Curly Hair Problems

So I've been hating my hair recently and really wanting to chop it off (like Emma-short) and dye it dark so I match the rest of my family. Then I remember that no matter how short or how dark my hair is, I will always have the same problems I do now. Why is this??  Because my hair is CURLY.

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE my curly hair! But some days it's just too much to handle and it doesn't do what I want it to (or what it did yesterday). On those days, I have an emotional breakdown (maybe two) and put it in a hideous bun or altogether skip the event I was getting ready for (usually a wedding reception or something...)

Then I found this tumblr page that has hundreds of "Curly Hair Problems". I can pretty much relate to ALL of them! So, I thought I'd share this with you just to feel a little better about myself... ALL of these things have happened to me or I have thought about them... ENJOY. 

#697: I'm pretty sure I'm related to Hagrid because of the similarities in our hair.

#641: My cousins really did this to me... more than once.

Clarification on #751, I always wanted to marry someone with curly hair, so my kids would suffer like I did when I was younger, then I realized it's really the parent who suffers so I was excited when Ben had straight hair... Turns out his hair is WAY thick and so my kids (and I) are going to suffer either way. They might even get the horrible in-between hair that some of my friends have and HATE...

#783: Ben can testify of this....

#791: and this.

Yes, #806 has happened to me... It was ALIVE.

Cal's Birthday Present/Party

So, most of you saw the picture I posted on Facebook of Cal's present when it wasn't quite done... Well, I finished it the day before his party and he LOVED it.  Here are a few pictures of the "before":

I didn't really take many pictures because I was busy doing the sewing. We found THIS on pinterest and scaled it down slightly so it wouldn't be too massive in Jami and Rob's apartment. Then, once Ben cut the PVC pipe to the right size, I started digging through my fabric box to see what we could do to cover it. I ended up having everything on hand but the yellow part. 

The sewing job isn't very high quality, but it works for a 1-yr old. I'm just glad I finished in time. I'm sure if I ever try to do it again I will be more precise and not rush it. Anyway, onto the good stuff.

This little man turned ONE! I've been spending more time with Cal recently and it's so fun when he recognizes me and wants me to hold him! I love being loved, especially by adorable little babies.

the birthday theme was "Dr. Seuss" and Jami did an awesome job! She had his cake shaped like the hat that "the Cat in the Hat" wears. She had goldfish (one fish, two fish...) and cupcakes with blue cotton candy on top with red liners (thing 1 and thing 2). We had delicious Green Eggs and Ham for lunch and there was all kinds of other fun candy and stuff to eat. It was so much fun to celebrate Cal's birthday. Little kids are adorable.

After we all ate, we put up the playhouse/tent thing so the parents and grandparents could see it. It was cool to see it up and used, but when they brought it over to just have around when he was opening presents, he was distracted by it! I was so glad he loved the tent, but I felt so bad that he was so distracted. He didn't even go near his presents until his cousins started showing him how to do it. I think he was still a little young to get the idea of ripping the paper off, but he enjoyed all the wonderful stuff he got.

Here's a few pictures of him enjoying the tent. 

Here's the finished product:

The next day we had the whole family over for lunch (after church) and cal was getting a little whiny, so I put him in our potato bucket and he LOVED it. I had to keep my legs around it so he didn't tip over, but it was pretty funny to see how much he enjoyed being in the bucket. When we have kids, I'm definitely just buying them their own set of kitchen supplies and a bucket. They will love it. haha. Happy day to baby Cal! Can't wait to see what Jami has in store for next year!

My New Favorite Mug

Professor Campbell just dropped this off for me as a "Thank You" for helping with the
NY Program this year. I don't know why, but I just love it so much! Isn't it awesome?!

Who knew that a mug could make someone so happy! It's probably because (1) it feels good to be appreciated and (2) I feel cool because there is a street with my name on it in Manhattan! I can't wait for it to get cold again just so I can drink my hot chocolate in this!
....On second thought, I live in a basement apartment and walk around in sweatpants and a sweater all evening because it's so cold, I'll probably use it tonight! haha. Happy 4th Everyone! I'm working on posting some things that happened in June and then hopefully I'll have something to post about July.
We're supposed to be camping with Ben's family one weekend, and they're in town right now for the 4th, so I'll try to take some pictures of our time together. 

Well, lunch break is over... back to work.
Cheers!

Chicken in the Yard & Another Project

So, it turns out it wasn't a rooster, it was a chicken. THIS is a rooster... 

I don't know how I could have forgotten how ugly they are. The chicken was not quite as ugly/colorful as the one in the picture above.

ANYWAY....When we found the chicken in our yard, Ben was sanding down our new TV stand that we acquired when Rex and Molly moved to CA. Ben wasn't bothered by it, but the closer it came, the more nervous I got for it to peck at Ben's feet or something. Like I said, he wasn't worried, but it drove me nuts that it kept hanging around, especially since we were going to paint after the sanding was done. So, I got some old tortillas and left a bread trail for the chicken and led it out of the yard. Not long after, it was BACK. So, we went inside and hung out for a while until the chicken left.

 After it was gone, we started to paint. 

 After we painted the first board to make sure we got the right color of paint, Ben sanded the last few boards over the next two weekends. He is such a trooper to sand everything for me. He definitely needs an electric sander for his next birthday/christmas present.

 Ben and I painted the remaining six boards early one Saturday morning, but we had to move everything inside after the first side because it was too hot to finish the other sides. The paint was drying too fast. Sunday after church, Ben started to put it together.... 

 Doesn't it look wonderful?! I love it so much. The purple is awesome.

 I also made a runner to match the ottoman I re-covered. It worked out pretty well. 

That's all for this post. I've got Cal's birthday and the tent to post (probably in the same one). But first, an afternoon nap. :)

Welcome Home, Elder Chamberlain!

We were able to visit Kanab last weekend and celebrate Thomas's homecoming. Thomas has been on an LDS mission for the last two years in Houston, Texas. It was really nice to spend the weekend with the WHOLE family. Tom gained three new sisters and a nephew while he was gone, so it was a big deal to have everyone there. 

To start it all off, Ben and I wanted to do a session at the St. George Temple where both he and I were endowed (many years apart, of course). When we told the fam we wanted to do that, they said that Tom wanted to go as well, so Ben's parents and his brother met us in St. George for an afternoon session. We were also able to eat in the cafeteria beforehand which was kinda cool too. I wish I could just wander the halls of the temple(s) to see what kinds of rooms are in them... Then I remember that there is work to be done and I need to go do it! :) Here's some pictures after the session:

Thomas, Ben and Me

We asked Thomas if he would drive home with us so we could hear some mission stories and talk to him about life. We had a great time just talking and learning more about his mission. It's amazing to see the change in someone over two years. We are so excited Thomas is home, he has been such a great example to us. I hope we get to see him some more this summer before he goes off to college and gets his social life back.

On saturday we just hung around the house and helped get ready for Sunday. We were able to swim a little, tan a little, clean a little, eat a LOT, and just enjoy the Kanab sun!  On Sunday we were able to hear Katie bear her testimony as well as Thomas give an AMAZING talk in church. He did so well at teaching the gospel, but also incorporating examples from his mission. After church, we had a little shin-dig with friends and family. I didn't really know anyone, so Jami talked to me, we had a great time together. :) After we all ate and the friends had gone home, we took a few family pictures... I don't love my outfit or my hair, so you only get to see one. :) It also happens to be the only one were everyone is smiling... even Cal!

The WHOLE family... Rob, Jami, Cal, Thomas, Katie, McKay, Ronne, Daniel, Sharla, Me and Ben

SISTERS! (minus Sharla, she and Dan left to St. George)

While everyone watched THOR, I got to spend some time with mr. Cal! He is such a happy baby and just loves to laugh, giggle and drool! It's so fun to have a baby around the house!

All in all, a GREAT weekend! I'm excited to see everyone again for Cal's birthday in a few weeks. I'll post about that when it happens. Next up, "There's a Rooster in our Yard!" (Seriously, there was.)

Thanksgiving in April and the $100 Turkey

Back in early November I received a "Free" ($100) Turkey (story below) and it was taking up too much room in my freezer... So, I decided to try my hand at Thanksgiving dinner in order to celebrate the end of Finals, Tia's homecoming and Todd's departure to Alaska. It ended up being a great experience and I will definitely be cooking Thanksgiving dinner again very soon.... Well, maybe not until I get another free turkey. It will definitely save us the travel money of going to Kanab or California for Thanksgiving, and it is definitely it easier to stay home and eat delicious food instead of driving through the mountains full of Rain/Snow. AND...we can make Grandpa thanksgiving dinner and he wont have to drive either! (Unless he wants to of course, which he usually does.)

So, here was the menu: Salad, Stuffing, Rolls, Funeral Potatoes, Yams, Turkey and Gravy. It was delicious! and for dessert... Pumpkin Pie!

Here's the "free" $100 Turkey story:

Just like normal, I went to WINCO to do our grocery shopping. In order to stick to our budget, I don't like to go grocery shopping very often, I usually go either every two weeks, or at the very most, four times a month. So, when I go, it's usually a pretty big trip (spending roughly $100-$125 each visit). So, when I went to Winco to do my shopping in early November, they were doing their "spend $100, get a free turkey" promotion for the Thanksgiving season. When I checked out, I spent $103 dollars and the cashier said, "Where's your turkey?"

I replied, "Uhh, I didn't get one. What do you mean, Turkey?"

She said, "You spent over $100, you get a free turkey. Don't you want your turkey?"

Me: "I don't know what I would do with a turkey, it's just me and my husband."

She told me to cook it or freeze it and after going back and forth about not knowing how to cook it and having no room in my freezer, she convinced me to get one. So I ran to the very back of the store and got the smallest turkey I could find... 14.5 LBS! It would have been a $30-$40 turkey, but I got it for a simple $100/Free. haha Anyway, that's the story. It's even funnier when your Dad (two years prior) went to the store with a $30 grocery list and wanted to spend $100 to get his "Free" turkey. It's kind of a running joke in our family.

Here's how we cooked the turkey: 

We followed Ben's mom's recommendation to brine the turkey. Brining is essentially marinating the turkey in delicious broth. So, we combined these two recipes, HERE and HERE.

After we got everything prepared, we put ice in the ice chest and the turkey in the bag. Once the brine was cool enough to put in the bag, we poured it in and tied off the bag. Then we added more ice on top/around the turkey to keep it cold overnight.

 The next day we poured out the broth and the remaining ice. Then we pulled the turkey out and stuffed it with parsley, celery, garlic and onion. 

Then we stuck it in the bag (thanks, Jessica!) and stuck it in the oven for about 2-hours. It was DELICIOUS!

I didn't get a picture of the after, but it was beautifully golden brown and delicious. And just to remind you how delicious dinner looked.... 

Feel free to join us for Thanksgiving this year! :)