Snow!

Following up on my own challenge, my favorite Christmas decoration this year has to be my snow flakes. Last year as my roommates and I prepared for Christmas in our little dorm apartment, I discovered that I have a talent for snowflake making. I LOVE making paper snow flakes. So they now adorn our balcony door, overlooking the real winter wonderland.

New Christmas Challenge!

Hey Everyone! It seems that I'm the only one posting anything these days, but I'll keep doing it till someone else does.
Okay. Here's the new challenge. ChallengeS.
Part 1.
Take pictures of your favorite Christmas decoration you have put up! We know that all of you are creative and artsy, so don't pretend you haven't decorated! And if you haven't gotten to Christmas decorating yet, now you have a great excuse. It doesn't have to be expensive. I'm probably the poorest, so I would know. :)
Part 2.
Post a story about something you or someone else has done in the Christmas spirit of giving, loving, or sharing. It doesn't have to be major. Just keep your eyes open for chances to do good, and to what good others do. Do it as a separate post, and pictures aren't necessary unless they add to the story. As usual, it doesn't even have to be a long post. But please post! We need to keep this blog alive!
I love you all, and Merry Christmas Season!

News From Provo!

Hey Sistahs!!!
I am today officially a Physics Teaching major. Do you know what that means? We are ALL going to be/are teachers. It's true. Even mom, or perhaps, especially mom since she is Young Woman's President, and our mother. Isn't it fabulous? We all have the same blood, it's true.
I am way excited about my major! And I talked to a counselor today who told me that, luck would have it (or perhaps something more real ;) ) BYU has one of the best Physics Teaching programs in the county. He informed me that of all the physics teachers in the US, 5% are from BYU. That is HUGE. And, I even get to take a class about how to do fun/safe demos and field-trips (in addition to some very high level math and physics classes)! BYU even offers two 400 level classes about reconciling science and religion. I love it here.
Anyway, I thought you would all like to know. I'm SO excited!!

Blog Layout

I think that we all should have the privilege of being able to change the blog layout, design, etc. I think it is in need of something new. Is that possible? It would be fun if we could take turns with this.

Painting!!

Hey Everyone! No one has posted in a while, and so I thought I would. And besides, I need opinions on my next painting.
I'm in a painting class right now at BYU (oils on panels). We have a take home assignment to mimic the style of a contemporary artist from a list provided by the teacher. Some on the list included Glenn Brown,Who seems to like to take pretty standard subjects and twist them - taking classical portraits and turning them blue, or green.
And Kristin Baker,
Who uses fun bright colors layered on top of each other, and often paints abstract car racing scenes with lots of geometric shapes and layers (in acrylic, which presents a problem when trying to mimic her style in oils).
I decided to work after the style of Jules de Balincourt, mostly because he was the only artist on the list that kind of fit my style, and wasn't creepy, depressing, or impossible. My personal favorites of his:The first is called "Open for the Season" (that's what it says across the top), and I can't find a title for the second one. I really like the bright colors and lines. Of course, even some of his are too strange for my tastes, but here is a sketch of what I am thinking my painting will look like:
The wedge across the sky will be entirely filled in with bright colored stripes, and the title down the left of the painting will say "Hope Rises with the Sun". The sky will be pretty black besides the stripes, the landscape will be blandish, and the rectangles (implying a city) will be colorful, but not bright. I'm SUPER excited. If you have any suggestions, let me know, and I'll keep you updated on my paintings in general. :)

Short Post

I miss you all so much!

"The Tree"

As all of you know I have been consumed with making a "tree of life." Everyday, line upon line, the tree has begun to take shape. One of the first things I had to realize is that I didn't have to make a whole tree. One can feel like they are under or by a tree without seeing the whole thing. This picture kind of shows what I mean.

In Nephi's dream the tree was white, so I knew the tree needed to be white. To experiment I spray painted and sparkled leafs that will be attached to the branches.

I realized that a all white tree presents problems - there is no contrast so that the fruit stands out. To help with this, I am thinking of making the trunk and branches gold. This is my thoughts at the present time, they could change at any moment.

The shape of the trunk with branches that can be disconnected has been really hard to figure out. The tree has to fit inside a door, it also needs a way to be stored. Friday I played with a paper towel roll to get the effect I was looking for.

Saturday morning I woke up really discouraged. I was beginning to think I had gone down the wrong path as far as the tree was concerned, that maybe I needed to go back to my first ideas that were more one dimensional. I could hear dad working and pounding in the garage and went to go see what he was up to. To my surprise he was making me the structure of my tree! This may not look like much, but it has been well thought out. Your dad makes my dreams come true! I will keep you posted as the tree progresses along.

It is now Oct. 22 - The tree is progressing very slowly, but some major break throughs have come to pass. Every day is an adventure! The fruit was the funnest and the easiest to figure out. I just had to experiment with a lot of glitter to find the best one.

Trying to figure out how to add removeable branches has been difficult, but Dad and I finally figured how to make them out of PVC pipe. I also am experimenting with how many leaves I'll need and if I need more tree limbs. Please excuse the messy gargage!

Today I realized the tree isn't half as important as the picture that goes in front. Take a look!

So much work is left to be done on the tree, but atleast it is taking shape!

Project Share: BWA ha hah HAAHHHH!

Clock from Walmart: $3.96
Smashing the Clock with a Hammer: Priceless. 

Yes, you read right - I SMASHED IT! WITH A HAMMER!

I did this:

so I could get to this:

...the gem inside.

What am I going to do with it now? Oh, there are so many options!

I could make a chalkboard clock,

 

 

a plate clock,

a retro clock,

even a book clock!

Updates to come! Get READY!!!

Project Share: Front Door Sign

Finally! It's finished! WOOT! This took me wayyy too long, ladies. It took me a couple of months to figure out how to do it, then about 20 minutes to do it.

After I spray painted the sign cream, I disliked it next to the orange color on our door. I then changed it to black. The hardest part was figuring out how to space the words neatly and then transfer them to the metal sign. Finally, I used one of those fine-tipped white paint-pens, which I can't recommend highly enough, for the words. Enjoy!

Things I Am Procrastinating

I have always been better at making lists and plans than at completing items on my lists and plans. I am a list-making creature, but that does not make me an organized creature (as you all know).

But sometimes I have to make a list to even know where to start. So here, for your enjoyment, is my list of items I am procrastinating lately - nay, even at this very moment. 

• There is a pile of laundry waiting to be folded, hung, and put away on my bedroom floor. Make that a massive pile. I also have a dryer full of laundry. 
• The floor in my kitchen and next to the front door are in desperate need of a sweeping and mopping. I am not a fan of the idea, mainly because I don't want to find all the MOUSE POOPIES that have made my life so horrible lately. 
• Adding on to that last idea, I need to move our fridge and oven and sweep out all the MOUSE POOPIES. 
• I need to go through our cupboards and check for MOUSE POOPIES. (Sense a pattern here, ladies?)
• I need to organize our pantry - in which I have lately just dumped our groceries, still in their bags, fearing the MOUSE POOPIES. Once that is done, I need to sweep and mop, just like in the kitchen. 
• I need to scrape - not wipe, scrape - off our kitchen counters. 
  
• I need to scrub the baseboards in our kitchen and bathroom, which are currently unrecognizably filthy. 
• I need to call maintenance and beg them to replace the weather stripping under our door. I think the mice have been getting in that way. 
• I still need to do my hair and makeup for the day. 
• I need to pay our car tax bill. (Silly North Carolina.)
• I have got to edit and turn in my appeal letter to Blue Cross Blue Shield so I can have cheaper health insurance. 
  
• I need to finish making my bed. 
• I need to move all of our bookshelves into our room because books are Joseph's favorite toys and he is beating them up. 
• I need to finish painting a sign for our front door. This is actually a need, because we live right by the exit of our building and people regularly walk in if I leave the door unlocked, thinking they are going to the stairs. 
• I need to borrow a humidifier to try and help me get rid of the hacking cough I have had for a MONTH now. 
• I have two dirty diapers that I need to sort into the appropriate laundry bag. 
• I have about a billion little things that I either need to return to their original owners or file away. 
• I have a box of papers that must be shredded before I can toss them. 
• I have not a clue of what I am going to make for dinner tonight, but it better be healthy because I procrastinated eating until I was so hungry that I had no idea what to eat except for something FAST which ended up being a very cheesy quesadilla.
• Every inch of my table and counters are covered with things I have placed there "temporarily" (usually to hide them from Joseph, who eats everything) but have now lived there for several days. 
• And! Dishes!
• I need to throw away the banana peel from the banana I ate TWO HOURS AGO. 

But!
My son is awake!
And!
He is ADORABLE!
And!
I vacuumed today, right?
Doesn't that count?
For something?
Anything?
Shouldn't I go crawl around with him and tell him stories and tickle his oh-so-very ticklish chin?

Besides!

I shall not pass this way again!
Joseph will be EIGHT MONTHS OLD in TWO DAYS.
(I can't stand it.)

Procrastination..........yeah.

Okay Ladies. Honestly now.

My challenge was hard even for me to accomplish. It sounds like some of us did the challenge, but didn't take before and after pictures. That was me, it is hard to remember beforehand.

So lets get this one out of the way with a compromise: tell us about what you did instead. If you have an after picture, you can describe how it looked before. We just need to finish this challenge!

I find it extremely ironic that all of us have procrastinated doing our procrastination projects.......don't you?

Pizza Goodness

Hey Everyone!
I know no one has blogged in forever, but I will get on that new challenge, I promise. I'm already, I just haven't felt like writing yet. Sorry. BUT, I had to share something amazing I made this weekend.
This last Sunday was Break the Fast in our ward. The theme was "Great Green Gobs of Food" or something like that. We were supposed to incorporate green into a dish we brought. Strangely, our ward has no budget for Break the Fast, so the food is entirely provided by the members of the ward. Our apartment was assigned to bring a main dish because we are friends with someone in charge of the whole thing. So we stewed, and stewed, and couldn't think of anything to make. Finally, the night before we were struck with a moment of genius: homemade pizza. So we went to the store without a list, planning on having delicious items jump out of the aisles into our cart. Claire is a vegetable pizza kinda person, and I am a cheese and meat kind of person. We couldn't agree. And there was the whole issue of green. We could dye the dough, but we would have to knead it, and turn ourselves green in the process. And besides, food coloring is expensive.
So as we lingered in the Produce section, waiting for inspiration to hit, I glanced over, and what did I see? Spinach. That's right, spinach. And I was inspired. Spinach can be very good on pizza. Claire agreed. Then the inspiration all came in a rush. The result: fabulousness.
We went to allrecipes, and found two recipes for dough that sounded good. So we made both, one half wheat (notice the note near the bottom instructing how to make the conversion), and the other entirely white. Both were amazing. (Of course, it could be argued that mom's is better, but the toppings really made these crusts taste good.) One of the recipes mentioned sprinkling corn meal on the pan before baking, which sounded great - you know, to achieve the yummy dustiness on the bottom of real restaurant pizza? It didn't turn out so well (kinda crunchy), but maybe if it were ground better, or maybe if we used Parmesan instead. Just a thought.
Anyway, so the toppings we decided on for the amazingness were Alfredo sauce, Mozzarella, spinach (finally chopped), tomatoes (diced finely), and chicken (cooked in oil, garlic powder, and Italian seasoning). Pop in in the oven, and viola! Heaven on a crust. It was SO GOOD. We decided that we only needed to take two pizzas to Break the Fast after all, and kept one for ourselves at home. We were a tiny bit late, but our pizzas were gone within 30 seconds flat, no joke. I was proud. :)
So, we will be making that kind of pizza again, whatever it was. I think we'll call it 'Pizza Goodness' or something else fitting.

Procrastination Project

Hello All!
I have been trying to think of a challenge since last week, but was drawing a blank. Mom finally gave me an idea for my challenge, which is:

In flylady style, try to think of an area or thing that is disorganized that you have been meaning to take care of, but have procrastinated. Before you clean it, take a picture - don't be embarrassed! After it is clean (no matter if it takes a few days) take another picture. If there is a story behind the mess, include that as well.

Good luck!

What to Make for Dinner!

I spy with my little eye...

With the help of my handy dandy toilet paper roll turned telescope...

I spy with my little eye...

An Orange construction Cone!

A pear tree... IN Cache Valley? What the Heck? (sorry you can't see it very good)

A USU sign in sidewalk chalk

A tree with a face...

A yellow car! (this ones for you Jenna!)
LOOK IT'S A DISTRACTION:
Look at that cute baby!

I spy with my little eye....

Some pretty flowers with weird bean looking seed pods

Some Beautiful roses

A Really cute baby....
As you can see me and my trusty telescope have had quite the journey so good-bye for now....

Love,

Rachel

UPDATE: Homemade Biodegradable Laundry Detergent

Works!

(Singing) What Can You Do With a T.P. Roll?

(to the tune of the Klondike bar jingle)

Hello ladies! I am so, so late and definitely deserve to be shunned! (SHUN ladies, SHUN. OK, we're done.)

Here is my little friend, Rollie. He is helping me think of what craft I can do with him.

He's pretty smart and has some interesting ideas, but I think I have a better one. What do you think, Mr. Rollie?

Mwa-hah-hah-hahhh.

You'll like it soon enough, Rollie - snug as a bug in a rug. (Or, in a wallpaper sample.)

Some spray glue, some Krylon Gloss, and we're done.

Rollie has the privilege of organizing my knitting needle collection! Neal's mother lent a whole bunch of them to me. I can hardly wait to try them all out.

Here they all are, gathered together and protected from dings.

YAY for recycling!

News Flash! Provo

Hey everyone! It's me, April, and I have taken up a new place of residence in Provo. I go to BYU, and school starts Monday, so I moved out yesterday, and today is my first morning here in my new apartment!
Last year when I lived in the dorms I got along with my roommates so well that we decided we should all live together again. I'm glad. Already it looks like it will be a good year. I love these girls! :) My best friend from high school, Mindy, independently decided to move into the same apartment complex as me. So she lives very close by, with Jessica, another best friend from high school.
The best thing about my new apartment is the windows. Last year we lived in a basement apartment with only slit windows near the ceiling. It's amazing how much difference natural lighting can make. I am now sitting on my bed with my window open, and sunlight streaming in. It's beautiful. We had to make sacrifices to have windows (i.e. smaller rooms, less closet space, smaller fridge) but it was definitely worth it. Especially because we also have a living room and a balcony (we are on the third floor).
As I said, school starts Monday -- tomorrow. It doesn't feel real yet. I'm taking Chemistry, Calculus, and Physics (same as last year, just the next level up), as well as social dance, and church history: the life of Joseph Smith. I think I might take an art class, too. :)
So there you have it! The update of April's change in location.

I won't lie.

I won't lie, folks: I'm pret-ty pleased with this little sign I just made.Neal and I have always had to work to make our laundry styles match. (Isn't that silly? Of course, mine is the right way... right?) Finally, a year or so ago, I made a sign so that Neal wouldn't be shy about doing laundry. Now that we've added a load of cloth diapers to the mix, and changed some of our other laundry policies, we needed a new sign.

So I took 10 minutes and made it pretty. I love it!

TP Roll Flower

Hey guys! I guess my craft using a toilet paper roll could be more useful, but it's cute! So if you have any ideas to make it useful, that would be fabulous. comment. :)

So what I did was cut the toilet paper roll into 1/2 inch wide pieces -- they are thin circles. Then I pinched it into petal shapes, and glued the corners together. I added a stem and leaf to make it a flower. Then I painted it, and even added sparkles. Pretty simple. This same idea could be used to make snowflakes, or even a little tree. It's super cute! and completely useless. Mom wants to make it into a magnet, which would be great, but we don't have any magnets strong enough we are willing to glue to the back. I guess it is just a cute decorating idea. If you are throwing a party with a theme, like a winter theme, you could hang snowflakes from the ceiling. Even if it was an arbor day party (I know it's a stretch) you could hang leaves! So there you go. A cute useless thingy-ma-bob. :)

Toilet Paper Roll Organizer

The minute that I heard about the challenge, I knew just what to do. Toilet paper rolls are such a good shape for organizing things, so that is what I did. Usually, I lose my hair ties because they are just laying around. I find them in the couch, under the bed, and they often are left by the bathroom sink. They get lost and I have to buy new ones. To solve this problem, I decided to make a hair tie holder. Of course, it needs to be cute too, so I covered it in cute wrapping paper. ;)