. . . saturday snicker . . .

. . . here's a blog

that cracks me up . . .

{no iphone should be without a quirky cover}

. . . for instance ~ this photo's

post title is:

"this is unfair.

there is a lot

of pallet furniture

and chalkboard paint

on there, too" . . .

{disclaimer: beware! some posts are raunchier than others}

. . . but seriously

~~~ some stuff on pinterest? ~~~

wow. just wow! . . .

. . . a quick request . . .

. . . leaving comments on blogs

is a great way

to show a little love . . .

. . . as a blogger,

it's nice to be able to respond

to the comments i receive . . .

. . . lots of times, though,

when i try to reply,

the email is addressed to:

noreply-comment@blogger.com

. . . that is no bueno . . .

. . . the solution to this problem

is sooooooo easy . . .

. . . and it only takes, like, two seconds . . .

. . . go here . . .

. . . follow the easy peasy directions . . .

. . . and then it'll be lots easier

for us to k.i.t. . . .

{feeling a sudden urge to dig out my high school yearbooks}

. . . pinterest inspiration success . . .

. . . first of all ~

let me just say

regarding me

and recipes

and pinterest

and cooking . . .

. . . it's most likely ME . . .

. . . not the recipe . . .

. . . and i apologize

to the owners of the pins

of which i produced

less than stellar results . . .

~ ~ ~ moving on ~ ~ ~

. . . i love the transformation of

these goodwill vases . . .

. . . i learned a couple of things

along the way:

1} soaking in distilled white vinegar

helps remove water stains

and mineral marks inside

2} DO NOT touch the paint ~

not with a paint brush,

not with your finger,

not at all

3} tons of paint collects

inside at the bottom

and it's going to take

a long time to dry ~

don't try to dump it out

or hurry the process along

4} i love how they still have

the glassy/glossy look

on the outside

5} while the insides definitely

have a craft paint/matte finish

6} no water will ever go

in these pieces

7} i'll be gluing the vases

to the bases

{actually candlesticks, a little pillar plate, and an ash tray}

with glass bond

after everything

is really really really dry

. . . they look pretty fun

with my mary walker

and calendar page . . .

{maybe i oughta swap the valentines print for st. patricks}

{let's be honest . . . i'll most likely skip straight to easter}

. . . just a peek . . .

. . . the paint's still drying . . .

. . . but i think they're turning out

pretty awesome . . .

. . . guess i won't cancel

my pinterest subscription

after all . . .

{edit: i used regular acrylic craft paint

on the inside of glass pieces

which won't be used anywhere near water ~

they're for decoration only}

. . . third time's a charm . . .

. . . i hope . . .

. . . pinterest is fun . . .

. . . but i've been burned . . .

. . . these potatoes? . . .

. . . not good . . .

. . . this lemon loaf? . . .

. . . very dense

and waaaaaaay too egg-y . . .

{note to self: when life [or dan mcaferty] gives you lemons ~

stick with tried and true lemon bar recipe}

. . . but ~ if at first

{and second}

you don't succeed . . .

. . . try, try again . . .

. . . as long as

it doesn't involve cooking . . .

. . . so ~ when i saw

these pretty painted vases . . .

. . . i decided to bite the bullet . . .

. . . first stop . . .

. . . plug your nose

and walk into goodwill . . .

. . . i swear ~ all their stores

smell the same . . .

. . . i paid fifteen bucks

for this stuff

i may very well have donated

a couple of months ago . . .

. . . i keep telling myself:

~it'sforagoodcause~

~it'sforagoodcause~

~it'sforagoodcause~

~it'sforagoodcause~

. . . use copious amounts

of goo remover . . .

. . . those price tags

are industrial strength . . .

. . . ponder unidentified objects

lurking at the bottom . . .

. . . most important step? . . .

. . . soap, water,

and suzzling . . .

. . . lots of suzzling . . .

. . . instant upgrade . . .

. . . to be continued . . .

. . . mondays . . .

. . . nothing quite as sweet

as holding a sleeping baby . . .

{even one with a tiny freshly-buzzed head}

. . . it's my favorite thing

about mondays . . .

. . . all that remains . . .

. . . of an eventful weekend . . .

. . . these gorgeous roses

from yesterday's funeral . . .

. . . brightening up the chapel

this morning . . .

. . . the card i forgot to take

to friday's reception . . .

{it's not the first time!}

. . . lights from last night's reception ~

one of the prettiest i've ever seen . . .

{so thrilled for amy and chaz!}

. . . jessalyn's sunnies

left on my stairs . . .

{edit: long-distance crisis averted. they belong to amelia}

. . . and a little laundry . . .

. . . after a weekend

with drew and jess . . .

{i still hate it every time they leave}

. . . so thankful for these occasions

that bring us together

as a family . . .

. . . a fond farewell . . .

. . . in sharp contrast to

yesterday's celebration

of a new life together . . .

. . . today's celebration

was honoring

the end of the earthly life

of jerry allred . . .

. . . a wonderful man

whether you knew him

on his own . . .

. . . as one-half

of a darling husband/wife team . . .

. . . or as one-third

of the allred brothers . . .

{iconic figures in southeast mesa ~

you could find them ~ stetson clad ~

most any morning sitting in the bashas' deli

[back in the good ol' days]

enjoying a "breakfast" of soda and cookies

or driving down southern three across

in a single cab chevy pickup}

. . . i bet there's

a great reunion going on! . . .

. . . long-time friend

of my parents . . .

. . . ward member . . .

. . . quarter horse expert . . .

. . . husband/father/grandfather . . .

. . . he was one of the nicest men

i've ever met . . .

. . . he'll be missed . . .

. . . the happy couple . . .

. . . congratulations . . .

{instagram photo credit :: sister of the groom ~ suzanne}

. . . mr. and mrs. sherwood . . .

{mr. sherwood is half of this duo}

. . . bee all that you can bee . . .

. . . new month =

new calendar page . . .

. . . the only thing

that can improve a quote

from the founder

of a cosmetics empire . . .

{picture successful sales reps driving pink cars}

. . . is having it illustrated

by my very favorite artist . . .

{picture chairs of bowlies}

{mary engelbreit wit and whimsy 2012 calendar}

. . . i shall do my best

to emulate

the aerodynamically-challenged

bumblebee . . .

. . . and bee positive . . .

{happy march!

we're anxiously awaiting

the safe arrival

of our provo resident children.

yay for friends' weddings!}