THeSe aRe a Few oF my faVoRiTe THiNgS...

Saturday Afternoon Outing

I went with my sister, Jen, to IKEA yesterday!! I love how IKEA has such LOW prices! It blows me away sometimes. I came home with some good stuff! I love this big watering can, the plastic bag dispenser is ingenious, and these 5x5 animal cards are officially the first thing I've bought for my baby. I plan to put them in little frames and arrange them collage-style on the wall in his room. I also got a roll of 11 yds of brown paper for 50 cents as well as another roll of cute shiney brown striped wrapping paper--also 50 cents! And for $1.99 I got a set of tupperware bowls with lids. I saw a few other things while I was there that I just may have to go back for...such as the little dining table and a tall lamp for our living room. Those need Scott approval though ;) I lOvE IKeA!!

Reading Review

I had to choose a book off a list for my family law class that dealt with some of the issues we would discuss in class, and i chose this one, One Small Boat, by Kathy Harrison. It was a quick read--only took me a couple of days with my schedule, but it could easily be read in a day or two. It was captivating as well as knowledgeable about the comings and goings of kids in foster care. Kathy Harrison is a foster care parent with her husband Bruce, and the book is based off her real life experiences. The book focuses a bit on one of her charges--Daisy.

Here is what Penguin Group has to say about the book:

This story of one little girl's journey through our foster-care system forms an intimate portrait of foster care in America and the children whose lives are forever shaped by it

Augusten Burroughs called Kathy Harrison's memoir Another Place at the Table a "riveting and profoundly moving story of a hero, disguised as an everyday woman." In One Small Boat, Harrison tells the story of one little girl who arrived on her doorstep, and describes how caring for this child was an experience that challenged everything she thought she knew about foster-care parenting and the needs of the children she shelters.

Daisy was five when she arrived in Harrison's bustling home. Mother of three children by birth and three by adoption, and with a handful of foster kids always coming and going, Harrison had ten children under her roof at any given time. But Daisy was in many ways unique. Daisy's birth mother wasn't poor, uneducated, or drug addicted. She simply couldn't bring herself to take care of her little girl, and the effects on the child were heartrending. Daisy was unwilling to eat-even frightened of it-and seemed to have a severe speech impediment. After two weeks in Kathy's loving home, however, Daisy began to thrive. What had happened to her? And how can a foster-care parent give back all that has been taken from a child like Daisy-knowing that she might leave one day very soon? Harrison had seen many children pass through her doors, but this one touched her in a way she didn't immediately understand.

One Small Boat will be of deep interest to anyone who has nurtured and cared for a child or anyone interested in the intricate web that is our social welfare system.

If you are looking for something to read, and decide to read this one...I bet you'll have trouble putting it down like I did. It's captivating and true to life. Five stars from me!

GiRLs NigHt

Tonight, Scott spent the night working at school on Computer Science homework. Seeing that I may get kind of bored, I invited Nikki over to come play with me. We hadworked in the greenhouse together til 4:30, as we do every other Friday, and we talked about this movie I wanted to see. I knew Scott would never be interested in renting it, and I really wanted to see it, so Nikki and I planned to meet up later (after some time getting stuff done) and go rent it from Blockbuster.

The movie was very cute. I really like Scarlett Johansson and I thought she was perfect for the part of the nanny, Annie Braddock, as did I think Laura Linny was perfect for playing the part of Mrs X. I read the book two years ago at Christmas time and really liked it--though I did want to chuck it against the wall because of the situations the X's put Annie in. Obviously the movie was different from the book, but unlike some books they make into movies, I liked the things they changed and thought it was necessary. All in all, two thumbs up from me!

Oh, And a PS: Scott definitely would not have liked this movie. It has GiRL written all over it. (he likes the occasional chick flick for my sake, but I still don't think he would have liked this one.)

how i feeL somedAys...

aBsTRacts

i Like tHese. soMeday i'LL mimick them and hAng theM on my waLL.


found on the blog of a friend of a friend of a friend

It's not Easy bEing GReeN

For my Interior Landscaping class, we have to learn the genus and the common names of several plants each week. At the end of the semester we will have to know ALL of them--some 70-100 odd plants!! So far, I've learned about 25. I have to consistently remember the ones I've already learned so that I don't get too rusty. The quizzes are written, so there's no hints whatsoever. It's just you and your brain. Its funny, however, because I can go to work and identify all the plants in our office (alive OR fake) and so far I know that my sister has a pot with 2of the 11 kinds of philodendrons we've learned. Some day I will most likely forget all these specific names, but hopefully I'll remember all the other important stuff we learn in this class--like repotting and how not to kill the dang things. This class is really fun with a really great teacher, Nora Hunter. So far I've already gotten to take home a plant of my own and tomorrows lesson says we will be re-potting and taking home more! That is the best part! It's so much fun! We also have to work a required amount of time in the greenhouse, but I am taking the class with my friend Nikki, so we sign up together and talk while we do things like clean plants, sweep down a section or hose down the floors.

me cute, you jealous

Love my new clothes!!
compliments of Old Navy Maternity

poPpiNg pLeaSuRe...

i'm with Pig. No bubbLewrap is safe in my presence.

MiNi ciTies

I spent a good hour just watching Scott put together our new computer...hooking up all sorts of wires and such, installing hard drives and various other things...I surprisingly didn't get bored.

Isn't technology amazing? Just staring at all the little details inside the computer...blows me away at how remarkable it is and how it can do so much!

0h what A gReat daY...

Oh Happy Valentine's Day, I love being married!
Here's our little treats from the day...

1. I made Scott cinnamon roll bites for a little breakfast treat before our short appointment with Dr Gordon

2. We took a nap and cuddled for about 45 minutes after we got back home and before heading to school for the day

3. Scott got me flowers and had them delivered to my office--daisies in a cute little bottle (my favorite)

4. I got visitors at work! Steve popped in bringing Tammy Clayton and her daughter Lindsay--they invited us to dinner on Sunday in West Valley (They are friends we knew from Kirtland who moved back to UT a year or 2 ago)

5. Work itself went by pretty fast because I kept busy (the way I like it)

6. I skipped class to come home and prepare the rest of my little treats for Scott while he was at class until 7:30

7. I made dinner and a cake for Scott: Heart shaped pizza, apple-raspberry juice, and a white chocolate cake with white-chocolate cream cheese frosting and frozen berries to top it off (I actually made the cake a day earlier with my friend Holly)

8. I made up the table with many little spurts of creative ideas and it turned out looking amazing! I set the mood with dim lights and lovey-dovey songs from our wedding.

9. I spent most of my time at home putting together this card for him, I had to hurry to get everything done--3 hours went by fast!

10. I picked him up from school and blew him away with all my little surprises and details. The reaction was priceless and more than I could have ever hoped for.

11. We had a lovely dinner and talked about his job interview and the rest of the day, and then cleaned up a bit before heading to our bed to relax (we have no couch yet)

12. On the bed was .....KISS KISS pups!!! He didn't know, but i LOVE kisskiss animals, these were two cute little Scottie pups. They held a heart box, which held a diamond necklace!!! GORGEOUS!!! It was funny because I think my reaction was bigger for the kisskiss pups before I saw the necklace!

13. We spent the rest of the night relaxing and cuddling and watching an episode of Lost (season 1--a recap for me, new for him) We thouroughly enjoyed our night before hitting the pillows.

14. At 12:45, we were both awaken by our loud cell phone tones that signaled we got texts. They were from Al--he proposed to Stephanie and she said yes! I've GOT to get more details.

All in all, a very special day for me... but then I did marry a pretty special guy!

Hope yours was great too!!

tO aLL my FRieNds & FamiLy...

i think tHis is gOiNg to tAste GoOd...

This little face showed up on the spoon all by itself! I had to take a picture!

ConFeSsioN

...i am completely obsessed with my blog layout...

...i look at my blog just to look at my blog...

Debateable Sunshine

On one hand, the sun coming out has been good because the overall temperatures have been getting slightly warmer and this disgusting snow which I'm so tired of is disappearing (as is the slushy yuck on the sidewalks)

On the other hand, its glare is near to unbearable, especially in the afternoons!! GAH, my eyes!!!

cLean tEeth

My mom, who is in her last semester of her dental hygiene program, gave Scott and me electric toothbrushes for Christmas. We just started using them when we moved this past weekend. We had to put an S and a K on them to tell them apart cuz they are both the same ;)

I don't think my teeth have ever felt this cLean! On a regular basis, that is. After I go to the dentist my teeth feel super duper clean, but now I get that feeling every day! TWICE!! It does make my head a little tizzy sometimes with the vibrating, but I figure I'll get used to it eventually and not notice it as much.

I've also started using mouth wash. and i hate it. I have yet to make it to the full 30 seconds before spitting the stuff out! Yuck! Gotta kill the germs though--bad for babies.

Anyway, Thanks mom, Love the toothbrush (Scott does too I think)

Intelligence

For once, I think Rat may be onto something...

Hand-y work

a DiFfeRenT kiNd of hAnd PupPet.