one in - one out.

One of my favorite things to do is de-junk. Yesterday I was reading in Parade (Sunday's paper) about how Matt Lauer has a "one in-one out" rule. So if he buys a new shirt, he has get rid of one shirt. I have always done this too but I never had a name for it. Ask Justin how many times he's had to fish out cards, magzines, photos, clothes and "knick knacks" out of the garbage. He is pretty sentimental - I just want a clean house! So here's to getting rid of "stuff." Welcome to my garage sale! Just don't tell Justin I am doing this.

moab half

a couple weekends ago some friends and i ran in the moab half marathon. despite only one long training run being of 8 miles i felt okay during the run but didn't run as fast as i thought i was. i finished in 1:57:00 and justin in 1:49:00. justin only ran maybe five times in preparation. what a goober. i hate boys.

heather, pete, emily, me and just

the last bus drops you off about an hour before the race. it was sooo cold and as we drove by this scene i had to laugh because it felt like we were on a tour bus looking out a the wildlife.

picture stolen from the race photographers website. we all teased justin mercilessly for running in his garments!

another stolen picture. looks like i am walking!

the next day we bikes amasa back, a.k.a. "awussa back." surpirsingly, i wasn't sore or tired from the race and loved every second - thank you Kara and John for letting us borrow your bikes! - I NEED an Enduro.

happy birthday mom!

i'm so excited!

we've been mooching off my in-laws living in "lew-tah" for long enough now... it's time to get our own place. we bought my parents home in orem - the one i grew up in - and have been remodeling it for the past month or so. two more weeks till it's done and i get to see if all these crazy things i've been buying really look good together. here's a sampling:

knobs

dining room light

knobs

painted bright blue


quartz countertops

wallpaper for the playroom downstairs

wallpaper for ellie's room - and cody's room too! sharing will be great fun i'm sure.

kitchen backsplash

ok fine.

so i got tagged by my friend alissa (thanks sooo much). i've been procrastinating this post for a couple weeks but here it goes:

5 random/wierd things about me:

- my favorite treat is chocolate cake mix - straight out of the box. this is a result of my deprived childhood where the only treat in the house was powdered sugar. i'm not even sure why we had powdered sugar because nothing was ever made using it.
- i am an only child. i hated it growing up but now i love it - my kids will always be the favorite grandkids and justin the favorite son-in-law.
- i love talk radio
- i have to sleep with the blanket tucked under my feet because when i was three or four i swear i saw a ghost in my room that looked like brigham young and he touched my toe that was sticking out from the blanket.
- i am a closet hermit. i do my best to be social but i really really love to be by myself (which now means myself and my kids). a perfect day for me is getting up, cleaning the house, running with my kids in the jogger, taking a nap, shopping on the web (less human contact). no phones, no appointments, no contact with the outside world. is that wierd or what!

i tag...no one! this was pure torture.

happy valentines day!

this is my favorite holiday in the entire universe! i really need a sugar cookie right now. you will know i really like you if you get one of these clothespins in the next few days. no, i'm kidding. i love everyone but putting these suckers back together really hurts my fingers so i only made 8. we'll see who the lucky winners are... (hint: bring me sugar cookies and you might get one)

is there hope?

This is me - from the time my kids wake up to the time they go to bed. It doesn't matter where I am in the house or how quiet I am - my kids have this sonar that will lead them to me within seconds. And it's not like they just need to be in the same room either, they need to be touching, holding, rubbing, and generally mauling me.
Actually I kind of like it. At least I have two groupies that will scream my name and throw their clothes at me when I walk into the room.

the little nub is one!

a look back at the past year:

you know you want one...

"Angel's Landing - Zions" 24" x 36" oil $2300 obo

"Kolob Canyon" 30" x 40" oil $3000 obo

"Spring Snow" 30" x 24" oil $1500 obo

A glimpse at Karl's 2008 schedule:

Sears Dixie Invitational Art Show and Sale. February 16 - March 22, 2008. Recognized as one of the biggest art events in the state of Utah, over 288 works from 115 renowned artists will be exhibited. Call 435-652-7905 for more information. Each work is for sale to the public. Karl was last years winner in the oil landscape category.

Zion National Park is turning 100 in 2009. As a part of the celebration, Zion Natural History Association, in partnership with Zion National Park, the St. George Art Museum, and the St. George Area Convention and Visitors Bureau, will be hosting an exhibit of entitled, “Zion National Park: A Century of Sanctuary.” The Zion National Park centennial exhibit will premiere at the St. George Art Museum and feature three components: a historic exhibit in the Main Gallery, a juried exhibit in the Mezzanine Gallery of recently completed paintings, and a contemporary installation about Zion in the Legacy Gallery. The former will feature photographs and paintings covering the early years. The second component will be a juried (by Peter Hassrick) exhibit featuring the finest recent paintings of Zion National Park.

84th Annual Spring Salon - Springville Museum of Art

The premier exhibition opportunity for contemporary Utah artists. April 27 - July 6, 2008.

ellie is three!

christmas

here are a few pictures from throughout december. ellie and i had such a fun time doing christmas-y things.

grandma jann gave ellie this chair but really, what can compare to a pez dispenser?

cody at my parents checking out the presents

ellie dancing in her new dress ups from grandma nicol

our tree - we bought an artificial the day after christmas and i really loved not having a tree die within the first week!

ellie's tree decorated with ikea animals

i think ellie wasn't sure what with herself so she held up two fingers, i'm assuming to tell us that she is two.

classic

my neighbor gifts

this tree is right outside our window - we had a blast watching some huge birds eat our treats each day.

i made over 150 of these cards signed by Karl and I for all my clients who have purchased paintings. i got several emails from people telling me how much they loved them.

we used this wrapping paper for all our presents this year.

ellie learned how to write her name about a month ago and she is obessed - pretty good huh? she talks herself through it by saying, "a line and a circle, a line, a line, a line with a dot, and a line with a circle!"

i made justin a scrapbook of high country home which was the highlight of my christmas - this business was our entire lives for the first five years of marriage and we have so many memories. justin loved it.

making a snowman on christmas eve at my parents