illguthlife

Wednesday, April 7, 2010

Winter is still here

These are pictures from Tuesday April 6th.

As you can see winter isn't quite over here in Logan.

But in my office my plant is still growing.

I wonder if it will ever start flowering.

I've also been able to get marigolds to sprout.

Conference Crafts

I decorated two picture frames during Conference this weekend. These are for my 5 and 4 year old nephews. (Melanie, these are for your boys. Stop reading now if you want to be surprised)

I was inspired by a VCR that Brandon and I took apart after it was deemed beyond repair. I was especially intrigued by all the gears that are inside VCRs.

We went to DI and bought 2 frames for a dollar each. We got lucky and found one that had never even been out of it's package.

I brought it home and laid out the gears in such a way that they would turn each other.

My friend, Melissa, suggested painting the gears so Brandon helped me with that. He also "accidental painted my hand green"

We let the gears dry.

While I painted the frame Weston's favorite color. (I'm not kidding -this kid loves blue. When I tried to teach him how to play candyland he only wanted to move to the blue spaces)

Then I screwed the gears on. Some of them don't quite work the way they should, but the part with the big green one in the corner works wonderfully well.

Then on Sunday I started working on Wally's frame. This one had some paper modgepodged to it.

But a little water and elbow grease got that off.

I painted it green

And then I drew circuit board designs on it with sharpy markers.

Then I glued on (using the E6000 glue that causes Cancer in CA) lots of cool things from the VCR circuit board.

I'm sure all the electrical engineers in my family are probably rolling their eyes at my circuits, but maybe this frame will inspire a 5 year old to want to learn about electricity.

Normally we go to Salt Lake for Easter and spend it with our families. But this year Easter happened to be on Conference Weekend which I prefer to spend hanging out around the apartment wearing my pajamas and no makeup.

So I told Brandon that if we didn't go to Salt Lake I'd take the money we would have spent on gas and buy him an Easter basket. I didn't end up spending $40 dollars, but I think I did well with the $8 I did spend.

I hid the basket in our half bath that we use as a garden shed. We hardly ever go in this room so I knew it would be safe from being unexpectedly found.

Then I set up little clues and "bunny poo" around the house.

I gave the first clue to Brandon on Easter Morning. It was fun watching him figure out where the next clue was.

We also dyed 16 hard boiled eggs and 12 eggs that we blew out the yokes.

The basket below the fireplace is full of the blown eggs.

When I told people that I planned on blowing Easter eggs they looked at me like I was crazy. I kept saying, "I promise this is a real thing, I've seen it done before."

Here are some hints if you try to blow eggs.

1. Poke a hold in the top and bottom of the egg with a needle.
2. Make hole that you want to blow the stuff out through on the skinnier top part of the egg, not the wide bottom.
3. Make the hole you want to blow the stuff out, about 5 pin pricks big- otherwise your head might explode when you try to blow.

Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Girls' Lunch

Last Saturday I was able to host a girls lunch for me and 4 of my friends from High School.

I can't believe 7 years have gone by since we graduated!

We had a really yummy lunch in my living room. (Thanks Michelle for setting the table)

We had make your own salad and barbecue chicken. (Thanks Brandon for cooking the chicken, and thanks Erin for helping cut stuff up)

Brandon made this delicious orange cake for us.

It was fun to catch up with these girls. In the past 7 years 2 went on missions and 3 (including me) got married. 2 have kids. I am so happy that we all are still strong in the church and moving forward with our lives. I'm glad I know these wonderful people.

Afterward we walked to the park and played on the equipment there.

It seems like we played at parks all the time when we were in high school.

I love this picture. It is so us!

I can't wait for the next get together in 6 months. And hopefully more of our lunch group from High School will be able to make it.

Tuesday, March 23, 2010

Big News

Brandon is Graduating!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

There are not enough exclamation points to get my feelings of euphoria across to you.

Here's the story.

As you probably know the USU flight school as been about as responsive as molasses to us and our desire to get Brandon through his flight ratings. Even though Brandon had started to work on his Commercial rating we knew it was going to take a long time - possibly all summer - to get that rating. And then there would still be two more ratings after that to work on.

A couple weeks ago Brandon met with his advisor about his options. She suggested he meet with the lady in charge of interdisciplinary degrees. Brandon met with this lady and she told Brandon that he met all but one of the requirements to get an interdisciplinary degree in Aviation and Management. The last remaining requirement was a 20 page paper.

We thought about this for a while (officially it was about a week and a half- unofficially it was 2 minutes) and decided to switch to this degree.

Brandon has to write the paper by August, and he will graduate in the summer. However, because USU doesn't have a Summer Commencement ceremony he will be able to walk in the one this Spring. Meaning he will get to wear the cap and gown and walk across the stage this May 8th.

Once Brandon graduates we will transfer to a flight school that is worth paying for. Brandon went to Bountiful today to check out the school at the airport there. So far that is where we want to go.

Now it's just a matter of writing a paper, buying a cap and gown, finding a new place to live, and a million other exciting things.

I'm so glad to be moving on!!!!!!

Food Storage

Brandon and I have a simple food storage system. Our goal is to be at least 1 item ahead on most everything.

For example, we have the shampoo we are using and then we have one more bottle waiting in the cupboard.

When the bottle we are using runs out, we grab the one in the cupboard, make a mental note to buy another, and buy it the next time we go to the store to "stock up."

Because of the way the calender worked out we had a smaller paycheck for the second half of February (curse you and your 28 days) and then a long time between the March 7th paycheck and the March 22nd one.

Things got a little interesting at our house.

We used up everything! Deodorant, Laundry Soap, toothpaste, strawberry jelly, toilet paper, baking cocoa, dishwasher soap, sandwich baggies, hair moose, etc.