AJ got in the BYU Animation Program!!!

Today we found out that AJ's application to the animation program has been accepted!!!!!!!!  We are so thrilled.  It is a really tough program to get into.  This was AJ's second application to the program.   He will start classes in the fall.  It is such a relief to finally get it, after all, it's why we moved to Utah and AJ basically started over with his bachelor's degree.  WOOOOOHOOOO!

We're having a baby!!

We are so excited to announce that we are having a baby boy!!!!!!!!!  He is due December 27th.  I haven't posted forever because I have been a little sick!  I just had to buy maternity clothes last week so I am showing.

The Great Flood

Well, our house flooded a few weeks ago, and good thing it did.  Yes, I said GOOD thing.  After pulling up the carpet and finding molding floorboards, knocking down the walls and finding some very amateurish electrical wiring, it is a relief to be able to start over and know everything will be done right.  The previous owner of the house did it himself and everything was pretty sketchy.  Now we will be able to finish the rough-plumbed bathroom and hopefully raise the value of our house.  Pictures to come!

AJ's 3-D Animation Project

Here is one animation project that AJ just turned in.  Pretty amazing, huh?  This is after about 8 classes!

A Proper British Garden

I am a voracious reader.  I read the newspaper regularly as a child.  If there wasn't a newspaper around I would read a cereal box.  I probably have the Wheaties nutrition facts memorized.  But, I digress.  A lot of the books I read are by British authors.  In these books, from those amazing writers across the Pond, there is almost always something written about a garden or gardening.   As in the "Let's go take a turn about the garden, my dear," or "Gardening is such beneficial exercise," or "Duchess so-and-so was kind enough to give me cuttings from her lovely garden."  I cannot recall a book by a British author that neglects to talk about this, I mean, England is a garden, right?

The Brits have gardening in their blood.  From the invasion of the Romans bringing their ornamental gardens to the invention of the lawn mower to the formation of a horticultural society, the British have been invested in gardening for centuries.

Anyways, for some time now, AJ and I have tried to come up with a solution to rid ourselves of the swamp in one corner of the yard.  If you walk to the west side of the backyard in bare feet, you will sink into the ground and have to squelch your way to safety.  Part of the problem is our neighbor's sprinklers, which, we found out, spray directly over the 6 foot vinyl fence into our yard.  In addition to this, it is in the shade much of the day, compounding the issue.  AJ and I have negotiated about this sinking section of lawn: he gets to manage the fruit/veggie garden on the east side of the yard, and I will get--wait for it--a Proper British Garden complete with any selection of plants I desire!  While I am not going to learn all the scientific names of the flowers I plant, I figure I can be a pretty devoted gardener nonetheless.   Just like all the books I read!

So here we are, about to commence on Project PBG.  I am hoping, as a side effect of this project, that somehow my British accent will improve and I will comprehend the slang when I watch Law & Order: UK.

Cheers!

Now all I need is to buy a really obnoxious sun hat to garden in.

Adventures with Household Cleaners and a Minty Fresh Toilet

I have a new love.  Borax.  Yes, that's what I said, Borax.  Today I had an adventure in my bathroom.  I decided that I would try not to use so many chemicals in our house and have found several online sites for homemade cleaning solution recipes.  It's amazing how simple ingredients--Borax, vinegar, kosher salt, lemon juice, toothpaste, denture cleaning tablets, rubbing alcohol, etc.--can actually make effective cleaners.  These are the recipes I tried today:

Disinfectant-
1 part each of vinegar, purified water, and isopropyl alcohol

Bathtub/sink cleaner-
Wet shower thoroughly, get a scrubby pad or sponge wet, put some borax on it and scrub the bathtub and tile.  Rinse.  I have to say that I tried doing this with baking soda and it didn't work.  It also got a stain out of the sink.  Thank you Borax!

Mineral, scum deposits on faucet-
Saturate paper towels with vinegar and wrap around faucet.  Let soak for at least 20 minutes, then wipe off and rinse.  We don't have a water softener and the buildup was pretty bad.... now the faucet is all shiny!

Floor/glass cleaner-
We have laminate floors in the bathroom so I mixed one part vinegar to two parts purified water in a spray bottle... it really works, especially on the mirror!!

Daily shower cleaner-
I have yet to see if this works, but mix one part purified water to one part hydrogen peroxide.  We'll see.

Oh!  and the coup de grace:
I got out a hair dye stain off of the toilet seat with the disinfectant mixture and baking soda.  It foams because of the vinegar in the mixture... but it works!

Ok, I have yet to find something that will get rid of the hard water in the toilet, but I'm working on it.  Vinegar and baking soda work great for regular cleaning, as well as Borax, but I might have to resort to something more potent... my next experiment will be with denture cleaner.  I have heard this is effective cleaning porcelain surfaces, we'll see if it gets the job done.   The trick will be not cracking the toilet with pouring boiling water in it for the denture cleaner.  This one will be interesting.  Who wouldn't want a minty fresh toilet?

P.S.  Kosher salt works well with Borax as an abrasive for scrubbing.

Skiing

Well, I never thought I'd say this, but I went skiing again for the first time in over 10 years!!  I had a blast even though it was slushy.  I didn't fall once.  Wahoo!

My hubby's awesome animation

The upload quality isn't the best. The original is quite good!  Just so you know, it takes 24 drawings for each second of animation.  The assignment was to animate a sack of flour.

Real Salt Lake Game

Let me just say that it was 32 degrees outside and 15,405 people showed up.

AJ and me.

Clutter.

Today, I have been thinking about how cluttered my life is.  No structure, too much stuff, and it seems like things just keep piling up.  I want to manage things, but it's just hard to know where to begin.  Some things, like cleaning a house or putting items away just feels pointless... they are going to be messed up in a day anyways.  The dishes will pile up again, the floor will need vacuuming, I will need to sort the laundry.  Papers will need to be filed, bills will need to be paid.  My "solution" to this is to ignore it all and read or watch tv or waste time because it is just so overwhelming.  I try to get rid of things but then I think... what if I need this later?  I guess I have emotional attachment to some things as well.  Other things I want to sell because they are too valuable to just give away but I don't want to go to the trouble of listing them on a website and having to mail them to someone.  This leads to clutter, which stresses me out, which paralyzes me.  My husband ends up doing a lot of the things that I should be doing on top of his school work.  We want to have kids soon, but I keep thinking, if I can't manage my own life, how could I be responsible for a baby?

My Talented Husband...Artwork from the last couple of years.

First completed oil painting ever.  My personal favorite.  

AJ's oil lift-out of his concept after reading War of the Worlds.

AJ's wanted poster says: 5000 pesos to bring this guy to a barber.  Acrylic on plywood.  The other one is a totem pole he designed.  Acrylic with packing tape.

AJ gave this one to my brother Greg.  It is an iguana we saw in St. Thomas, VI., minus the punk piercings and colorful spiky mohawk.  Ink transfer with acrylic. 

Nativity scene AJ did for his mom.  Charcoal underdrawing with acrylic.

AJ's drawing of his twin's idea for the "Pillsbury Doughbell," a doorbell that is the Pillsbury Doughboy.
1st ever painting in goauche.

80's pop art style of a picture we took at a Coldplay concert.  Gouache.

Nobody wants to play with sad little Hitler... so he invaded Poland.
Gouache and ink wash.

This is a creative rendering of a car that was in the parking lot in Idaho.  Acrylic.

A picture of me.  Acrylic.

A background AJ designed for his animation class.

His creative zone at our house.

Bubbles!

A few weeks ago, we decided to see if Daisy liked bubbles....boy, did she ever.  Look at these jumps:

Christmas Party at Aunt Lisa's House

Katy and me.

Cousin Chris, the red-headed Asian dude.

Grandpa Block and family opening presents.

Grandma Block

The Red Shirt Brigade...NOT planned (no lie)!  from L to R: Anya, Me, Aunt Lisa, Momma Creek, Grandma Block, and Katy.

Our house, at the e-end of the street.

Here is the wreath I made last week that I am super proud of.  Cute, huh?

And a close-up of the wreath.

So I kind of got on a flower kick after the wreath (and they were having a sale at Joann's) and decided to make a bouquet to go in our kitchen.  Not such a great photographic angle but oh well.  

This is the quilt top I just finished for my mom.  I made up the design.  The fabric has a nautical/ocean theme.  It's really cute.  Next comes the quilting part...I'm kind of nervous about that.

Here is our new house...it's the middle of winter, so the garden doesn't look so hot, but we like it here, and the neighborhood is great! It is a split level with 2 bathrooms and 3 bedrooms.

Daisy, our maltipoo (a maltese and poodle mix), came with the house and we couldn't have asked for a sweeter, better tempered dog.  

Daisy and our bunny, Francine, get along great.  

We have to protect the treadmill mat from the bunny.  In case you didn't guess from my last post, bunnies chew on EVERYTHING!  I can hear her gnawing on something right now....

This is the laundry I have to get done.  Hah.  Umm.....wish me luck?

Francine, you are in BIG trouble!

Dear bunny,

Only part of the damage.

Looks kind of smug, huh?

Please stop gnawing on the baseboards and door frames in the house. It is really getting on my nerves. I have given you so many wonderful things to chew on (see the carpet, wood, hay, carrots, cardboard, and baby toys littering your room?? Huh? You even have a kabob of chew toys!!), so why do you go after something that

is covered in paint and is probably toxic????
If you don't like the color of the mouldings, just let me know and we'll change it. You are very cute, but STOP DAMAGING MY HOUSE!

Love,

AC

P.S. I don't like it when you eat my books, either. The Lord of the Rings will never recover from your voracious appetite. YOU might hate the Tom Bombadil section, but I like it.

The to-do list doesn't work when you are sick.

Sick still....arrrrggghhh! I have to get the house ready for guests this weekend and have I begun? No. I have piles and piles of laundry to do, bathrooms to clean, floors to vacuum(what is actually visible of them), a menu to plan, and shopping to do. Ha. Ha. My throat is all tickle-y and scratchy and my cough sounds like hacking. I do not like being sick.

V-day surprise and Daisy

My darling husband gave me a very special V-day surprise. He is so sweet. I never thought a candy bar message could be so cute.

My puppy dog, Daisy, is sitting next to me on the bed as I write. I have a cold. And feel crappy. Why does Daisy have to go to the bathroom right now? That means I have to get out of bed, go downstairs, wait for her to do her business, (which often takes awhile because she absolutely must find the optimal spot to pee), and come all the way back upstairs. Ah, but I guess I must go now because she is giving me The Look. And The Paw. Be back soon, if she finds the perfect spot.

Eggs

Dear husband,

I officially know how to cook scrambled eggs better. HAH.

I still love you.

And I still love your omelets.

Love,

AC

$$

One more thing...

Dear Online Shopping Sites,

Please stop having phenomenal sales and great prices and free shipping and discounts. I must stop looking at you. My bank account hates all of you.

Dear...things in my life.

Dear Cheesecake in the Fridge,

Please stop tempting me. I know you are there and that you taste delicious. I know that you are a fantastic breakfast. I know that my waistline knows you very well. Please go away. Wait, umm, maybe after a couple more bites.

Dear Treadmill,

I am so sorry for neglecting you. I promise to take you for a walk today....or soon. I might have to take some exercise dvds out first. Don't worry, I am not breaking up with you, just straying a little.

Dear Kindle,

Please stop being so enticing. I want to curl up with you for hours in a warm, cuddly blanket. My husband is jealous.

Dear People Who Write Books for Kindle,

Please stop. I have spent enough money on you. Your stories are wonderful, but please cease writing wonderful stories that I just have to buy and read for hours on end.

Dear Piano,

I apologize for not playing you lately. If you could do me a small favor and tune yourself, I might be more inclined to play you.

Dear Carpet,

I know you would like to see the light of day. All I can promise is someday, hopefully soon, you will see the daylight. I will point out, however, that my stuff thinks you are so comfortable, it wants to stay there. I hope you don't mind.

Love,

AC

Messy messy messy

Dear house,

Why are you so messy? Just because I leave dishes around and craft supplies litter the floor, doesn't mean you have ANY right to look bad. You should be ashamed of yourself.

...

I don't know why I want a blog...it's not like my life is that interesting...why is there a red squiggly line after ... if you don't put a space there? I thought there wasn't supposed to be a space after a ...

My super cool new blog!

Hey, this is my blog! Yay.

AC and Friends