Preston's 6th Birthday

Preston's 6th Birthday was actually the end of January. But because of conflicting schedules, we didn't get to celebrate with him until tonight. His mom and I looked at a few cake ideas. In the end, we decided to do a Bowser Castle Cake that I found on THIS website. I made the cake and then Melanie collected some Mario toys to put on it.

I must point out that I asked Melanie what I should get for Preston. I love buying clothes, but I don't want to become the uncool aunt that only buys clothes. But she told me he would love a Mario t-shirt. It took some searching, but I was finally able to find a few.

 

When we got there, we gave them their Valentine's gifts a few days early. They were a HIT. At this point, I could say I'm the coolest aunt ever.

 

We played a few rounds of Uno, then headed down to grandpa Paul's for cake and ice cream because today is his birthday too. While waiting for everyone else, I had Preston but the toys on the cake.

 

Everyone wasn't there yet, so he rearranged them again. And again. And again. I LOVE that he loved his cake so much. I repeat, coolest aunt ever. 

 

Then we gave him his present. He was excited to open it. 

 

Then he took it to his mom and whispered "why do they always give me clothes?" Coolest aunt, NOT.

 

But he must have got over it quickly because he put all three of them on at once. But to be on the safe side, this aunt is going to have to find different gifts in the future. ;)

Nephew's Valentine's Gifts

This year, I found a few things on Pinterest and couldn't wait to make them for the nephew's for Valentine's.

 

Seriously, aren't these robots the cutest thing EVER?!



 

Then I also decided to give each boy a baggie of the small Cutie oranges. Tyler loves them because he can peel them himself. But he is a perfectionist (like his aunt) and if the peel doesn't come off in one peice, he throw the ENITRE thing away. Then he grabs another from the bag and starts all over again. 

12th Anniversary

I could just title this "The week of our 12th anniversary." It seems like we did something small to celebrate almost every day. On Tuesday, the first half the of Josh's gift came. I had a friend of his help me get him a few new beaver traps. I knew he would be setting traps on Wednesday, so I gave them to him Tuesday night.

 

Then on Wednesday, I took the day off. One of the things I really wanted for our anniversary was a deep, cleaned house. Josh does his best, but sometimes it just needs a woman's touch. So while he went to set traps, I clean. I finished around noon. Then we spent the rest of the day watching movies together.

 

On Friday, I came home to a dozen red roses. They smell divine!

 

 

After that, we got caught up in the excitement and exchanged gifts then. I have just started getting into the doTerra Essential Oils. So Josh told me to get a preferred membership and place a large order. I also got a book about the oils and one of the newest books by my favorite author.

 

For Josh, I got him some more stuff to use for his trapping and the 2nd book to a series he has been reading. 

 

On Saturday, the actual day of our anniversary, we had planned to go horse riding. But the night before, there had been a snow storm and we couldn't get to the horse trailer. So instead we made a delish Valentine's Chex Mix and watched movies all day.



 

That night, we got all dressed up and went to the Steakout in Altamont. (Notice my dress! I wore it to a high school dance in January 2000 and haven't been able to fit into it since. So proud of myself!)

 

The Steakout has been open for a few months, but we hadn't been yet. Luckily, a friend had mentioned we get reservations ahead of time (which Josh did all on his own). When we got there, they were packed. But when we mentioned our name, we were led to an empty table. Their food was so good and I can't wait to go again.

Super Bowl 2013

 This year. we went to Josh's parent to watch the Super Bowl with  his parents and Dallon & Natalie. It was a great time.

 

While we were there, Barbara made us Skooies. We've never had them before, so it was fun. She made chocolate chip, and double chocolate chip. (Can't go wrong with all that chocolate!)

 

 

We cut them into 4ths and then topped them off with ice cream. cool whip, caramel and chocolate sauce.

 

I never really cared which team won, but that way I can say my team won. :) My favorite part was the power outage. I think its because I work for a power company. I spent that 30 minutes telling every one to be quite and not change the channel because I wanted to know what happened.

Riding Horses

Josh and I have taken up riding horses on the weekends.

 

Even in this frigid cold weather?

 

Yep.

 

The people who are letting us keep Jazzy in a stall, have also been kind enough to let us ride their horses, in their indoor arena. We still have to dress in two (or three) layers, but its been fun.

 

I don't have any pictures, but I'll remember to take a camera one of these weekends.

 

Its been fun to ride with JoLynn and Robin. I'm not a very experienced horse rider and they have been so much help. I feel like I'm gaining confidence (and hopefully some skills).

 

I swore I would never ride a horse past a walk, but on the very first weekend, they had me trotting. And then even a little bit of loping. I have loved riding in the arena where I don't have to worry about anything spooking me.

 

The last two weekends, we've gone riding on Sunday, but this weekend, we ended up riding on Saturday. We were there checking on Jazzy and just as we were leaving, they showed up to ride. We told them we would join them tomorrow, but they insisted we stay, so we did. They had some other friends coming so they could work on their cutting for their competition next weekend.

 

I rode one of their horses, but Josh rode Jazzy. I think she really enjoyed being a horse and hanging with other horses today. When it was time to put her back up, her and another horse went to the other end of the arena. Glad to see she made a friend.

 

It was fun to watch them and it seems we were both helpful in helping with the cows. Hopefully we'll get to do it again someday. We also hope to ride our own horses next weekend for our anniversary.

 

 

Book Club - "Naked in Death" by J. D. Robb

After taking a break for the holidays, we got back to our book club this month.

 

This month, my mom choose "Naked in Death" by J. D. Robb.

 

My mom fed us white chili for dinner and we had a great night visiting.

 

Our book club is now done to 3 members, but we have decided to keep it going as a Mother-Daughter night so we can keep getting together once a month. Can't wait for next month.



Dedicated to Pyro

Earlier this week, we said good-bye to our dearest Pyro.

 

Pyro entered my life in the summer of 2000. Josh was away fighting a forest fire in Idaho and I was missing him horribly. I had ran to the store for something, and saw some kids giving away kittens. I thought about calling and asking my mom if it was okay to get one, but instead I decided to use the philosophy "beg forgiveness later". I can't remember how many kittens there were, but I picked her for her unique coloring. I named her Pyro since she was to be my companion while Josh was gone.

 

When Josh and I got married in 2001, she was the first member of our family. She brought so much joy to our lives.

Our first house had a curtain in the front door. She immediately figured out how to get in it. Which she did daily, until she broke the bottom rod that held it in place.

 

 

She was a house cat, but once escaped to the outdoors. Even my dad drove around looking for her. She didn't show up until the next morning. Josh happened to look outside and see her. When he ran out to get her, she dropped and rolled, as if she were saying "see how beautiful I am."

 

 

She could find every odd spot for a good nap. In one of our apartments, we didn't have a real closet, just a cupboard. It was a leap to the top, but she could do it. One time, when she jumped off, she landed right in Josh's.....lap.

 

The same apartment had horrid heating. It has base floor heaters that didn't heat much after the first foot. It didn't help that she would lay in front of them and soak up all the warmth.

She may have been my kitten first, but once we were married, she was Josh's cat. She loved his ear rubs. Almost nightly, he would awaken because she was licking his hand. And she wouldn't stop until she got a good ear rub. 

She LOVED elk meat. Each, and every time, Josh cooked an elk steak, she was right there to sample it. 

 

 

 She loved car rides. Unless, you put her in the carrier. Then she would get car sick and make a mess. But as long as you let her sit in the back window, she was fine.

 

 

She is the reason our cats will ONLY drink from the tub. Our first house had a faucet that dripped all the time. So that is where she would drink. Each time we would move, we would try putting a water bowl by the food dish, but then we would find her in the tub, looking for a drink.

 

She always tolerated all our other cats, but she sincerely loved Missy. They were best friends. We know they are taking a peaceful nap right now waiting for us.

We love you and will miss you. 

Josh Learns to Trap Beaver

 

This winter, Josh decided he wanted to spend as much time as he could trapping. In that past, he's only trapped for coyotes and fox, but this year, he decided to try something new. He got some beaver traps and books for Christmas. Last week, he finally got the chance to set a few traps.

 

The first time, when he checked his traps, he had nothing. One trap had been set off, but there was nothing in it. So he reset them. The next day, they were set off again, but still empty. He was a little stumped. While looking for a new spot, he saw a muskrat in a hole he was thinking about using. Then as he was walking back to his truck, he walked past his 1st trap, right as something made a big splash! Another muskrat.

 

That evening, he came home and researched trapping muskrat so he could thin them out so they would quit setting off his beaver traps.

 

He was pretty excited when he went to check yesterday and found a beaver.

 He can't wait to catch more. He plans to sell the furs in the spring. Maybe one year, we will save some and make a coat for me.

Menu Board Redo

Back in 2010, I made a menu board. Then when I got it home, I decided I didn't like the back ground paper I had chose. So I set it in my craft room and vowed to fix it soon.

 

Three years later, I finally got around to fixing. I am in LOVE with it. And its also now hung in my kitchen. Hopefully it will help us be better at meal planning.

Savannah's 30th Birthday

The day of my Birthday was a blast. My mom, John and Vanessa all gave me money to spend on clothes. Josh made me Country Fried Steak with his home made gravy and a cranberry cake for dessert.  Then we planned a date for a few nights later when I would pick out my present.

 

I did get one present a few weeks early. While we were sick, I decided I wanted the DoTerra Essential Oils Diffuser. Then I saw the price. I debated over it for a few minutes and decided the only way I could justify the purchase (at this time) was if it became my birthday present. I have loved it and am glad I decided to buy it. I'm still discovering DoTerra Essential Oils, but the ones I have tried, I have loved. I bought the diffuser so we could use the Breathe Oil, but I've also used Lavender in it too.

 

Then the night of our date came. All I wanted this year was some new boots for this cold, snowy weather we have. I can't order boots online, because the few times I have, I've had to return them because they don't fit right. Since we now have a Famous Footwear in Vernal, I knew I'd be able to find a pair just fine.

 

When I went into the store, it was rough 8 below zero. They don't have boots anymore. Right now, their store is filled with ....sandals. Don't get me wrong, I LOVE sandals. But not when it is 8 below outside. They had just a few pairs of boots in their clearance section; none of which were my size. We tried a few more stores, but had the same results. I was totally bummed. I couldn't think of anything else I wanted, so he went to dinner and then came home.

 

After that, I assumed my birthday was over. Until my brother Alden showed up at work today with these beautiful flowers!

 

Then this afternoon, I saw a person on facebook selling some boots. I arranged to meet with her after work and try them on. The pair I liked the most didn't fit, but the 2nd paid did, and she only wanted $10. SCORE! They aren't really what I had in mind, but they will work for now.

Thoughts on Turning 30

The big 3-0. Its been coming at me for the last 29 years. ;) Thirty.
 
Gotta be honest. I don't feel any different then I did at 29. Which didn't feel any different from 28. You get the point. Josh, on the other hand, has been feeling old since he turned 25.

 

For years, I've watched people freak about turning old. I never understood it. Still don't. Its just a number. I don't think I could even define which age, at least to me, equals old. Fifty? My parents are fifty, but I don't see them as old. I have grandparents in their 70's, but I don't see them as old. (Maybe that's because Grandpa Mike never stops moving.) As corny as it sounds, I think a person is only as old as they feel.

 

I've been giving Josh a hard time the last few weeks. He's 31, but I was still 29. I mentioned this to my sister and she asked me if I was nervous to turn 30. My response, a little, but not really. And the little bit I think comes from societies pressure to let it make me feel old.

 

So then I thought about it all day long.

 

In my "young" 20's, we were poor, broke newly weds. At times, we didn't even have 2 nickels to rub together. We had zero credit and couldn't get a car loan. We had to cut our own deer because we couldn't afford to take it to a butcher. For years, we only had one car because we couldn't afford a second one. The jobs we had that barely managed to cover the bills, both made us miserable. Insurance was only a dream.

 

The car I have now is worth our first car, times 8. And we still have enough left over to have Josh's truck too. When we want something, we get it. No having to figure out where the money is going to come from. Granted, this has led to a impulse buying problem, but I've been working on that.

 

We both love our jobs. In the winter, when Josh's job slows down, he is able to take time off and do what he loves, hunting and trapping. I also love it because I get to have him home with me. It makes for a long summer when he works out of town all week. But in the winter, I come home from work and dinner is already cooked and the dishes are already done. I LOVE it! Before long, he will be putting in the long hours again and I will be missing him. I want to soak up every minute I can right now.

 

Most of my 20's were very depressing for me. Infertility was a hard struggle that just about broke me. Now that I've been able to move on from that, life has been so much more enjoyable. A big part of that could be those adorable nephews of mine. They have filled the empty spots in my heart and completed me.

 

Over the last year, I've been able to build on my self. I finally feel like I am truly me and not trapped in the box that people wanted me to be. I finally feel like I can be true to myself and not care what other people think.

 

I'm also in the best health of my life. I spent my 20's fat and out of breath. Now I've taken charge of my health, got in shape and lost 70 pounds. I would much rather have my 30 year old body then my 25 year old body any day.

 

I'm not going to miss my 20's. This year, I am turning 30. Not 29, for the second time.

New Years Resolutions 2013

1. Keep up with the healthier lifestyle. I get all warm and fuzzy when I think how far my eating habits and weight loss have come. I know I am a healthier, and happier, person now. Plus, I take great pride in knowing, I have set this type of goal for the last 2 years and been able to Stick.With.It! Last year, I spent a lot of time comparing "skinny" me to "fat" me. But I guess the fat has been gone long enough, because I don't think in those terms anymore. I KNOW I have the strength and mobility to do just about anything. I no longer have to stop and catch my breath. I LOVE that. I am proof a person can say they want to be healthier on Jan 1st and then 12 months later actually be that way, instead of feeling regret over not sticking to it.

 

2. Spend more time with family. Truth is, I am pretty greedy of my time with the hubs. Right now, this goal is easy to set because he is home every night. (Usually with dinner already cooked too!) Last year, well, I don't know if we were lazy or anti social, but if feels like we skipped a lot of family dinners, etc. And I know, once summer comes, and he is gone all week, I am going to want to just lock the doors and turn off the phones when he is home on the weekends. So I'm trying to find a way to compromise. I don't think that means Sunday dinner every single week, but maybe once a month we can commit to seeing at least one side of the family.

 

3. Find a home. We tried this last fall with no success. I don't think we were being overly picky, but maybe we were? I can't decide. I don't feel like we want much. Josh wants land for the horses and I want 2 bathrooms with a nice kitchen. Last summer, we feel in love with one home, but it fell through. Since then, we seem to compare every single home we look at to that one. But on the plus side, I've been able to slowly build our down payment and that is a good feeling.

 

4. Get ahead on some bills. A few years ago, I paid all our major utility bills ahead by 3 months. Then come Christmas time, I was able to skip paying them while we celebrated Christmas, birthday's and our anniversary. It was such a good feeling. Each year, I swear I will do that, but each year, I fall short. So I'm going to try again this year. It feels like a possibility right now, but I'm sure once we purchase a home, our budget may change. But we will deal with that as it comes. I did pay off our credit card last year and that was a good feeling. We still have it, for in case of emergencies (which we recently used for an after hours vet visit), but it is at a manageable point now.

 

5. Cook more in the crock pot. Josh and I both love the meals we make in the crock pot. But usually, the crock pot sits on a shelf, forgotten. So this year, we have decided to do more crock pot meals. Each time we plan out a menu, we try to look for a new slow cooker recipe too. I should also add to this goal, remember to use the crock pot liners. I have several boxes, but we never remember them until the meal is cooked and ready to be put away.