WISE WORDS

A small group of my 3rd graders talked as they worked on a Christmas craft. Somehow, they got on the topic of boys doing gymnastics. A sassy blonde with a mischievous grin stated with great authority that boys only do gymnastics so that girls will like them more. My interest suddenly piqued, I paused to eavesdrop.

The little guy next to her nodded seriously. "My big brother is always working out at the gym...except he's never been on a date. And he's eighteen."

Miss Blondie, suddenly aware that I was listening, turned to address me. "Mrs. Ashmore, the only reason Mr. Ashmore goes to work everyday is because he wants you to be more attracted to him." 

I responded with appropriate nods and words of validation. For this was valuable information indeed. :)

Though I couldn't help but wonder, as I continued on my way. Has Andrew been aware of this truth all along and using it to his advantage? 

And here I though it was my secret! 

Big trucks...ripped Levi's...heavy lifting...power tools...

Attractive indeed.

VALENTINE HOME DECOR TOUR {2013}

Here's to posting my holiday ideas BEFORE the actual holiday! I'm so proud of me.

I have never been a fan of the tacky, commercial-looking Valentine decorations overpowered with kissy lips, naked angels, red foil, and pink, pink, pink! (Bah, humbug, right?) Well, I took an unconventional wintry woods approach instead. Most of the Valentine touches are subtle. 

I reused the felt garland I made for Christmas (FYI: Easy as pie to make. I ordered the 2CM wool felt balls from an etsy shop and then strung them with needle and string. You can make your own felt balls by following tutorials like this one.) 

Then I made a doily garland by sandwiching the two halves of a folded doily on either side of string. It is held together with a little white glue. This frilled things up enough to look Valentine-y without overdoing it. 

Andrew helped me cut a dead Aspen tree into several skinny stumps while we were out chopping a Christmas tree. I knew I wanted to use them for some kind of display. I got the idea to make them work for February by adding the carved letters. Another subtle touch.

I kept the homemade wreath I used in December, because it continued the woodsy feel. 

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I love this print. Not only is it pretty and matches my felt garland, but it sums up my feelings for Andrew. Sometimes I feel so boring and serious. Andrew is the funny, lighthearted, playful one...the source of  the color in my life. 

Unfortunately, I couldn't get the entire page to fit in the frame I had on hand. So I folded the bottom line out...hoping it still made sense. Good enough. 

Andrew thinks the shelves look like Easter...which works for me. That just means I can leave this up for several months...maybe with just a different framed print. Less work!

As for the mantel in the great room, I was never fully satisfied with how this turned out, but I wanted to show off my homemade garland. 

The framed print can be snagged for free at sissyprint.blogspot.com. I made a tiny 8x10 look a little more imposing in a large framed mat. 

I received this Hyacinth for Christmas from grandma.  It bloomed just in time to decorate for love month. Doesn't it look unreal? Hopefully, it sticks around a little longer. 

I made the bunting over a few evenings sitting in front of Netflix. My inspiration came from here. I cut pages out of a vintage, thrift store book with a razor blade--sinful, I know. Then I used a template printed from the Internet to cut out hearts from fabric scraps. 

I tried double stick tape with no success. Glue left ugly splotches behind the fabric. So I sewed the things on with a needle and thread and handful of mismatched buttons. 

They looked a bit plain...so I added a washi tape touch across the top. 

Then I strung all the flags together with needle and string. Seriously, easy. 

Have a happy Valentine's Day, folks. 

Feeling the Love,

Rachel

THE PUP

Meet Moose. The newest member of our family.

When Andrew asked what we should name him, I asked how his family had come upon the name Buster for their dog. Apparently, they were all fans of Peanut Buster Parfaits from Dairy Queen. We then thought carefully about what he and I are both fans of...something that might inspire a name for our new pet. 

"Moose Tracks ice cream!" I exclaimed. 

We both knew instantly that it was perfect.

Imagine our shock and surprise when we were informed that the previous owners had already named him Moose...after his large, chocolate lab of a father. What are the chances??

I think it was meant to be.

I am, however, still often wondering what I got myself into. What did I agree to? Don't get me wrong. I love his cuteness right now...please note the soft, green eyes and gargantuan paws. But this is going to be one big dog!

And I don't particularly enjoy 3AM puppy potty breaks, cleaning up after accidents, or disciplining him for crying in his kennel...especially when Andrew has to leave town so often for work and his church calling.

I do take comfort in several things:

1.) For a puppy, he is relatively chill. He learns fast, will be easy to train, and isn't the terror that was Marley the yellow lab.

2.) Andrew is happy. So, so, so happy. You should see the way these two look at each other. This alone makes it worth it.

MUCHOS FOTOS DE VACACIONES

The holidays were crazy and busy and wonderful. This is a summary of our vacation in a nutshell.

1.) Whirlwind of Elementary holiday festivities. 

I was assigned to make the fire for the school program's set fireplace.

2.) Driving.

Left wintry Idaho, and drove 16 hours to Arizona. The land of T-shirts and flip-flops.

3.) Visiting little sisters. 

Andrew/ Aurora and neighbor/ happy, little Belle

Duck, duck, goose.

Freestone Park.

feeding the ducks/ Aurora/ twins in their new shirts: Chillin' with my BFF

Andrew + Belle = In Belle's dreams

picnic lunch/ hide-and-go-seek/ playground

4.) Hangin' with Mom.

She and Andrew played one-on-one. Mom kicked his TRASH.

After Frisbee golf, Becca reminisced of childhood 

Playing on Main Street statues

5.) Anniversary Trip to Zion's National Park

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Desert Pearl Inn: modern and rustic.

Highly recommend.

wood floors/ mountain views/ private back patio overlooking pool

kitchenette allowed for homemade spaghetti dinner

Minutes from national park

Beautiful hikes and wildlife

6.) New Year's Celebration with Utah Ashmores

MIL planned fun dinner. Served everything directly on tablecloth for us to dig into. 

Ate salad, spaghetti, or alfredo from the table.

Mostly, I loved little Laney staring at the food...at the adults digging in...and back at the food, with utter bewilderment.

7.) And then it was home again, home again, jiggity jig. To start up real life again. Phew!

FIRST COMES LOVE

That is one of my favorite Christmas card outtakes. I thought it fit the occasion; we have been married for five happy years! Andrew is my perfect fit. 

It is gratifying to have a best friend who can finish my sentences, read my thoughts from facial expressions, and love me even on my ugliest and witchiest of days. He seems to hold the perfect balance between accepting me for me and...patiently giving correction when I'm an irrational twit. That happens every now and again.

He's unfailingly kind. For example, there was the time he pretended to enjoy the pumpkin pie I served (his favorite) until I took a bite and realized...it was completely devoid of sugar. It tasted like poo. (Who does that? Isn't sugar like the most important ingredient of any pie?)

Yesterday, we had an exchange that perfectly illustrates us:
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After Andrew spent ten plus minutes listening to me stress before making a silly decision at the store, I said to him:
"Thanks for being patient with me and my insanity." 
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To which he very sweetly took my hand and responded:
"You're welcome, babe."
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He's lucky I laughed. 


Actually, that's another reason Andrew's so perfect for me. He makes this uptight, much-too-serious gal laugh out loud on a daily basis. He is my happy thought.

That doesn't mean he's perfect, though. If I get an elbow to the eye as he rolls over in bed one more time, Andrew is going to EAT my pillow. Mark my words.

Otherwise, I look forward to an eternity of happy wedding anniversaries. 

BLOW MY MIND

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*Andrew and I played a game of pool this week. And just so you are aware, I won. Fair and square. I thought this was news worth shouting from the rooftops. 

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*You'll never guess the fabulous way in which I am spending my harvest break...

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Attending a state-mandated math class for teachers...EIGHT hours a day...Monday through Friday!!! 

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You're jealous, right?  

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I was determined to be reeally grumpy over being robbed of my vacation time, until this math class had the nerve to be...fun. 

I can't believe I just said that.

Basically, I've learned the following:

1.) Despite being an expert teacher of algorithms, I know nothing.

2.) I was taught to follow procedures rather than to think for myself. 

3.) I have been teaching my students to follow procedures rather than to think for themselves. 

4.) When I actually use my brain, I'm not so bad at math after all. 

My mind is officially blown.

But all this math is taking it's toll on me. Let me illustrate:

If xy = z, and x = number of hours in class and y = number of days in class, then z = 40 hours of thinking mathematically. 

z also equals: 

My brain literally aching like an overworked muscle at the end of each day...And my mind continuing to work the problems from class in my dreams all night long...And a very tired Rachel upon waking each morning...And a 3rd grade teacher who is SO EXCITED to teach her next math lesson!

*It is October 6th, today. 

October SIXTH, people!!!!!!!!!!!!

Yet, here I was, taking pictures from our bedroom window this evening.

ANDREW'S BEDTIME STORIES

We've experienced withdrawals since finishing the Percy Jackson series. We haven't found a series to take its place as our bedtime story yet, and so we go to sleep feeling as if our day wasn't quite complete, somehow. 

Being the swell fellow that Andrew is, he took matters into his own hands. Each night laying in bed, he makes up stories on the spot that never disappoint. Action...romance...life lessons...they've got it all.

Let me share my favorite thus far:

Once upon a time there was a frog named George. He had the sweetest lily pad in the whole pond. It was even featured on "Pimp My Pad." 

One day, there came a water fowl, and it started to eat him. But George put out his long, skinny frog arms and strangled that water fowl. While this was happening, somebody took a picture and titled it, "Never Give Up." {sound familiar?}

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The frog eventually got spit out, and he had a huge following of girl frogs who thought he was so brave. But George wanted to find a girl froggy to settle down with--to take care of his tadpoles. 

One day, he met Martha and they fell madly in love. They joined their lily pads with fish hooks so they were together, and they made lots of tadpoles that turned into little froggies. Sometimes, the little froggies were naughty and George had to stick his tongue in their eyes. But eventually, the froggies all grew up to be good boys and girls, and they all moved out to have their own adventures. 

THE END

Nice, right? I swear, I almost had a conniption from laughing when he talked about disciplining the kiddos with eyeball licking. I'm still laughing, in fact. 

But who knows? Maybe he's on to something there. Have you tried it with your own kids?

DEVIL'S ADVOCATE

So, Andrew and I were making a grocery store run when we walked past the Toll House Cookie Dough display. The cart I was pushing made a sudden, involuntary halt.

"Do you dare me to buy these?" I asked.

I had to find a way to justify what I was about to do...a way to prove to myself later that it wasn't my fault the cookies were placed in the cart and paid for at the register. He dared me, after all.

Unfortunately, it didn't work as I'd hoped. I'm still trying to understand why he just laughed and walked away...leaving me to wrestle with my cravings all alone. Very unfeeling of him! But, I did what any girl would do in this situation. Or should do at least.

I dared myself. A triple doggy dare with a cherry on top!

How could I back down from a challenge like that? That's serious business!

{You're with me on this one, right?}

Well, the rest is history.
{you saw the picture}
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But hopefully, I've taught all you strong-willed gals who never give into temptation an important lesson: Any sugar-calorie-butter packed disc of chocolaty goodness can be justified with a dare. It's that easy. It'll be worth every delicious bite.

I'm prayin' your husbands are more supportive than mine was on this one. Good luck.

SWEET VALENTINE'S DAY

A sweet day, indeed.

I made chicken and dumplings for dinner... a recipe I've been wanting to try from HERE for a long time now. Definitely a new favorite for both of us.

Andrew quietly set the table and surprised me with the fancy...er...plastic goblets, fancy folded napkin art, candles, and a hidden ipod playing mushy background music.

Whether or not this was accompanied by smooches and slow dancing in the kitchen is not really any of your business.

geez.

For dessert, Andrew presented me with a giant frosted cookie.

I couldn't decide if I loved him for it or hated him for it.

Then, we got to open three {yummy}Valentine packages from family!

{Excited to try out this new book!}

And I had to share a favorite student-made Valentine:

The kissy couple on the sticker has been labeled: "Mrs. Ashmore" and "Mr. Ashmore." Ha!

SUN VALLEY INN

Back in December, in celebration of Andrew's graduation and our 4th wedding anniversary, we took a vacation to Sun Valley Ski Resort. 

We checked in to the hotel amidst crazy snowfall. There were seventy-something inches on that mountain we'd be boarding on. 

The resort is insanely ritzy. We never could have gone were it not for a gift card given to help shoulder the cost. It felt like the kind of place you'd expect to see a movie star come around the corner at any moment. It was all very surreal. 

Finding our room.

Here was the cozy, happy, yellow stripe-ed bedroom. I loved it. 

Somehow, we ended up in one of the few rooms with a private balcony. 

The view was beautiful and forest-y and mountain-y. And as you can see from the accumulation on the railing...snowy. 

That first night, we relaxed, watched a movie, and drank hot chocolate next to the fire. 

The only thing needed to complete this picture is a french maid vacuuming in the background and a smoking cigar held nonchalantly in Andrew's left hand. 

Even the toilet paper was fancy. Have you ever seen something so ridiculous? I'm sorry, but I can't imagine a more foolish waste of my time then folding bathroom tissue into little points. 

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I'm just too practical for the rich life I guess.

Outside the Inn, all the festively decorated trees made for a stunning, nighttime stroll. 

Not to mention the snow sculptures...

And the ice sculptures. I love the Christmas ornaments frozen inside!

In the morning, we splurged on room service. To give you an idea of just how grandiose this place is, we found a corn dog and fries on the kid's menu for nine bucks! 

But the food was yummy!

Um, Andrew? As much as I appreciate you demonstrating my point, will you please just smile at the camera like a normal human being? 

Thank you. That's better. 

Then we got dressed for a day on the slopes! 

That there is my: "I'm so stoked to go snowboarding on a foot of fresh powder today!" self portrait. 

And what a fine day it was for it too! Just look at that sunshine! 

But the rest of the story will have to be saved for another day...