I love any 3 day weekend, but this one was especially fun. John's Mom came down to visit. She brought Devan gifts, took us out to breakfast and hung out with us at the beach.


Devan had a blast! She was sad to see Grandma go but is looking forward to her next visit. Thanks Grandma!!
(And our beach day was just in time- I hear it's supposed to be getting cold again. How could you, California?!)

Devan has always been a good problem solver. I think it's in her blood, because John is the same way. This can be good and bad. Good when they are finding ways to solve every day problems. Bad when they really really want something that there is absolutely no room for in our budget. For John this is usually something like a mountain bike, paintball gun, new snowboard or whatever newest technology is out. And I usually end up telling him that no, he cannot sell both our cars for a new xbox game, no matter how important it is!

Yesterday Devan woke up from her nap and wanted to go to the mall. I told her we could not because our van is not running well and we had to get it fixed before we drove it again. This is how it went.

Devan: Oh. We need a new car.
Me: Yeah.
Devan: One with more lights.
Me: Okay.
Devan: And more buttons.
Me: alright
Devan: And one with a triangle on it.
Me: Okay.
Devan: But where can we find one?
Me: I don't know.
Devan: Oh, I know! The car store! Lets go!

I was afraid to hear what she had to say when I told her that we needed a car to get to "the car store" and even more afraid of what she's going to come up with when she's 16 and we tell her that she can't have a car!

There's nothing that irks me more than a wasted lemon tree. There is a home in our neighborhoood with a huge lemon tree full of lemons. Going to waste. Hundreds of lemons weighing down the branches with no place to go. Every time I pass this house I want to go to their front door and ask if I can pick their lemons. I also want to ask them if they know that lemons at our local Albertsons are $1.29 each.
I might have a problem. You can ask John. I talk about lemons a lot. I would love to have homemade lemonade every single day. I don't understand why anyone with a backyard would not want a lemon tree. I dream at night (literally!) about having the smallest plot of land just so I can plant a lemon tree.
So, if you are reading this, and you have a lemon tree and don't happen to be as obsessed with lemons as I am, I will gladly take them off your hands!

Living where we do requires many sacrifices. We don't have gym memberships or iphones. I don't get my hair or nails done. John doesn't go snowboarding nearly as much as he'd like and we never go out to eat. We did, however, get to stare at this on our way to my OB appointment last night:

In case your making yourself feel better by telling yourself that it was probably freezing cold, it wasn't. I think it was probably 85 degrees yesterday. Take that, January!

It's been eating away at me for long time coming, and I think I'm ready. I've recently read several articles about household cleaners/sprays causing respiratory problems. Remember my asthma? I'm just saying. Call me crazy but I like to breathe.
We've slowly been making changes over the past few years. Last year we bought Klean Kanteens, and I'm in the process of getting rid of all my plastic Tupperware and replacing them with more eco-friendly options like these.
I think I'm ready for the next step. I'm going to be (slowly-I'm not rich!) trying natural cleaning products. I've found lots of recipes to make your own household cleaning products and I'm really excited to try it out. The first product I purchased was this:Natural liquid dish soap. It was cheap. I found it at Target for under $3. And since I wash my dishes by hand mostly, I thought I'd give this a try. I'll let you know how I like it.
Also- if anyone has any advice/recommendations on making/buying natural cleaning products please let me know! I have a lot to learn.

The other day I was in Pottery Barn Kids and I came across a package of felt donuts. Since I didn't want to spend almost half my grocery allowance on fake donuts, I decided to make some myself. I found this tutorial and got to work this morning. This is what I came up with:

I guess they look cute enough and Devan seems to like them just fine. They obviously aren't as impeccable as Pottery Barn's, but they were fun to make. On to better news-

I finished the first project from my list! The pink and brown quilt I started a while ago for the baby.
It's backed with just plain pink flannel and I really like it. Also- Devan's furniture is done!! This is great news. John finished the dresser last weekend and now it's in her room along with the night stand. I will post pictures of them later. I really love them. Her room is far from finished, especially now since we have to make room for a crib and find a way to make all of the girls clothes fit. Devan had tons of baby clothes!

I'm still undecided on double strollers. Will I really use it? Will I regret if I just get a cheap double umbrella stroller? Any input would be great!

I'm not big on new years resolutions. I was however, quite excited the other day when I was reading my best friend Jackie's cousins blog and found this link. I've never seen this site before, but I think I'll be a loyal reader from now on. It's filled with great stuff.
Anyway, I am staying home from church sick today and thought I'd get to work on my questions. I started with the reflection questions for 2008, and while most of it is personal, I would like to share one question.

Question: What was your single biggest time waster in your life this past year?

My Answer: The internet!!

Ironic, right? The questions for 2009 were a little more fun because I felt like I was commiting to a better life rather than commiting to resolutions that I knew I wouldn't keep.

I also made a couple lists. Here's a few of them.

Projects I want to finish in 2009:

1. Blessing blanket for the baby. (I just started knitting this and really want to get it done before the baby is here).
2. My Christmas advent calendar that I started 2 years ago!
3. Pink and brown baby blanket

Projects to start (and hopefully finish!) in 2009:

1. Throw pillows for the couch, bed.
2. Strawberry blue flannel quilt for baby. ( I cant wait to make this!!)
3. Giraffe baby blanket
4. Apron for Devan

Things to organize in 2009:

1. Our movies. They are currently out of control and we can't even zip shut the HUGE cd book they are in.
2. Our junk drawers. I think we have about 2 and they are getting pretty bad.
3. Kids clothes. Keeping Devan's stuff organized was pretty easy, and even though the baby is not even here yet I am already having a hard time keeping everything separate and organized.

We will (hopefully) be hearing about an offer we made on a condo in the near future which will mean more lists. Mostly for John, because there's not much home improvement I'm going to be doing when 6+ months pregnant, or after a cesarean with a newborn + 3 year old.

Happy 2009, everyone! What are your goals?

The other night the three of us were all sitting in bed together. Devan pulled my arm out from under the blankets and said,

I know the rest of the country is a lot colder than I am, but it has been really cold here and I've had just about enough. I pay way too much to live here to have to deal with cold rainy weather for more than a few days. Plus, I don't have an accommodating wardrobe. So tonight I am dreaming of laying on a hot beach somewhere and eating a pina colada snow cone!

It's slow at work. Sue me.

I thought that I would take the time to educate myself and others on the finer points of winter wear. Consider yourselves informed:

What's the deal with these waterproof ratings?

" Q: What's the deal with these waterproof ratings? What's the difference between a 5K and 20K waterproof ski/snowboard jacket?

Dan
Pittsburgh, PA

A: Dan,

Before I get to the difference between a 5K jacket and a 20K jacket, I need to clarify a few things. A 20K rating, sometimes written as 20,000mm, means that a jacket's fabric can withstand 20,000 millimeters (almost 66 feet) of rain in 24 hours before its wearer gets wet. So, a 5K jacket can take up to 16 feet of rain in 24 hours. Given that the record for the most rainfall in a day is about 6 feet, both options sound pretty damn waterproof.

You should also know that a jacket's waterproof rating is for the fabric, not the entire jacket. A jacket's fabric might be able to handle several feet of rainfall, but if the seams aren't sealed, then water can usually get in. So if you want the best waterproofing, look for a fully seam-sealed jacket (also called fully taped). A 20K waterproof jacket is virtually pointless if the seams aren't taped.

Now, to get down to your question. As I said, a 5K jacket's fabric can withstand 16 feet of rain, but manufacturers generally don't tape all the seams (if at all). These jackets often have a waterproof coating (DWR or Teflon, for example) instead of a waterproof membrane integrated into the fabric (like The North Face's HyVent). Zippers aren't waterproofed. If it dumps snow, you probably won't stay dry very long. The 5K jacket is typically a lifestyle piece or a jacket to wear on sunny days—not one I'd rely on for waterproof protection in the backcountry or a crappy weather day on the ski slopes.

Then there's 10K. 10K is more than 5K, you say? Bingo. You can confidently take that jacket out on a powder day in Utah or Colorado or wear it during a short cloudburst. But it might not hold up to wetter coastal snow or hours in the rain on the Olympic Peninsula. Do take note of its construction—for example, are its seams taped? Does it have waterproof zippers? Does it have a membrane construction?

A 20K jacket will keep you dry in nearly any condition. A manufacturer that bothers to make a jacket from 20K-rated fabric with a membrane is probably going to cover every seam and use waterproof zippers and storm flaps. I would feel confident in any coastal snowstorm in a 20K jacket.

For a jacket that is guaranteed waterproof (and breathable), go with Gore-Tex. A jacket with this fabric must meet very specific requirements from Gore-Tex. It will keep you dry no matter what."

Fascinating, I know. So what did we learn?
1. The higher the rating the better the waterproofing
2. Sealed or taped seams are better than "Critically taped" or not taped at all
3. Gore-Tex is best.

Class Dismissed.

By the way, I was inspired by these new pants I bought. I got them 50% off the sale price. Not bad!

Special Blend Mark Pants Check out the spec on the right side of the page.

Two pretty Christmas dresses! Devan was lucky enough to receive not only one, but TWO Christmas dresses from John's mom this year. This was great because I hadn't gotten around to buying one and was thinking I probably wouldn't. This morning she got to wear the first one to our ward Christmas breakfast. This is her modeling in front of our fiber optic Christmas tree. I know the tree looks pitiful, but we LOVE it. We've had it since we were first married and it's much easier to manage than a big tree.

We had tithing settlements before the breakfast so we went in our church clothes.

She looked even cuter in person and had bells in her pony tail. So festive! I can't wait for her to wear the second dress tomorrow for church. Thanks Grandma!!

The other day Devan was making train sounds and we thought it was pretty funny. If you like train sounds too you had better check out this hilarious viral video from the past.

Look what I stumbled across this morning. Pretty interesting, watch the trailer if you have time!

Demographic Winter

I CAN'T WAIT TO GET UP THERE!

This is a shot of the local mountains over the weekend. They received about 2 feet of fresh. Hit me up if you want to roll.

Snow Report

I WON the Zune writing contest in part to my amigos. Thanks all. I picked up $75.00!

WINNERS

Not only did I win, I dominated. I had 10 votes and second place received 5. Thanks to my good friends and a UCLA English degree.

The other night I decided to branch out from my normal holiday baking routine and make marshmallows. I'm glad I did. Although adding another thing to bake at the holidays is not always a good thing. My list is getting a little long. But these were worth it.

I found the recipe here. They are simple. I got tired of crushing candy canes, but it turned out okay because now every now and again while eating the mallows you get a little chunk of candy cane that adds a nice texture. I was seriously wishing for a kitchenaid mixer after about five minutes of mixing with a hand mixer and had to recruit John to do some mixing.

They are delicious in hot chocolate or all by themselves. Give them a try!

I think after last years list, everyone pretty much knows how I feel about my hubby. And even though I have another years worth of reasons to love him, I think you all get the idea. He's the best.

Happy Anniversary!!

I really wanted to come up with a fun, creative and witty way to announce that we are having a GIRL, but I couldn't come up with anything.

In the car this morning I asked Devan is she was excited about getting a new sister. She said yes. Then I told her that the baby would get to wear all her old baby clothes and she said, "I'm not sure about her wearing my clothes".

There's nothing like a little sisterly love at an early age!