true comfort

backseat driver

2011-11-15T12:55:00.003-06:00

We are driving home from preschool and after much discussion on what to name his ice/snow breathing lego dragon "Icicle?" (which he will be bringing for show and tell tomorrow), Bentley started to give me a little advice on my driving. The kind of advice that if followed would result in serious injury or a lot of honking.

me: Are you excited to drive when you turn 16?

B: Excited??? boring.

me: Yeah, you're kinda right about that.

me: So...you'd be fine with me driving you around?

B: Yeah

Hey. I'll take what I can get. Because right now I'm only allowed one kiss per day at bedtime. And this is on condition that I won't bombard him with kisses all day. Those cheeks though. I just have a hard time resisting them.

Pretending to sleep in an attempt to get me to carry him inside. It's not going to work though. The kid is a tank!

Right now I'm sitting in the bathroom while he takes a bath. He pulled a toy cup out of the tub and said, "Who wants a drink of water? Raise your hand!" Ummm. no thanks. I think he just wants me in here to watch his feats of strength. The kid can pump out a lot of push ups in the tub.

fort awesom

2011-02-26T22:17:00.011-06:00

I got a new job taking pictures of newborns at the hospital! Super cute job! The moms say, "I bet you have so many pictures of your kids!" Which of course is true...but I feel a little guilty about winter. I have like 2 pictures from all winter. I take tons of pictures outside in the pretty weather. Seeing as how outdoor photography is kind of my usual MO. I'm not usually very inspired indoors. But, I have learned some new tricks with my flash lately and high ISO don't seem like the devil anymore. So in honor of new moms making me feel a little guilty....I captured 'fort awesom' today! Chickie is sleeping in there tonight. Oddly enough she is afraid of ceiling fans and art hanging above her bed but is excited about sleeping between the doors of her armoire with a giant couch cushion over head. Interesting. I did not point out the paradox.

She's something else!

Tennesseans don't drive in snow.

2010-12-07T08:33:00.005-06:00

Wow. I kind of can't believe this is what is actually getting me blogging again. But here it is.

This morning we woke up to big fluffy snowflakes coating the ground. We get ready for school, eat our cream of wheat. Grab our coats and scarves and head out to take Chickie to school. The road is completely covered in one thin layer of snow. Snow flurries are whipping under my tires. I can't help but have a bit of irrational fear over these conditions. I think it must have been ingrained in me from an early age. We Tennesseans don't drive in snow. It instantly reminded me of my first year at BYU. A lot of my family lives in Utah. I have spent many

winters there. So I have no excuse for the story that I'm about to tell. Except that maybe it had been a long time since I had been to Utah in the winter at this point. I think I had spent mostly summers there for a while.

Freshman year. First snow. I look out the window and there it is: SNOW! And a LOT of it. The road, cars, everything is covered in maybe a foot of snow. I'm screaming to my roommates, "SNOW! SNOW! No church today! Just pj's, hot cocoa and movies!" They come out of there bedrooms probably just to watch me in my fit of insanity and not really caring at all about the snow. They were all from Utah and Idaho. Then I see it. People. Dressed, not in snow suits, but their Sunday best instead. Hysterically laughing I yell out, "They are trying to go to church!" More hysterical laughter. "They are trying to get in their cars!" I remember feeling slightly mystified that they were indeed knocking snow off of their cars and getting in. But still, to actually try and drive in snow that was sheer lunacy! Then they did it. They drove off. I was in total shock. Completely crestfallen that going somewhere, anywhere, on what had to be one of the best snow days I had ever seen was sad. Sad, sad, sad. Luckily for me I had the best roommates in the world (that, or the laziest) and they agreed to stay home with me and have a snow day! I may remember one or two of them sneaking off to church for a few hours but at least Mindy, Lora, and Kayla were in it for the whole day. Right? Ah, memories. That was a crazy, crazy year. Super, super fun. Just thinking of it makes me crave a girls day out. I can't find any of my BYU pictures. They must all be in storage. So I stole this one from facebook. Thanks Mindy! You girls are the best!

i'm so lucky!

2010-05-09T22:30:00.003-05:00

I'm feeling so overwhelmed today! I'm so lucky. I have these two gorgeous children that I adore. And such a wonderful husband who gave me such a great day. My own mom amazes me. I'm convinced she is the cutest grown-up on the planet. Missed talking to my Grammy today. So many wonderful women in my life! Happy Mother's day! Chickie took this great picture of Bentley and I. She said she wants her own camera and she wants to learn how to edit pictures on the computer.

57

2010-03-30T15:02:00.004-05:00

(franklin highlights)

So. I finished my quilt top! excellent! My friend Jill is going to quilt it with her long arm machine when we get back. So I'm going to have to decide how I want it quilted. And she lent me some great books to help with my decision making. I was seriously drooling over them.

I am trying to tackle a massive, self imposed to do list before we head out of town for spring break. My papaw passed away so we will be headed to his funeral first. He was always good to us and we will sure miss him. He had this great tradition at Christmas, he would give all of us a box of chocolates. I think that's one I'll be more than happy to carry on each year and be reminded of him. That makes 3 grandparents in the past year. It is so horrible. I hope all of my remaining loved ones stay healthy and safe for a good long time.

And, what else. I'm a horrible blogger right now. And don't expect it to get better any time soon. BUT...I'm kind of expecting my mood and general productiveness to explode on May 26th. That's the big day when we are moving home. I announced it on my photo blog. And I'm so excited. Sometimes a little nervous, because I will miss the awesome, amazing friends I've made here. I'm sure I'll have some sad moments missing them. But I really am so excited about going home!!! I think we have finally realized that it's where we belong. And if we try to move away again I'm asking all of you right now to stage an intervention.

all better

2010-03-15T15:05:00.003-05:00

This was my view for 8 days.

I was sick and it was not fun. However, I am about a month ahead of schedule on my quilt.

So that's good!

Everybody was Kung Fu fighting!

2010-02-16T22:06:00.001-06:00

Being a ninja is hard work!

P.S. My kids are impossibly cute!

P.P.S. !!!

pin cushion obsession

2010-02-07T23:12:00.005-06:00

I finished one row (of three) from my quilt!

And to celebrate I made a cute little pincushion.

I have been wanting to make this forever and I finally ordered the pattern.

I think I will have to make a few family companions for this pear. And then I may have to make some cousins. Ha ha. Is there something wrong with me that I have a mild obsession with pincushions? Every time I get a new crafty book I want to make the pincushion first. I've been drooling over Anna Maria Horner's pin cushion caddy ever since I got the book. But I have plenty others. So I wouldn't make it. But... if I start a pin cushion collection, then I can make as many as I like guilt free!

Today I'm thankful for collections! I knew something key was missing from my life. This must be it.

things that don't go together, things that do

2010-02-02T15:02:00.004-06:00

Nail polish + applique=

not good.

Especially because I forgot my topcoat. Or maybe this new brand is not good. The color is a dark purple. But it looks black, right? I'm probably too old and granny-ish to be wearing dark purple (could be confused with black) nail polish. But I think it's kinda fun.

Snow days + applique=

Very good! Look how much I've gotten done! (More than half of the smallest row.) Chris asked last night, "Is that your last row?!" (NO) Well maybe it would be if I hadn't devoted most of my snow days to sleep. Or if I were faster. But I'm pretty sure I can feel the speed gaining!

And well, I did bring dinner to my neighbors, the Birds. And I probably wouldn't have been up to it if it weren't for all the glorious sleep I've gotten.

sleep+good deed doing abilities= most excellent

P.S. I love that I live in a place that can be completely shut down by 5 inches of snow. It's like a spontaneous gift from nature!

sewing a landscape

2010-01-28T15:45:00.009-06:00

As promised, here is what I'm working on for my bed! Chris asked for bedding for Christmas (I know, I'm so lucky!) and I used that as an excuse to make a new quilt for our bed. Of course.

I love that this quilt is called Hills 'n' Hollers. The hills are all applique. I am definitely no expert. I sewed on these two hills last night. I'm pretty sure it took me an hour or more. Hopefully by the end I will become a super speedy applique expert. Otherwise, this could take a while.

wish me luck!

Out with it already

2010-01-26T20:43:00.005-06:00

My poor, sad little blog. It kind of matches poor, sad little me. I was just asked to talk to the girls at church about how I use my blog as a journal. Super casual just for a few minutes. Still, how embarrassing. I haven't blogged in like, a decade, in blog years (what do ya think...too many commas?). Truth be told...I have three blog posts in draft mode. I keep wanting to share the sad news about how my fabric line got the ax about a week before my Grammy died (yeah, months ago). But I somehow never found the words. So there it is. bleah.

And we have been wrestling with some kinda tough decisions around here. But I think we are finally decided and clearing the air like that really makes way for life to start happening again. Tonight I'm working on this in blues and greens. I'll take a few pics of the very beginning stages tomorrow.

It feels good to be blogging again.

RIP Magnolia Westwood

10 things that make me happy

2009-11-19T17:12:00.005-06:00

I found this list on a scrap of paper.

1. paper (Aches 88 is my fav! It's so gorgeously thick and smooth!)

2. mechanical pencils size .5

3. swing dancing

4. baby legs

5. kettle corn

6. my morning runs

7. self help books

8. making something, anything

9. pretty pictures

10. a day of reading snuggled up with a blanket

The pic is from my booth at a local gift fair last weekend.

Going to see New Moon tonight at midnight. So excited!

Finally finished!

2009-11-17T22:40:00.003-06:00

I finally finished chickie's quilt. Just in time for her birthday.

Truth be told, the night before her party I stayed up till 5 am trying to finish the binding. I was watching Anne of Green Gables (love!) and I think I must have been half asleep because I only got one long side done. And I was a bit grouchy for a few days. No more all nighters for me. Which means I'm going to have to make this Friday movie morning instead of movie night since I'm going to see New Moon at midnight Thurs with some crazy girlfriends of mine!

As you can she she was very excited about it (the quilt--she's not quite old enough for vampires and werewolves). Actually she really was. I don't know how many 7 yr olds would be excited for a quilt. I think she gets that it's important in our family.

think, think, think.

2009-10-20T12:50:00.004-05:00

Is it just me...or have you noticed that since I've become a photographer my blog has been sadly lacking in written content. Maybe because a picture is worth a thousand words?

The other night Chickie couldn't sleep. My great-aunt Jean gave her some bedtime music when she was born. My favorite was the Bedtime Bethoveen CD. So she has listened to it almost every night since she was just a baby to go to sleep. And yes, she loves classical music. Today she was looking for her ipod. She didn't want to listen to mine, she wanted to listen to pretty music with "piano's and flutes" while she painted.

Lately she has been calling me in at night asking if I will restart her bed time music. She said she forgot to listen and she apparently likes to fall asleep during the first two or three songs. She was really upset one night because she said she just couldn't stop thinking. Turns out that first graders have a lot more on their minds than babies do. In the end we decided to turn off the music so that she could devote her last waking hours purely to thought.

I had a similar experience with my Grammy shortly before she died. It was early in the morning and we were getting ready to take her to dialysis. She was all dressed and I needed to go get ready. I asked her if she'd

like to turn on the TV while I got dressed. We flipped through a few channels together and then I left. When I came back to her room it was quiet again. I asked her if she couldn't find anything interesting. She said, "Sometimes when your own life is so full, you don't have any room for that.... Do you know what I mean?" "Yes, Grammy. I know what you mean." We sat there quietly. Sometimes life is so full there are no words for such a moment.

Just a few unrelated thoughts about thought. I've had a lot on my mind lately. But none of it is conclusive. Does that ever happen to you? I think too much in general anyway. At least now I know I'm not the only one.

And I thought I didn't have any pictures for this post until I remembered our recent trip to the corn maze. Yes sometimes in life you end up at a dead end or biff it in the mudd, but it is still quite the adventure! You might as well laugh and enjoy it as much as possible.

first grade

2009-10-16T11:42:00.002-05:00

Olivia drew this at school. It made me so happy. She has a good life. It says from left to right: I like my family, I like to watch my show, I like to play dress up, I like to go to my friends house, I like to read, I like to hold my bunny, I like to play tennis, I like to swim.

Today I'm going to her school to be the Friday Friend for the first grade. I am going to read Emily's Art by Peter Catalonotto it is one of our favorite books. And then I'm going to talk about my job. Speaking of which I just posted some new photo shoots on my blog last night. :)

Then (because I know you want the play by play of my day) we are going to buy supplies for making some pretty rockin' Halloween costumes. We have a few days off from school and I am planning on staying home and sewing. I had to go to too many places over the past two weeks and I've realized something about myself that I should have already known. I really would just rather stay home and make things.

Since I'm the Queen of getting ahead of myself...

2009-10-05T23:29:00.004-05:00

I have a new photo blog and it's so pretty that I can't stop looking at it! And the sad thing is that I haven't even posted anything on it yet! How funny is that! But guess what! I designed my very own favicon! I think that's the think I'm most excited about!

That's enough exclamation points for one post. I'm going to bed now. And tomorrow I'm going to go to Knoxville for a fun engagement shoot! (ok just one more exclamation point)

You just can't make stuff like this up!

2009-10-01T18:56:00.005-05:00

Today I did something I'm not too proud of...but I'm blaming it on the cabin fever resulting from a week of solitary confinement due to Chickie's swineflu/strep combo. How's that for a long sentence?

So we're eating lunch. Bentley says, "Mommy, why is she naked?" I look out the sliding glass doors in front of our kitchen table and see a rather large woman collecting walnuts from under our tree. She is holding a grocery bag. If she had been wearing the bag it probably would have been more modest than what I was seeing. She was wearing what looked like a bra and panty set. And she was bending over. And over and over. The bra was too small and it had a hole in it. I shut my curtains to protect the innocent. I peeked out for a moment trying to solidify if what I was seeing was really and truly real. It was. I contemplated saying something, started to open the door. I stopped myself because I knew it wasn't going to come out very nicely.

At this point I should probably explain that we live in a condo with a big shared backyard. And this naked lady is one of my neighbors. We haven't officially been introduced.

I call my other neighbor and bid her to look out her window. We start laughing hysterically in disbelief. Annie points out that she probably thinks it's ok since she is wearing a sports bra and what might possibly be bikini bottoms. We discuss complaining to the homeowners association and decency laws in our town. We laugh some more and hang up.

I go to my fridge and open the door. I have the sudden thought flash through my mind. I failed the test. When I was a teen/twenty something I was obsessed with magazine quizzes. It all played out in my mind.

Question: Your unsightly neighbor decides to pick walnuts in a makeshift bikini in the fall in your backyard, you...

A. Explain that there are children present, and would she please wear some clothes. Offer her an extra grocery bag and bring her a fresh batch of pumpkin muffins to thank her for being such a great sport about the whole thing.

B. Shut your curtains and laugh it off, people are quirky.

C. Call a friend and laugh at your neighbor together. And blog about it later.

D. Take a video and post it on YouTube.

E. Call the police.

In my mind, when filling out the answers in the magazine, I would think I'd be person A. Maybe B would have been the best thing to do. But no. In actuality I chose C. I'm a terrible person. But in my defense... it was one of those moments so unbelievable that it really had to be shared.

So maybe my neighborhood is kinda worse than I thought it was. And I have never had one moments second thought about moving here. Everything has been really great. Except one thing. I miss living in a town where we can afford a really nice house. Kind of a lot.

I'm thankful for the weather today it was really nice...maybe a little too nice.

So seriously though! What would YOU have done? I really want to know.

my sweet Grammy

2009-09-22T08:55:00.005-05:00

My Grammy with her older sister my Great Aunt Jean

My Grammy died on September 10th. We went to Moab, UT to be with family and to help with and attend her funeral services. I felt really proud of my family. The services were perfect. We had a viewing, a traditional funeral at the graveside, and a family memorial service up at Warner Lake. Warner was the place she loved. She said being there filled her soul. We told stories about her. More that made us laugh than made us cry. It seems she made everyone feel like family, and accepted us all in spite of our differences. I loved her very much. She was a huge influencing factor in my life. I feel different now. I have to be more of a grown up now. I am going to take some time and try to make my home look slightly more grown up. That sounds so funny, but I'm serious. Hopefully I'm capable of having a grown up house. I think some of the old college paintings might have to come down. Grammy was always one to get things done. I think I definitely inherited that. But I'm going to take some time to make sure I'm moving forward and getting the best things done. Move forward with a specific purpose. So I may be a little quiet here on my blog for a bit longer.

I'm thankful for many, many good memories. I'm especially thankful that I chose to live with her the summer after my freshman year in college. We had a lovely time together and she taught me to quilt, one of her greatest passions in life.

this weekend

2009-09-08T15:05:00.003-05:00

We hunted for treasure, and found it.

We got to be a part of something wonderful! We went back to Knoxville for Addison's baptism.

I had to laugh when I was taking these pictures I told Ryan and Add to just talk to each other and interact. Ryan then gave Addison a hug and then he said in the sweetest, most natural way, "Now hug me on the other side." Now you can tell his wife (my dear friend Heather) is awesome about taking great pictures of her family.

I miss these guys! But I'm glad we live within driving distance.

And I sewed! Finally got a little done on Chickie girl's quilt.

What did you do?

new frontiers

2009-09-03T16:58:00.004-05:00

I just put Andrea Larsen Photo on Facebook! How exciting. You can become a fan and make my day! Right now I have 2 fans and one of them is me. Hopefully I will have a few more by the end of the day. I'm also running a special. You ready for this? If you book in September $150 for a 1 hour photo shoot with 10-15 edited images in color and black and white on a disc! Editing makes all the difference my friends. I may throw in all the un-edited images as well. I can't decide if it's more overwhelming to get a disc with 100+ images or if people would rather just have the really great ones. Any thoughts?

Milk

2009-09-02T13:14:00.003-05:00

It does a body good. And ya know what else does a body good? Drawing! And a lot of it my friends.

Aleena Jean

2009-08-31T23:09:00.006-05:00

I love this image. It's my favorite. I love the streak of red in her hair. The color of her hair. Her amber eyes. And last but not least...thank you wind!
This is my cousin Aleena. She is a senior this year from Seattle, WA...ish. And this little photo shoot was a bright spot in a difficult week for us in UT. Our poor Grammy. I was so down in the dumps this day. But we had planned this already, and by the end we were having a total blast!

She's cute, right!

making lemonade

2009-08-14T22:14:00.004-05:00

Figuratively speaking that is....

Sometimes life hands you big fat lemons. I feel like I've been getting too many of them lately. Don't you hate it when life feels like LIFE? Do you know what I mean? Sometimes life is just day to day enjoyable everyday silly problems. And sometimes you have to deal with the big things that aren't any fun at all. Like my Dad's mom (mamaw) dying. And my Dad's mom (Grammy) has what looks like a very aggressive cancer on top of failing kidneys. (I have two great dad's and I call them both Dad. It gets confusing.) I've been baking a lot this week. It's how I deal with things like that. Not good. We ran out of flour and had to go to Gigi's today. Had to. I don't want to do any more dishes.

The lemonade...a surprisingly fun post-funeral photoshoot with my cousin Jordy. He's one good lookin dude. When we were kids he was always making movies with my little sisters. Now he's in LA doing the actor thing.

As for the lemonade in the situation with my beloved Grammy...I'm going to see her Monday. So that's good. We were made from the same cloth. Two peas in a pod. I get her, she gets me. I only wish I were by her side already. Chris is going to brave it alone with the kids. He'll probably have everything in tip top shape. Can't say the same for what they may eat....now that's a scary thought. If you see my kids please sneak them a fruit or vegetable.

More lemons...my job with Lindsay Jane Photography. A super hard situation, because I love Todd and Lindsay so much and all their family. Lindsay taught me a lot and I will always be thankful for her in my life. Hopefully I'll be able to reciprocate in some way. But the job wasn't what we needed it to be. So I quit. Big fat depressing bummer. I was trying to wallow in my own pathetic situation, but no one would let me. And when my lawyer told me I needed to "move on with my life" well that was the last straw. I guess sometimes the people pleasing can be a hindrance. Who knew?

The lemonade... andrea larsen photo. Never in a million years did I see this one in my future. But people started calling me. And I have to have somewhere to put the pictures, right? So it's fun. Actually I've been having a blast. It's not quite done yet (the website, or anything else for that matter). It's pretty ghetto at this point, but it's a start. And the good news is that I've been busy. I had a newborn shoot this week, and a small family, and tomorrow I have a family of 33! Yikes. How I got this busy already??? A blessing.

Yes. Life is weird. Why can't things just work out like you planned them? Maybe this was too melancholy of an announcement? But I guess there is no helping that at this point. Too sum up: new job stuff, good. family stuff, bad. Must make lemonade tomorrow...and possibly lemon bars.

broadway babies

2009-08-03T22:58:00.004-05:00

Today I took Olivia's first official head shots. We are lucky enough to be living in this awesome place! One of the lady's that we go to church with is donating her talents to the little girls. They have a two week Drama Camp that ends with a show this Friday! They are doing the Jungle Book this year. And I got to do their sweet little head shots! It was such a blast. I wanted to share a few. I love it when I get a genuine expression. Olivia has two little teeth hanging on by a mere thread. But she's so not about pulling them.

Isn't she darling!

Alyse is in the class I teach on Sunday's. I was worried about how her pictures turned out until I looked through them on the computer. I think they were the best ones of the day.

One of his buddies was making him laugh. Classic.

Here is our assistant-director. She is very serious about her job. Today was her birthday. She didn't want to have her picture made. But I got her to smile when I told her I heard she stayed up till 3 am playing barbies with her little nieces. This is the smile of someone guilty as charged and kinda pleased with herself about it!

Bentley had fun too. He camped out on a blanket with a movie and some fig newtons. See the crumbs! He charmed a little moth/butterfly.

I'm thankful for today. It was fun.

the elusive number four

2009-07-29T14:50:00.006-05:00

We are all the main character in our own life story, are we not? Well. Here's a bit of mine. I know, I know...this blog is all about me. But some subjects I have kept a little mum. I was waiting for the moment of the big reveal. The wow factor, you know {Surprise! Look what I've been doing!} and all that. But then I wonder, if the story isn't more interesting than the end result. Especially when the end result is taking so much longer than I thought. Aye, aye, aye.

Remember this? Of course you don't. That was light years ago, right. Well, things didn't go as planned. Not exactly. But I did end up with a contract with Andover Fabrics! That's right! A signed contract. It was in the process for so long that when it came in the mail it almost seemed normal. Now that's weird. But when the word was final on the phone, I did indeed celebrate. I was by myself (except for a sleeping baby). So there was a lot of silent jumping up and down.

Here I am gripping my contract tightly in my best accidental Rosie the Riveter pose.

That gets you pretty much up to date. The word now is that my collection has gotten mixed reviews (I don't blame them, I'm before my time). And it's being taken around to some of Andover's best clients to see what they say. I wonder who their best clients are? I wonder if their best clients would be my best clients? I would describe my work as...girly/modern (so not traditional). But I definitely adhere to traditional values of quilting when it comes to scale and contrast. Although I do have larger prints and one huge print. Oh, how I wish I could really show you. It's so pretty you guys!

And here is the stack of designs I sent them.

I'm told it's harder for me because I don't have a name out there yet. No patterns, etc. Hmmm. I keep thinking that all things are possible. That's what my husband keeps telling me. So it surprises me that things don't just happen perfectly. But then again it still surprises me when they do. I know one thing for sure. I have absolutely no idea what I'm doing. But it feels right so I'm just going to keep plugging along. Wish me luck.

As for my post title. Have I mentioned this book before? Finding Your Own North Star. I love it. She's so funny. And I think she has a lot of wisdom. So according to Martha Beck...our hero's saga consists of four steps.

1. Protagonist sets out to achieve goal. Check

2. Protagonist runs into a mess of trouble. Check

3. Protagonist struggles through adverse conditions. Check, check, check.

4. Protagonist achieves the goal. (the elusive number four!)

In the mean time I know I can do some things differently to help myself along. I still have a lot to learn. I just figured it's time to come clean. Especially since I've been pulling out my portfolio for anyone to take a gander at who is nice enough to ask.

I'm so thankful for this opportunity. I'm so thankful for the team at Andover taking a chance on me. I grateful for their enthusiasm for my designs and I can't wait for everyone to see them! So next time you are talking with your rep from Andover Fabrics make sure to ask when Andrea Larsen's first line is going to come out! Tell them you hear it's going to be fabulous! They would be so confused. That makes me laugh just thinking of it. That's a good happy laugh, not evil and sinister...FYI.

baby feet

2009-07-26T21:39:00.001-05:00

I just found this picture of my nephew Eli as I was backing up my family pictures from June. How cute is this. Zonked out on his little doggie blanket. And I love his little black pants.

I'm dying-dying to paint my living room white. Soon.... soon.

Pioneers!

2009-07-26T20:38:00.003-05:00

Incase you didn't know, Friday July 24th is Pioneer Day! And since I am a faithful Mormon girl I took my kids to our local Pioneer day celebration! It was by far the best pioneer day I have ever been to. I'm sure in Utah they go all out, but everywhere I've lived here in the south it has always been a little more low key. Until now...

There were sack races.

And my kids are so cute hopping around in sacks!

Who knew?

There was a handcart for kids to either ride in or pull.

We dug for potatoes, picked apples, and hunted eggs!

I want to make one of these chickens, they are darling. But what would I do with it?

And a petting zoo. And that's not even the half of it! We made our own butter, hammered nails, made necklaces, shopped at the general store. It was all very exciting. And I got to spend some time in the temple today which is what it's all about.
Some of my ancestors left England and came to America to join the trek west. Actually, that's not exactly true. I think the story goes that my ancestor (Richard Bentley?- I could be remembering that name wrong and my family history book is in storage.) ANYway. He left with his sister and her husband who were with the Mormons in order to look for work. And then there was a girl...isn't that how the story always goes.

I'm so proud to have such a rich history. My great-grandpa LeRoi Bentley put a lot of work into our family history book. I'm so grateful to have that. And to top the night off I watched a John Adams movie and worked on a quilt. I was just feeling overall so grateful for all the great men and women who have gone before us and given us so many freedoms.

I was listening to Jennifer Paganelli on craft sanity a while ago. She was saying that she was thankful for Amy Butler who has been such a pioneer in the fabric design industry. So true, Jennifer, so true. Speaking of which I will have to update you all on my fabric designing journey. It has not been smooth. Wouldn't ya know it.

Salty the Dog

2009-07-24T10:21:00.003-05:00

I put an empty salt box in Olivia's art supplies. I thought it would be fun to use for crafting. She found it this morning. Dumped the salt onto a napkin. Tasted it. Invited Bentley to have a taste. Then she ran off with the salt carefully cradled in the napkin. I said, "What about this?" Pointing to the salt box on the floor. She said, "OH!". A few minutes later she came back with a new pet dog named Salty.

Not exactly what I had in mind. But hey, whatever works!

Woof, woof.

Today I'm thankful for creative kids that make me laugh!

forward slash

2009-07-21T09:41:00.002-05:00

My eyes hurt from staring at the middle of my forehead a little too long in the mirror this morning. I just noticed a new wrinkle that looks exactly like a forward slash \. Hmmm. I'm wondering what expression I make that got me that mark? Smack dab in the middle of my forehead. My eyes hurt.

be brave

2009-07-16T19:54:00.003-05:00

I was inspired by this quote by Paulo Coelho today:

Everyday-together with the sun- God gives us a moment in which it is possible to change everything that makes us unhappy. Every day we try to pretend that we don't realize that moment, that it doesn't exist, that today is just the same as yesterday and will be the same as tomorrow. But if you pay attention, you can discover the magic instant. It may be hiding at the moment when we put the key in the door in the morning, in the silence right after dinner, in the thousand and one things that all seem the same to us. This moment exists- a moment when all the strength of the stars passes through us and lets us work miracles.

Sometimes it's so hard to make those changes. Sometimes something you thought would be wonderful doesn't end up being so great. I was brave today. And now I'm going to go eat some ice cream.

Today I'm grateful for new beginnings.

proof that we actually did have fun!

2009-07-14T22:44:00.008-05:00

While we were in Utah we went to This is the Place Heritage Park. I don't remember ever having gone there before. We had a great day there! I am such a sucker for historical stuff and there were so many fun crafts for the kids to do. We went with my Aunt Darcy and her girls Maddie and Sophie. I love them!

Bentley ended up getting this hat and he wears it around everywhere. Even sleeping with it sometimes.

What a stud!

The drug store was so pretty!
Chris and his mini-me.
Of course Bentley was all about the train.

Sophie girl!
I love how happy Chickie looks here.
Sweet kid! Maddie is an amazing artist! She even has her own blog.

This cracks me up! Look at Bentley's expression! Summer school, ugh!

new digits

2009-07-14T12:12:00.002-05:00

I got myself some new digits! And a fancy new phone to go with it. I'm slightly in love with my phone and that's a definite first for me! Well, from the looks of the picture above, maybe it's not quite a first. Things sure have changed since the 70s. If you'd like my new digits to have for yourself just email me at abentleylarsen@yahoo.com and I will send them to you! And if you called me at my old number over the last three weeks I'm sorry! I blame vacation brain.

xo drea

because I like making lists

2009-07-11T23:17:00.007-05:00

Well if I was disappointed by the smooth sailing of our drive to Utah not giving me any good fodder for the blog, the ride home most definitely did not disappoint. Let me tell it in lists. For kicks.

Funniest Quotes:

"I think you would look good in a straight jacket!" ~My brother in law (as we were leaving Idaho--because it was bad before we even got in the car to leave)

"I'm SO glad I'm not a mom right now!" ~Olivia (you don't want to know)

"Thanks for all the memories! Good and bad! It was a great trip!" ~Buffy (she slays me!)

Phrases most often repeated:

"Zeke. Zeke, Zeke!!!" ~anyone wanting to talk to Zeke.

"Malachi, look out the window!" ~Buffy

"Bentley called me a wienie head!" ~Malachi (He learned the hard way that if you teach a kid a dirty trick he may use it against you)

"Keep your hands to yourself!" ~ Buffy and I equally

Number of times we had to stop at the side of the interstate:

4 ~twice for someone to pee and twice to clean up vomit.

Speaking of vomit:

number of times my kids puked: 5

diarrhea: once....but it should have counted for more.

Number of movies I steadied the mini DVD player on a large stack of pillows so all kids could see: 4 ~slightly painful but SOOO worth it.

injuries:

2~Chickie has a gimpy foot. She is walking on the side of her left foot. She sat in the back of the van which was pushed unusually close to the seat in front of it in order to fit all of our things in the back. She had this condition when we arrived in CO and for I think four days after. I thought it was from something else until she got it again after our first day of driving home.

Malachi bit his own finger and made himself cry. I'm pretty sure it was so he could get a band-aid.

Good things that happened on the drive home:

Buffy singing.

Cotillion by Georgette Heyer ~SO GOOD! So funny! Go read it.

Things this last bit of the trip was worse than:

labor

nine months of pregnancy

Calling 911 when Chris had a kidney stone and we thought his appendix burst

being stranded after a football game when I was 16 because my dad forgot to pick me up or maybe he was just really, really late.

I'm SO not kidding.

I wanted to die.

And I almost cried.

Things I left:

vegetable peeler

paring knife

bentley's neenee (blanket)

cd case with all our best kids DVDs :(

toothbrush

Things I love about being home:

Being with my kids!!! I feel like I didn't get to see them over the past three weeks they were always off with cousins.

The humidity! Crazy I know. But this is the first time I was actually over the desert.

Green!

The sounds the bugs make at night.

I love that the crazy people around town seem normal because they are crazy in a way I understand.

Things I did today:

finished reading my book

went shopping

tidied up my itunes library

returned library books

Things I was supposed to do today but did not:

clean out the fridge

mop

do laundry

unpack

I can't wait for:

Chris to get home in a bit! We saw him for 30 minutes before he had to leave. He is off in MN dancing! And he did AMAZINGLY well, again! They got 2nd place in Rising Star this time! And 5th in the open pro! I almost can't believe it! Except that I saw them and they are amazing!

If you read this whole thing I'm sure you are thanking me for NOT including pictures. It would not have been pretty.

In fact if you are still reading this I would like to offer you a sticker for being so good! Something I tried with the kids. They shared all they had very willingly for about 15 minutes until it got to hard to keep track of sticker giving, toy opening, and lunch ordering, and that's about when I made the giant pillow tower for the movies.

Can anyone guess what made Olivia say her funny quote at the top? Because I ended up telling you anyway.

The end. I promise.

P.S.

Whew, this was very therapeutic for me. I now have closure from the trip.

Camping is lame. PS is there an app for blogging with my iPhone? I can't figure out how to get to the main text area. I wish I had a shower and book.

2009-07-08T00:00:00.005-05:00

let me brag about my man

2009-06-26T09:04:00.004-05:00

So day 2 of our trip we got to watch Chris and Lindsey compete at the Colorado Star Ball! I am so proud of them! They were AMAZING! They competed in American Smooth Professional Rising Star the first night. Which is for new pro couples. I don't remember the exact numbers but there were so many couples they started with two rounds for each dance.

They kept getting called back and in the end they wound up in third place! THIRD PLACE! Their first time on the floor. That's just insane! I'm so proud.

The last three couples standing.

Happy Dance!!!

You can watch them on You Tube. Here the first night. And here

and here the second night. The second night they competed in the open pro category and got 6th place! Seriously! They have only been dancing together 5 months! Wow. I can't wait to see what they can do in a year!

TN to Co in 22 hrs.

2009-06-23T16:07:00.003-05:00

Well, we did it! And we survived, sort of. A little sickness of course cropped up. But honestly I was expecting some sort of disaster that would be funny to recount. It was surprisingly uneventful on that account. We listened to books on tape. Charlie and the Chocolate Factory. Stuart Little. some others...
We made a ton of food ahead of time so we wouldn't have to eat fast food. Bread, cookies, pasta salad, muffins, granola. And fruits and veggies of course. So pretty much just eating and listening to books on tape.
Oh and my favorite part was listening to Buffy sing lullabies to Eli. She has the voice of an angel.

road trip!

2009-06-19T00:12:00.005-05:00

OK. It's after midnight right now. I'm still packing. My sister-in-law Buffy and I are leaving at 4 a.m. with our 5 kids. We are going to try and get all the way to CO, watch Chris and Lindsey compete and then on to UT. We will be gone for 3 weeks! I'm so excited.

Things are about to get a lot prettier around here I just got a new camera!!!! hallelujah people! I will try to keep you updated. As there are sure to be some funny stories over the next few weeks. Wish us luck!

rained out

2009-06-17T20:06:00.003-05:00

Today was not the best day. boo. And I took my kids to the pool for a play date with friends. The minute we got there it started to thunder and lightening. So we took one little friend with us and headed home. When we pulled up my neighbor was out running around in the rain with her kids and singing. Have I mentioned that I LOVE my neighbor? She has made living here sane for me. She talks to me like I'm an old friend thank heavens! Small talk makes me crazy. She had gone to the pool also and gotten rained out. So her husband manned the hose and we all ran around in it. It was so great! Just what I needed. To feel like a kid again. Even just for a little while.

My neighbor's name is Annie. When I first met her she was outside redoing a chair. I knew I had to introduce myself. Then when she told me about her love for yellow and how she thinks it really is a neutral...I knew I would love her. And she used to be a ballroom dancer. How random is that. She's quirky in a lot of the same ways I am. A million crazy ideas running around in her brain, too.

I tried to take a picture of us but the camera fogged over. It was super humid out there. So this time you'll just have to use your imagination. Just picture lush green everywhere. Soggy underfoot. Lots and lots of laughter. Lightening shmightning!

us

2009-06-15T23:46:00.003-05:00

Thanks Rose!

Popo and his grandsons

2009-06-15T23:17:00.002-05:00

You know my sisters are nuts by now, right? Well...They gave my dad the nickname of Popo and it stuck somehow. So that's what all the grandkids call him. He is such a good grandpa! He came and stayed with my kids when I was off making my dreams come true at quilt market and he takes Zeke and Malachi fishing all of the time. He's a great guy.

Rose

2009-06-15T23:10:00.002-05:00

My little sister Rose...She's gorgeous. FUNNY. Has a great voice! And is a fabulous aunt.

This is Eli. He is a great nephew and has a sweet set of cheeks.

The Bentley Fam

2009-06-15T22:55:00.002-05:00

Sam had to skip out early so I didn't get as many pics of these guys as I would have liked. But we still got some cute ones. And I will have plenty more opportunities since Buffy and I leave in FOUR more days on a THREE week road trip to CO, UT, and ID! I am SO excited!

Katie and Preston are Hot!

2009-06-15T22:45:00.002-05:00

And Everett and Lincoln are pretty cute, too.
Found a puddle to play in!
Everett could not resist the water! He stripped down to his skivvies and jumped right in!

See what I mean!

Katie and Rose

2009-06-15T22:18:00.004-05:00

My sisters are so funny. When we were kids we all shared a room. I used to sleep on a double bed on the bottom of the bunk and they would sleep on the twin bed at the top. Whose idea that was I don't remember. But I do remember their giggling every night. I would say, "YOU GUYS BE QUIET!" because I was older and getting up at the crack of dawn. Katie would say, "ROSE!" (Because Rose always starts the laughter when she is around.) Then we all would yell, "MOM!!!!"

So now Katie and Rose are both living in the same town across the country from where we grew up. And one day Katie was dropping Rose off at school. Rose looked at Katie and said, "Can I wear your jacket?" Katie took it off and gave it to her. Then she said, "and your hair thing?" So she gave that to her, too. It just cracks me up. I don't know why. But that just shows how close they are. I think it's adorable.

Plus I love the way Katie is looking at Rose in this picture with that "your nuts and I absolutely love that about you" look. It's classic.

mi familia

2009-06-15T21:59:00.005-05:00

When we went to visit my family on the coast back in May we decided to take the opportunity to take a family picture. We knew it would be our last chance for a while since Rose is headed to freezing cold Canada for a year and a half. Things got a little crazy. Mainly because I forgot my tripod. I borrowed my dad's camcorder tripod and tied my camera to it with my sister in law's stash of yellow yarn! Then....after everyone was in their places I set the timer and ran like crazy to jump up on that tree branch. It was surely comical in that long dress. It was really fun, too. My family was all saying, "CHEESE" so loud it was really cracking me up! Normally I take a day or two to edit a photo shoot. This one took me about a month! It's so hard to try and edit yourself. And I also had picked about 70 favorites. Kinda of a daunting task to edit. So now I've edited about 24 of them. :) Here are a few of them.

Oops, I just realized I forgot to do my own family picture!

couch time

2009-06-11T00:44:00.003-05:00

I'm not usually a big fan of the ol' bube tube (or is it boob tube?). But...there are exceptions. Like the Oscars. And So You Think You Can Dance. Holy Awesome. We got Tivo again just because of you. And it was SO so worth it! Isn't it amazing what a strong healthy body can do! I'm in awe. What can I say!

summer, summer, summer time

2009-06-07T22:05:00.005-05:00

My dad came to visit us right around the time of my last post. Just for a few days. But it was great. My kids were total angels the whole time. I kid you not. No whining, no crying. They were perfectly happy little angel children. We did a lot of walking and riding bikes. Got caught in a huge thunderstorm. Just fun. Every night my kids say what they are thankful for. It's supposed to be something specific from that day. But Bentley always says "Daddy and Milk." Always. Now, however he has branched out and he says, "Daddy, Milk, and Gwampa!" They really had such a great time with him. My dad is off to London now doing some really cool work that I can only pretend to understand. :) No really, I understand it, but I couldn't explain it to anyone else. OK. Now I'm embarrassed and I have to try and explain it. He's a cultural anthropologist and he has started these plant clinics all around the world. They help local farmers determine what bugs are eating their crops and what to do about it. Is that right, Dad? Anyway, they have really taken off and are getting some pretty cool attention. He's a cool guy. And I'm glad he's my dad.

After he left I FINALLY did what should have been done about a year ago and weaned Bentley from his nightly bottle. Then he got step throat. Aye-aye-aye!

But we are good now. Back to normal. Headed to Knoxville to do a family photo shoot with super cute Cally and co. tomorrow! So excited!

You know even though the crazy summer schedule has totally thrown me for a loop, I think I'm thankful for it. I needed a shift in perspective.

We have a nanny!

2009-05-25T21:48:00.002-05:00

Yes, it's true. I've been working way too hard. I just can't do it all on my own anymore. We had to get a nanny. Kinda like the nanny in Peter Pan. Or should I say Manny. At first we named her Princess Lulu, but then Chris said she was a boy. So we named him Runny. Because we spent 45 minutes the first day running after him. But other then that... he keeps the kids very entertained.
He's darling, isn't he. When I first came in with him Olivia was so happy. She almost shed tears of joy. I have never seen her so filled with joy. It was very sweet indeed.

Hello Summer!

2009-05-25T21:45:00.001-05:00

We're glad you're here!

language

2009-05-20T21:40:00.006-05:00

Olivia: Mom, where is the pink?

Me: Pink what?

Olivia: Pink paper

Me: I don't know.

Olivia: Rats!

Bentley: What does that mean?

Olivia: It means, Awww, man!

I love observing kids learn what things mean. This cracked me up! Maybe you had to be there.

Happy Mother's Day to me!

2009-05-10T22:26:00.002-05:00

Look how exhausted I looked! Being a first time mom sure was a shock to the system! Now I have these two gorgeous kids and I'm able to be a mom and have some artistic fun on the side. I never would have believed that was possible 6 years ago.
Chris took this sweet picture. He's got a great eye. I need to teach him to use my camera and then maybe there will be a few more pictures of me around. I don't have many of my mom from when we were little.

I have had the best day! The kids brought me the greatest cards and coupons. I redeemed the one for breakfast. Olivia brought me a tray with the potted flower she made for me at school, an empty glass, a bowl with a little cereal and a whole lotta milk. It was spilled all over the place. Best breakfast I've ever had! She had to go back for a spoon, napkin, and drink. Meanwhile I redeemed my coupon for a foot rub from Bentley. It was a little painful. He scratched at my toes, tried to pull them off, and tried twisting my legs! I was laughing so hard. Chris was nice enough to finish it off. They totally pampered me today and I feel very loved and appreciated.

I'm so grateful for the moms in my life. I get to see my mom later this week! I'm so excited. And I will get to see my grammy in June!

shhh.

2009-05-05T23:58:00.004-05:00

GUESS WHAT!!! Todd and Lindsay put together an awesome new SECRET page on the website.
If it's secret, then why am I telling you?
Because my friends, it's the friends and family discount. :)
FINALLY, you say! Knowing Andrea is definitely going to start paying off! (I know, right.)
So go check it out!!!
I'm usually here in Nashville.
But in June I'll be in Knoxville and in Utah. :) If you want to talk dates email me @andrea@lindsayjanephotography.com.
Today I'm thankful for kids. Especially mine. None of whom are pictured above, but you've seen them before. You know they're cute.

O W the S go M

2009-05-03T12:13:00.003-05:00

Chickie has a new favorite song. And even though you can't hear her singing it full volume around the house, I'll bet you can still guess what it is.

Exhibit A:

Exhibit B: He said it was relaxing. And he's asleep on the couch right now with the stickers still on his face. It makes me laugh.

Edit: It's 6 pm and the stickers are still there. It's a good thing he doesn't expect us to take him seriously.

I.N.D.E.C.I.S.I.V.E.

2009-05-02T16:07:00.003-05:00

Andrea Indecisive Larsen. Yes, it should be my middle name. It has a nice ring to it, no? So I have maybe too many Martha Stewarts. But a few years ago (ok, 8 or 10), I had the Martha Stewart Wedding issue with the instructions for making paper flowers and I threw it away. I cannot count the times after that I had wished for that issue. Dang. Anyway...we live in a tiny space. I want to bring Olivia's art stuff from way up in her closet (too high for her to reach) down where she can reach it but someplace not too easily accessed by Bentley. So that means they must take the place of my Martha's. And where should they go...in her closet? In storage? In the recycle bin? I love magazines. But I love blogs more. So I don't look at magazines as much anymore. Maybe I should take to them with scissors and only save what I love?

When we lived on Goddard (as we like to say) we had the perfect built in bookshelves on the second floor landing. There was beautiful light coming in through the windows. I would plop down on the cool wood floor and pull out issue after issue. Heaven. But that was before or just after Mandee introduced me to the blogging world.

Change. Change. Change. The one thing I have learned is that there are no perfect options in life. It's all about measuring the tradeoffs. Took me a while to figure that out.

So what should I do?

Choices, choices, choices...

2009-05-02T15:27:00.002-05:00

Or a black and white polka dot one.

I can't decide. But I know I need one because it's been raining for the past 4 days and the forecast says 2 more to come. I don't mind though. I like the rain. And I like any excuse to stay home. We're organizing stuff today. And by we I mean me.

Dear Earth,

2009-04-22T21:03:00.001-05:00

I made a pretty grocery bag just for you. Happy day.

Love,

Andrea

show and tell

2009-04-22T15:18:00.002-05:00

I bought a flash from someone on craigslist. I am SO happy! I couldn't sleep because of the excitement. But now, I'm sleeping even better knowing I'm all set to shoot Kate and Henry's wedding this Saturday! I'm starting to feel like a real photographer with this bad boy atop my camera! Hooray!

so good

2009-04-18T23:18:00.004-05:00

Can I give you the play by play of my day because it was really great?! Ok. excellent.

It started out with a run, a good one.
Then I went to the temple. I volunteered to do laundry there once a month. And today was my first day. I got set apart and everything! (I realize that's a really Mormon thing to say and I kind of don't know how to explain it any other way. They gave me a sweet blessing to do my job. That's probably the best explanation of getting 'set apart'). AND I get my very own white name tag! I was very excited. It was so relaxing to have a few hours of QUIET. Ah, heaven. As I was walking down the temple hall with a basket full of white laundry I had this overwhelming feeling that I really belong there. Something about doing laundry, such an intimate task, made me feel so at home. The temple is so peaceful and so beautiful. It was a really great experience.
Then I came home to a newly painted kitchen. Chris does an amazing amount of things when he's home with the kids. I don't see how he does it sometimes. And he picked out the color himself and it looks great! I love the rockstars diary blog. I had read about her going to gigi's cupcakes as part of her roadtrip. The girl loves food. It's too funny. So since it's in the neighborhood we decided to check it out. And while we were there well who should walk in but the lovely Gigi herself. We had a quick little chat and she gave us an extra cupcake for free. Thank you Gigi! They were SOOOO so so so good! We each got a Hunka Chunka Banana Love. De-licious. She said it was her best recipe. I would have to agree. Although, I'm partial to banana. And the Almond Joy was incredible. The one you see here is the white midnight magic chocolate chip. It's the only one that made it home in one piece. It's gone now. I brought my camera with me but not my CF card. How lame, it's a horrible habit I've gotten myself into and it must end.

Chris finishing off the Almond Joy.

You think that's the end. It's not. But perhaps this post is long enough. I shall save it for another day.

I'm thankful for today. It was awesome.

she really is a rockstar

2009-04-18T23:02:00.003-05:00

For show and tell on Friday Chickie wanted to bring her song book (which she keeps under her pillow-anyone seen Camp Rock?)
The night before she had written a new song called, "Double Roses." Well, I helped dress her up as a rock star for school. You know, to give her the courage to sing. Because she said that she knew her teacher would ask her to sing one.
And so she sang one of her songs for her class. She rocked it out Chickie style.

I can't believe how big my baby is getting. Chris said he was actually impressed with her vocal abilities. And then he said, "Maybe we moved to Nashville for a reason." Ha ha very funny. Well, she definitely has the attitude down.

to the rescue

2009-04-16T09:15:00.004-05:00

This morning the sight of this made me cry. Here's why. Chris gets home from work really late most nights. Last night he got home around 10 I think. We talked for about an hour. We told each other about our days.

The kids spent most of the day playing outside yesterday even though it was kind of chilly. At one point Chickie called to me that something horrible had happened. All the tassels had been pulled off of her bike and were lying on the ground. Everyone of them. It was a most sad and pathetic sight indeed. She bawled inconsolably for a while. I hugged her. I didn't blame her one bit for how she was feeling. It was a great loss for her. I said, "tomorrow first thing I'll go to Hobby Lobby and get some pretty ribbons. We can hot glue them on." She broke out of her sobs for long enough to paint me a little picture (figuratively speaking) of how those tassels whip through the wind when she's riding her bike. She loves the crinkly sound they make and how they let her know that she's going faster and faster. They are basically the cherry on top of riding a bike. Better than the basket. Better than the horn. Better than pink princesses. It's all about the tassels.

So when I saw those tassels back on the bike this morning I thought of my husband outside at 11:00 hot glueing those strands back on one by one. It made me cry. I love him. Only just now did I realize that he probably brought the bike inside. Still. THANK YOU, BABE! You're THE best! He's our knight in shining armor!

I'm so thankful for my husband.

i love trees

2009-04-15T12:49:00.002-05:00

be still my heart. LOVE this. www.paulferney.com

Happy Easter

2009-04-12T20:12:00.002-05:00

This morning we dyed eggs.
Chris got all Martha on us.

Then we went to church. I had a class of eight 3-4 year olds. It was complete insanity. I went running for help several times. I always end up with too many things planned. I guess that's better than having not enough. I had this really cute cut out thing to do with the resurrection. For some reason I thought it would be manageable. I thought, "The kids can cut out some of it and I'll put in some relaxing hymns in to keep it reverent while I help them individually." It was so idyllic in my head. Yeah, right. It was madness. I had to enlist two parents for help. And between the three of it we barely got it done. Actually I guess we didn't even. One kid didn't do it at all. And one kid we sent home with the stuff to do it. Ha ha ha. I should know these things. I have kids, right? Just not 8 of them. How do people do it?

We came home, Bentley fell asleep and I locked myself in my room with Anna Karenina. I'm actually really liking it. I liked Levin's thoughts on how physical (farm) labour is honest, real and makes you happy. Anyone read it? Is the ending good? No, don't tell me.
After I recovered from church (oh, that's funny) we did confetti eggs. We attacked Chris unawares. It was very fun, as always.
I think my kids looked adorable today. I meant to do a photo shoot with them for fun after church but we were all too exhausted.
And we grilled out and had strawberry shortcake. Chickie likes hers sans strawberries.
She's a nut.
I'm so thankful for my family. And spring. And Christ and the beautiful life He led. I'm so grateful for His atonement as well and the peace that brings to me.

sometimes things just don't work out

2009-04-11T23:33:00.003-05:00

First of all take these "Easter Baskets" for example. Holy smelly mess! What a disaster. I used to make these as a kid. The sugary string dries, you pop the balloon. Cut out a circle and wa-la! Cute basket. Didn't work so much this time. Does anyone know how to do these?

And then poor Bentley and this super cute dolphin swing. It looked cute. He wanted in. But it kinda freaked him out.

Other than that all is well. Egg hunting, candy eating. Super happy kids, and etc. Although, I am feeling a little homesick today. For my old town where everything was easy and comfortable. I knew people they knew me. etc. etc. We would go to Chris's mom's house and she would make a lamb cake. For next year I must order myself a lamb cake mold. Yes, I must.

Happy Easter everyone!

how I love thee

2009-04-10T19:50:00.002-05:00

Kettle Corn, my sweet.

The best, the perfect, the ONLY popcorn. Yes, it's an odd obsession. But it's true.

Try it and you will never go back to the microwave kind.

Directions for delicious kettle corn:

Take a big pot with a lid, turn the burner to medium and fill with 1/4 c canola oil. Then put in 4 itty bitty kernels. When they pop the oil is ready. Dump in 1/4 c. sugar and 1/2 pop corn. Put the lid on and shake it like a polaroid picture for 3 seconds. Then wait three. Then back and forth. You get the picture. Until it stops popping. Dump it right away into a big bowl so it won't burn. You may want to shake on a little salt. And you can leave off the sugar and just make regular popcorn. If you must.

Rosita

2009-04-06T18:20:00.004-05:00

My little sister, Rose is going on a mission to Winnipeg Cananda! Is that not the coolest thing ever?! I'm so happy and excited for her. And all weekend while we were watching General Conference, I was just so happy and proud every time they mentioned missionary work. Until...today when I realized that I will have to fend for myself when it comes to finding good music for the next year and a half. Starting in July. Oh no. What is to become of me? Family gatherings will not be the same. Rose is stinking hilarious. Chris is always sad when she's not there. He says, "I don't know what it is, it's just not the same." But I know, it's Rose. I'm so excited to get letters from her and send her stuff. I'm so excited for her and so very proud of her!
I'm so thankful for my little sister Rose!

Click

2009-04-06T17:04:00.004-05:00

Saturday evening I had a really fun photo shoot with Anna Harwood and her fiance Jason. Anna is an AMAZING dancer, she works at the same studio as Chris. At one point she had to fix his hair a bit, so cute. I think this is my favorite picture of the whole shoot. I'm partial to candids. He says his hair looks like a young Gene Simmons and it must go. ha ha ha. I like it (his hair and the Gene Simmons joke).

You can see more of my favorites on my Lindsay Jane blog.

PLUS, If you like these pics and want some of your own (of you, not them) well, I'm planning a trip to Knoxville (my old stomping grounds) in June. And even better yet, I'm offering a nice fat discount for friends and family. I think blog readers count as friends and family, don't you? Email me at abentleylarsen@yahoo.com for more specifics if you are interested!

Fresh

2009-04-01T18:56:00.003-05:00

This morning I woke up (at 9!-heaven) organized the shoes in my closet and went for a run. Everything was just so glorious and perfect. Mowers were mowing, birds were singing. I was planning everything I was going to clean in my head on the way back. When I got home Chris had already beat me to it! What is it about spring that just makes you want to clean? I think it's that we are trying to make our homes as happy and fresh as the outdoors. What do ya think? Fresh. I used to use that word all the time. Funny, I haven't thought of it in a while.

While I was taking my shower Chickie got Bentley dressed for the day.

Not bad, but I think she went a little overboard on his hair. Sadly, his color scheme is the same as my room blue and yellow. Gag. Which reminds me...I have a confession to make. We moved...again. Are you waiting for the April Fools? Well, it won't come. I'm not kidding. If there were a movers anonymous I would sign us up. I was too embarrassed to admit it. So I didn't say anything. We moved in February. Just down the street. That makes the third time since we have been married that we have moved just down the street. I lost out on some good blogging moments because I didn't want to admit we'd moved. Like bunk beds. That could have been the basis for like, 15 posts in and of itself. Like the time I found Chickie hanging from the railing. Good times. Well, they are no longer bunk beds. So why confess now? Well, I know you all wouldn't believe that I would have lived in a yellow bedroom with all my blue stuff since October. That would be completely unbelievable. Would it not? Anyway. Bought the paint. But I'm a little slow to actually paint it. I did hang pictures today. And I think we have just one little bit of stuff to take to storage.
Man, it feels good to get that off my chest! So what was I saying? Oh yes, glorious, fresh day!
I heart spring. And isn't it funny that both my kids fit in this yellow dress? I told Olivia that Bentley was not allowed to go outside like that. She said, "Well, I want to wear it! I love that dress!"

spring green

2009-03-27T18:08:00.003-05:00

I am loving the fresh green of spring that is popping up all around me! It is just the prettiest green! And this darling little fairy habitat that sprung up in my backyard.

This week I did all the things my little sis recommended. I made her recipe for broccoli soup. So good! Read The Alchemist (or listened to). LOVED IT! And watched Little Manhattan. Adorable! It's like a regular romantic comedy only with kids. So cute.

And I've been busy designing my second collection. ...

What fun things did you guys do this week?

St. Patrick's Day

2009-03-19T10:16:00.007-05:00

On Tuesday Olivia skipped school to go to the zoo.

Olivia's favorite thing at the zoo was the food. This is what she ate: 2 chicken nuggets, 2 packs of fruit snacks, 2 granola bars, marshmallows, pretzels, a few bites of a hotdog, a huge bag of cotton candy in .5 seconds, and then she ate the remains of Reagan's ice cream cone and Addison's sno cone.

Number of times she threw up after we got home: 3.

Am I the best mom ever, or what! (She said with sarcasm).

Bentley's favorite things at the zoo: Hyacinth Macaws.

Everyone was wearing green. It was kind of freaky. We would look out into the vast sea of kids and all we could see was green.

Bentley had two rocks in his hand the whole day. Alyx had a lizzard and Belle.

Yo Ho Ho and a juice box

2009-03-12T13:17:00.011-05:00

This is my husbands buddy Derek. He's pretty much awesome. He sings and writes songs. And they're good (really good). AND he builds stuff. Really cool stuff like houses and this pirate ship. It's kind of a funny story.

He wanted to build his boys a pirate ship bed. But his go-orgeous wife Christina said, "Uh...no." (She's surprisingly practical. I thought pretty people were supposed to be frivolous and plain people were supposed to be practical. Or is that just silly? I digress....) So Derek said, "I'll build it outside then!" And that was the beginning of Pirate Play Ships. He has been building them near and far ever since.
Sometimes my husband goes with him. Once they went to Arkansas and built one in an ice storm. They had a huge tent and heaters to keep them going. They also went to Mississippi to build one on the coast. Good times...good times (or so I'm told). The next step is a mobile one that Derek is offering to take to birthday parties! Kids will love that! My kids certainly love visiting "uncle Derek". After dinner while Christina and I chatted and poor Chris was at work...Derek took all 4 kids outside in the pitch dark. He gave them each a flashlight. They climbed up on the ship and told "scary" stories! How cute is that!

In the following picture narrative I'm going to try and use as much cheesy pirate lingo as I can! Here I go:
"Ahoy there, me matey!"

"Arghh" (Bentley really got into character when D came out with the pirate garb.)

Queen Olivia the Smiling Pirate

Chillin on the deck

Plotting the course.

Maps are a little harder to follow than GPS. (Don't I know it!)

Hoist the main sail! (Is that what this is?)

Land-Ho!

Carter is getting ready to lock up his loot.

I really need to stretch my pirate vocabulary.

Today I'm thankful that I kind of figured out how to do a photo collage! go me.

this and that

2009-03-11T11:01:00.005-05:00

We have been having the best weather lately (well up until today). I have been loving my morning runs! And just enjoying oustide in general.

Today I'm thankful for the warmth of yesterday.

ps. I linked my blog to facebook. Just because I figured out I could. I'm trying to decide if that's annoying or not...

inspiring

2009-03-05T01:37:00.003-06:00

Have you read this? Especially this? Well you should. And if you haven't read her blog before then start at the beginning. Be inspired by her. Then pray for her. I can't stop thinking about this lovely woman and wishing her the best.

Today I'm thankful for Stephanie Nielson.

Yesterday...

2009-02-27T23:23:00.002-06:00

Bentley tp'd the living room.

And I caught Olivia hanging from her top bunk bed. Today she has no recollection of that happening.

I rearranged the furniture...

2009-02-25T20:56:00.003-06:00

...just to watch the oscars. Our TV was too far away from the cable outlet before. I don't know what it is but I love watching the oscars.
I think it's for the gowns (of course) and the acceptance speeches! I just love the idea that someone can achieve the impossible. That moment when these famous actors (and etc) become vulnerable and share a little of their journey. What it means to them...Dreams come true and all that....I love that!While we were watching I made this. Ever have one of those..."I can make that!" moments? That's what this is. I have those moments a lot. Less often I actually put forth the effort to try and make it. You can find the real deal here. She is amazing. I have to admit I feel kind of like a thief just for making it! I added some linen for more of a "casual" look. My lil sis Rose made a really cute one too when she was here. I just didn't finish mine until now because of the dreaded plague.
Poor B, I made him model for me....couldn't get a good enough picture doing the one arm thing!

Today I'm thankful for....making a dent in the laundry. And that it didn't downpour on me during my nice little run this morning.

happy

2009-02-24T21:23:00.004-06:00

These are the happiest drawings that Olivia has drawn since we've been here. She made a friend. They played outside for a nice long time.
I had a very good day as well. Lots of jumping around at our house today...and squealing.

I'm thankful for work, creative work.

these kids have strep

2009-02-19T23:28:00.004-06:00

Can't you tell?

I'm loving Bentley in his Buzz Lightyear costume...he's only about 4 months too late.

What do you think Heather? (this used to be Addison's I can't believe it!)

Chickie was dressed up as "Mrs. Buzz Lightyear."

This is the 3rd time Chickie has had strep this year!!! This time they gave her a shot in the rear. Bentley got one too. Poor guy, it's only his first time. But hopefully this will end the madness.

I just love having Olivia home. I love her playing and being happy. School makes her grouchy.

I'm SO tempted to do homeschool. Only she is so disappointed to be missing school!I overheard her explaining to Bentley that dinosaurs are extinct. "And that doesn't mean they are stinky! It means they died a long, long time ago."She learned that at school. Too funny.

Instead they played, watched movies, and tried to figure out the perfect amount of time to dunk graham crackers in milk. I like 7 or 12. That's not seconds, just 1234567eat.

I'm thankful for sick days.

favorite things

2009-02-19T22:56:00.006-06:00

these dishes

watching the kids make their own dough creations....especially loving Chickie's mermaid

naked four-y bentley

And my only original recipe:Chicken Potpie--so good!
Boil one chicken breast. In a seperate pan saute one chopped onion in 1/4 c butter until tender. Mix 1/3 c flour, 1/2 teaspoon salt, 1/2 teaspoon thyme. Stir into butter and onion. Then add 3/4 milk, 2c water plus 2 tsp chicken bullion, and 1/2 c cauliflower puree. (To make cauliflower puree steam cauliflower and then blend it in your blender. You probably want to do this step ahead of time.) Let this mixture get bubbly and thicken. Don't forget to stir! Meanwhile shred your chicken breast and throw into that water about 1/2 of a (16 oz) bag each of frozen corn, carrots, and peas. Then stir in the shredded chicken and slightly cooked veggies to the mix. Pour into a pie pan, top with a homemade or store bought crust. Bake at 450 for about 15 minutes. SO yummy. Sometimes I like to serve it with cheese and apple slices.

All you need is love

2009-02-17T00:05:00.005-06:00

I was just working on the photo shoot I did on Valentines Day...which reminded me of the cutest thing ever:

Chickie working on her class valentines. She painstakingly wrote each person's name on their valentine, and her own of course. She didn't even complain or take a break. She was in the zone. I was very proud of her as this was no small task.

She came up with her Valentine idea by looking through some back issues of Martha Stewart Kids magazines (she loves those). And then she came up with all sorts of fun ideas in the craft store. I didn't realize how fancy brads have gotten!

I came up with the cheesy slogan. I'm awesome that way.

Maggie and Stella

2009-02-05T14:20:00.003-06:00

If I had twin girls that's what I would name them. And I wouldn't dress them alike. Well, maybe I wouldn't be able to help myself sometimes. I knew the cutest little twins whose names were Zoe and Pheobe. They were darling.

These are for my sweetest daughter Chikie and my sweetest littlest sister Clara.

I bought a LOT of this fabric. I had plans to make curtains for Chickie's room in our last house. But then I didn't want to make them when I knew we were going to move anyway. So I decided I'd make a quilt instead. Then the quilt I chose to make called for 1/8th of a yard of 31-36 fabrics. So I decided to make twinner bags for two darling girls and I still have enough left over to make Olivia a Weekender Bag to match!

I don't think Clara reads my blog...but if you do--it's in the mail! xxxooo happy super late birthday. XO drea

show and tell

2009-02-03T14:28:00.003-06:00

Yay! I made something! This is the weekender bag by Amy Butler. I used one of her fabrics for the main and a Joel Dewberry print for the lining and etc. I just love Amy Butler. Who doesn't? I spoke with her briefly at Market and she was of course, delightful. Her sewing patterns are really easy to follow. Have any of you ever listened to the Craft Sanity podcast with Jennifer Ackerman-Haywood? She is one nutty lady, I love it!! And I found this interview with Amy Butler so interesting and inspiring!

Now that I've conquered the bag I'm starting on the Single Girl quilt by Denyse Schmidt for Olivia! I'm so excited!!!

Yes, with a photo-shoot already under my belt for Feb...this month sure is looking up!

I heart February!

RIP January 2009!!! well, it wasn't all bad.

2009-02-03T13:23:00.008-06:00

January is gone and HOLY SMOKES I'm so glad!!!! I'm a recovering complainer and as such I have to be SOO careful to not go there. Easier said than done. But at least it's easier not to whine on a blog...because it does take a little more effort that just opening your mouth.

But just for fun I thought I'd share a few of the highlights.

New Years Day my kids both broke out in hives all over their bodies. I didn't care however, because my hands also had a HORRIBLE allergic reaction to something-I was in serious pain people. You know something's wrong when you are in too much pain to care about your kids!!! I won't show pictures. Went to an allergist, he says I'm not allergic to any foods....eat away! Weird. But whatever. He says I'm most likely allergic to nail polish and detergent. Go figure!

Next day Olivia's neck was swollen to the size of a baseball.

I bandaged up my un-useable hands and it took us three tries to find a walk in clinic that was open. We had strep throat. Chris was snowboarding.

The middle of the month was filled with interesting but unfortuntely unbloggable drama from all sides. Me not working...and bored.

Kids sick off and on.

Chris woke up Sat. 5 am ish in serious pain. He thought it was an ulcer. I looked it up. It said throw up (check) and drink water. I got a huge drink of water and brought to him. He was in pain. I passed out. Woke up in puddle of water on the floor. I went to lay down. Chris thought his appendix burst. I looked it up. It said: might die. don't drink anything! We called an ambulance. Didn't know where the hospital was.

A few hours later Chris learned he was going to deliver a rock baby.

We named it Stone Kidney Larsen. Stone is a family name after all. We are going to call him Grain for short though because that's how big he was. And now I can never tease him about having to leave during Olivia's birth. At least he didn't pass out and make me come to his aid! And now I know how horrible it is to see and worry about someone you love in so much pain. And I realized I really do love him so much more than when we first got married.

So now January 2009 is gone. May it rest in peace, far far away from me. Bentley will get it with that iron stick if it tries to come back! I will however look back at the bad times and have a little chuckle. We will always remember the morning Chris got to fulfill his life long dream of riding in an ambulance. Never say you can't reach your dreams people! Hey, I'm here to inspire!

the goodbye kiss

2009-01-22T16:49:00.004-06:00

The kids and I decided to take advantage of a couple days off of school and head out of town. We left Sunday night. Chris was so great and helped us get all packed to go. On the way out the door Chris picked up Bentley and started to open the door. Then he stopped, turned around and gave me a really great good-bye kiss. You know, the kind you wish every kiss was like. Perfect. We looked into each other's eyes...and then at the same time we kind of realized that Chris was still holding Bentley. Our heads turned towards him. His nose was all wrinkled up. And he paused and then said, "GOSS!" That's Bentley for gross! Oops! poor kid.

Oddly enough, Chris was also holding B in this picture. Although it was a "let's pose for a picture kiss, not a kiss, kiss."

Today and everyday I'm thankful that I have a hot man to make out with! (wink)

nice day

2009-01-09T19:10:00.002-06:00

Hooray! Hooray! for a pretty day!!!!!!

If I were Buffy...

2009-01-08T13:50:00.005-06:00

(Buffy my sister in law, not the vampire slayer) Well, if I were I would have this picture enlarged:

Then I would hang it in they boys' room just to encourage sword play. But that's just me.

put your hands on your hips, Malachi

2009-01-08T13:31:00.004-06:00

So I'm just looking through some pictures to update my LJ website. This one gets me every time! "Put your hands on your hips Malachi! Your hips!" "Oh........Your hips are down here, bud!" SO Funny! I just love that kid!

I lost my will to blog

2009-01-07T13:02:00.006-06:00

Yes, sad but true. The desire to blog completely left me. Not one lingering nag to the computer was left in my entire being. But then I realized. I'm lonely in NashVegas what with the little problem of not have any girlfriends. And so it is. This is the closest thing I have. I guess it's a little less pathetic, considering most of you guys have been my very good friends (and still are) we just don't live near each other anymore.
Friendship is important. And I think the best gift we gave our kids over the holidays was a trip to Maryville just to see Chickie and Bentley's BFFs. Luckily they are in the same family. Edie and Charlotte. And luckily, their mom is a friend of mine. So Sarah and I played scrabble, she demolished me. Of course. She's a scrabble wiz! The kids were so happy to be together. Ah, human interaction, so nice!

So anyway. We had a great holiday in 2008. 2009 got off to a bit of a rough start what with the plague hitting our house. But perhaps that's a story for another post. I'm not holding it against 2009. I'm planning on having a happy and very prosperous year! And no need for resolutions, I've got so many things still going from last year my biggest goal is just to keep on keeping on!
I'm grateful some of you missed me! I miss you too!

SNOW!!!!!

2008-12-14T17:56:00.004-06:00

It snowed here on Thursday evening. We were SO excited! And even better, there was still some snow left on Friday morning! Sweet!

We're gonna have to work on my kids winter attire. Bentley was wearing some mittens my mom knitted for Chris. Makes me laugh.
Chickie opted to go sans coat.
Didn't slow her down.

ewwww.
After about 20 minutes of hardcore play time. We put our "snowman" in the freezer and got some hot chocolate!

I'm thankful for snow and the holiday season! So fun!

Chris and Andrea

2008-12-12T08:29:00.001-06:00

My Dancing Debut!!

O Christmas Tree

2008-12-11T13:25:00.003-06:00

We've been sick. Super sick. Which has caused me to slooooooow down.
I've been making yo-yo's. A lot of them. Into garland for our tree. I'm all out of red fabric. I better go shopping!
Unfortunately it only covers about 2/3 of the tree. Oh well, it'll be an ongoing project.
Merry Christmas Everyone!!!

OH!! THAT's why we moved here!

2008-12-08T21:08:00.003-06:00

SOOOO! I am such a nerd! After my last post I decided that excitable blabbermouths like myself should not be allowed to have blogs! It should be against the rules! There should be a disclaimer on blogger or some sort of question and answer test. Ah well, what do ya do? That's me I guess.

So here Chris and I are with Jonathan Roberts and his pro partner Valentina. They are the current American Smooth Champions! They are stinking awesome. As the champions it makes sense that they would be! Well, they are!

Saturday night I danced for the very first time in a show!!! I was very proud of myself just for doing it! And I didn't fall down. And I think I did the dance almost as well as I can. So I was happy with it. If (when?) we get it on video I will put in on here! Of course me, being me....I would choose to dance for the first time ever when the current champions and four other pro couples were dancing. This studio is so awesome! That's why we moved here! And I have to admit I've slacked from my normal ways of being overly grateful and I kind of lost focus as to why it was we were here. Instead I've been pouting about how small our house is and how cold and humid it is here. And how lame it is not knowing people....etc.etc. And then added on that the stresses of trying to figure out how to be a working mom and still fit dance time in. I was feeling a bit overwhelmed the other day. I had pretty much decided to stop dancing completely. Then Chris and I worked out how we could make it more fun together. Which basically meant really scaling back my progress as a dancer. I was so sad it felt even worse than being tortured by having my husband as my dance teacher. (love ya babe!) Chris agreed he thought it was worse than being tortured by having his wife as his student! So we went in Friday morning to practice and we had a pretty laid back but fun lesson. Jonathan was there again and didn't have a coaching during one hour so Chris being the awesome guy that he is snagged him up and we got to have a coaching with him! The first question Chris asked was, "How do you deal with dancing with your wife!?" Jonathan said, "We quit!" We had a good laugh about it and I think it made Chris and I feel better. It really is hard for some reason. You wouldn't think it would be. But just trust me on this one. The coaching was awesome! It was for sure a ton of fun! I can't wait to practice what he taught me more! And I did get to dance with him for a teeny teeny bit as he was showing me how to drive down the floor with my legs. SO that totally made a huge difference in my dancing and it made my day just because I'm such a nerd.

So it's time you all met Merrida:
Isn't she cute! She's Chris's new pro partner. And I love, love her! I got to see them dance for the first time Saturday even though they've been dancing together since before we actually moved here. And I loved it! They were awesome! I can't wait to see more.

So in other good news: Saturday night I started dreaming again. I love my dreams (except when I'm pregnant-yikes!) and I haven't had any since we moved. So I guess something in my psyche is put to right now.

This is so long! Holy smokes did anyone actually read it?

I'm thankful for the numerous challenging opportunities that I have been insane enough to bring upon myself all at once. Even though they make me cry sometimes. Because it's worth it.

PS: Note to self: Next time you dance get super huge lashes like Merrida's and some lipstick might be a good idea.

PPS: Did I mention that everyone at DanceWorld is so awesome? I seriously love everyone I have met.

PPPS: One of the other pro couples Saturday night were Jeremy Gatlin and Ana Harwood. SO stinking fun watching them dance! Jeremy said he would take me on as a student! Sweet!

I take it back. I totally lied.

2008-12-05T13:54:00.002-06:00

I just danced with Jonathan Roberts!

So excited.

Will blog later!

(guess I lied about photoshopping all my pics too. That makes two lies. -oh well)

Bentley just met Jonathan Roberts!!

2008-12-04T12:40:00.004-06:00

You know, from Dancing with the Stars. Bentley was very excited about it as you might imagine. I was practicing with Chris at the new studio and there he was! He is here to coach and to dance in the show Saturday night. I am dancing in the showcase beforehand with Chris for the first time ever! I picked an interesting time to do it didn't I? We are dancing a Viennese Waltz to a Josh Groban song. Although I can't remember which one. Not from lack of hearing it. I guess I'm busy thinking about other things. I realized today that I'm not dancing for work or fun. Only for torture. I decided I don't like dancing for torture. It's lame. No fun in that. So for now on I'm only going to dance for fun and I really don't care if I'm dancing in the floor or if my legs are driving. I don't care if my head isn't out far enough either. I don't care about being a good dancer. I only want to dance for fun. Maybe then I will start listening to the music. If this restricts my dancing to crazy dancing in the kitchen, I think I'm fine with that!

And Chris is dancing with his new professional partner Merrida for the first time as well! I'm very excited to see them dance together!

That's it for now. I think I'm going to watch a movie and have a laundry folding party now. Because that's the closest thing to fun I can think of to do.

I could not get enough!

2008-12-01T21:49:00.003-06:00

of this!!!
or this
or even this
and this!
Even this was great. I wish I could blog that baby smell. Because it was perfect! I am so thankful for my visit with my new little nephew Eli (oh, and the rest of the family, too!)

I miss you already! At least I have a few (hundred) pics!

photog blog

2008-11-25T23:13:00.002-06:00

Check out my Lindsay Jane blog! I will hopefull be putting more pics up tomorrow.

PS my new nephew is THE cutest thing ever!!!!! Pics, soon. I seriously could die every time I see or smell him! Olivia cracks up every time, too. She told Granny, "My mom is SO silly around babies!"

perfect recipe

2008-11-19T23:12:00.003-06:00

First add 35 Christmas CDs on Ipod+ speaker...shuffled.

Plus old college roommate's yummiest cookie recipe.
Plus dancing in the kitchen until you hear the beep. And maybe we did do the alternating head bobbing todem pole "move." And maybe my teeth still hurt from Bentley's head smacking my teeth.
Add in a new budding photographer to the mix!
And a Daddy getting home early! There you have it. The perfect recipe for a great evening.

Happy Holidays!! So exciting!

I'm so thankful I get to go to the coast for the holidays and see my new baby nephew! Only a few more days and we are taking our Christmas music and heading out!

busted

2008-11-18T20:09:00.004-06:00

The silly things you do to get a genuine laugh! Actually I needed to be up and just a smidge over to the left. So this is where I ended up! Cally outed me in my comments, and Lindsay on her blog. So I figured I might as well pass on the laugh. And the resulting image!

Have you had enough of my tales from boot camp yet? If not...check out Evaly's and Nat's take on boot camp.

and that's not all!

2008-11-17T13:39:00.003-06:00

Here are super cute CJ and Shalise. Another newly wed couple. They were so fun and playful with each other. I loved it. Can you tell that it was freezing cold rain and wind the entire time? They were such good sports!!

Boot Camp photo shoots

2008-11-17T12:02:00.002-06:00

Every day at LJ Boot Camp we had a photo shoot. I thought I'd share some of the pictures I took with you guys since my photo blog isn't up just yet. This is super sweet Elizabeth. She is a dancer, too.

These little guys were so cute! The whole family was darling. This picture of the boys was just moments before a headlock!

This is my favorite picture from the week. It's interesting to see what people like the most. I always like the laughing ones. Chris and Chaska are a cute newly wed couple.
This is the winning shot from boot camp! It won me $100. So that's exciting. It's nice to win something and be recognized. But, it doesn't mean much more than that. There were 20 awesome photos submitted (5 from each of us) and they were all good. MY personal favorite would have been one that Staci took of little Dax, the baby from our family shoot. It's a darling picture. All the girls got awesome shots. I just happened to luck out that Shalise was picking the winner. Because this shot is so her!

Music, fame, and inspiration

2008-11-16T22:05:00.006-06:00

I have had all these random brushes with fame lately. Really uninteresting stories (one of the past dancers from SYTYCD was on my flight from SLC to Denver--but I didn't even notice until he passed me to get off the plane because I had my nose in a book the whole time) for example. And of course all the well known fabric designers and Jay McCarroll from Project Runway. Who I actually did have a conversation with at Market. I guess these people aren't famous to everyone, but they are to me. Anyway, I have just been kind of wondering why is it exciting to see someone who you recognize solely because you have admired their professional work. I don't know. I guess a part of it is just that you have enjoyed their work or been inspired by it in some way, entertained by it, maybe we feel like we can relate or that we understand them. For me, I think it's the hope that by being near them you can possibly figure out how they got so stinking awesome and steal their tricks!!

At any rate, tonight I was totally inspired by Jason Deere! Who is apparently famous and I'm now his biggest fan. He is a very successful music producer and he wrote Joseph A Nashville Tribute to the Prophet. He said he read over 100 pioneer journals and did tons of research. Just something he has done for his love of history and church. I go to church with him (little did I know) and he and Dan Truman and Due West performed for a small group of people from church. We had to bring a friend (thanks Merrida for going with me!!) I just love how music can be so inspiring and set a mood. I play primary songs at home if my kids are stressing me and I need to calm down!

At Lindsay Jane Bootcamp Lindsay played Christmas music the whole time. I am so in the holiday spirit now! I spent all afternoon downloading our Christmas CDs into my I Pod. One of the benefits from having owned a dance studio, we have 34 Christmas CDs. That's a lot, right?

You know how sometimes you put forth a lot of effort to be friends with someone just because they are a really good mom or really creative, or really fun. Do you guys do that? I have a lot of people around me that I really look up to and have been able to learn a lot from. That's why I'm thankful for blogs! You learn so much from people on their blogs and you don't even have to live near them or know them!

Today I'm just feeling so inspired hearing Jason's story. Listening to his passion and hearing how much work he gave to this project! I loved it!

I promise I'll post pictures from bootcamp tomorrow!!

I survived boot camp!

2008-11-15T14:05:00.007-06:00

I just got back from Lindsay Jane Boot Camp which was SO much fun! We were in gorgeous Utah! Utah really is my happy place. I can't help it! The air feels so great and the mountains and scenery are so gorgeous! Staci was teasing me for liking sagebrush. Staci is the blonde in the picture above. We had a photoshoot everyday Mon-Thursday. Lindsay taught us all her tricks. She's making some kids laugh!It was so cold Lindsay was using her nose to control her phone!
Todd, Lindsay's husband, made us all laugh with his laser. He always had it handy! He does all the business stuff, and had a lot to teach us too. They are such a sweet couple and really fun to be around. We even watched their babies 3-D video while we were editing on the last night. They are going to be the cutest parents!
The photographers there were Staci, Natalie, Evaly and me. This is Nat. She has the cutest engagement story of all time. Seriously, it should be a movie.

We will all have our LJ blogs and websites up pretty soon. I will let you all know when they are up! Except for Evaly, who is already a seasoned pro. As you can see she will go to any lengths to get a great shot! The last day we were there the weather was HORRIBLE. We're talking freezing cold rain and gushing wind! Anyway, Evaly had no idea her wind had ruined her umbrella until she noticed us laughing and clicking away! I LOVE this picture. It makes me giggle every time. I'm not gonna lie, it was hard to leave my family again so soon. But I didn't have an ounce of regret not once while I was there. I like to work hard and be busy. And we were for sure! I learned so much! And being on a photo shoot is one of the most fun things I have ever done. I love it! Also, I learned so much about photoshop. If I start looking incredibly gorgeous in my pics from here on out you will all know why!!! None of these have been photoshopped, though, they really are that gorgeous! And even more important really good people. We are all moms and we had a lot in common. I SO needed girl time! So that was fun, too.

And none of it would have been possible without help from my parents (and Chris and Christina). My mom sent my dad my way (again) he helped watch the kids while I was in Houston, too! Thanks Popo you are the best! Popo is his grandpa name, my crazy little sisters made it up. Perfectly silly, and fitting for him. Luckily he can bring his work with him. Hopefully he was able to get some done!

I also got a quick visit with my Aunt Darcy and Grammy in the airport before I left. Which was great. And I finished Persuasion on the plane ride. Love that book!

I'm thankful to be home, for family, and for this awesome experience.

And for sagebrush in all it's glory!