feeling it already

been making this...

can't get enough of this...

been tying some of these...

and been patiently waiting for a sweet little niece to arrive just in time for christmas!

day of thanks

i tried my hand at some fudge making...and pie making...

nate's favorite thanksgiving day activity...sleep

napping with adorable cousins jaymison and zoe

we had a delicious dinner at uncle jeff and aunt cathy's house.

we are grateful.

happy thanksgiving!

we made it to six!

today marks six months of le marriage for us. yeah! we saw quantum of solace (i miss pierce brosnan's suave, sexy charm. nate likes shoot-em up, stick-out-ears daniel craig) last night and ate yum ice cream.

we checked our mail today and found a treat from nate's grandma marti, who remembered our six month anniversary. wow! we love her.

6 reasons being married to nate is the best:
- by the time eternity is over, i will know every sport in and out
- he always does the meat part of whatever we cook together, and he's good at it
- he makes me laugh everyday
- he cleans the bathroom willingly (YES!)
- he lets me rant and rave and worry over school, then says, "hey, let's just graduate"
- who couldn't love that face?

seasons

i am slowly learning that nate's time divisions of life revolve around sports seasons (only his favorite teams). since his beloved dodgers' season came to an end, nate's been eagerly anticipating his laker boys' return to the court. i'm pretty sure he could tell you every player's stats and more about kobe than you'd ever want to know.

ladies and gentlemen,

lakers season is here. all 82 games of it. lovely.

sometimes, we play a game. nate names a city and i have to name the matching team. i am becoming a champ at naming teams and cities. and we're not just talking basketball. we go through every sport. yes, even hockey.

28 days

...until these people will be gathered together...


...and i get to stare at this while drinking wassail...

i know it's not even thanksgiving yet, but
i'm pretty excited to go home for christmas.

top 5

weekend highlights

1. nate cleaned the WHOLE bathroom

2. BYU won

3. i utterly failed at making a roast (supposedly fail-proof)
...ended up with an inch of char in the bottom of the pot

4. watched a movie, relaxed

5. got my first job interview for chicago

our children WILL speak french

See more funny videos and Funny Videos at Today's Big Thing.

i want one. a french little girl, that is.

dear barefoot contessa,

instead of doing my homework, i watched you cook. oh how i wish your kitchen could be mine. and your skills.

i would like to taste those caesar arugula ciabatta sandwiches you made.

thanks.

"dude, she's totally an 8"

i heard these words today on campus as i walked by a couple of guys who positioned themselves oh-so-conveniently in front of a long sidewalk outside of the building that houses the humanities and family-related majors (meaning girls galore).

i'll admit - once upon a time in my freshman days, i was guilty of labeling the opposite sex too. it was a sport...sit in front of a building and rate the guys walking out. shallow, but i spent some good minutes with my pseudo-sister belize practicing this sport.

anyway, i got a good laugh out of listening to that conversation today. "no way man, i'd say that one's a 7." oh, the days of being single.

i love being married to nate.

ten

gratitude is an attitude

...i still have the bookmark with this saying from my twelve-year-old days.
but it's true right?

simple things i am grateful for today

cellphones
sister-in-laws
heat
fuzzy socks
my mom's quilting skills
leftovers
umbrellas (ella..ella..ella)
cookbooks
vacuums
hoodies
memories of paris
byu mint hot chocolate for $1.09
warm mittens

Coach of the Year

So I am pretty pathetic and rarely post on this thing so I have decided to post anything sports related on our blog. We went to BYU's last home football game on Saturday. We killed San Diego State and had a great time sitting in the legacy seats with Jessica's uncle, brother, and cousins (thanks for snaking the seats Matt). Anyway, if you want to help BYU get more scholarship money, go to www.coachoftheyear.com and vote for Bronco Mendenhall. You can vote every day so take a break from work, school, and blogging to vote for Bronco. His name is Bronco, how could you not vote for him?

what to do what to do

can i just first say that nate and i have been incredibly blessed?! and continue to be blessed immensely. our families have totally helped us get settled and make our 70's apartment more "homey." we love love love them and their generosity. special thanks to uncle matt and aunt margaret for this find i am about to discuss: the chaise lounge.

i really have taken a liking to this website. just for fun, and because i actually wanted a professional's opinion, i took a picture of the classy, chic chaise lounge we inherited from my grandmother's antique shop once upon a time. i asked my question, attached the picture, and voila! my "design dilemma" solved! see the post below...

Interior Motives

November 5th, 2008

With Jessica Baucom

Q: I inherited this ancient chaise from my grandmother, who owned an antique shop and loved unusual pieces. I love the style, but the fabric is stained and faded, and in some places, buttons are missing. What do I do: recover it? Add a throw? What are some good fabric choices? — Jessica

A: This is a find! A throw is a decent temporary solution, but because of this chaise’s unique, bulky shape, it may look more like a mysterious creature harboring in your home rather than the cool, granny-chic find that it is.

Recovering this piece will give it new life. Try a nice neutral woven fabric like cotton or linen. Because upholstering can be quite an investment, you want to choose a material that will stand the test of time—not something you will grow tired of in a few years. Instead of a trendy pattern, add a fun lumbar pillow for pop. Here’s a sketch to give you an idea:

Locally, I’ve had good experiences with Wardell Upholstery at 3628 South and 900 East. It’s a family-run business and they’re great to work with. Ask them to show you some upholstery-weight fabrics for this project. They might even half leftovers at a discounted price.

If you’re in need of some poppy throw pillows, try Jonathan Adler, Twinkle Living, Dwell Shop or Anthropologie—just a few favorites. Now, keep us updated on the finished product!

can you visualize the sketch in our house someday (which could be twenty years...houses are not cheap where we're moving!)? i totally can. anyway, i loved the advice and maybe someday we can recover this beauty! also, is it so weird that the designer's name is Jessica Baucom? ironic...

really quick

today was my induction into nursery. loved it. except...i pulled one little girl onto my lap to sing and read books. her skirt and tights were wet. i thought she'd split water on herself from snack time. nope. it was definitely urine, soaked through her beautiful little girl outfit onto my freshly washed dress. note to self: if a child is wet, do not put them in your lap. on sunday. in a dress. or maybe this can just be an excuse to wear a plastic jumpsuit to church? welcome to nursery.

chicago it is

the past few weeks have been grueling for nate as he's gone through the interview process with many companies to determine our future...

and the verdict is: we're heading back to chicago!

we're excited to live in the city and grateful for the job opportunity with aon consulting

please come visit.
tour of the city, place to sleep, great food, and good times are included in the offer

see you in july, chi-town

happy halloween

we had a relaxed, mellow halloween.
no crazy makeup or costumes like years past,

but lots of chili-eating and movie watching with some of our favorite people!

i loved driving down the streets tonight and seeing all the little kiddies out trick-or-treating and all of the pumpkins lit up.
happy halloween