first snow

* There's something about dark trees against pure white that I just can't help but love - nature's own artistry flawlessly expressed.

christmas countdown

Horray! December 1st is here, which means it's time to start the Christmas countdown! I made this little calendar a couple of years ago. Very simple, but I'll give a little instruction anyway.

Materials:

* white printer paper

* card stock - 2 solids and 1 patterned

* adhesive

* 25 clothespins

* ribbon

Type numbers 1-25 on your computer - feel free to be creative with the fonts. Print, cut out, and mount on solid cardstock. Repeat with patterned paper, then again on the other solid. Cut a piece of ribbon large enough to fit all your numbers. Tie a little knot at the top, leaving some slack to hang it. Tie another little knot at the bottom. Clothespin your numbers on and flip them over as the days go by.

If you're feeling extra festive, put little messages behind each number. We do small sayings like, "This is the time of year to share - go look for something behind the chair!" Then, of course, there is something like an ornament for the tree or an edible treat hidden behind the chair. It makes it more fun to wait for the big day on the 25th!

jeff's brainhoney

A little plug for Jeff:


Jeff recently told me about http://www.brainhoney.com/, a website where you can create and post lessons/tutorials to the web. He just finished creating one about how to build a budget. We're both big fans of budgeting, so I even gave a little "testimonial" at the end. :)

Visit the website if you get a chance and type "budget" into the search line. He is entering his lesson in a scholarship contest and gets extra points for all the hits he gets, as well as the viewer ratings. The deadline is Friday night at midnight, so take a look and rate it if you get a chance!

thursday evening

thanks*giving*

Isn't Thanksgiving wonderful? As we drove into little Shelley, Idaho last night, I found so many little things to be thankful fo:

*wide open spaces filled with little besides farm equipment

*the nature path by the river

*the familiar drive down Hansen Avenue

*smoke rising in the cold, November air from a chimney-top

*long, gravel driveways leading to people I love

I've been pondering the past couple of weeks on Thanksgiving. As I did, I decided one of the best ways to give thanks is to simply give and share what you have. Over the next few weeks, I'm planning to do a little giving here on my blog, so check in frequently. I'm planning to share some project ideas, photo tips from my class, and maybe even a giveaway. Hopefully what I share will help make your holidays *bright*!

Happy Thanksgiving!

fall finds

A few finds:

I think I'm somewhat behind the times, but I recently discovered Lotta Jansdotter. Her designs are simply delightful.


Angela clued me in on this one. I'm definitely going to have to make a few of these little notepads. I love paper goods, and I adore cute little envelopes!


Don't you LOVE getting good mail? It's fun to open the mailbox to a fat, new Martha Stewart Living magazine.

shades of autumn

my domestic week

Wow! Last week was quite the crazy one! Much of my week was spent crafting. I cut out tons of tags for Enrichment (I'll dedicate a post to that later - the activity turned out great!), appliqued onesies for a baby shower (see above), and helped Paige alter her dress (check it out here). I found the idea for the alteration from this website. Although some of the versions are kind of hokey, some of them are really great. It was a lot of fun to tackle the project and come up with something beautiful for Paige!

In other homemaking news, I also filleted and fried fish for the first time in my life! I had been waiting to do it until Jeff had some other engagement to take him away from the house (he's not a big fish fan), and the BYU game was a perfect opportunity. And let me tell you, it was deeelicious!

With all the domestic activities that occupied my week, I told Jeff I was "domesticized." His interpretation: I have been "housetrained." :)

I've been tagged!

Okay - so Becca tagged me a couple of weeks ago, but I haven't gotten around to making the actual post until now.

A. The rules of the game are posted at the beginning.

B. Each player lists 6 facts/habits about themselves.

C. At the end of the post, the player then tags 6 people and posts their names, then goes to their blogs and leaves them a comment, letting them know that they have been tagged and asking them to read your blog.

In deciding what to share, I realized this should probably be renamed "6 Indicators That Karla Really is a Nerd." But, here it goes!

1. My high school mascot was a potato, a Russet to be exact. It's true, I was a mighty Lady Russet! Shelley, Idaho also holds the Miss Russet Pageant, celebrates Spud Day, and gets out of school for 2 weeks in the fall to harvest potatoes. No joke.

2. I have been known to watch CSPAN...in my spare time...for fun. What can I say? I enjoy the political scene! I have also had close encounters with a few big and semi-big shots: John Roberts, Dick Cheney, Harry Reid, Jon Huntsman Jr., Mike Crapo, and Dirk Kempthorne.

3. The enjoyment of playing dress up hasn't exactly faded for me. I have a particular fondness for wigs and crazy hair do's (as demonstrated at the top of this post and below).

4. Although I enjoy watching movies, I am not a movie buff (does that make me a movie wimp?). People are constantly amazed at the movies I have not seen. For example, I hadn't seen "The Sandlot" all the way through until last week.

5. Bugs, birds, lizards, trees, and such fascinate me. I can distinguish a loon from a coot, a pinnate leaf from a palmate one, and a lepidopteran from a coleopteran. I have my father to thank for most of that.

6. I have never had stitches, but I have had staples twice (both times on my head) and a broken hand (sustained while trying to do a back handspring during lunch recess in middle school).

Now it's my turn! I tag Angela, Holly, Kristen, Paige, Rachel, Sara, Tiffany, and Valerie! And yes, I do know how to count, that is more than 6 - the more the merrier, eh?

Happy Election Day!

Don't forget to vote today!

And the winner is...

As many of you know, Jeff has been busy preparing resumes, interviewing, and weighing the pros and cons about where he will work after graduating with his Master's of Accountancy in April (yes, a bit early, but that's the way it goes in his program). After much deliberation and discussion, we are happy to announce he has accepted a job in Boise, Idaho! Hooray! We are so very excited! My heart really has been leaping for joy!

Boise is such a great fit for us. We love how it is big, but small at the same time. We are stoked to be living in the capital city - maybe I can get involved in politics again! It is such a beautiful city - what city with the nickname "The City of Trees" wouldn't be? And of course, we are excited to be living in Idaho again.

Jeff's start date is August 1st, so we still have quite a while to anticipate, prepare, read up, and become even more excited for this big change. What a great stage of life to be in!

Picture courtesy of Wikipedia

yesterday

Thinking about yesterday...

* about stepping out into the Halloween morning. The crisp fall air, cloudily subdued skies, the bright orange of the trees, being dressed head to toe in my black costume. I loved it! It was like I was entering the pages of a spooky novel.

* cherishing the excitement of the little trick-or-treaters. I can still see that little cowgirl, blue eyes wide with excitement, exclaiming the words "We get yummy candy!" I was also brightened by another cutie who joyously said, "Oh I LOVE Hershey's!"

* Lesson: Take a few moments to look around, enjoy the simple things, and write them down to take it all in and remember. :)

BOO!

truly scrumptious!

Pumpkin Cake

easy and oh, so delicious!

Ingredients:

1 spice cake mix

1/3 cup oil

3 eggs

1 can of pumpkin (15 oz.)

Directions:

Mix ingredients together.

Bake at temperature and times shown on cake mix box.

*I like using a fluted/bundt pan - cupcakes might be fun, too!*

Take 'er out and cool.

Frost generously with cream cheese frosting.

And, most importantly, ENJOY!

photography class

I have been wanting to take a photography class for the longest time and I finally did*! The class was on how to use a point & shoot digital camera to take better shots. The teacher, Bryan Niven, is an amazing photographer (check out his work here)! I decided to take the class after seeing the shots he took with his digi as posted on his blog. Can we say amazing?

One of the best parts of the class was the section on how to take focused close-ups. Pretty cool, eh? This type of shot also works well for products, demonstrated below with some earrings I made. Angela took some great shots with her camera, too.

I haven't been in "student mode" for quite some time, but it was fun to get (somewhat) back into the groove, even if it was only for a 4-week class. There's something about sitting in lecture, furiously taking notes, and reviewing concepts that is invigorating and exciting. I'm not sure I'm ready to go back to the early morning study sessions, hours in class, and late night study groups of my undergrad, but I think I can handle one class next semester.

*Shout out to Jeff - thanks for suggesting I take the class!