For the Sake of Brittle Fabric

We were given a set of 4 chairs when we got married to help furnish our bare apartment. They have been used before but are still in good shape. They just needed a face lift. So, I bought new foam and some nice upholstery fabric I found on clearance and away we went. We ended up putting two pieces of cardboard under the foam because the staples we had for the staple gun were long enough that without the cardboard we'd get poked in the bum every time we sat down, not so fun. We also put a layer of cotton fabric under the upholstery and stapled it down to hold everything in place and then put on the final layer.

Before

The outer layer of fabric was pretty worn, nor was it really my favorite pattern of fabric. When we began pulling the old fabric off, we discovered there were 4 layers of fabric already on the chairs and two pieces of foam. The foam was falling apart as we touched it and it clung to our hands. The first or oldest piece of fabric was so old it was brittle and would break into pieces as we pulled on it. It was kind of gross. I didn't get any pictures of it though since my hands were encrusted with foam grit and fabric particles.

Above is our lack of kitchen seating while working on the project.

(This program is being aggravating at the moment so the rest of the words are going to be right here since the program refuses to allow me to put them elsewhere. I know it's said that computers are only as smart as the operator, but I disagree because that statement makes me feel not so smart. Plus, I really think each computer and each program thereon has a personality and a temper and will of it's own. I'm only sorry most of them aren't very charismatic.)

Now, back to the chairs. The picture just below is the bottom of the chairs. I think they look great, note the nicely turned under edges. I was excited about that. The pictures after that is the finished product. Tada! Don't they look so much better?

After

Who Would Have Thought. . .

That I would become a BYU fan? Despite what some may believe, BYU and BYU-I are not even remotely the same school, but since my school doesn't have a football team, I decided it would be okay to cheer for the team of another, so . . . GO BYU!

It was my first real college football game and the first time at the Lavell Edwards Stadium. Sadly, BYU lost and badly, but we'll be going again.

Baby Quilt

My sister-in-law is having a baby in a couple weeks. I deciding to make the baby a quilt after finding out she's a girl. I'm not really into the all pink theme that is typical for girls, so I went a little more colorful. I think it turned out really cute.
I even quilted it on my machine and free-handed the flowers. I was pretty nervous about trying it, but I'm pleased with the result. Rachelle really liked it as well and hopefully so will little Lily.

The finished product.

Me, Myself, and I

I often. . . tell stories
I have . . .a wonderful family- both of them
I fear . . .what's in the dark, not the dark itself
I feel . . .the need for a haircut
I hear . . .Ryan singing
I smell . . .like latex and iron most days- the effects of working in a blood lab.
I wish . . .on shooting stars every chance I get
I hate. . .rats, nasty critters! Though I'm more likely to kick one than stand on a chair screaming if one were to cross my path
I think. . .good friends are priceless
I know. . .how to sew
I want. . .fresh peaches
I always. . .floss my teeth
I am not. . .narcoleptic, most days
I am like . . .a lizard. I have to bask in the sun to stay warm
I believe. . .in God and I know He loves me
I don't always. . .get up when my alarm goes off
I am happy that. . .I have agency
I win. . .not win, I dominate at Harry Potter Scene-It
I lose. . .most games I play
I never. . .was good at whistling
I need. . .a glass of milk- the whole milk variety
I listen. . .to the Mamma Mia soundtrack when I drive
I am scared of. . .falling out of control; like sledding in the winter-truly terrifying.
I read. . .a lot, and I love it!
I am . . . a princess, really.

California Adventure

We went out to California last weekend for a few days. These pictures ended up backwards, so you get to see the trip from the end to the beginning. It's easier than trying to rearrange all the pictures in the correct order.

Our New Friends- the Bears
These guys were at the visitor center in the Muir forest. They were just so fun, so we had to get some pictures.Ryan says I made him jealous.

They're good buddies you know

Muir Forest National Monument

We didn't make it up to the big redwood forest in far northern california, but there was a small one just outside of San Francisco. Here's a few fun pictures. Hopefully they'll give some idea of the massiveness of the trees. We'd walk by one and exclaim about the size of it and then just around the next bend there was one even bigger! We took picture after picture. The size was just so hard to fathom.

Pier 39 and Alcatraz-San Francisco

I love this picture as well. After we got back from Alcatraz we went and wandered around on Pier 39. At the back of the pier is a view of Alcatraz. So, here I got the pier, the island and Ryan in one shot. I was proud of my photography skills.

The island from afar.

On the island. We enjoyed the island. It was fun to tour the jail and, I admit, a little creepy. I wouldn't want to be locked up there, that's for sure. The island itself, however, was beautiful. There were all these old stone stair cases and architecture that was falling apart. It was picturesque surrounded by the sea as it was.

Behind bars.

Just don't leave me here!

Sailing on the Sea

They served wine on the trip. In order to get wine you had to get an octopus stamp on your hand before boarding and you had to be over 18. When it was my turn to go down to the boat the man held out the stamp. I told him no. As I continued past he said while shaking his head, "17." If my age is going to be mistaken, I guess I'd rather be younger than older. . . Funny thing is I had just handed him a waiver form stating I was over 18.

It was freezing out there on the bay! I think this was one of my favorite parts of our trip. We stood in the bow of the boat most of the time just far enough back so we didn't get splashed by the waves. I loved feeling the wind on my face and watching as the boat crested the swells. It felt like you were flying across the sea. Unfortunately we didn't see any large sea creatures, only a few seals, sea otters and tons of jellies. There were jellies everywhere! That was kind of fun to see.


This is one of my favorite pictures of Ryan taken on the trip. He wasn't posing either, as far as I know, it's a candid shot.

These seals were so funny. They were almost under the pier. When they would talk to each other with their "Arf! Arf! Arf!" It would echo underneath the pier. One wet one kept bouncing on the dry ones appearing to try to get them to come play. All he managed to do was to get them to vocalize their displeasure at their naps being so rudely interrupted.

Monterey Bay Aquarium

The Kelp Forest

This was probably the coolest part of the aquarium. Aren't they fascinating?

Ryan squooshing the jellie- he didn't get stung.

Waxed

I've had really bad luck with chapstick lately. It doesn't seem to matter what kind it is or where I put it, but every time I go to use it it's twisted all the way into the cap in an unuseable gooey mess.

I put my favorite one in my pocket on my way out the door to work a week or so ago. When I got home and went to use it, it was inevitably gooed in the cap. I let it sit on the dresser for a few days, not really wanting to throw it away because I liked it, but secretly knowing it was done for.

Then, yesterday I had a stroke of brilliance! My car sits in a hot, hot, HOT parking lot all day long. So, my brilliance equates to this: I'd leave my chapstick in the car all day standing up so that it would melt back into the bottle and be useable again. So smart! (Why did I not think of this sooner? And to think I could have saved all of my poor ruined chapsticks!)

Well, I started on my drive home today and remembered my smartness. I picked up the chapstick (at a corner when I was stopped) and opened the lid to see if it really worked the way I knew it was going to. Clear liquid immediately streamed out all over my hands (who knew chapstick liquified in over 100 degree temperatures? You learn something new everyday). I scrambled for the tissue box, which was in the back seat on the far side of the car, to find only two tissues remained. As I went to wipe up the liquid I looked at my hands and to my astonishment the liquid chapstick had started to solidify like candle wax! My fingers looked like they were encased in candles! Now, I had two tissues with which to scrape all this off without getting it all over the inside of my car, plus get it all off my hands so I didn't grease every surface of my vehicle with tingly ice flavored goo (mind you, I'm still stopped at the corner hoping no one comes up behind me).

I opened the door and began scraping onto the asphault below. I managed to get the majority of it off my hands, thank goodness. I threw the greased tissues into the, now, empty tissue box with the remainder of the chapstick. It just wasn't worth keeping.

I was left to conclude, as I drove home with the palms of my hands so as not to cause more grief of unwanted waxing, that my brilliance was not so brilliant afterall. . . sigh . . .but, it did make me giggle. He, He, He

Time- A Random Jumble of Thoughts

I've always found it interesting that whenever you need more time, there's less of it, yet at other moments, time stands still. . .

I was thinking yesterday how my brother will turn 18 next spring and my sister will be 15. When did that happen? I look at myself and still feel like I should be 18. It seems as though I haven't changed, but everyone around me grows up and changes. However, there are moments when I look around me and realize I've changed and grown up too:

-When I was at restaurant with some friends from high school (one of us engaged, one expecting her second child and the other toting a baby along), surrounded by giggling high school students with the waitress commenting to us while shaking her head, "All these kids. . . "

-The day I got married

-The conversations with old friends that now consist of the best way to can fruit and how to hire a realtor and what new recipes we can come up with for dinner instead of clothes, new shoes and the latest hair-do

-My younger sister starting her 3rd year of college

-Teaching primary and realizing they see me as an "old person"

Next Sunday, Ryan and I will have been married for 3 months! I can't believe how the time has flown. It seems like yesterday that I was trying to plan a wedding and the day before that I was wondering if a day would ever come when I'd find my own Prince Charming. I'm so glad to have found him. Ryan is such a wonderful husband. I love him more everyday.

These reflections seem to scream, "Don't waste me! I'm only here for a moment and then I'm gone!" I think that we are to enjoy every moment for what it brings because that moment will never be there again. Whether time appears to pass slowly or quickly, pretty soon I'm looking back wondering where it went and how I got where I am. I just hope I can make the most of each moment so I don't look back and see with regret the times I missed because I was so caught up with looking towards the future or spending too much time wishing for what has already passed.