Candy Cane Reindeer

Who wouldn't want these reindeer pulling their sleigh?

An Inexpensive Christmas

For the last 4 years, Steve and I have had Christmas on the run. Consequently, we haven't had a tree together (I'm not counting the tree he won at a work Christmas party that we didn't decorate). We usually don't need to get a tree because we travel home every Christmas to California where there are TWO Christmases with TWO trees.

But before we leave for Cali we have to have something, so Christmas at our house currently looks like this:

It will be a very "Charlie Brown" Christmas until December 19th!

A close up of the presents (mostly for family) and our "tree":
A close up of our nativity:

Oh, and don't forget our old favorite from last year - the wreath hanging on the inside of our front door:

There are also lights outside but I wasn't able to take a very good picture.

Celebrating Christmas in my own house is another reason why I look forward to moving to Fresno!

Homemade Applesauce

There have been a lot of free apples in my life this season. A co-worker gave me some of his surplus apples. I made a pie. A family in my ward gave me some more apples. I made cinnamon applesauce. I put the applesauce in my fridge and it disappeared in a few days. I love that I can cook yummy food and I don't have to eat it all.

I am looking forward to the day when I can give food away and I don't have to buy fruit ever again!

Happy Halloween!

I have spent three Halloweens at my work, SirsiDynix. My job has taught me that Halloween can actually be kind of fun. This year I spent about 1 1/2 weeks making a costume my co-workers hadn't seen before.

I am proud of my scarecrow costume. I hope that everyone had a Happy Halloween!

Things I Love about BYU/Provo, Part II

Going to BYU sports games.

We attended a Woman's Soccer game last Thursday. We lost. Oh well.

Go Cougars!

new job!

So this is Steve--don't worry, Suzanne still has her awesome tenured job. After returning from Fresno for my summer internship I have had the hardest time finding a job for the school year. I recall searching for jobs here in the past, and I can safely say that there are fewer openings and more applicants these days. On multiple occasions, I would get a mass BCC email response saying that they received 100-200 applications in just one day, so to have patience in the mean time. Hummffff. Well I stuck in there and applied to anything feasible. There were several perfect jobs that I didn't get until a couple days ago.

Last week I had a stellar interview that I knew would land me a job, and sure enough, this Monday I got a call with an offer. The company is called Tax Hawk and they are located in south Provo (State Street towards Springville, by cemetery). The company runs an online tax preparation program, and I will be helping clients with any questions they have while filling out their taxes online. The job is just for tax season, so January through April 15, but I do get a few weeks prior to the holidays to get trained and re-learn everything I have tried to forget about taxes.

The pay is good and the job function is intelligent, but most of all it is a relief to just have a job. This semester has been boring with only 3 classes and nothing else to occupy my time. Next semester also has only 3 classes, but this job should fill my schedule and help restore my sanity.

--Steve

Things I Love about BYU/Provo, Part I

There is a tradition at BYU where students, alumni and lovers of BYU can hike up to the white "Y" on the mountains above BYU and turn on the lights that trace it for Homecoming weekend.

Once in Fresno, Steve and I will never be able to hike and light the "Y", so we did last Tuesday. I didn't get a picture (grr), but I promise we hiked the "Y". I was sore for days afterward and every aching muscle was worth the experience. I love BYU!

Free Bagel Friday

A local bagel company has recently decided to give out one free bagel to people who come in with a recurring coupon on Fridays before 11 am. They did this last year and I was sad when they stopped as I am addicted to bagels - they are so tasty!

Costco doesn't carry my favorite bagels (blueberry), and now I get one free blueberry bagel a week. I don't even have to go out of my way to get it! On my journey to work, I stop at a shop close to State St, I walk in, show them my coupon, they get me a bagel, they slice my bagel and I continue my commute. No inconnvenience to me, and it becomes just one more thing that makes Friday the best day of the week. Just add some free hot chocolate and I am in heaven!

I love Free Bagel Friday!

A Homemade Quilt

I might be considered a little old fashioned, but ever since I was little girl I have wanted to sew a quilt. Not just tie a quilt, but actually get out a sewing machine and piecing together a quilt.





It has been a long time coming, but finally I have fulfilled my dream. And I loved it so much that I will definitely do it again (as soon as I get another Jo-Ann's coupon).

Volunteering for NSO

Steve really wanted to be a Y group leader for the New Student Orientation program at BYU for Fall 2010. Even though I wasn't a student, Steve wanted me to be a Y group leader with him. It sounded like a good thing to do, so I said, "Yes".

I wasn't really expecting much, but it was amazing! I met some truly incredible people. Not only was I able to help out new students and their parents, but I was reminded why BYU is so special. I am proud that I am a BYU graduate.

(We were in charge of orange group 7.)

Our Salsa Garden (The Final Post)

Well, I was wrong about our garden, it actually grew. I doubted, but it flourished.

It even yielded fruit!

Steve is Back! (and we went on vacation)

After two months Steve is now back from is internship. Hurray! It is a fantastic thing to be married and actually be in the same state as your spouse.We celebrated by using PTO and going on vacation. We went to Carmel, CA and also to Santa Rosa, CA (to visit my family). Here are some pictures of our trip. I don't want to bore you with details, so let me just say that it was very relaxing and we had a lot of fun.

We were in a seaside town, so of course we went to the beach! We walked there from our rented cabin, and we walked back barefoot!

Steve put a flower (well, technically it was a cactus) in my hair.

When at the Santa Cruz Boardwalk, we rode the "bumper cars of the future". Steve and Beth (Steve's younger sister) are looking at the camera, I am not.

This ride looks fun but it was actually kind of boring. I wish we had gone around more times.

Beth and I rode the lift across the park. Beth was kind of scared, but she did well. I thought it was very relaxing. I could ride these kinds of rides all day!

Loving Clothes...Sometimes

I have a love-hate relationship with clothes. Sometimes they are too big, sometimes they are too small, sometimes they make me too grungy for an occasion, sometimes they make me too formal. And most of the time I don't even really care about what I am wearing. But sometimes, you look into your closet and you think, "Hey, what if I put this with this? Would it work?". When it doesn't work, it makes you late for work, but when it does works, that is when the magic happens. I always have a good day when I feel like I look cute!

Midnight Fashion Shoot

At the end of the weekend are you ever in denial that you have to go to work at 8am the next day? Do you ever stay up late hoping that if you are up late enough you will magically have one more day added to your weekend? I sometimes do. (But I always go to work Monday morning.)

One night in particular I found a skirt of my sister's and we decided have our own dress-up, I mean, fashion shoot session. It was a lot of fun! (See below for details.) And sorry for the picture quality. It was late, the camera was old, and the lighting in my apartment is always bad.

Shot #1:
Posing in a bean bag by the fish tank. I am wearing my sister's skirt, my shirt, my belt, my hat, my shoes and my earrings. Très chic!

Shot #2:
Dancing! Added boots and a scarf for flare (boots and scarf are also mine). Shot #3:
I decided to wear the skirt as a skirt just to mix things up.
Shot #4:
My sister absconded with my hat.
And then I was exhausted and ready to go to bed.

The Zoo

Last weekend my sister and I went to the Hogle Zoo in Salt Lake City. We were lost for an hour in a car with no air-conditioning, but we finally made it there (a trip into Baskin Robbins helped us find our way). My sister had never been to a zoo. Ever. So I brought my camera and we took pictures. Enjoy!

We got our faces painted.

We talked with the macaw only because he said hello first!
We saw a very cute sleeping red panda.
A tiger went swimming.

And an elephant took a bow.

Manning the Home Front and Abigail Adams

As my husband is in California I feel akin to Abigail Adams who's husband was in Europe for 8 years on assignment from his fellow Founders (he was only supposed to be gone for 6 months!).

Our similarities:
She missed him terribly, as I miss mine
She was supportive of the reason for his absence but still didn't have to love it, as do I
She had to stay to take care of income, as I need to do

Our differences:
She let him leave for the good of the new nation and I let mine leave to help the future of only our family
She didn't know h0w long she would be without him and I know to the day when I'll see Steve again
She had to raise her children while he was away and I do not

I take comfort in our similarites and our differences

(My commentaries on Abigail come from my reaction to a book called "Founding Mothers: The Women Who Raised Our Nation" by Cokie Roberts.)

Home Improvement

So I've been in Fresno now for a few weeks and have been working on many things to make the house a little nicer. Two weekends ago I put up a fence on the north side of our house (there was none there before).

This past weekend was an extended weekend. Matt was in town and also our friend Jason. Rich and my Dad helped out also. We had lots of hands working on the yards. The projects overlapped, but over all we patche a dozen sprinkler issues, dug out many cubic yards of soil and replaced it with potting mix. We planted flower bushes and lillies along the outside border of half the back yard, planted some trees, and did some general trimming/branch cutting of old overgrowth.

The biggest pain was the ton of gravel we had in both yards. We tried hacking on it ourselves but ended up getting Luis (hispanic laborer waiting around Home Depot) to do it for us. We paid him a lot for day labor, but that little guy did what several of us big guys couldn't do!

After this past weekend's efforts our house should be much greener and more pleasant for our futures there. Next up on the list are some simple, fast, single-person jobs that I'll do once Matt leaves.

--Steve

For the Beauty of the Earth

There are only a few things more spiritually relaxing to me than a beautiful fall day. On these days, there is often a moment that comes which takes my breath away and relaxes me completely. When this happens I am usually standing outside, leaning up against the side of a building, taking in the fresh air and soaking up the sun. I am usually thinking of nothing in particular. Then, with a casual turn of my head - BAM! my eyes alight on a harmoneous veiw that catches my breath, clears my vision and helps me to feel connected to God. The picture on the right is one of those views. It is at a cabin near Zion's National Park in Utah.

Marshmallows

Remember when you were little and you roasted marshmallows over the stove with your parents for an FHE or rainy day treat? I do, and I love it! I love sitting around a big fire and smelling like smoke afterward (really, I do, not sarcastic!). But I like roasting marshmallows at home even more. I'm not sure why.

I wish I had a picture of this, but at the end of May/beginning of June Steve and I roasted marshmallows over our gas stove. I would have staged one but he isn't very into that kind of thing (and I am lazy). Oh, and I discovered that I like dark chocolate more than white or milk chocolate on my smores.

Pantalones Colagados

Pantalones Colgados = Hanging Pants in Spanish

Steve left on his Accouting internship today and will be in California for the next two months. This internship is very important to him (and me) and we wanted to make sure that he would fit in with his business casual co-workers. This would normally be easy for an active church goes like himself, but he hasn't bought new formal pants or shoes since his mission and his formal clothes were a more than a little worn. Kohl's had a great deal on pants during their Memorial Day sale and here they are in all of their glory!

(On an interesting but not completely related note, while I was staring at the pants and thinking about making this post he gave me a 30 minute lecture on deferred tax liability. I understood most of it! My favorite line was when he was telling me about the ways to reduce tax liability and he ended his example with the line: "unless the earth implodes". I couldn't help but agree with that earth shattering statement.)


While looking at the pantalones colgados, I thought of a place in Cuenca, Spain that has a tourist attraction called "Las Casas Colgadas" (the hanging houses). The houses were literally hanging over a cliff (see picture I took below) and housed a modern art museum. Pretty cool. Oh, and I should tell you that the date is November 5th; I was going through a Europen phase...

Our Salsa Garden Cont'd

The patch of dirt Steve is standing next to is our work area. Last year it was an old stump, dirt and stredding plastic (yuck!). Our landlord gave us permission to play with it and play we did! Steve took out the stump (he was sore but he got to buy a shovel so it was worth it!) and we planted bulbs. When those died, we bought dirt and planted flowers. This year we had a few bulbs (mostly daffodills), one marigold from last year and now a salsa garden.

In our garden this year we planted three kinds of peppers (bell, serrano and habanero), two kinds of tomatoes (roma and cherry) and one onion plant which I don't expect to survive. The bugs seem to really enjoy our bell pepper plants.

Oh, and Steve decided to do this at 8:45pm on a Saturday. So once again I found myself racing to Home Depot at 9:30pm hoping they weren't closed (they weren't) and buying that one last item. Why is this starting to become a pattern??

I think the stakes look funny with all of that string and I hope that the plants get big enough to grow into the supports we created for them.

Pumpkin Cheesecake

Here is the latest dessert eploit - a pumpkin cheesecake! My co-workers liked it, I thought it was okay and Steve is weirded out by pumpkin and wouldn't try even one bite!

I like to bake, but I also like to stay slender and Steve usually becomes my garbage disposal for treats. But since he couldn't step up to the plate this time (which is probably for the best), I gave the job to my co-workers. Not only did the cheesecake vanish, but I got compliments too. What a deal!

Three Month Old

On Memorial Day I took care of a three month old - no it wasn't mine! I offered to take care of my neighbor's baby while she and her husband went to a movie. I guess you could consider this service. However, I think that my desire to watch a baby outweighed my desire to serve, so I would consider my offer more selfish than service!

I had a few bad experiences babysitting when I was younger and so I was a little apprehensive, but my neighbor's little boy and I had a good time! I spent a lot of time walking around, I got peed on and he fell asleep in my arms. He was very well behaved and now I want a child more than ever. I told my neighbor this and she offered to let me have him during a cranky night. I say, bring it on!

I think this will be one of those turning points in my life and I am grateful that my neighbor let me watch her son for a little while.

(Sorry I don't have a picture. Please believe me when I say that he is very adorable.)

Gilmore Girls

So I just finished watching "Gilmore Girls, Season 1". I laughed. I cried. I was confused. I was proud of myself when I wasn't confused. In summary, I throughly enjoyed myself. (I think the cheetos helped.)

The series has a lot of references. It has references to movies, famous people, music, history etc. I am not very up-to-date with these kinds of things, but even though I didn't always understand the references, I felt smart. I like feeling smart. Therefore I liked the series (thanks Aristotle!).

I like that the series felt real. I felt like I could just jump into the screen and have a snack at Luke's or take a class at Patty's or attend a town meeting. I'm not sure Lorelai and Rory would want me to be their friend, but I would definately belong to the town.

Heart Pillows

When I first got married (almost 2 1/2 years ago - has it really been that long?), I bought myself a sewing machine. One night in the middle of April I asked Steve to bring me some thread and he brought out the sewing machine instead. Not wanting to let an opportunity go to waste, I opened the box and set it up. The machine came with a book of easy projects. After browsing through it for awhile, I decided on the heart pillow project and away I went!

The first night was a little rough. It was only after a few hours and one one spool of thread that I finally won! I made two tan pillows for me and two red pillows for our mothers in celebration of Mother's Day.

I gave one of the tan pillows away to one of my visiting teachers as she did not want to let go of it! Normally when I show off the fruits of my monthly exploits to my visiting teachers, they give me back the item right away. Well this time, one of the girls hung onto the tan pillow I let her hold. I have sent that pillow to a good home!

My New Kitchen

So I am not moving for another year, but I like making plans and one thing I really want to do is re-paint my kitchen. It is kind of a light green right now and I don't think that light green is a color that goes very well in a kitchen. However, I don't know what color (s) to paint the cupboards. Any suggestions? I want something that matches the counter-tops a little bit better.

Anyway, I love my kitchen. I love all of the cupboards (and none of them stick!), I love the the counter-tops and I love the window above the sink. The kitchen is big and it has a lot of natural light. Oh, and the oven is up high so you don't have to bend into it. I've burned a lot of body parts trying to pull things up and out of an oven, so I am very excited for this new feature!

Costco repents on Mac'n'cheese

So coasting through Costco the other day, I noticed that they finally fixed the gravest thing they've ever done. Costco once again carries Kraft blue box Mac'n'Cheese! The price is even the same as before. Many people may not have even noticed it was gone.

This has caused me to reflect on the possible causes for the stoppage. One option is as I argued in a past post, that Costco was trying to capture some of the lucrative mac'n'cheese profits for their own brand. But I have developed a second theory that isn't malicious on Costco's side.

As much as I do love Kraft, the corporation has been having some especially difficult times as of late if you follow them much. Yes, I follow the corporate health of my favorite food. Anyhow, the Kraft manufacturers may have been putting pressure on Costco by raising the prices at which Costco purchases Kraft products. Costco could pass on the extra cost to the customer (bad for customers), Costco could cut their own margin on the product (bad for Costco), or Costco could phase in their own mac'n'cheese as a muscle-flexing stunt to Kraft. Such a boycott could convince Kraft to return to the lower pricing levels in order to get their volume back up to normal.

It pains me to think that the producer of such a tasty food might do that. But rationally I must face that option. While I may never know if it is true, I sure do hope that Kraft and Costco keep up healthy relations so I can benefit from inexpensive tastiness.

--Steve
P.S. I still haven't figured out how to make an account on this, so it's still posted under Suzanne's name I think.

Rag Rug #2

There will be four rag rugs. This one turned out a lot better than my first one did. It is flatter, the circles are more even, and it is bigger - it is easier to tell it is a rug and harder to mistake it for a hat! (My other rug was more hat-like).

The plaid is a shirt from a former co-worker and the other colors are fabrics given to me by my mother-in-law.

Fancy (Looking) Food

Every week I go through my cookbooks and decide what to eat in the coming week. Sometimes I try to use a particular ingredient, and sometimes a recipe just looks fun. I even read cookbooks during breakfast to try to get ideas. It's fun, it really is!

Anyway, I don't remember why I decided to make this soup, but I convinced Steve to add the rice like they said to in the recipe instead of mixing it in. I ate it while watching "Ghost" (the movie with Patrick Swayze in it). It turned out to be an very inexpensive way to feel felt artistic and fancy!

Salsa Garden

Last Friday Suzanne had the wonderful idea to plant a salsa garden. They are still seeds currently, but should germinate in a week or so from now. The idea started when we pulled into Lowes for a replacement lightbulb, which they were stocked out of AGAIN! (Yes, that is a plug for Home Depot.) The garden section had all of their veggies pulled out. So we grabbed some seeds and a planter to start them indoors, since it may be too early to plant outside in Utah.

We planted three types of peppers, two types of tomatoes, lots of onions, and basil. After researching a little more found that we should have considered planting a thing of cilantro and garlic as well, but we can get those for almost-free at the grocery store, and I doubt we'll need high quantity.

So if I remember, I'll try to post a real picture of them when we move them outside in front of our house.

--STEVE

Booyah

The other day I did something for someone at work and they said "booyah", as a kind of thank you. My understanding of "booyah" was that it meant "in your face, take that", kind of a thing, but I didn't really understand what it meant so I went to google. On Wikipedia it talks about how booyah is urban slang. Then it mentions that booyah is also a type of stew generally made for charity events. Who knew?

Easter

Okay, this is a long time coming, but I wanted to post this picture of Easter. Personally I really like Easter. Probably because it has lots of pastel colored candy (I love anything that is a pastel) and it isn't as creepy as Halloween. Steve said that he didn't want an Easter basket this year, but I still sunk out of the house (on crutches - my latest fashion statement) and bought some Easter basket candy. But I promised Steve that I wouldn't give him a basket, so when I got home I found flower pots and put the candy into the flower pots instead. Don't they look festive?? Mmm, I like these kinds of things. Oh, and the candy was fabulous.

I tried something new with eggs this year and I am sad that it doesn't show up in the above photo. You boil the eggs, crack them and put them into food coloring. A few hours later they look like marbled eggs. Thanks for the idea, Judy!

Boot

I have started to wear an orthopedic boot and it is really helping my foot. I went to the doctor today and he asked me where my foot hurt. My foot really didn't hurt very much and I had to feign pain. This could be a good sign, right??? It is starting to be gorgeous outside and I am aching to exercise. Being injured is so inconvenient!

First Rag Rug

This is my very first rag rug. I think it looks cool. That is really it's only positive quality. The rings aren't even, and it is extremely wavy; it doesn't lie flat at all. Actually, I think it probably makes a better hat than it does a rug! Also, it is probably only about a foot across. Middle two colors are scraps and pajama pants. The reddish color is a sheet of fabric from my mother-in-law. The outer ring is just an extra bit of fabric.

Fabric Scraps into Strips

Since I have a bum foot and I am not exercising, I have extra time and I've started a rag rug project. I googled how to make rag rugs and I found a good website that gave me a good jump off point. With a few generous donations of holey clothes and old fabric that no one wanted, I have started my rag rug project. I spent about two weeks turning fabric scraps (or sheets, whatever it was) into strips of fabric 1 1/2 inches wide and rolled them into balls. So here they all in a lovely crate lined with some fabric. Doesn't it look picturesque? I am excited to get started actually making a rug!

Apple Pie

I made my first all homemade (crust and everything) apple pie this week. I can't say that I loved the crust; I thought it was too dry. But the inside was sure tasty! I heard that it takes five pies to really get comfortable making pies, so this is attempt number one. One down, four to go! I think I might make my next pie cherry or peach.

Our New House

Over President's Day weekend we visited our house, which as of today has been ours for 19 whole days! We cleaned and repaired and just made a good ol' fashioned mess. At first I wondered if we had made a good decision, if we had gotten a good deal. However, I left with a confidence and love for my new house. I want to move there!

What did we do exactly?

• We met the new neighbors - I really like them. They were very friendly and neighborly
• We tore out a bedroom door, frame and all and put in a new one.
• We replaced the blinds to the sliding glass door in the den
  
• We tore out loose nails and screws and filled in holes with putty
• Cleaned some floors. We didn't really need to clean much as my in-laws had done most of it.
  
• We (well mostly Steve on this one) replaced the gate to our backyard fence.
  

I have many things I want to do to the house when we finally move - such as painting the trim! I am not sure I like that green trim very much. And I will make curtains.

An aside on the metal screen door... Our new house is on a busy street but we live don't live in a bad neighborhood. The screen is nice because gives a little protection, you can't see into the house if it is closed and it also locks so you can leave the front door open and nothing can get in - or out!

2009 in Summary

Many of life's ultimate details are decided during what I'll call the shaping years. I suppose they start in high school but they really develop after leaving the nest because of increased ability to exercise your agency. So I wanted to share a few summary points of 2009 in case not everyone knew.

Suzanne worked the entire year at SirsiDynix. (Bug her about posting about her work if she hasn't already.) She took a pottery class and has enjoyed making good use of the public resources at the library.

I got into the Masters of Accountancy program at BYU and am into my second of four semesters here. I interviewed heavily in October and got an offer to internship with Deloitte in Fresno this coming summer, which will likely lead us to moving there after graduation in April 2011.

On January 29 we finally closed on a house in Fresno. This was following a 7 month process: 6 months to get bank approval on the short sales and then < 1 month to do all of the escrow stuff. We're heading out next weekend to get some things fixed and cleaned, then coming back to Provo on President's Day.

Wow, funny to think that you could fit a whole year into such a small space....

--Steve

P.S. please boycott Kirtland Signature mac'n'cheese and write in to them to bring back the Kraft blue box mac'n'cheese. I was sorely disappointed with that product.

Just Because

So I have been thinking about starting a blog for awhile. Honestly, I see everyone else's cute blogs and I think "That is such a good idea!". So here we go! Will this blog get turned into a scrapbook? Will it last a year? A month? A day?? To be honest, I mainly decided to make a blog because I wanted to be like Julie in "Julie & Julia" where Julie decides to take charge of her life and blog about it. I wonder how many blogs have been made just because the author saw that movie...