home for the holidays

i have been so bad at blogging lately. i guess i haven't felt any need to.

we are so excited to be able to spend the next week in california with family. it's my family's year for christmas so we are looking forward to that. my sister is still young and gets excited about presents which makes it fun. we're having a big party on sunday at our house with my mom's side of the family. i never thought that would happen because of all of the family drama. hopefully everyone can just forgive and move on. if not, at least we have our immediate family.

i plan on doing all of my christmas shopping early next week. i wish i hadn't put it off but christmas really feels like it snuck up on us this year. we also plan on trying to outdo ourselves with a bigger and better gingerbread house. we have a lot of plans, but are looking forward most to not working/no school/and seeing family.

yikes

we're going out of town next wednesday and we were out of town last week, so you can imagine what my house looks like. this weekend i plan on relaxing and cleaning. and getting out christmas stuff so i can be ready to decorate when we get back next sunday!!

thoughts

my house is a disaster. i plan on doing something about that tonight. i also bought a little wooden acorn at lunch that i'm pretty excited about. i really love fall and all it's crispness.

i also bought some bubble bath which i have been in the need of for a long time. i will enjoy vanilla bubbles tonight.

my love

i've had these lyrics stuck in my head for a week.

The mere idea of you, the longing here for you
You'll never know how slow the moments go till I'm near to you
I see your face in every flower
Your eyes in stars above
It's just the thought of you
The very thought of you, my love

i like the second line the best.
is it possible to fall MORE in love with your husband than you were in before? yes, it is, it turns out.

house hunters

last night we were watching house hunters and the couple had about a million dollars to spend. they were looking at places that were really big, but awkwardly set up and kind of cold looking. i said out loud, "if i had a million to spend i'd go for something a smaller and nicer"

david said, "if we have a million dollars we're building a house"

i was like...oh yeah. that's a way better idea. and it's probably in our future.

lessons learned

we're having some hard times, struggling with money and fun stuff like that. the good thing is that what once cause arguments has helped to bring us closer together. at the beginning of our marriage we really had a hard time figuring each other out. we didn't know how to act and react to each other's emotions, outbursts, spending habits...so we would blow up. we've learned a lot in these 3 years of marriage.

i've calmed, relaxed, de-stressed or at least begun to learn how to
he's learned responsibility, that certain things matter that maybe didn't before

basically he's started caring more and i've started caring less. we're getting through to one another.

the future

i just got really excited for when david works again and we have enough money to live in a house with room to move. i miss my large kitchen.

the good and the bad

good:
been eating healthier. better, but not good enough yet
david has a job
we are going to california in three weeks
thanksgiving is 4 weeks away

bad:
we are still poor
the car is making a jetsons-esque sound
my house is a mess

i need to just get into shape so i feel better about myself. it's getting old feeling down.

tv is the devil. it forces me to do nothing with my life.

we've been editing photos from amy's wedding and i'm so excited about a lot of them.

sanity

This weekend we deep cleaned our entire house. Even the carpet! It feels so good to know I get get come home to an organized place. We cleaned out our spare room (finally) and now I think i'm going to enjoy working in there.

decor

i'm going to find a map of france just like this and cut it up and frame it to put it above the couch. i absolutely love it. i also like the big flowers- they look like they're canvas just stapled on there. plus the maps for wallpaper = a super cool idea. it's kind of like the little boy's room idea i have, but i plan on using maps of mordor and hobbiton. you know, lord of the rings? i am a nerd.



i really want to write a book. even if it's just a short one. sometimes i want to turn this blog into a 'book' just because i like the way i used to write. it was saucy and interesting.

hub-sand

an oldie... but so cute

us n stuff

david keith and i went to the utah state fair last night- it was definitely disappointing. i had such high hopes for good fried food and entertainment, but my corndog cost $6 and had bugs on it. and there were no fried twinkie/oreos to be found. so after $6 for parking and $16 for just getting in, we felt we had made a mistake. we decided to get cheescake for dessert and left but ended up running out of gas even though our car said we could still go 50 miles before filling up. brilliant.

there are good things however.
clementine is cute and fun and we love her and she loves us.
david is in school and will be done next year.
we bought a rug for our living room. it makes me feel good.
we are going on a road trip this weekend. we live for 'travel'
i took some fun photos yesterday and am proud of myself for the most part.

a necessity

i think i need this

hairs

attempting to get back to this. i miss my long hair.

battle of the sexes

boy friends are way better and more dependable than girl friends.

fall wedding idea board

weekend goals

why do they always tend to be the same thing? probably because the weekend actually comes and all i want to do is relax. well i'm setting some goals and i will try to get them done!

move dining table.

switch living room around.

vacuum entire house

(which means i have to put my clothes that are on the floor away)

organize clothes closet.

this is probably good for now. maybe i'll get in a cleaning mood and not be able to stop!

someone i admire

i watched chefography last night about ina garten who is my favorite person on foodnetwork. i knew a lot about her from good 'ol wikipedia, but i absolutely loved seeing photos of her growing up. her wedding pictures were probably the best part of the whole show- in every photo since then, you can tell that her and her husband really like + love each other. their relationship is pretty amazing and any couple who stays married for 40 years should recognize what an accomplishment it is. on her show she said something like,

people always ask me what the secret is to having a happy marriage...i don't know. i would hate to have to be in a marriage where you have to work at it all the time. we just want each other to be happy

i made a mental note of that quote...and wished that it was that easy for me! but it's definitely inspirational.

babies

spending time with my neices always brings about mixed feelings. on the one hand, i love them and think they're hilarious, which makes me want my own children. on the other hand i see how they throw tantrums and it takes forever to get anywhere...so i wonder when i will feel ready to give myself up and focus on my own kids.

double decker bus

this wallpaper is so dang cute...perfect for a little boy's room

my ideal house

can you guess what my favorite colors are? i really like white, it's so clean, inviting and refreshing.

randomness

what i look at to motivate me to eat better...plus i like the outfits

my mj

lovely, lovely quiet lake
how could this be a mistake?
too dark now to see your face
your hair is blowing all over the place
the moon is caught in a frozen glass
it could not let this moment pass
...
every dream too good to come true
floods my heart when i'm with you

i like mason better than michael

mod

really liking this blog

california

california, here we come
right back where we started from
(this is the old song, not the phantom planet one)



i love lucy, by the way
i really really do

ikea's ideas

david's been wanting to build this shelf thing to go behind our couch, because our tan carpet, furniture and white walls are BORING. we'd probably do a smaller version, though.

getting ready

i've come to the conclusion that i need to take better care of myself. eek, i don't like saying that because it ends up sounding pretty selfish. the thing is, i spend minimal time on myself while getting ready or doing all of those daily things. when i do spend a little more time (as in about 20 extra minutes) getting ready i've noticed that i feel so much more confident throughout my day, compared to when i roll out of bed and throw my hair in a teeny tiny little pony tail. its amazing what a little eyeshadow can do for a girl

ina garten

i've been watching the next food network star, secretly wishing i was a contestant. on the most recent episode the contestants got to plan and and feed a dinner party, hosted by ina garten. when i saw her welcoming them as her guests in her barn, i got goosebumps all over...my dream is to meet her :)

i want to learn to cook as well as ina, and reach my inner french-ness
her food and entertaining style is fabulous

julia child

am i excited about this? what do you think?


Julie & Julia

sleeping in the sunbeams

happy weekend!

i think we will get some bbq tonight
visit the carnival in springville
tomorrow we will head to parowan to visit my family
clementine will probably be hangin' with kristine
i am going to sleep in :)



i like this photo of myself. someone once named it 'sleeping in the sunbeams' because it looked like an album cover from the 60's

madeleines

not only is madeleine my favorite name, it is also a delicious little dessert. now if only i had the pan to make them...

23

my birthday is in less than two weeks. and what do i want? it's a simple year :)

dinner with my love at sawadee
a surprise from him, nothing extravagant
a manicure/pedicure/eyebrow wax or a facial or somethin along those lines :)

another dress i love

if only this dress was available in the mall, for a decent price...it would be mine

airing out

last night i dumped all of my dresser and nightstand drawers out. i made piles of old clothes that i've had since high school and got rid of a lot of things. it felt really good. i used to clean out my room when i was bored, but i never really do a deep cleaning like that anymore. i guess i'm too busy. i think since it's already the weekend again i will have to actually accomplish things this time. last weekend i watched tv and sat in the hot tub. not so productive :)

oh, man

i will gladly accept any of these bathing suits. they are GORGEOUS and so not the norm. unfortunately, the price reflects all of that.

all things pretty

i like all of these things- the colors, the simplicity, the neatness. a lot of them are babies rooms, but i can plan ahead, can't i? ;) i especially love unisex nurseries.

this weekend i will make some more attempts. the number one being:
organize our documents!
we have an office full of paid bills and papers that need to be filed or shredded and they are driving me crazy.
i also want to really go through my old clothes and get rid of what i dont wear. half of my wardrobe is at least 4 years old and falling apart, or too small. depressing thought.
i'm also becoming a little obsessed with organizing things by color...my books on my bookshelf, my hanging clothes...

dress

i wish i was wearing this today, instead of jeans. it's hot!

mem'ries

"no work yesterday meant being woken by his voice and pancake house. i made chicken noodle soup from scratch for dinner...it's what i was born to do. and other things, since i have baby-birthing hips. bring it on. "

that was an entry from almost exactly three years ago. i like it.

pea soup

i really wish i could sew right now so i could make this dress. it's perfect.

hair

i wish my hair was long really really really really bad.

coolness

i think the coolest thing in the world is when parents don't find out what they're having when they're pregnant. even cooler, when they don't have a name picked out without seeing the baby's face.

i wish

david,

i'm sorry i don't have this body:




for you and for me.

little thought

its always good when family/friends make an effort on their side to plan things or get together. it shows they think about you.

bird

i've wanted an antique cage and some little finches for a while. i like chirping and they'd look so pretty!

he's in love and he says love is fine

been listening to best of paul mccartney...love that he included his wife in his band, wings, and that they got to go on tour together. this love lasted a long time.



i also like this album cover because of the little hiding baby :)


love isn't silly at all

ron howard

on saturday morning we watched an a & e special on ron howard. i loved everything about his life, the way his parents raised him and his brother (put all of their tv earnings into the bank) and how he raised his own family by limiting how many films he worked on and bringing them with him to ireland to film far and away.
on a part of the show involving an interview with his oldest daughter, she expressed her admiration for her parent's relationship claiming that they were 'soul mates'.

In the June 2006 issue of Vanity Fair magazine, Ron Howard was asked, "What do you consider your greatest achievement?" He replied, "Forty-eight consecutive years of steady employment in television and film, while preserving a rich family life."

i love an honest man of integrity


i get on wikipedia kicks where i'll research an individual...i love it

crepe cake

just saw this crepe cake at martha stewart's website
does it not look amazing? layers of individual crepes? YUM

lunch

it was good.

spring, spring, spring

monson

something else happened, recently.
i gained my testimony of the prophet while watching conference on sunday morning. the choir sang 'we thank thee o god for a prophet' and it showed photos of him with kids and people from around the world. i know and knew he was the prophet, but i think its always different when you're used to someone, like president hinckley, and then someone replaces him. but when they sang and i saw the photos of him the thought came to me 'he IS the prophet'.

he is god's prophet.

something like this

9 days til we move. i'm getting excited. there are a few things i'm interested in doing and i'm daily looking for more inspiration and ideas for decorating the new place. it's a bit older and not as big, but we'll have more to work with i think which can force the imagination to work harder.

lonely days

i didn't see my husband yesterday. is that weird? yes, it is. i don't remember the last time i went a day without seeing him. i guess i'm spoiled.

tonight will involve me and clementine watching pride and prejudice, alone, and tomorrow morning will involve sleeping in, cleaning the house, and shopping for a tart pan and the ingredients for a strawberry cream tart.

i have to do SOMETHING to occupy myself while he's gone.

ideas

i know i'm already married and already had a wedding, but i found this on a blog and think it is such a cute idea. i wish i had seen it before i had my reception!
maybe i'll recreate it this summer when i have a dinner party.

love him

my little testimony

last night we went to the gym around 9. i was walking on the treadmill, working up a sweat, and what movie was playing? the best two years. sometimes, i love provo.

anwyway, i'm not a huge fan of those lds movies, especially while living here because they're making fun of people that i see every single sunday. (so the movies are actually exactly like my life...)

but last night, the part where the elders are teaching the investigator the first lesson, and the 'wayward' elder remembers why he's out there on his mission, made get a little choked up. it made me love what i know to be true, all over again. and the room was silent, except for the sound of feet hitting the treadmill, because everyone in the room knew it too, im' sure.

i am really, really stressed right now. that is why it is 3:30am and i am awake, blogging. 

i woke up every half hour since i went to bed. no i just can't sleep at all.

i feel like i can't take advice from anyone and i can't get a straight answer from anyone, especially those that really matter. i want to go back, back a few years.

the only thing that can comfort me right now

28 And why take ye thought for raiment? Consider the lilies of the field how they grow; they toil not, neither do they spin;

29 And yet I say unto you, that even Solomon, in all his glory, was not arrayed like one of these.

30 Wherefore, if God so clothe the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow is cast into the oven, even so will he clothe you, if ye are not of little faith.

31 Therefore take no thought, saying, What shall we eat? or, What shall we drink? or, Wherewithal shall we be clothed?

32 For your heavenly Father knoweth that ye have need of all these things.

new news

i'm sick of this! i need to stop eating crap and start taking care of myself. i'm going to start today, right now.

it can't be that hard. i just need to eat good foods and be active. simple as that. i'm going to do it!

i want to fit in my clothes and feel attractive.

oh, and ps. i cut all my hair off. i feel like amelie or something.

in honor of ireland

should i watch far and away or tristan and isolde? both good movies that have at least a little something to do with ireland :) i wouldn't mind visiting there either...maybe next euro trip.

only in dreams

natalie: last night i had a dream that i was pregnant with twins

david: last night i had a dream that i was batman

wear something slutty

Natalie Fenni already got gas so we can leave as soon as i get home. --
1:46 PM (5 minutes ago)


David FennI didn't know you still knew how to get gas
1:48 PM (3 minutes ago)


Natalie Fenn oh you
1:49 PM (2 minutes ago)



Zoom zoom zoom
David Fenn to me
show details 1:50 PM (1 minute ago) Reply

sick days

what i've been doing for the last 3 hours