Nannying Mushers

Here are the mushers I've been nannying this weekend. Ben's sister and her hubby went away for their anniversary, and I thought it'd be fun to offer to watch them. I was right! They are mushers! We've had such a blast... yummy pizza from the Pie last night, baths, storytime... and today, Saturday morning cartoons, cereal, hose fights, tots and frozen chicken dinosaurs for lunch, and then a trip to the playplace @ "Ol' MacDonalds" (Gabe calls it this, so we sang the song all the way there!) Gabe is 3 and Jed is almost 2. They're so energetic!
One more funny... Gabe's dad Tyler got a great deal on a flatbed trailer the other day, and today in the car, Gabe says, "we freakin stole that trailer" omg guys, hilar! he's 3!

Hermana Estimson

I haven't blogged my sister yet... bless her. My older sister Lindsey is on a mission, only about 12 weeks out. She's in Guatemala, currently serving about 6 hours from the city, a rural jungle-like place that seems full of tree-houses. She write us hilarious emails about the chicken/rooster fights that take place in the middle of the family room, in the middle of a discussion. Hilar! She is so darling, and writes such wonderful things home to us. It truly is a blessing to have a missionary out, as much as we really miss her.



Here is a quotation from Joseph Smith, in 1840 from Nauvoo:

"Love is one of the chief characteristics of Deity, and ought to be manifested by those who aspire to be the sons of God. A man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing his family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race. This has been your feeling, and caused you to forego the pleasures of home, that you might be a blessing to others, who are candidates for immortality, but strangers to truth; and for so doing, I pray that heaven's choicest blessings may rest upon you."

Coming soon to a showchoir near you

THE unicorn shirt is coming soon... due to popular demand. Stay tuned

I have a boyf

So I can't believe I forgot to 'blog' Ben... after all we've been through! : ) Don't tell him I haven't blogged him yet, ok?

Well, in a nutshell, Ben's the best thing that's ever happened to me. Now I know why all my friends got married. Before, I was bewildered... "What? You found someone who wants to laugh with you, love you, take care of you forever and ever, and you actually like him back? Not possible. Everything all in one boy? No way."

But I've fallen victim. To quote Will Ferrell in his most hilarious skit on his SNL dvd, "I've been bit by the love bat... and it's Driving Me MAD!"

Each day is better and better, and hopefully, someday not too far away, it'll jump a thousand steps ahead in just one day.
Here we are... do you love us?

Born my to unicorn?, wait, what?

The deal with the pic is that I was trying to post a photo on my blog page... but it turned into a post of it's own... gotta figure that out.

This pic was taken inside Urban Outfitters in Denver, Co, at one of THE most fantastic malls ever built. Don't ask Abby how good of a time she had there!

The shirt actually says, "Born to be my Unicorn" although it took us a while to figure out the order of the words. I liked the shirt but not enough to spend $30+ on it... plus, I already HAVE a unicorn shirt, hello!

Blythe asked..."is that a ring on your hand?" well, yes. but not "a" ring. I was just practicing, tee hee hee. The pic is from Niki's wedding back in May.

And no fear, when I DO get a ring, trust me, there'll be a much better picture of it! : )

I outsmarted the system

So I'm logging on with another mindless blog - but it's this week's excitement, and I simply have to share. For about a year now, I've been looking for the perfect flatware. (forks, spoons, kinves, etc - place settings)
Being the queen of "e-window shopping" - I would argue that I reached the end of the web in the lengths of my search. My requirements: 18/10 stainless steel, forged, 16 settings, heavy-weight and anything but retro-modern. Oh, and my budget was considerably low. I'd done my homework, searched high and low, and would even open boxes and feel the pieces I found locally, Costco, Targ, Meier and Frank, Potterybarn ($$$).
"What exactly am I looking for?" was the question I kept asking.
Well, one day, I found a fabulous set. Heavy weight, beautiful lines, good scale, unique, with the perfect classic style and even feminine hints.

One small problem.
It was online at Williams-Sonoma.com, and at $38 for 1 place setting. I wanted 16. Do the math - no wait, DON'T do the math... ahh! $608 and all my dreams would come true? I don't think so.
So I continued to browse. Every site I could google - from the online powerhouses like overstock.com and smartbargains.com, down to the hole-in-the-wall shops (if you will).
And low and behold - I found the EXACT Williams-Sonomie "exclusively ours" pattern for a steal! Instead of $38 per setting, I paid $14! Sight-unseen, I signed-in and checked-out, my fingers crossed the whole time. (I even got free shipping! what?!)
So now, after waiting patiently, the Retroneau Laurel pieces are safely in my kitchen. They are a perfect size, a perfect weight (so important! absolutley hate flimsy tin flatware), stunning in person, and unique.

(the same - the same I tell you! amazing!)

Thus proves these age-old proverbs, if I may quote a few... "thing things worth having a worth waiting/working hard for"... and... "it pays to shop around!"

Now to find the perfect drawer/storage/utensil divider/organizer.......