super secret project- done!

The pressure* of hosting a party at my home, sending out over 20 invitations, made me finally finish the anniversary present for my husband.

So, here you go. I love it all over again!

*self induced pressure

new new new!

I am so excited about this...

Ever since I made the Super Secret Project, I have wanted to make more projects like it, but on a much smaller scale. Here we go! I can't paint, I can't draw but I can sew!

What do you think?

P.S. Matilda found a new bed to snuggle in while I sew...

"Oh look Mom! I found your new quilt. I had to shove my squishy body in this cubby, but I love it!"

happy anniversary!

(this is why I never wear heels- I hate being taller than Danny!)


I know you are just dying to know what the super secret project is, hu? Well, I am sad to report that I did not get it quite finished. I just didn't have any creative juice today, no matter how many cans of Dr. Pepper I drank. So the photo below is not the finished project. (and half of the photos fell off, just so you know.)



Remember that painting I really really liked that was almost $4000 that I really wanted as an anniversary gift? Seeing as how I would never spend that kind of money on something that I can fake, I made our own. Cause really, for $4000- I would want it to be us in the painting. I am horrible at painting, so this is all fabric. (with tiny b&w photos.) I originally wanted to paint it, but as I was falling asleep one night, I thought "hey! I could applique it!" and it just clicked. I could finally envision a finished project that looked like a painting, but wasn't. So, here it is! The photo is blurry, I know. When it is complete, I will take a better one so you can see the detail work. Like Danny's jeans for example. They may just be the best part!

I set it up the best I could, and waited for Danny to come home. He loved it! He stared at it forever, laughing and checking out all the details. He would take a few steps back and have a look, then step right back up to it and look some more.

To finish it, I have to add/swap out some photos, and figure out how to a) make the frames, and b) how to attach them. I want to be able to swap out photos for new events, future children and so forth. I need some better lips, and some long hair to cover that giant giraffe neck. I had such a hard time making myself look like myself. Danny was easy. Of course I took a million photos of him sitting on a bar stool with his arm out so I could get his likeness perfect. It's a lot harder to take self portraits.

We got dressed up to the nines, (well as close as we could get without buying new clothes) and went out to eat. Danny picked Spencer's, because I requested steak. The steak was fabulous, the salad was strange, the glazed and roasted carrots were superb. But the best part? The creme brulee. (isn't dessert always the best part?) Holy cuss, it was incredible! I now have a new mission: to conquer creme brulee. I have never made it before. My mom has all the fancy equipment (the torch) so I shall go forth and create...

...one of these days.

It was so nice to get dressed up and go out together- downtown no less. (we never venture downtown anymore) I loved going on a picnic last year, but this year felt like a real anniversary- I loved it! And I feel quite spoiled. The restaurant was fancier than we have ever been to, and we felt a little out of place. A few times, I had a little blast of the kind of excitement I got while on one of our first dates. You know, when it's with someone you really like. Like a little peek into your happy future. It was strange feeling that way again- a little self-conscious, a lot giddy. That feeling of "ohhh, I really like him. I hope he really likes me back!" So happy to be married to this wonderful man!

We kind of didn't feel like ourselves, but I think it was just the fancy shmancy attitudes throwing us off. I don't know if we will ever go back there, the atmosphere was almost awkward. (but the food was amazing!) And our waiter reminded us of Dwight, so we really had a hard time taking him seriously, and he was soooo serious.


Our attempt at a good timed photo. You can totally tell I was the one running into the frame before the timer beeped! Lame. We better get better at this! I just had to have proof that we did indeed dress up for dinner. Heels and all. I really like my slip sticking out in the last one. Classic.

Here's to another wonderful year!

I love you Danny!!!

what you lookin at, fool?

or,

one of the many reasons we will never live in South Jordan.

(This photo has nothing to do with South Jordan)

(I looked at a lot of bad, horrible tattoos- but this one really cracked me up!)

For the past 2 days Loo-loo and I have been racing around the valley in search of the perfect items to finish the Super Secret Project. (the super secret project is my anniversary gift to my husband, that I have been working on for the last month and a half.)

One of the items was hard to track down. Well, it was hard to track down because I refused to pay the $115 that most places wanted for it. So I googled around, and called up the Hobby Lobby. (It's a huge new (to Utah) craft store. They have 2 locations so far, South Jordan, and Layton.)

So I picked the closer (but still way way west) location, South Jordan. I got lost, and couldn't find the damn place. I finally figured out that my google map was wrong, and had to drive even further west to get there.

I found what I needed right away, and paid $12. Seriously. 10% of what everyone else was charging. Wahoo!

I got the wrong size though, and had to go back today to swap them out. It was nice and warm today- windy, but I didn't need a jacket. Guess I should have worn one anyway.

I had 2 grown women stare at me. Gawk and make a series of stink-eyed faces.

I just don't think about it anymore- living in Salt Lake, I just don't get stared at very often. So I forget that while in the 'burbs, I can either cover up and look "normal" or not cover up and get holes bored into me by middle aged stuffy women. Those ladies made me embarrassed for myself! I wanted to get out of line and leave the store!

After the first one, I was just a little mad. But after the second one, that couldn't take her eyes off my arms, her eyeballs going up and down, up and down. Don't grown-ups know any better?

I was in a cute girlie black flowy top with roses on it, paired with skinny jeans and sandals. Not sporting goth makeup and chains.

Are my tattoos that bad? Do I look scary? Did they think I was going to kidnap their children and rob them at gunpoint? Geez.

Now, if I had been walking around wearing this ensemble, I would have understood.

(Not that I ever would, mind you, in any setting. And not that I ever could, 'cause I certainly don't look like this.)

Anyway. Whatever.

Loo-loo's favorite part of South Jordan was the tumbleweeds. At one stoplight we counted 10 that flew down the road. Baby ones and big ones. Loo-loo said it was the tumbleweed family getting out of the wind.

It's my anniversary tomorrow. Well, our anniversary. The Super Secret Project is almost finished. I have until 5 o'clock tomorrow to get it done. (cause that's when Danny gets home from work.)