The Sweet Life

Two Things I Love Today

2010-03-24T16:31:00.000-07:00

Thing I Love No. 1- Sarah's House

Sarah's House is the best home design show on television.

It's beautiful. Sarah is so talented and likeable. She shops second-hand and at Ikea. Tommy is hillarious (thanks to Tommy, even Kelly enjoys watching it). And best of all, Sarah's sense of style is completely in-line with mine.

Here are several Sarah's House images that couldn't be more perfect.

Thing I Love No. 2- Ross Dress for Less

Speaking of home design, I went to Ross today and saw so many tasteful, well-designed home pieces that were 100% affordable.

Here's what I spied at Ross today-

Fantastic rug- $8

Pretty Frame- $6

Beautifully shapped vase- $6

Art that I would actually hang in my house- $13

And pretty glass beads that I couldn't resist!

Valentines with Buck Jr.

2010-02-17T14:49:00.000-08:00

I got Kelly one of these for Valentine's Day. Pretty romantic, eh?

He'd rather have an actual trophy on the wall, but I can't get that for him! (He wants to shoot it himself, with his own gun.) These are all things that I have always been adamantly NOT interested in. No guns in my house, thank you very much!

Believe it or not, this is where the romance comes in. . .

I went to my friend Lissa's house to see her new baby. Along with that cute, dark-headed baby boy, she has a trophy head and a gun already hanging up on her wall. We laughed about the things we never would have expected to be part of marriage. Who knew that 'happily-ever-after' might include a few trophy heads. Sure, I expected compromise-- just not guns!

I appreciate that Kelly goes out of his way to create my brand of happiness too. I'm sure he never pictured himself springing for a pretty vintage apron, or buying arranged flowers when they seem like such a waste compared to a plant-- with roots-- that won't die next week.

I love being married to Kelly!

I hope you enjoyed a happy Valentines Day, and maybe even some"romance"--- whatever that word means to you!

President Wilson Goes to Washington

2010-02-11T16:50:00.001-08:00

We have some sweet news to share today. . .

My Dad has been called to serve as mission president of the Washington Everett Mission. We are so excited for Dad, Mom and Nathan and Emily who get to go too! They will begin their service on July 1. Dad will be responsible for nearly 200 missionaries. (A LOT more than I had guessed!)

The 2010-2013 missionaries of the Washington Everett Mission are pretty lucky! My Dad has so much wisdom, and my Mom is so compassionate; they will certainly do an amazing job. I am excited to learn from their example and experiences from afar.

My family will be living just a few miles from Kelly's brother's family, so we will get to visit both at once for the next few years. I certainly can't complain about visiting the Seattle area more often!

Re-purposed

2010-01-26T17:02:00.000-08:00

I have enjoyed this little vignette all fall and winter. I hate to take it down, so I thought I'd immortalize it here.

I originally assembled it for our anniversary dinner (pictured above). And then re-purposed it for Thanksgiving dinner. And re-purposed it again for Christmas (with santa figures and mini pinecones).

It's been quiet lovely and versatile. I need to find something as fun and flexible for the spring/summer.

In case you're interested, the birch cylinders are from Small Stump. (Sorry to say, they've gotten more popular and pricey than when I found them.) The olive dish was from Pottery Barn, but I don't see it on their website. Everything else was thrifted or found.

Run With It

2010-01-26T09:26:00.000-08:00

While on my run last night, this song came up on my ipod shuffle, so I had to add a few twirls and fancy steps into my run (see video).

Moral of the story-- I am bored out of my mind on my runs these days! I'm looking forward to running with my sister-in-law April this weekend.

New Year 2010

2010-01-21T15:42:00.000-08:00

Three more posts and I'll be caught up!

We had a fantastic New Year at the cabin with my family. I should really take more vacations with nothing scheduled to do or see!

Kelly and I drove up a day early and stayed overnight in Manti. (Sorry, no pictures of this part-- the camera was burried in the car and it was cold outside!) We enjoyed a session at the Manti temple and the opportunity to see amazing pioneer craftmanship and appreciate the ship/roof that was described in this talk.

The next morning we had a REAL small-town breakfast at the Satisfied Ewe Cafe in Ephriam. Seriously. The owner was a true, salt of the earth, Utah rancher. After chatting it up with the locals in the booth across the room, he came over to take our order with his pencil and notepad in hand and just looked at Kelly. No sense wasting words! (By the way, breakfast was delicious.)

At the cabin we are voluntarily snowed in. We have to snowmobile the last 2-3 miles from the main road. The boys spend the whole trip on snowmobile (mis)adventures and the girls spend the whole trip cooking. That's not a stereotype; that's just the way we like it! I always go out for one good ride, but I really prefer the fire and something to read.

This is your typical afternoon at the cabin. Bryan and Craig have recruited folks to play a game. Dad is coming upstairs from checking on pumps or the generator in the basement and Nathan is playing the Wii. (Notice the New Years party decorations in the background.)

Suzzie was our fire queen. The kids were quick to call her everytime they noticed that the fire as no longer blazing.

Kylee and Caleb helping make popcorn.

The boys loading up to head home.

A few highlights of the cabin weekend:

-Arriving to a warm cabin since another family had just left that morning

-Trying out the solar panels

-Running out of solar power since the panels were covered with snow! (We were back in the early days when our cabin only had a few propane lights.)

- My brothers and their board games

- New Years decorations created by Madelyn, Kylee and Caleb (with help from Grandma)

- Cafe Rio salads for dinner

- Entertainment from Enzo and Paublo (the dogs)

- Peterson caramel popcorn

- Sharing plans for 2010

What Type are You?

2010-01-19T16:10:00.001-08:00

Typophile? Even if you aren't, this is a delightful quiz to take: What Type are You? (The password is "character")

I am Marina Script.

I am also going back to hear the 'type' descriptions for other typefaces. Very clever.

Swoon

2010-01-14T13:57:00.000-08:00

I have a hopeless love affair with coats. Sometimes they are so beautiful I can hardly stand it!

These are my latest coat crushes, both from Boden.

(first seen here)

Christmas II

2010-01-13T17:52:00.000-08:00

On Christmas afternoon, we loaded up and drove up to Washington to meet the rest of the family at Amber (Kelly's sister) and Rob's. It was great to be all together and enjoy the chance to visit.

That evening we exchanged gifts between the families. Kelly and I had Amber and Rob, which was significant this year because Rob is being deployed to Afganistan on January 23. I really struggled to figure out what we could give them that they would enjoy, but would also be meaningful to the family while he is away.

At Mom Peterson's suggestion, I finally decided to make a countdown to Rob's homecoming. I enjoyed designing the calendar and especially the chance to do something (however small) to let them know we are thinking of them.

Here's how it turned out--

A special thanks to April who helped me figure out what to put at the top. (We were limited by only 1 of each letter of the alphabet!)

After a lot of great food and visiting, we drove back down to Eugene on Saturday night. Our flight home wasn't until early Sunday evening, so we enjoyed a quiet day at Mom and Dad's. I especially enjoyed attending church and running stake errands with Kelly's Dad. We would walk down the hall 5-10 feet at a time, stopping to talk with almost everyone! It's easy to see that Kelly's parents are genuinely interested in everyone and loved by everyone in return. Their love for and focus on their family was also evident as so many of the people we met knew Kelly by name and that we are living in Las Vegas (even though he didn't grow-up in Eugene).

I am certainly grateful for the wonderful family I married into and for the blessing of being all together at Christmas.

Catching Up from Christmas

2010-01-13T16:53:00.000-08:00

We had a wonderful and busy Christmas season this year. I am making this my week to catch-up and document events from the end of 2009.

We spent the first few days of the Christmas break in Eugene, OR at Mom and Dad Peterson's house with Scott (Kelly's brother) and Tessa, April (Kelly's sister) and Mitch and Zander (the only grandchild between the three of us).

I'm not sure what Kelly did on Christmas Eve, but I enjoyed 'girl time' with April, Tessa and Mom finishing presents, making a last-minute trip to Michaels, wrapping gifts and helping with Christmas Eve dinner (the Peterson family tradition).

On Christmas morning, Zander was the man of the hour and didn't know what to do with the attention of 6 aunts and uncles and grandma and grandpa all at the same time! He didn't even notice his little tent filled with presents, but was more than happy to dive in to check it out once April pointed it out.

Kelly and I should have discussed the specifics of the "small" Christmas we planned to ensure we were on the same page! His small Christmas included:
- slippers, a fun book, a church book, a fully supplied/decorated guest bathroom (this was more of a gesture than a gift because he had requested that I get around to it several times) and fancy swiss hot chocolate and english toffee.

My "small" Christmas included:
- a creme brulee torch, a cute corduroy jacket, two layering tank tops, a necklace with matching earings and a garmin. Wow!

Maybe we'll just call the new mountain bike he wants to get part of Christmas!

Part II of the holiday posts to follow soon.

That Time of Year

2009-12-02T14:46:00.000-08:00

I want to post a report and a few pictures from Thanksgiving, but I keep forgetting to transfer pictures to the computer. We're currently planning/preparing for a little Christmas party at our house, so when I get home my mind is on cleaning, decorating and baking rather than pictures and blog posts.

In the meantime, I'd love to share/get opinions on the many calendars I've found to choose from this year. There is so much letterpressed, printable and screenprinted loveliness out there!

Ilee Press

(This is the calendar I've gotten for the last three years. I still like it, but I'm considering changing it up. Or maybe not. I think the different colored papers is what does it for me!)

Up Up

Sure As Blue

Saratams

Pink Roses 1220

Pinecone and Lola

Nella Designs

Naomilynn

Ruffhouse Art

Missprint Design

Livingroom Floor

Jelly Beans

Egg Press

Coreymarie

Bomobob

A Line of Her Own

3 Sisters Love

1 Canoe 2

Baptism

2009-11-14T15:47:00.000-08:00

Sean and Chase Peterson were baptised two weekends ago, on November 7. Kelly and I were lucky enough to be there, along with most of the family. The boys had it all planned out -- one was baptized first, and the other was confirmed first. The near-scalding hot water in the font will definitely make theirs a memorable day. (It's like they were baptized by fire twice!)

Congratulations Sean and Chase!

So, I'm still the newest member of the Peterson family and during the trip I noticed that I shied away from taking pictures of the adults. (Kelly's intense dislike of having his picture taken just might have something to do with this!) But I have lots of picture of the cute Peterson kids as follows. . .

These cute kids are ready for pizza!

Since he was sitting at the head of the table and had a crowd watching, Will decided to put on a show.

He learned this dance from Kung Fu Panda. His older brothers (and Dad) get a kick out of it!

Uh oh, here comes Dad.

Tate and cousin Misti.

Tyler loves her new braces!

Since I'm relatively new to the family, it is fun to spend time together and be there for important events. I might have missed the twin's first six years, but I was there for their baptism!

When I think of my own extended family, I don't think of the in-law aunts and uncles as add-on's. (Even those who's weddings I remember.) They are just part of the family. I don't feel out of place in the Peterson family, (on the contrary, they are great at making me feel welcome) but it's good to know that I won't always feel "new." And each opportunity to spend time together makes me feel less brand-new.

Dinner is Served

2009-11-14T09:15:00.000-08:00

I arrived 30 minutes early to a BYU Marriott Society lunch meeting at Planet Hollywood yesterday. I made good use of those 30 minutes at Sur la Table!

After struggling with my old pastry cutter earlier this week, I decided a new one was in order before the Thanksgiving pie making begins. Can't wait to give it a try.

In the clearence section I scooped up a gorgeous turkey-sized plater and these lovely yellow serving platers that match my house perfectly. I also bought the turkey yesterday.

We're ready for Thanksgiving!

Halloween

2009-11-05T08:47:00.000-08:00

Kelly and I were senoir missionaries for Halloween. It was a fun, easy costume that may be recycled in future years. I just wish I had found suspenders for Kelly and a short-sleeved shirt!

Love his old man expression in this one.

Upcoming Events

2009-11-02T17:15:00.000-08:00

Kelly and I are going to see Aida for our second anniversary. It's broadcast in HD from the MET, to a nearby theater.

You can see it too!

For the Record

2009-10-26T16:08:00.000-07:00

In case it's not clear, I am stating for the record that my blog header is purposefully over-the-top. My intent for this blog is to celebrate all the things that are sweet in my life, and the gooey sweetness of the picture sums it up quite neatly!

Of course, all is not sugar and spice, but keeping my perspective centered on the blessings is the point.

Several months ago, on the verge of a difficult season I didn't know was coming, Kelly gave me a blessing promising that I would look back on this time as a season of joy. The seeming contradiction of the blessing has helped me to recognize the Lord's tender mercies as He has calmed my troubled heart in the midst of difficulties and shown me that I am richly blessed in all the ways that actually matter.

I started writing this post just to tell you that I know my blog header is cheesy. But as I tried to pinpoint why I haven't taken my cheesy header down (even though I've created a couple of good replacements) I realized that it reminds me that, although life is not always sweet, "the sweet life" is always available. It is a gift of the spirit that is available in abundance when I keep life in in the right perspective.

Visions of Sugar Plums

2009-10-19T08:14:00.000-07:00

Yesterday, my parents called to suggest that we have Thanksgiving in Las Vegas this year. It feels like some kind of milestone to be the Thanksgiving host! I'm excited to share our new home with the Provo-Orem Wilsons.

In addition to the visit itself, I'm looking forward to the planning: what to make for dinner and where to go for fun.

I'll have visions of turkeys, pies, jello salad and maybe a few sugar plums dancing in my head for the next month. (Last year, my sister-in-law made an amazing turkey that involved a marinade and bacon. I think I'll need your recipe April!)

As for things to do, here's my top-10 list of things to do in Las Vegas (including a few my family has already done):

1- Red Rock

2- Hoover Dam and the new bridge

3- Mount Charleston

4- The Springs Preserve

5- Neon Boneyard

6- Eldorado Canyon Mine tour and kayaking on Lake Mohave

7- Shark Reef Aquarium (haven't seen this, but I want to!)

8- Imperial Palace Antique Car Museum

9- Bellaggio fountains and gardens

10- And, because I'm a water person, the River Mountains Water Treatment Facility and Las Vegas Wash. (I think they're interesting!)

China Ranch

2009-10-16T08:45:00.000-07:00

Kelly and I visited China Ranch a couple months ago--- for my birthday actually. These pictures have been uploaded, just waiting for me to curate them.

If you drive 60 miles out of Las Vegas-- 30 miles down Hwy 160 towards Pahrump, and another 30 miles off the highway on the Old Spanish Trail-- you might find yourself at China Ranch, CA.

China Ranch is a date farm built on an spring in the California desert. When I say desert, I mean 117 degrees under a blazing sun. I think that may have been the hottest weather I've ever experienced!

The visit was well-worth a 1/2-day trip to explore, enjoy a date shake, and experience local history outside of the city.

It's definitely hokey, but that's part of the charm.

They had quite a collection of cacti and agave for sale.

And an even bigger collection of random things no one needs.

This must be "cowboy corner"!

And the thrift clothing corner--- of course. (?!)

I really did want this little sombreroed doll, but I didn't have a good reason to get it. It will probably still be there next time!

The date shakes were quite good. Enzo enjoyed the last melted bit of Kelly's.

It was too hot to walk through the date groves (is that what you call them?). We took the driving tour. They had a half-dozen types of dates from all over the world. I believe this one was the Madagascar Purple Date. (I am totally making that up.)

Another cool part of the trip was a freak storm we drove through on the way home. The rain and lightening was great to watch roll in. The temperature dropped from 115 to the high 70's in less than 5 minutes!

All in all, a great day-trip.

Watermelon Cooler

2009-07-29T09:20:00.001-07:00

I enjoy trying a 'fancy' drink every now and then. I discovered this recipe from last month's edition of Real Simple. It's perfect for summer, deliciously refreshing and pretty darn easy to make.

~Enjoy!

Another good one- iced herbal tea with plums and thyme. (I used Celestial Seasonings' Country Peach Passion-- my favorite)

Ann Arbor, Michigan

2009-07-26T19:23:00.001-07:00

After family reunion, I kissed Kelly goodbye at a Tim Horton's near the airport and jumped in the Gaskin's mini-van to spend 5 days at my sister's home in Ann Arbor, Michigan.

Ann Arbor is where all the NPR reporters report on the auto industry from. If I were reporting on Detroit, I would like to do it from the comfort of Ann Arbor too! It's a lovely little college town with green-green trees, beautiful architecture, lovely neighborhoods, artsy stores and an Ikea nearby! We availed ourselves of all of these and more.

A good bit of our time (in both quality and quantity) was spent cooking. It's fun to cook with someone else, especially when you both enjoy it--- and enjoy the fruits of your efforts! We made lime-chili chicken tacos with homemade tomatillo salsa. We made egg salad sandwiches with fresh dill and homemade mayonnaise (because we ran out). We made blueberry muffins and easter eggs with the kids. Nathaniel made oatmeal-cherry-apricot cookies and I ate them. Food is a great part of any vacation!

I also developed a crush on Jeni's grocery store. I heart Meijers. She aptly described it as a cross between Target (good design, products and produce) and Walmart (low prices).

In between the eating, we visited some of the local highlights. Almost all of my pictures are from the Henry Ford Museum (which sounds adorable when 3 year-old Eli calls it by its full name all day!)

Greenfield Village

My favorite part of the Henry Ford Museum was Greenfield Village, a 90-acre collection/re-creation of American heritage. What an amazing place. . .

Singing on the street corner. All the employees are attired in clothing from different periods. Whether singing, working in the fields or blowing glass, they really play the part.

We were there on a sparsely attended rainy weekday and ran into these fellows a few times. At one point they were singing to an audience of 1. When they finished a song their fan clapped and one of the singers enthusiastically responded, "thank you, Cameron!" It was funny.

We took this picture in a barn filled with agriculture equipment to send to Grandpa Garner who is an agricultural engineer.

We stopped at this english cottage to step out of the rain and snack on muffins.

Yum, muffins.

The brickwork was designed to provide roost for sparrows. I want little sparrows to live at my house! It reminds me of Sleeping Beauty and Snow White-- to be surrounded by charming woodland creatures.

Jeni and Evelyn watching the birds. The garden was really beautiful!

The oldest windmill in the United States. (Moved and reconstructed on site.)

Next to the windmill was a home farm. These women were sitting down to a colonial-period lunch that they had cooked-- stew, greens, and raspberry pie. It looked good! The meal was made from things grown and raised on property.

They also spun and dyed wool yarn to make clothing etc. for use in the winter.

Pretty onions in the garden out back.

Noah Webster's home. (Author of the Webster's Dictionary) I was very impressed by this home. In addition to the dictionary, Webster wrote some of the first school text books. He felt that the religious value of the Bible was diluted when it was used to teach reading and grammar. In order to preserve it's role as a moral compass, he suggested that primers and grammar books should be written to be used in public schools (another new concept he influenced). What a great man!

And to top it off, I was completely smitten by the homemade rug-carpeting in the last bedroom. Isn't it gorgeous?!

I really want to make this rug!

It was neat to see the same rug design, in miniature, among the doll houses on display in the museum, a few hours later. It must have been a trend for some time--- like puff quilts in the 90's!

Thomas Edison's Florida laboratory. Did you know Henry Ford and Thomas Edison were close friends and often vacationed together with their families? This is the laboratory near their Floridian vacation homes.

The Henry Ford Museum

When we couldn't postpone lunch any longer, we left the Village and went to the museum for the last few hours of the day. Evelyn and Eli got fancy car-boxed lunches.

I love this picture!! Evelyn feels so pretty with her pink car atop her head and Eli is closely inspecting his blue car.

Massive generator from the electricity exhibit. These were striking pieces of machinery. The design could be attractive, especially when they're painted red and yellow.

Before moving on, I'd like to share my testimony of the Henry Ford Museum. Okay, that's over-stating it, but I was so impressed by valuable contribution that Ford has made to the community and the country. That matters. The man and the organization chose to share of their prosperity with everyone else.

The vision extends beyond preservation and a cool place to visit, though. The Greenfield Village operates a school-- somewhat of a historical apprenticeship program. In one of the houses, a kid-- about 16 or 17 --was sharing information about the home. He invited us to ask him about anything in the room and said (essentially), "every item has a story and when you start to see the connections and relationships between history and the world around us today BOTH of them become more alive and history becomes compelling." He was clearly moved. I was so impressed by the program and the fire that had been lit in this (and I'm sure many other) kids. Good people doing good things are so inspiring!

Detroit Museum of Art

On my last day, we drove into Detroit to go to the Detroit Museum of Art.

This is a beautiful piece composed of found wood. It may seem "typical" of the current green-art trends etc., which is why I love that the artist created this decades ago. (Unfortunately, I didn't get picture of the placard to share his name and the date.)

Not the best photo, but this might be my favorite Degas. I love the intense yellow, orange and turquoise. You don't see that from him very often.

This is definitely my favorite Gauguin. I didn't even know he sculpted. It's beautiful. (Again, not a great photo.)
Jeni inspecting Bar-T Corral by Conrad Marca-Relli (1958). The construction of this piece was very interesting with muslin and paint layered on and then removed in sections. Cool.

That's the end of the photo-tour. It was a wonderful trip!

Wilson Family Reunion

2009-07-05T19:09:00.000-07:00

Last week was our Wilson Family reunion in Canada. Getting there proved to be eventful for many in my immediate family. . .

Before Kelly and I even left for the airport, we heard that David (brother), Leslie and their 3 kids were denied boarding for their flight because they didn't have passports for their kids (5 and under). This news also worried my sister who were planning to drive across the border with two kids, but it turned out to be an airline issue, not a legal issue. (Passports are not required by federal law, but apparently airline rules trump federal laws.) The whole thing was very sad. We missed you!

Two other brothers and my sister-in-law also missed their flight and had to reschedule for the next morning. Kelly and I were planning to carpool with them for the 3 hour drive to the lake, but we opted to take two cars, rather than waiting at the airport for 9 hours!

The reunion was in rural Ontario-- where Canadians have their summer "cottages". It was beautiful and cool and swarming with mosquitos! (What's a family reunion without lots of citronella?) We stayed at a "camp" on a private lake with little apartments and a lodge. It was perfect for our group.

Here we are! Uncle Marty counted 60 in total (including my cousin Bently's fiance and cousin Levi's baby due in Aug). (Missing-- David and family, Uncle Mike, Nancy, Blake, Bentley and Bonnie, Uncle Steve, Jeff and Melanie, Jaime, Roger, Levi and Katharina)

Saturday began with the kids Olympics. Each family made a family flag, and everyone got involved!

Working on the Peterson flag.

Flags on display.

Mary Jane (cousin) put together a fun relay to 'build' a spider on a web. The winning team (pictured here) was focused more on speed than anatomical accuracy.

While the rest of the kids built spiders, Eli (nephew) was focused completely on the next relay, which featured buckets of popcorn. "I think I just want to eat this popcorn."

The spirit of the olympics! (I love this picture.) ---My Mom and Dad put together cute olympic torches from poster board, favor cups and tissue paper.

The Olympics finished with a Nicholls family reunion tradition-- the shoe kicking contest, complete with three division-- kids, women and men. (I won my division!)

After the olympics and lunch, we hit the beach. Beach activities included swimming, canoe racing/tipping, catching minnows, watching from the beach--- and apparently hugging! (Jordan and Shawn)

Kelly and I left the beach early and took a drive around the lake and through the nearby town of Bancroft. We found Kawartha Dairy with the best ice cream in the province, right next to the Burger Bus and mini-golf!

That evening, the Wilson family talent show revealed an amazing repertoire of animal noises! (A funny contrast to the very musically inclined Garner family talent shows!) Jack (cousin-in-law) did a great job as MC, with several talents as follows (sorry! I know I will forget some!)

-Gaskins performing a Sherrif Chuck skit (pictured above)

-Amy dancing with her dancing ribbon

-Ryan and Shawn riding unicycle

-Jack and Katie demonstrating pig noises

-Haiden pig noises

-Emily's award-winning story telling

-Haiden telling jokes

-Lori and Tori singing the Grandpa's and Grandma's song

-Bryan demonstrated his turtle's voice and seal and howler monkey sounds

-Katie showed her very high kicks!

-I sang a camp song, Absolutely Cuckoo

-Suzzie and Nathan marching band demonstration (Suzzie calling the commands and Nathan with an imaginary instrument)

-Kelly applauded (he insists THAT is his talent)

A few more pictures of our great weekend. . .

Canoeing was a popular activity. At one point, Nathan and Emily were stranded on the "island" in the middle when they neglected to tie up their canoe. They had a blast making survival plans and trying to catch fish while Uncle Marty wrangled their boat back to them.

Nathan

Maggie and Tori talking on the dock.

Aunt Chris and Jackson

Kelly recovering from our red-eye flight. Or maybe just enjoying reunion!

Evelyn enjoying her candy necklace.

Thank you Grandpa and Grandma!

Without you, there wouldn't be a Wilson family reunion. :-)

Utah Reception

2009-06-29T13:25:00.000-07:00

This is a "catch-up" post. I took a trip up to Utah in early June for Bryan and Aisling's Utah reception. My Mom did a lot of work and planning on her own for this one! So, I was glad that Jeni and I could both come to help with the implementation.

We had lots of family and neighbors helping with the reception set-up, decor and food as well as helping Aunt Betty to pack her moving van. All the Wilson sisters (and sisters-in-law) made dozens of pom poms to hang in the serving tent.

The work in progress.

Final touches.

During the preparations, we had a scare when Grandpa Wilson (who has early Alzheimer's) did not return from his morning walk. Search parties were sent out, but as the hours passed, it became difficult not to abandon the reception preparations altogether. Several prayers were said, and Grandma assured us that she felt at peace and knew he would be alright (though she worried he would be shaken).

Our prayers were heard and answered. My Dad had to take my younger brother to get a physical for school (which had been due the day before). The clinic was in North Orem, several miles from our house. When they walked inside-- there was Grandpa, sitting in the waiting room! He later told us he had distinctly felt that he should return to that building. When he had entered another part of the building, he felt that something was wrong and then made his way to the waiting room where my Dad and brother arrived just a few minutes later-- more than six hours after Grandpa left the house that morning.

We felt very grateful that he was safe, and that the Lord helped us to find him before the reception. I am grateful that the communication of the Holy Ghost is not hindered by a failing memory. Jeni and Aunt Chris also wrote about the events and blessings of that day. (The picture below was taken by my cousin Natalie at Sunday dinner, after the reception.)

The actual reception was wonderful. I didn't get any pictures because I was enjoying the company! It was great to see so many neighbors, friends and family in one place. I enjoyed visiting with cousins, playing with my nieces and nephew, seeing my best friend from home who popped in after she put her kids to bed, and talking with my Aunt Christy as the festivities died down.

Spending time with family is the best part of living "the sweet life".

San Francisco Wedding

2009-06-17T14:09:00.000-07:00

This handsome couple is officially married. The wedding doubled as a great excuse for a family trip to San Francisco. (Hint hint, Craig, I think you should try to marry someone from Europe-- so we can go back.)We spent time with Aisling's family the day before the wedding. We met at the Oakland Temple. (I almost made Bryan late for Aisling's endowment session when we missed an exit, but we made it JUST in time.)

After the session, everyone met at Italian Colors to visit over a good dinner.

We threw the resturant for a loop when everyone ordered the same thing. It took them longer than expected to prepare, so they brought out free pizza and calamari as appetizers. (Emily is trying to prop up the pizza wih her fork.)

After dinner I (finally) got to go pick-up Kelly from the airport. Vacation is not as fun if he doesn't get to enjoy it with me!

THE WEDDING
The wedding was beautiful. Attending a wedding is always a good reminder, but this time the experience was especially poingant. I felt so blessed to be part of an eternal family. Particularlly the family of Kara and Kelly Peterson! The blessings we receive through the eternal covenants we've made FAR exceed our comprehension.

A beaming new bride! She is so beautiful.

This is my favorite picture of the bride and groom. --A wedding from the perspective of a toddler. Caleb is deeply absorbed in his animal crackers.

Sisters. Those of us that were not bridesmaids (our married status disqualifies us as 'maids'), recyled the matching skirts from my wedding. They were a perfect match to the rest of the wedding.

Kelly looks great, sporting his new suit and tie.

We had an especially long photo session, which turned into a fun time to observe my nieces and nephews playing together.

Kylee and Caleb. This isn't a great picture of it, but Leslie made the darling bowties for Caleb and Eli.

Madelyn, Evelyn and Kylee enjoying being together.

Yes, running on the temple grounds.

Kelly and I forgot our camera on Day 3, so this is the end of the photo journalism. Don't feel any obligation to keep reading!

For the record. . .

Saturday

- Jeni and I went thrift shoping in the morning and saw LOTS of laundries.

- We met the family at Golden Gate Park, after trying to park for nearly an hour!

- Suzie, Kelly and I found lunch and crossed the Golden Gate Bridge.

- We met the family at Muir Woods and went for a gorgeous hike. Dad accidently paid for Bryan and Aisling, who were on their honeymoon!

- Dad took us to Il Fornio for dinner. I know it's a luxury, but I REALLY LOVE a fancy dinner.

Sunday

- We went to sacrament meeting in San Ramon and enjoyed being part of a "family" with the Gaskin kids at church.

- Kelly and I crammed in a few last activities. We went to the De Young Museum, drove past the Piers, got lunch at the Ferry Building and hit the airport.

I'm Here

2009-05-17T09:55:00.000-07:00

I'm here! I'm just buried in budgets and grant proposals. In my experience, Obama's stimulus plan has stimulated over-time hours for grant-writers more than anything else!

On a recent trip to the break-room, I discovered that someone here has a lot more time on their hands than I do! Exhibit A: rice crispy sushi

Today, 3 of 4 budgets were approved. On Wednesday, I will finish-up and pass everything off to very capable co-workers. On Thursday, while said co-workers are overseeing the final budget approval and grant submission, I will be in San Francisco for my brother's wedding. I feel bad, but I can't wait!

Photo credit: My cell phone

Wonderfully Long Weekend

2009-02-19T12:52:00.000-08:00

We had a great holiday weekend with my brother Bryan and his then girlfriend, now fiance Aisling (pronounced: Ash-ling)!

Kelly and I celebrated Valentines a day early. We enjoyed indian take-out as our first meal in our new house. On Saturday, Kelly and I babysat for our friends from work/church, while Bryan and Aisling celebrated Valentines on the strip. (No, Bryan did not propose on Valentines at the strip in Las Vegas!)

On Sunday afternoon, we drove out to Red Rock and hiked around for a bit-- in spite of a cold wind. Bryan and Aisling had forgotten their real camera, so I played paparazzi so that they would have a few pictures from the trip that weren't taken by a camera-phone.

On Monday, we went to check out a cactus nursery at Aisling's suggestion. It was quite fun, even in the rain! We brought the dog, who loved exploring the acres of smells and following around the other 5 or 6 dogs, a couple cats and a pig that were running around the place. Cactus Joes will definitely be on our list of "Las Vegas" places to take future visitors.

Yesterday, Bryan called to tell me that he and Aisling are officially engaged! (They probably decided to get married because they saw how much fun Kelly and I are having!) We are thrilled to be welcoming the 4th in-law into the Wilson family.

Light and Lovely

2009-02-05T09:39:00.000-08:00

I couldn't wait for lunch to enjoy my leek soup; it was calling me from the fridge. I've become quite enamoured with this soup of late. It's perfectly light and still so savory.

Try it! It tastes like an indulgent treat, but could hardly be better for you.

LEEK SOUP
Saute garlic in olive oil
Add chopped leeks (greens and white stalk) mix to coat with oil.
Pour in water to generously cover leeks. Boil for 3-5 min. (It will start to smell very good!)
Add pepper, sea salt and/or chicken bullion to taste.

~enjoy!

This picture isn't very pretty, but the soup turns out like this:

(image from Karma Free Cooking)

Christmas 2008

2009-01-09T13:00:00.001-08:00

It's hard to belive the holidays are already over. We thoroughly enjoyed visiting with family and spending some extra time at home together.

Kelly and I celebrated Christmas in Utah with my family. Although this was our second Christmas together, I was very excited to share some of the Wilson family traditions with Kelly for the first time. Christmas breakfast is the tradition that is uniquely Wilson. I've posted about the history here a few years back.

This year we focused on the gifts we can give to our Savior, and the fact that His birth was a gift to the world. I love the scripture that we hung on gold organza above the doorway-- "Thanks be unto God for His unspeakable gift."

Each of the wrapped gifts on the plates held a miscellaneous item from the house. After eating, we shared what "gift" might be represented by our object-- something we could give to the Savior. (This is a variation on a game called "grab" that we used to play during family scriptures some mornings. Good memories!)

Playing in the snow on Christmas afternoon.

A couple of great portraits!

My sister Emily is 10 and growing fast. She's the baby in our family but watching her growing up reminds the rest of us that we must not be kids anymore!

My neice Madeline is 4 and camera shy.

We hope you all enjoyed your holidays as much as we did!

What A Happy New Year!

2009-01-05T12:22:00.001-08:00

What a way to start the new year! The bank just accepted our offer on this house. . .

We love the layout and the fact that it's as good as new- but at a foreclosed price. We feel very blessed that we're ready to buy a home when the market is right.

~Can't wait to move in and make it ours!

Dear Kelly

2008-12-18T16:45:00.000-08:00

An email I sent to Kelly today. . .

Dear Kelly,

Can we get this instead of a refrigerator? I will never regret it.

Love,

Your Wife

Thankful for Christmas

2008-12-12T10:48:00.000-08:00

I could call this a fifth day of Thanksgiving, because I have always been so very thankful for Christmas! I love Christmas and can't wait for the season to start each year. The music, the tree and the rest of the trimmings all contribute to the spirit of rejoicing in "the good news," reverence for our Savior and good will toward men.

Kelly surprised me by putting the Christmas tree up before I got home from work on the Monday after Thanksgiving. It took me 4 days to get it fluffed and decorated (even with the pre-strung lights) because the week was so busy with our house search and long work hours!

I LOVE my Christmas tree. It turned out gorgeous this year! The rest of our Christmas decor is somewhat lacking this time around, but the tree makes up for it all.

We inherited the tree from our friend Mary that Kelly does work for on the weekends. They had out grown it, but you can see that it hits our ceiling! We will enjoy this tree through many holidays to come.

Fourth Day of Thanksgiving

2008-12-03T11:34:00.000-08:00

I'm sure you have noticed that I didn't finish the 'twelve days of thanksgiving' before Thanksgiving. That's okay--- because it doesn't really feel like Christmas here in our 60 degree weather-- so I'm going to go right on giving thanks. It's good for me!

1. Kelly

2. Family

3. POTENTIAL for motherhood (sorry for any confusion)

4. Knowledge

As I prepared for a recent Relief Society lesson, I gained a renewed and deepened appreciation for knowledge. I hung this picture in my stairway to remind me of what I learned and felt. It is a daily reminder that knowledge of the Lord and of our relationship to him brings joy to everything in life. And that consistent bits of time and effort are required to receive that knowledge. These three quotations summarize my thoughts:

"What is required to maintain a sufficient store of spiritual fuel? We must acquire knowledge of God’s eternal plan and our role in it, and then by living righteously, surrendering our will to the will of the Lord, we receive the promised blessings." ~Elder Perry, 'Let Him Do it with Simplicity'

That which is of God is light, and he that recieveth light and continueth in God, receiveth more light ; and that light groweth brighter and brighter until the perfect day. ~D&C 50:24

And this in life eternal, that they might KNOW thee the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whom thou hast sent. ~John 17:3

I am so grateful for the knowledge I have, and for the opportunity to gain more knowledge and someday arrive at the perfect day.

Thanksgiving Report

2008-12-02T12:11:00.000-08:00

Bad news: Kelly and I forgot to bring our camera on our Thanksgiving trip.

Reading without pictures is no fun, so here's the brief rundown:

Orem - Boise - Orem
* Thanksgiving in Boise with the best turkey ever!
* Making sour cream-lemon pie with April
* 25 lbs of potatos-- thank you Uncle Dennis!
* Great shopping with the girls (JoAnns and two thrift stores)

* Enzo and Axel (April's dog) looked like twins and got along famously

* Enzo and Marmalade and Fudge (my family's new kittens) did NOT

* Fantastic haircut from April

* 24 hours of driving split up into 4 days!

* Adventures in dog parenting-- Enzo ate 1/2 a pound of M&M's and didn't sleep all night

* Church in the home-ward with so many people I love

* Quick/nice visit with David, Leslie and kids

* Caleb LOVES our dog and kissed him on the mouth! ~Sorry Leslie!

* Happy Birthday Bryan! (Sorry we missed Bryan's Birthday Boggle Bash)

* Station wagon packed to the brim with food storage on the way home

* Getting home again

Third Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-17T07:36:00.000-08:00

1. Kelly
2. Family
3. Potential for motherhood

My thoughts have been directed towards motherhood often these days --not because it's less than 9mos. away! --but because it's possible. In an email to my friend Kristen I wrote, "It has been a sacred experience to begin to ponder about what motherhood really means (and entails). . . The most meaningful lesson I've learned thus far is that the pairing of sacrifice and grace is the essence of motherhood." In her reply, Kristen added, "We are offered the chance to understand the Savior and develop attributes he has, through the most demanding of relationships-- being a wife and mother to children."

I am grateful for the eternal nature of family, not just that I can live with my family eternally, but that "family" is an eternal principle --a thread of continuity from our former existence, through this life, and into the next. In each stage of our existence we find meaning and growth through our roles within the family. Family and motherhood are divinely instituted and we can be divinely directed and supported as we grow into our roles. I am grateful for the opportunity and the grace.

Second Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-16T16:26:00.000-08:00

1. Kelly

2. Family

Wilsons

Petersons

The rest of the family takes a close second to Kelly. We love them (even if I don't have any good pictures on hand!)

We are getting the best of both worlds for Thanksgiving-- we're driving to Boise to be with Kelly's family, but stoping in Utah on the way up and back. -Just wish we would get to see everyone.

We are so blessed to have TWO great families.

* Mine is young and still growing up.

* Kelly's is older and provides a good example to follow.

* We have 8 fiesty nephews and 4 beautiful nieces.

* We have 4 amazing parents that are an inspiration and support to us in many ways.

* We've got most of the western United States covered-- and one casting the net wide in Michigan!

We LOVE you Petersons, Wilsons, Gaskins, Johnsons and McDonalds!!

First Day of Thanksgiving

2008-11-15T16:28:00.000-08:00

I’m kicking off a holiday series I call the “12 Days of Thanksgiving”. Feel free to participate by making your own lists.

1. Kelly

Of course Kelly is at the top of my list! Here are a few reasons why:

A few more reasons:
* Makes me popcorn and/or smoothies on Sunday nights.
* Keeps flowers blooming at my feet—literally.
* Runs with things—for example:
~I say I want to learn letterpress, he transports a press from Boise!
~I bring home a couple succulents from my sister’s yard, he fills our home with lovely, interesting succulents (we’re up to 8 planters).
~I say I want a dog I can run with, he researches to find the perfect breed for us and learns all about them.
* Loves to attend the temple.
* Notices people and things he can do for them. Then does it.
* Enjoys being with kids more than anyone I know
* Does the laundry (Yesterday he folded a queen-sized bed full of laundry 1 foot deep. We were behind!)
* Maintains my car.
* Worries about me.
* Knows how to make me laugh—and does!
* Calls me to meet for lunch every now and then.

Kelly is the numero uno thing that I am grateful for!

Welcome

2008-11-14T17:10:00.000-08:00

Welcome to The Sweet Life. The transition of my blog is inspired by a few factors:

*It doesn't make sense to have 2 blogs when I'm not very good at updating 1.

*Now that I'm married, I feel a bit less ego-centric about posting pictures of me/us. (But don't expect too many pictures before kids arrive—having his picture taken is not Kelly's favorite thing.)

*I know most of my readers are interested in updates about us, more than the "stuff" I often post about—although I will continue to post about pretty things as inspired.

*I'm tired of switching google accounts every time I post!

*And finally, I am launching The Sweet Life because my life is sweet, and that deserves to be celebrated. The inspiration for the new title comes from a little book, given to me by my sister: The Sweet Life: Reflections on Home and Garden, by Laura Stoddart. During a recent re-reading, I concluded that the book captured the essence of a thought that had taken seed in the back of my mind. I didn’t even realize it was there until I read this book, which flirts with the edge of being so sweet it can’t be real. It does so by drawing heavily on 19th century adages for high society such as—

The landscape from an eating room is of less consequence than any other.

AND

There is no furniture so charming as books, even if you never open them, or read a single word.

—the book and its perfect illustrations remind me of my own pleasant surprise to wake up each morning in my life. It’s almost too good to be true! Of course there is still some daily drudgery and at least 8 hours of work away from home, but all in all, things couldn’t possibly be any better!

So, welcome to the sweet life. I’m so glad you’re a part of mine!