place for a movie. We love hanging out with those Caddy’s and can’t wait to have them move into our ward in a very short week! How awesome will that be!!??

Life really is beautiful, and I'm happy for days like today to remind me of that.

What I’m listening to today:

.On Meditation and Distractions II

I've been working a lot lately, since they've recently fired the framing manager who they recently hired to replace the original manager whom they also recently fired. Now they want me to take the manager position, but I decline. I decline. I decline. I decline.

I am sorry, but no thank you.

Anyway....... I have one half hour lunch break during my full day at work, wherein I get to rest my tired bones and sit down! (oh it's heaven!) Today I took the headset out of my ear and thought "awww... silence!", but then I thought some more, and listened. I heard the air conditioner blowing. I heard the lights buzzing. I heard customers and loud music through the walls. I realized that it wasn't actually silent at all. My head felt cluttered with these things on top of the other thoughts and stresses going on in my mind.

I have a lot of those.

But I've been noticing this a lot lately. In my home there's a lot of noise too. I hear the people upstairs--the autistic kids and their tv shows, or my own. When its off, I hear computer fans and appliances. Even in my backyard I hear cars and sirens and people. I don't mind the sound of the birds so much, I love that.

What I'm trying to say is this...

The world rarely is totally silent. Maybe I just have ADD (I think I do, actually), but I find I have a lot of opposition when I'm trying to focus on my thoughts rather than on things going on around me. Its so easy to find entertainment and distractions to freely give my attention to. I never find time to forget about EVERYTHING and give myself a moment of meditation.

I used to love meditating in my younger years... I miss that.

Life is so hard, it just seems to get harder and harder over time, and taking time to meditate is something that eases my soul when I'm going through trials and hurdles.

And, well... This hymn gave me the answer I was looking for:

Where can I turn for peace?

Where is my solice?

When other sources cease to make me whole.

When with a wounded heart anger or malice

I draw myself apart, searching my soul.

Where when my aching grows

Where, when I languish

Where in my need to know, where can I turn?

Where is the quiet hand to calm my anguish?

Who who can understand?

He, only one.

He answers privately

Reaches my reaching.

In my Gethsemane, Savior and friend.

Gentle the peace he finds, so I beseech Him.

Constant he is and kind.

Love without end.

I am so grateful for this. For this Heavenly Father who will listen to my questions and hear my cries. He gives me peace in my heart that grows and spreads to every inch of my being until there are no distractions anymore. Just God and I, having a conversation through prayer.

It is a wonderful thing to have.

You know what? I think I've blogged about this before in connection to my job. See here. Funny.

.things I've learned from Pinterest

Have you joined Pinterest yet?

There are so many awesome ideas pinned on there! I love it!

I made these mummy cookies for our party last weekend. I got the idea from a pin, of course.

And then my cousin Nicole posted these candy corn cookies on facebook a little while ago.

I made them and loved them so much I pinned ‘em myself.

Here they are all dipped in white chocolate and sprinkles before the party:

They are adorable.

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And this isn’t from Pinterest, but I wanted to show off my first veggie tray with my new orange veggie platter!

So glad I finally got one of these….

Now, what will my next Pinterest inspiration be.........

I'm lovin' these snowflakes my Aunt Erika pinned!!

Is it too early to decorate for Christmas?

.Hallows Eve

It was a dark and frightening evening...

The tables were covered with a horrible spread…

The pizza was eaten by giant insects…

And all of the most terrifying creatures came to party…

They turned into mummies…

They attacked pastries hung from strings…

Then they demolished a pumpkin full of treasure…

And they laughed and laughed and enjoyed it all very much……. even though it was so terrible!

But at the end of the evening, it was all ok, when one of the smallest creatures was heard to exclaim: “This is the best party I have ever been to!”

The end.