Projects Part I: "The Crusier"

It's done!!! Okay so not quite. My bike still needs a few new nuts and blots, new handle grips, and maybe even a basket to finish it off....but for the most part it's done.

At the start of September I started working on a 1958(ish) Schwinn Hollywood bicycle that belonged to my friend Marjorie (I should post more on her later...) anyway, I didn't get a good 'before' shot (the first picture is the same model...just to give you an idea...only imagine it dirtier, super rusted out, and covered in cobwebs.)

Tadaaa!

I yam what I yam!

If there's anything that Chris and I love more than a good yam; it's a good yam in the shape of one of our internal organs! I loved that yam.

Speaking of autumnal vegetables...we carved pumpkins! On the 6th of November. We got a little busy before Halloween and just didn't get around to it. Hallie was very unimpressed with the innards, and even looks like she might hurl just looking at them. She liked it being on her arm even less; I'm pretty sure she started crying right after these pictures were taken.

Hallieween

Hallie loves her monkey costume from Halloween and insists she wear it every time she sees it; as a result it spends most of its time hidden in the back of her closet. She was very pleased with it and learned just in time to say trick-or-treat. At one of the first houses we went to Hallie knocked, said her "trickatreat" and the lady held out a bowl of candy for her to choose one; not being very experienced at this point, Hallie reached into her bag, pulled out a candy, and put it in the bowl! After letting her eat some of the candy she'd collected, however, this did not happen again.

Pre and post-candy faces. (Note the much happier post-candy face)

Hallie loved showing off her tail to everyone!

While Hallie's costume was pretty obvious mine was, apparently, not so much. 10 points to anyone who can guess correctly...here are some of the clues taken from guesses I got that night...

A. Miss Hannigan

B. Mae West

C. Madame Medusa

D. A woman posing as drag queen....long story

If you guessed C. Madame Medusa, then you're right, and this is why we're friends! There were several people who just haven't even seen that movie (The Rescuers) which is really tragic. Medusa is my very favorite Disney villain. "Madame Medusa's Pawnshop Boutique!" Unfortunately we didn't get any pictures of the classic Medusa pose; removing the eyelashes!!!




Hope you all had a Happy Halloween, filled with lots of diamonds...I mean candy!

Favorite Things

A few random pictures of some of the things Hallie likes.
Pockets, gloves, hats, and clothing in general.
ICE and GRANDMA! There was a period of time when Hallie would not go to bed without asking for an ice cube. She also really likes freezies, slurpees, and icecream!

Cameras. Hallie figured out how to turn on and use the camera the other day, we ended up with about a dozen pictures like this- thank goodness for the digital!Dresses! I was making this dress, and although it's about 2 sizes too big, she insisted on wearing it all day once it was done.

Water, water, water! Hallie would've played on this bridge forever had we let her. She's a really good little swimmer and love blowing bubbles in the water...she recently figured out how to blow bubbles in her chocolate milk (see video below.)
Music, playing with her friend Josh, and playing music with Josh (see video below.)

MESSES! After breakfast one morning I heard Hallie shouting from the kitchen, "Gicky, Gickeee!" She was indeed a "sticky" mess. Lucky for me she only dumped the syrup onto the plate, and a bit on her pjs. Hallie is a very proficient mess maker.

someone told me it's all happening at the zoo (and checking off #42)

Last month Chris' sister, Sara, brought two of her kids and Mark for one of Benson's appointments in Salt Lake. Hallie and I decided it would be fun to take Taylee to the zoo while Benson was getting checked out. It was a great day for being outside, and the zoo had several new baby animals on display, as well as a really fun playground.

I think that drinking out of the lion's mouth was the girl's favorite thing about the zoo. There are several fountains around the zoo and we were sure to get a drink from each one...several times.

The playground was full of really cool animal stuff...the bug was my favorite.

Hallie, a gorilla, and a cookie. Life is good.

Hallie's excitement for the baby elephant is almost tangible in this picture. It was more fun watching the animals than taking pictures.

Accomplishment 101

Inspired by some other friends who've done, or are doing this, I've make up my own list of 101 things to accomplish in 1001 days (http://www.dayzeroproject.com/) . Some are going to be tough...others not so much, but I'm really excited to do all of these things. My start date was yesterday, which means my final day is on my 26th birthday! Hooray for me. So, in no particular order, here's the list!

1. Write a poem
2. Learn 4 new songs on guitar (0/4)
3. Learn to fold a paper crane
4. Sew a new crib set (29/10/09)
5. Read Wuthering Heights and Jane Eyre (0/2)
6. Find an ancestor’s name for temple work and complete it
7. Learn the 1st level of “Rosetta Stone” Spanish
8. Put my toes in the Atlantic Ocean
9. Make 4 kids dresses (1/4)
10. Read all the Jane Austin novels (0/6 )
11. Visit the Grand Canyon
12. Sew an apron (11/11/09)
13. Teach Hallie to ride a bike
14. Take a watercolour art class or learn from a friend
15. Go snowboarding (12/21/09)
16. Build a snowman with Hallie (12/16/09)
17. Go to 2 summer festivals (0/2)
18. Watch Brigadoon, West Side Story, Bye Bye Birdie, and Guys and Dolls (1/4)
19. Go to the bluegrass festival with Chris’s parents
20. Read all of the standard works (0/4)
21. Knit Chris some underwear (fuzzy and warm)…That was Chris' idea; how about mittens or scarf
22. Have a snowball fight
23. Call or write my grandparents at least 1x/month (2/33)
24. Decorate a cake using fondant
25. Hike Summit with Chris
26. Make homemade chocolates and/or caramels(12/14/09)
27. Read Anne of Green Gables (accomplished 10/01/09)
28. Start my journal…again (started 10/04/09)
29. Donate to CKUA
30. Go cross country skiing
31. Learn to make Mom Bissett’s cinnamon bread
32. Watch the sunrise on a mountain or a beach
33. Memorize 3 new songs on piano (0/3)
34. Sew myself a skirt
35. Go camping on a mountain
36. Complete my AHT courses
37. Play inner tube water polo
38. Go horseback riding
39. Visit Teach every month (4/33)
40. Write a song
41. Properly perform 20 pushups in a row
42. Take Hallie to a zoo (accomplished 09/28/09)
43. Send out Christmas cards (12/09)
44. Try a new recipe once a month (6/33)
-cafe rio pork
-parmesean talapia

-spicy sweet potato fries

-balsamic glazed salmon

-cake pops

-honey whole wheat bread
45. Have a LOTR marathon
46. Write about something that makes me happy/grateful every day for 1 month (0/30)
47. Save for, and buy, the dress I love from Shabby Apple
48. Buy and fix up Tiechert’s old bicycle
49. Wake up at 7:00 Mon-Fri every for a month (0/30)
50. Play in the Panda alumni tournament
51. Visit the Pacific Ocean and find a seashell
52. Grow a salsa garden
53. Use reusable grocery bags every shopping trip for 3 months (0/3)
54. Don’t drink pop for 6 months (0/6) (Jan 8-)
55. Mail 20 birthday cards to family/friends (0/20)
56. Learn how to kayak
57. Take a phlebotomy course (14/11/09)
58. Make 5 mix CDs and send them to friends (0/5)
59. Have a garage sale
60. Go to a live concert or Broadway show
61. Go on a road trip to nowhere
62. Get in the habit of writing thank-you notes; start with at least 1 every month for a year (0/12)
63. Get some kitchen towels that I like
64. Read 101 books (9/101)
-Gregor the Overerlander Series books 1-5
-Catching Fire
-tales of beetle the bard
-The World According to Bertie
-Anne of Green Gables

65. Hold a Dutchblitz (or games) Tournament
66. Learn how to go geocaching –and do it.
67. Get family pictures done each year (1/3)
68. Read 3 different books about 3 religions other than my own (0/9)
69. Visit an aquarium
70. Get a pedicure/manicure with one (or all) of my sisters
71. Attend 3 different BYU sporting events (1/3)
-BYU vs. FSU football game
72. Dress up and do “glam shots” with friends
73. Volunteer at a shelter…animal or human.
74. Get in the habit of flossing. Start with everyday for a month (0/30)
75. Spend a week without going on a computer (0/7)
76. Take a trip with some of Chris’ siblings (Cruise!)
77. Sell something I’ve made
78. Play monopoly with Ryan and Cindy
79. Teach someone a skill that I have
80. Take Hallie to the outdoor pool or playground once/week June-Aug
81. Host a Harry Potter party and go to opening night of the 7th movie
82. Index 10,001 names on Family Search (50/10,001)
83. Make something with tofu…and eat it.
84. Create a book log (write about the books I read)
85. Start a piano fund
86. Participate in the “I Swam the Dam” triathlon
87. Have my dad show me to tie 10 different knots (0/10)
88. Sew a quilt
89. Catch a fish and eat it…cooked.
90. Go to an IMAX movie
91. Take a ride on the Heber Valley Railroad
92. Learn to make homemade yogurt; make it instead of getting store bought for 3 months (0/3)
93. Memorize 20 hymns (words and piano) (0/20)
94. Surprise Christopher with something fun
95. Call and talk to a friend who lives far from me each month (2/34)
96. Bike, swim, or run 5 days/week for 3 months (0/60)
97. Read Feminine Mystique
98. Swim in a lake
99. Make the baby booties from my knitting book
100. Take flowers to 3 different people for no particular reason (0/3)
101. Document/Photograph/Blog each of my 101 things (2/101)

There. I've started on some books, sewing, and fixing up a bike. Now I've blogged about #101. More exciting posts to come!

Swingin' Good Times

I like swings. Hallie likes swings. Sadly, for me, there are only Hallie sized swings at this park.

 

 

 

 

Snip Snip!

I really should have taken a "before and after" shot, but anyway, I trimmed Hallie's bangs for the first time a few weeks ago. Kinda scruffy looking here-then again, that's pretty normal for Hallie. Oh well. She seemed pleased enough with it.

Thanksgiving point

Last Tuesday was a fun day! Thanksgiving Point has $2 Tuesday for some of their attractions during the month of August so we decided to go to the "Farm Country" and the dinosaur museum (apparently the world's largest.) The whole place was packed with kids, strollers, frazzled parents, dinosaur remains, and other petrified items. Needless to say we didn't spend as much time at the museum as we'd have liked...maybe we'll go back on a quieter day sometime. Hallie loved the farm and seemed very pleased when she got to pet and then ride a real horse!

Jail time with Dad, down by the farm...probably caught creating a stir over at "Miss Kitty's Dance Hall!"

There were 5 other small ponies going around the pen and Hallie, the smallest child there, rode the biggest horse. She enjoyed it all the same.

Hallie was very sad when the horse ride ended or maybe it was the fact that I let go of her to try and get a good picture of her alone on the horse...probably the latter. There were some really cool displays at the museum, but Hallie really didn't care to be still long enough to be in a good picture with any of them, these are the best shots we got. She wasn't even concerned by the fact that a giant great white shark was about to eat her and her dad!

Glam Girl

Hallie LOVES to dress up, play with make-up, and do her hair. She gets into my make-up on a regular basis and is always finding headbands and hats to put on. Any little bottle that she finds becomes pretend hair mousse, or nail polish, or lotion; if I'm using any of the above for real, Hallie is right there wanting to use some of her own.

Her favorite hats seem to be her bathing suit. I like the blue one best!

She also has a big shoe fetish and loves putting on, and walking in, EVERY pair of shoes she comes across. She figured out how to put her boots on by herself and would not take them off; she also gets very stubborn about wanting to wear her jackets even when it's 30 degrees outside!