I Am a Child of God

Girly Decorating Post - Beware...

Five years ago, I bought THIS bedding for my bed

(dark picture -

try not to notice the electric blanket with cord at the foot of my bed.

Christmas gift from Aaron last year. Best Christmas gift!).

I LOVED MY BEDDING!

I have absolutely LOVED it. It is me. I love the colors, the girly florals, & the mix-matched patch work. But it is looking worn and tired.

A few months ago, I bought a new quilt.

I got it home, put it on the bed and immediately knew I didn't love it. It got returned.

This process has taken place several times in the past 6 months. If I am going to spend the money - I better at least sort of love it.

Last week, I decided to go looking again. I started with a solid.

I tried to use my old quilt with a new solid under... Not my favorite. Packed it up and went back to the store to return it.

While there I saw some Euro pillows (the big square pillows). I know that Euro pillows are anywhere from 50 to 100 bucks per pillow. Stupid!!! I have better things to spend my money on.... But not THESE... they were on sale :o)

These were normally $62.00 for just the cover - the filler pillow is another $25.00. So for 3 Euro Pillows it would be $87.00 times 3 = TOO MUCH!! Today they were $9.99 each.... That's it!!! I was determined to make it work! I even had my neighbor, Kim, who decorates DARLING - a lot like my mom's style, come give me her opinion. She loved them!!!

Option 1

Instead of returning the red solid, that I packed up and hauled around the store, I kept it and added pillows.

Focusing on the BROWN.... Nope. Too drab. Too much like my brown bed.

Option 2

Bringing out the Blue ... Closer, but not my favorite.

Option 3

Yellow!!! I love Red and Yellow. They are my two favorite colors... Nope not quite right either.

I packed everything up AGAIN, including my Euro Pillows. They were a great deal, but if I can't use them, why keep them?? I hauled everything back to the Quilt Shop (in Gardner Village) with a frustrated and defeated look. The poor sales lady, Jenny (we were on a first name basis now) saw me come in and knew it wasn't good. I put it all on the counter and told her I was returning it all and would be back in a few months to try again. She pulled out the Euros. (She wasn't the sales lady that sold them to me days earlier.) She looked at the price tag and then looked at me. She asked if I was crazy!!??!! She suggested putting them on my couch or chairs... anything... for this price - she insisted I keep them.

I told her to hold them for me for a few minutes as I walked the store

ONE MORE TIME.

Then I saw a quilt that I had seen many times. It was a quilt that I loved months ago but the price tag was a JOKE!! ... Today it was on sale, not a great sale but still a sale. If I returned the Red Quilt and the 2 red shams AND the Euros then maybe I could buy the Quilt.

I stared and stared and called Aaron. (He was on a business trip.) I told him what I had been doing while he was away and asked if I could buy the new quilt.

He said - "Do you like it?? ---- Do you LOVE it??"

yes.

"Then PLEASE just buy it!!! I am so tired of hearing about it."

Permission granted.

I carried it up to the counter and laid it next to the red quilt, I was returning. They were a perfect match and I needed the red shams anyway.... The only thing left to return were the three Euros. Again, she looked at me like I was crazy. I am such a sucker.... Okay! Okay! I'll keep them and find a place for them.

I returned nothing!!! AND bought the new quilt (....with ONE new sham... and a blue throw pillow.) Remember, Aaron said yes. I was excited ...and sick. I got home - put it on my bed - added a few pillows from around my house - viola! I LOVE IT!!!

It is me! It's Bright! It's Patchworky! It's Lots of colors!!

AND.... --- .... ---- Notice the 3 yellow pillows in the back???

Those are the Euro pillows turned backwards. I found a spot for them... :) I did have to change a few things on my walls. I'll have to take a picture later. It came together - Finally!!!

I love walking into my room. I love how my bed looks.

Months ago, when I told Aaron I wanted to change our bedding, he said - "Could we go with something less girly?? Maybe blue this time??" I searched and searched for blue. The throw pillow was the best I could do.

Yesterday, I went back to the Quilt Shop to tell "Jenny", the sales lady, about my Euro pillows, Low and Behold... I found the Cutest King Size Quilt with Navy Blue, Khaki, Robin Blue, Teal, and Green - Darling!!. It is a King Quilt WITH 2 shams included in the price... I pulled it out to see how much... $89 for the set... ugh...... Now what??? Buy it??? When this one gets "worn and tired" in five years, then pull it out??? Murphy's Law.

It was a Snoozer!

Utah 54 - BYU 10

It was a Snoooozzzeeerrrr!!

The best part was the food

(6ft Subway sandwich, pasta salad, chips, veggies, & crackers all with dip, fruit, Ash's famous addictive "poo", cookies, brownies, all kinds of popcorn & treats, & soda!)

and the trash talking between Ashley and Mackay.

Mackay woke up Sunday morning and asked who won.

I told him the final score.

He said he was glad he fell asleep so Ash couldn't tease him. ;)

So She Dances

I know it isn't a new song but it is new to me.

Isn't he the best??

I know someone that LOVED Josh Groban ... a lot! ;)

Some days my heart misses her more then others.

Usually on the days when my family gathers together for a party.

It is obvious that she is missing.

Go Utes!!! or Cougars... :0)

Kenzie writes about her Uncle Josh

ELA9                                                                            Kenzie Hall

 1st                                                                                    9 / 8 / 11

Help! Trapped Teenager.

My Uncle Josh is more of a teenage than I am.  But here is the catch, he is twenty-seven.  If you were just to glance at him, his appearance really does reflect his personality.  You would most likely see a scruffy bearded man with a little too much Axe cologne on.  A Captain America t shirt and khaki cargo pants with crusty old hot sauce stains still on them would be his attire.  Just imagine the character Shaggy from Scooby-Doo with brown hair and a bigger built body and you would have Josh.  His entire life is devoted to three things.  His family is first then board games and comic books.  He is more knowledgable on those subjects than the creators themselves. Many say he is childish but I say he is more fun than a child.

Sunday nights in the summer are my favorite nights of the entire week because of him.  My cousins Tanner, Sam and I gather at his house around seven and play the board games down in his basement for around six hours straight.  His basement is not your typical scary, cold, storage room.  His is the epitome of nerd lair. The walls are covered in old superhero movie posters, completed with a homemade Captain America shield and his prized possession, a two hundred dollar light saber replica.  He is more protective of those two items then his own life, which goes to show how big of a teenage nerd he really is.

My favorite memory by far is the day he called me at nine in the morning saying, "Get your gear ready, we are going on a quest."  Hearing those words, I quickly got ready and before I knew it, I hear the faint honk of his mini van.  I ran with twenty dollars in my left hand, and his favorite drink, Mountain Dew, in my right.  I was completely ready for the fun filled day ahead of me.  We managed to drop into nine dollar stores, eight comic book stores, three game board clubs, two Deseret Industries, and one Dell Taco stop for lunch.  We succeed in finding two new game boards.  We immediately called the two boys over and played those games the rest of the day. 

That is what I admire most about Josh.  He is not afraid to be his quirky self.  He will watch a scary movie and hide under the blankets with you or text you asking what he should order from the new Dell Taco menu.  I consider him one of my best friends more than an uncle. I am so lucky to call him that and I love him very much.  I just hope he doesn't grow up before I do!

Coach Hall & #11

I love to watch these two.

Mackay is #11 this year!

He is loving it!

(watching for the hand signal/play)

Payson Pictures!

Onion Days

in Payson, Utah has been a family tradition for as long as I can remember.

Onion Days includes:

**Boating on Utah Lake

(Lincoln Beach)

**The Carnival

where the adults roam the lame booths & the kids risk their lives on the rickety rides & Dad goes to the Talent Show & Band Concert with who ever is willing to join him...

(Purchases from the Booths)

**A fishing trip with Grandpa.

Kamryn & Sam each got to go this year.

(Mackay enjoyed watching Grandpa clean the fish - both were mommy fish with eggs - GROSS!!)

**Dutch Oven Lasagna & Cobbler (aka Dump Cake)

(Mixing it all up)

**Fields full of Stickers and Bugs

(This year the boys caught praying mantis' and put them together to fight)

And the Best Part of Payson... drum roll please...

**Becoming Trailer Trash

for a weekend and spending quality time with the family!!

It is Relaxing and Exhausting all at once but...

Onion Days is the BEST!!

Charlie Brown Medley -

I thought this was AWESOME!!

I love the man in the Jazzy... then the lady right after him... Such a crack-up!! I couldn't wipe the smile off my face the entire video. Loved it!!