My very happy birthday.

This is one of those rare time that I, James, make an entry in our little blog. I had my birthday this last Thursday. Unfortunately I spent more time than I wanted at school, and at the DMV renewing my drivers license. I was excited to get home and spend a little time with my family. My sweet sister in-law, Lindsey, came over to baby sit so Jami and I could go on a date.

My gorgeous wife had some secret plans that she revealed at different points throughout the night.

First off, Jami told me to pick a place to order take-out for a picnic later that night. We drove to Gloria’s Little Italy to pick out dessert (that was part of her plan), and then we went to The Italian Place to get a sandwich for us to share.

We then went to the Museum of Art on the BYU campus. Jami had reserved tickets to an art exhibit showcasing the works of Carl Bloch. He has been one of my favorite artists, and it was special thing for me to be able to look at the original artwork close up.

After that we found a somewhat secluded bench surrounded by trees on campus. We sat close and ate out Italian sandwich and desserts. The air had a slight chill, but it was not too cold. For November, we could not have had a better night for a picnic like this.

After great food, and a tender kiss, we moved on to our last activity. Jami had tickets for the play Romeo and Juliet. This was also on BYU campus, so we did not have to walk far. The play was great, and the cast did a good job.

Some have argued that Romeo and Juliet is the greatest love story ever told. I have to disagree. For me the greatest love story is the one I have just told. I wish I had the writing skills necessary to convey the feelings and the emotions surrounding that night. I loved the sparkle in Jami’s eyes as we went through the well thought-out night. I thrived off of the feel of her hand in mine as we drove, walked, and talked. I can’t even begin to describe the exhilarating feeling I would get each time she would lean into me to give me a kisses during that night. Romeo and Juliet both took their lives to express their love and devotion. Our contrast to their story is the best part yet; we get to give our lives to express out love and devotion. Our love story continues on. I just can’t wait to see what happens next.

Turkey Shirts

I found this tutorial over here. As soon as I saw the shirt, I knew I had to make it.

Here's how they turned out:

Addison's Shirt

Ella's Shirt

Fall Table Runner

This is the table runner I made for my Mom for her birthday. It was relatively simple to make - lots of applique!

Halloween Fun

Addie (Belle) & Ella

Puppy-dog Ella - the wind was blowing her ear up.

The tail is the best part of the costume.
Ali invited us to the trick-or-treat at her work and she, being a rec therapist, had Josh, James, and I try our luck at balancing the beam. It was hard, but we balanced for a short time.

On the haystack - I was the only one cooperating for the picture. ;)

The fam, plus Ali!

Yesterday, we celebrated Halloween and did all our neighborhood trick-or-treating. For those who don't live in Utah, if Halloween falls on a Sunday in Utah, everyone celebrates it on Saturday. Trick-or-treating was looking grim, with a burst of hail and rain around 5pm; however, it cleared up for us to go around the block and visit Grandma Great. Addie was ecstatic that the day finally arrived. Several times over the past month, ever since we began on costumes, Addie's been sighing and telling me - "Mom, I miss Halloween."

The Belle dress is the new favorite and chances are, you'll see her wearing it if you come to visit!

I hope everyone else had a safe and happy Halloween!

Goth Girl #2

It runs in the family I guess . . .

Addie July 2008

Ella October 2010

Ella, today. She was so proud of herself. I was concentrating on a project while she played quietly. Darn me for leaving the make-up bag on the floor again!

She is pretty cute though.

Oh the Joys of Motherhood

There's not much worse than opening the freezer to find a putrid puddle of thawed foods wafting up to your nostrils. I guess I take that back -- cleaning it is MUCH worse.

That's what I found this afternoon when retrieving a container of black beans from the freezer for dinner tonight. I often check the light on the freezer since, about a year ago, the outlet went out and subsequently the freezer. None of the food was ruined that time, but I've kept a close eye on it ever since. This time the light NEVER went out. It was still on when I was getting the black beans. It kind of baffled me - I thought maybe one wire was loose and that was the problem.

However, after I cleaned it all out and was wiping down the outside, I discovered this:


I hope you can see it. If not, the thermostat is turned to OFF. I'm sure this was done by Addie or Ella, maybe both. There's no point in asking which - Ella would just say yes and Addie would blame Ella.

My question is, why on a freezer thermostat is there an option to turn it OFF?! I just don't get why you'd want it plugged in, yet not have it functioning.

I am glad to know the freezer isn't broken and on the up side, I did get my freezer cleaned out!

First Photo Shots

I've been out of the loop on blogging for awhile now! Three months . . . I guess business had a lot to do with that.

The farmer's market is coming to an end - just two more weeks! Spending almost 5 months doing this has given me a whole new appreciation for the vendors you see at events around here. It's a lot of work! And, I'm not so sure the payoff is worth the amount of effort. I might do it occasionally next year, but every week is out of the question.

Back to the purpose of this post - Addison's first attempt at taking a picture:


She had fun! Her birthday present is a kid camera (Black Friday special last year) . . . it will be good for practicing!