JoJo's Birthday - Wipe out Style!

The highlight of Jonathan's week is watching the TV show "Wipeout." I have to admit, it is kind of funny... but it has always been his DREAM to try this over sized, messy obstacle course! For his birthday, Allison (Jonathan's niece from Ohio) and I created our own little version of wipeout.

The "Big Balls" are the highlight of the show so they had to be the highlight of the cake! Since we don't each sugar anymore, making this cake was a bit of a challenge, but it was pretty fun- and you have to have the guys falling off the big balls!

He was such a good sport- I love this guy!

Of course, as soon as he was done, Jonathan turned on the kids that "helped" with the course. Armed with silly string, water balloons and shaving cream, the kids had almost as much fun as JoJo!

Next year is the big "Three O" .... what will next year bring??

Unfortunately, the video didn't load, so if you want to watch it, you will have to checkout my facebook.

Yellowstone with Allison

We took Jonathan's niece Allison to Yellowstone a few weeks ago and it was BEAUTIFUL! I know it looks fake, but we really are sitting in front of the falls... and it looks like Allison doesn't want to be anywhere near us.

We saw the coolest rainbow directly over our heads!

Nothing like a little drive through Yellowstone.... and almost getting run over by Bison.

I am trying to find new perspectives to photograph. This picture was taken at the new visitors center at Old Faithful. Its a refection on the window. Someday I will get better at this whole photography thing!

I can't wait to take my parents back to Yellowstone in just a few weeks!

Happy Place

We all should have a happy place and I think I have found another one of mine. The other night, I was watering flowers while watching TONS of fireworks go off around me. When I finished, I decided to just sit in the grass and watch the show. As I was watching, I started to notice how peaceful my backyard was. When Jonathan and I bought our house 6 years ago, we knew we wanted to have a backyard retreat, but had NO IDEA how much work it would be. We did EVERYTHING ourselves. Looking across reminded me of the MANY, MANY, MANY weeks spent working on each phase of the yard- from raking up rocks, digging trenches, laying sod, putting up the fence, building the pergola-twice, laying pavers, putting in the gardens, building stairs, planting roses, and MANY, MANY more little things. I should mention that I put in the fire pit ALL BY MYSELF! Most of this was new to both of us and while the fence almost cost us our marriage, looking across our yard brings a smile to my face. We started with dirt....actually it was clay. And now, we really enjoy our backyard. While it's not perfect, we made it. I really hope that someday, when we sell our house, the new owners will enjoy it as much or even more, than we do.

Sunday Afternoon lunch

"I'm STARVING" are almost always the first words out of my cute hubbies mouth when we get home from church. The trick is getting the church clothes put away before they are covered with dog hair and then lunch made BEFORE my cute husband "melts" away from hunger. Our new solution- Rachel Rays' Sweet Corn Quesadillas! YUMMY! I did change it up a little big- I am lazy/cheap so I used canned corn and roasted red peppers from a jar but so good and so fast!

Just so you know, I HAD to make a 3rd one so I could take a picture because they were gone so fast!

You can check out her recipe -http://www.rachaelraymag.com/Recipes/rachael-ray-magazine-recipe-search/fast-recipes/sweet-corn-quesadillas ENJOY!

Herb Markers

I don't like boring plant markers, so I made these. Once my cute hubby showed me the right hammer to use, I was on my way! If I had more spoons, I might make them for the garden...

It's CLEAN!

It is often said that a messy room means a creative genius is at work. My craft room, is usually VERY messy... but I think that is just because I am too lazy to clean it up! Anyways, I finally was bitten by the spring cleaning bug, and here is the result!

There are a few things about this room that I absolutely love! My cute hubby built these fantastic shelves designed to hold all of my "crafty stuff."Another thing I love is this frame. It may look like complete Chaos to you, but it is one of my prized possessions. Last summer, my family had a reunion at the end of July, which also happens to be my birthday. They surprised me with this frame covered in things they had gathered that represent them or remind them of me. I love looking at it and noticing all the little details! Can you see the pink baby booty on the right side? That was mine when I was a baby.

One of the other things about this room that I love is the chandelier. I found it while we were visiting NY last summer. My mom had to ship it to me because it was WAY too big for my suitcase. Thanks mom! You can also see the "purpleness" of this room. As a lover of purple, I had to fulfill my dream of a purple room, with purple stripes and a purple ceiling.

There you have a small tour of my craft room. Now go get crafty!

Spring Is In The Air!

Spring is in the air! (At least that is what I am telling myself!) Here is a quick little tour of what I am doing to make my house FEEL more like spring! Since my yard is not big enough for a REAL greenhouse, this will have to do for now! (But I am afraid it is too pretty to put outside!) I just need to find some herbs to plant in here!

We LOVE the feeling of grass, but thanks to Idaho weather, it might be a while before we get to play in it, so I grew some wheat grass for a centerpiece.

I have had TWO people so far ask me why I put an "R" on my front door. I guess they don't know me that well. It's kind of hard to tell in the picture, but the R is covered in moss.


Don't judge me, but I am a little obsessed with Modge Podge and sheet music. For my latest trick, I turned sheet music into carrots.
Well there you have it, for a better tour, come over and visit. We would LOVE to see you! If it's warm enough, I may even let you pull some weeds!

Finger Puppets

I made these finger puppets for a special friend's first birthday. I think I might need to make another set just for me...

Best Hubby EVER!

I know what you are thinking. TWO blog posts in one day!
I just had to give a shout out to the BEST husband ever! For the last few months, I have been dreaming of getting a Kindle. The library fines were getting OUT OF CONTROL so I stopped going. My solution: buy a Kindle. But I had to spend all my "extra" money to pay the dentist, so I put the Kindle on hold til February when I could save up the money again. Little did I know, that my sweet husband took all of his extra "fun" money to buy me one for Christmas. He made me the sweetest book to trick me into thinking he didn't get me one, but the last present I opened was my new Kindle! He was so sweet! (after calling me a nerd for even wanting one in the first place). Silly me, I put a monopoly game on it, so we were fighting over it most of our vacation, so I made a really PINK cover for it, hoping he wouldn't want to steal it anymore. My plan failed because now he just takes the cover off. Oh well. I still love my Kindle!!

My Journey

:::WARNING:::
What I am about to post might be too personal, but I feel that I need to share some of my recent feelings with those around me. Please understand before you read this that 1.I am NOT pregnant and 2. This post is VERY long, so if you don't want to read it, that's okay.

It has been a REALLY long journey. I don't exactly know how I got here, but I am sure grateful I am here now. I guess I should tell you where I am. This journey began many years ago. I was a new bride and had dreams of having lots of babies right away. As a young girl, I always dreamed of being a mom... and being on stage. (My mom has some great stories.) Despite all the desires of my heart, the Lord knew that I needed to wait a little while before I could be a mom. While living in a heavily populated Mormon community, surrounded by new moms EVERYWHERE, my heart ached that I could not be one of them. I couldn't bring myself to be around them. Every announcement would make me sad. Tears would often soak my pillow when a friend would tell me that they were expecting. Baby showers were missed. Friends were neglected. Sorrow filled my heart. For several years, I spent so much energy almost hating anyone who complained about being a mom. I avoided baby blessings like the plague and dreaded meeting anyone new because I knew the first question I would be asked was, "How many children do you have."
After being married for 7 years and still not being blessed with children, I had lots of practice answering awkward questions. Often, my basset hound, Lady, was my excuse for a child. Other times I would say, "none yet - I must not be praying hard enough." If I was in a really bad mood, then I might respond with, "After seeing all the naughty things your kids do, I don't think I want to have any." (Okay I never really said the last one, but I did think it once.)
Something needed to change. Ironically, having a baby wasn't the solution for me. Granted, in my mind, all I needed to do to be happy was to have a baby. I kept telling myself that I would be happy when I was a mom. Like the flip of a switch, life would be better the day I found out I was pregnant. After years of this philosophy, I decided something needed to change and that something was me.
I was wasting so much time on being bitter. In the deepest part of my heart, I knew that I will be a mom in the Lord's time, but that didn't make it any easier. I was basing my happiness on something that has yet to happen, and let's face it, might not ever happen. Taking a step back, I looked at my life right now. Pre-mom world.
As my husband often reminds me, I live the retired life. I don't have to work and I pretty much do whatever I want most of the time. I stay home taking care of our dog, but Basset Hounds don't really need a lot of attention. Give her a little bit of sun, make sure she has water and that's about it. Scrapbooking can consume my day, or I can go shopping or for a walk whenever I want. I can spend the whole day in the Library or sewing in my craft room. Don't get me wrong. There are still plenty of unpleasant things that I have to do, but in the grand scheme of things, life is good.
Despite all of the wonderful aspects of being a house wife with no kids, my heart still aches. A few months ago, I was talking with a dear friend. I was telling her how miserable I am not being a mom. As a single woman herself, she was saying how miserable she is not being married. While telling her how great she has it as a free woman, it hit me. My friend and I were both completely missing this great phase of life waiting for the next one. While she waited for her prince charming to bring her joy, I was waiting for a baby. We both had so many blessings right now, but were missing them waiting for the next phase. While I have my prince charming, I was waiting for that little price or princess. Someday we are both going to look back over our lives and regret wasting so much energy yearning for something we can't have yet.
Flash forward a few weeks. I had been praying for my heart to be comforted. I knew that I wanted inner peace with not being a mom right now. It did not happen over night, but through the course of a few weeks, I began to slowly feel more joy creep into my heart.
One morning, I was saying a prayer, and unlike most of my prayers, I was praying out loud. In my prayer, I told Heavenly Father that I was happy. I was happy to be Donna-not-a-mom-yet. As tears streamed down my face, I knew that what I was feeling was complete joy. Don't get me wrong, I still want to be a mom, but I can have joy in the here and now.
So this is where I am. On this journey, that I know is far from over, I know that I can be happy despite how hard it is. I still want to be a mom just as bad as before, but something has changed. I can have joy in the journey. While the fertility treatments are still just as hard, (maybe even harder than before,) I feel as though the Savior is carrying the burden of my sorrow. With all of my heart, I know that I am doing everything I can on my end to make it happen, so if it takes longer that most people, that's okay. The things I am learning today will make me a better mom someday.
While writing this all out, I wondered why I felt like I needed to share this. Maybe you know someone going through something hard. Maybe that someone is you. I believe that at some point in all of our lives, we have to go through something so hard that it brings us to tears. For me, many times it's friends that help me through those times. I know that my Heavenly Father is always there, but often I lack the faith to depend on Him to help me through. I guess that is part of the lesson I am learning.
Please forgive me for this long post. Hopefully, someone can smile a little more after reading this. Our journey is far from over.

Meal Planning

If you have a hard time planning meals, try using these. With only two of us eating most nights, I often loose enthusiasm for cooking. When I have a plan made up AND written down, meals almost seem to prepare themselves! Gone are the days of standing in front of the refrigerator while letting all the cold air out and I contemplate how we have no food. (Which is NOT the case at all... just nothing I am in the mood for.) Mind you, the planned meals are subject to change (if maybe my cute hubby decides to take me out for a night on the town) but having a plan just makes it so much easier to make dinner! Also, we tend to eat more healthy when I plan something besides pizza for dinner. So, if you feel so inclined, try writing out your menu and let me know how it goes!

Dream Backyard

No, this is not our backyard. We have made some amazing friends with an amazing backyard. Not only are they the most welcoming family, but they have an incredible talent for gardening! We dream of someday having a yard half this beautiful.




Someday, at our house in Kentucky, this could be our yard. {Okay I am TOTALLY dreaming right now.} I know it will be a lot of work, but worth it. I think one of the reasons we love it so much, is that our friends did all the work themselves. The pond alone took an entire summer (and then some). After we re-create this AMAZING yard, you can come visit any time you like.

Woody's Round Up

I love Halloween. Blood and gore aren't my thing, but I LOVE to be creative. This year, I decided that we would dress up like Woody and Jessie from Toy Story. We LOVE the movies and I thought that Lady would make a great Bullseye....

Trying to find a saddle for a dog was IMPOSSIBLE! I had to make something up totally out of thin air. It looks like a saddle doesn't it? I tried to make her a tail that looked like Bullseye the horse, but she quickly ripped it off and proceeded to eat it. Needless to say, she is now Bullseye the dog.

Our church did a Trunk or Treat this year and it was so much fun! Seeing all the kids dress up makes me excited to someday dress up our kids. I spent too much time working on our costumes and ran out of time to really decorate the car. We did have a poster that kind of looked like the wall paper in Andy's room and then we put little army men all around the trunk. I found the soundtrack for Woody's Roundup that we had playing. Next time I will plan better!

Even the adults got into the spirit of dressing up! I was able to make all three costumes for less than $20! Now I have to start thinking about what we will be next year... Any suggestions?

The Room Where Everything Goes To Die.

You know you have one. Maybe yours is a closet, but you know you have a place where you put stuff until you have time to put it away- and you never have time to put it away so it ends up looking like this:

This would be my craft room after returning from a long vacation. I swear things in this room reproduced while we were gone for 2 and a half weeks! (Not that I would mind more craft stuff, but I don't think the JoAnn fairies visited me.) How does stuff pile up so fast??

This is where you come in. I NEED HELP! How do I organize/de-junk this room? I don't know where to start. It is OVERWHELMING and it needs to be done. My mom is coming for a visit and I want to show her that despite my entire childhood, it IS possible for me to keep a room clean! I am on a VERY tight budget... (as in NO budget since my husband would have a COW if I spent any more money on this room.) Got any ideas? (other than getting rid of it all.)

Atlanta Aquarium

When we were in Georgia, one of the things I REALLY wanted to do was to visit the Atlanta Aquarium. It was AMAZING!!! Taking pictures was a challenge because you can't exactly get fish to pose for the camera, but I think I got a few good pictures.

These jellyfish were all tangled up together.

I wonder who is going to win....

Yes that is a SHARK in the tank. It's a whale shark and it's the size of a small bus!

Big fish. The divers said they are actually more afraid of these fish than all of the sharks in the tank. Apparently, they are very territorial. (Like they are the only girl in the family or something.)

This is the underside of a sting ray.. cool huh? I told him to say cheese, but I am not sure he could hear me through the 2 feet of glass.

You know I had to get fish and chips for lunch! Jonathan called me a murderer because we ate right in front of a fish tank.

I pet the shark! It was really slimy!

I was more nervous about touching the sting ray than the shark, but since little children were doing it, I thought I would take the chance.

If you are ever in Atlanta, I HIGHLY recommend going to the Atlanta Aquarium. It was breath taking! (and soon they will have dolphins too!) Be sure to go EARLY in the day because it gets PACKED!

Kentucky!

Jonathan and I don't LOVE Idaho. We have DREAMED of moving to Kentucky for some time now, and we thought that it might be a good idea to check out the state before we up and move there. Why Kentucky? A few years ago, Jonathan and I got got out a gardening map. We had a LONG winter in Idaho and were SICK AND TIRED of all the snow and NO gardening season. We knew that we didn't want to live in Idaho forever, but as far as where we moved next, the sky is the limit! While looking at the gardening map, we said that we should both pick a state we wanted to live in and then we would say them at the same time. Then we would try and find something in the middle of the two. We both said Kentucky. After laughing for a LONG time, we really started to think about it. After visiting, we KNOW that is where we want to be! Don't worry our Idaho friends... we have a while before Jonathan finishes school, but as soon as he does... we are out of here!

We thought it might be a good idea to check out some houses in KY. In reality, we REALLY like to dream! Jonathan found this one.. the location is perfect... but we just need to talk them down on the price... A LOT. The streets around it were lined with parks and it over looked the Ohio river. ::sigh:: I heart this house. I know it needs TONS of work, but I am a Randall now! (You can click on the house and see the listing... but if you buy this house before me, know that I am going to move in with you.)

Kentucky is horse country! We had to stop by Churchill Downs and check it out. I can't wait to go to a real race someday!

While driving around, we found this "house" in the middle of the road. Kind of random, but I guess you wouldn't have to worry about too many house guests!

While in Kentucky, I FORCED Jonathan to stop at some antique shops. (He would tell you we stopped at ALL of them, but you know better than that!) I LOVE looking at all the old stuff and thinking about the history behind it all. I found one store just off main street and told Jonathan I HAD to stretch my legs... and my evil plan worked! I found this AMAZING set of Noritake dishes for only $19! Service for 8!!! I had to talk my hubby into it, but I LOVE it! I can't wait to have a dinner party with it!


I had WAY too much fun shopping, and only got to bring back a few treasures, but I will always think about our trip when I use my Kentucky treasures!

It was a VERY long trip, but I loved almost every minute of it! Other than spending WAY too much time in the car, I loved visiting with our families, seeing so much of the country and spending quality time with my sweet hubby.