Chris and Paige

The One When I Dip, You Dip, We Dip

2012-02-09T17:54:00.000-08:00

Fox is a picky eater. I don't know where he gets it from. Ahem cough cough...

I read about my friend Lyndsey's baby boy dipping everything in ketchup, so what the heck, maybe it would work for Fox too.

I'm happy to say it works like a charm!
Chris squirted a pile o' sauce on Fox's plate one night at dinner, showed him how to dip dip dip, and just like that Fox was a pro dipper!

He dips everything in ketchup now. And I mean everything. Even his bottle. Which he then drinks.

It's funny the things you learn and try when raising your first child.

The One with True Birds

2012-02-08T20:17:00.000-08:00

A couple weeks ago Heather from True Birds contacted me via etsy and asked to do a trade - some of my calendars for one of her ultra cool necklaces.

Turns out the necklace I wanted had a bit of tarnish on it so she let me pick two! Bonus! With my li'l sister's help (cuz she's the ultimate fashionista in our family) I picked a heart locket and mini harmonica necklace:

The harmonica really plays!

And the heart locket opens! I'm gonna put a picture of Fox and baby #2 in it stat!

In addition to really cool jewelry, True Birds also makes stunning headbands for all occasions.

Consider me True Birds' newest #1 fan!

The One with a Contagion

2012-02-07T19:09:00.000-08:00

Forgive the lack of posts lately. We've got our own mild form of Contagion going on in the Evans household. (Did you see that movie? I had horrible nightmares because of it...) We're a house full of sneezing, wheezing, coughing, hacking, boogery, snot rags taking over, no-end-in-sight sickies. Achoo!

The One with Red Hair

2012-02-05T10:44:00.000-08:00

I had a mid-pregnancy crisis yesterday and felt the urge to change my look. So I hopped in the car, drove to the corner grocery store, bought two boxes of red hair dye, and a couple hours later I'm a red-head! It's definitely not a natural red, nobody is born with this color, but I can now say I've successfully crossed off #6 on my "27 before 27" bucket list: get an extreme hair cut or color.

I'm sure it'll fade back to it's natural mousy-brown color in just a couple washes, but it'll be fun while it lasts!

The One with Jane or Clark?

2012-02-04T17:37:00.000-08:00

I added a new poll on the left side of my blog - guess baby #2's gender!

Is it a Jane?

Or a Clark?

I so badly want to go to one of those early ultrasound places and find out TODAY! But, I'm really trying to work on my patience so we'll just have to wait another 5 weeks or so until the big official ultrasound. My next regular appointment is on the 22nd, I'll be nearly 18 weeks then, so maybe my OB will be able to see or not see something then.

The One with I Think It's Time...

2012-02-03T19:45:00.001-08:00

I think it's time for his first haircut, yes or no?

The One with Lazy Days

2012-02-02T13:55:00.000-08:00

- After pretty much lying horizontal for 10 weeks straight and then standing on my feet for 3 days straight at CHA, my legs are literally sore. Yeah. I'm out of shape. What else is new? As soon as I'm done bearing all our children I'll get into shape...

- On my last day of CHA I was planning on walking around and taking a bunch of pictures and then when I took out my camera to get started I realized I left my SD card in my computer at home. #fail. I seems like lots of other scrappers have blogged about it though so I'm living vicariously through their photos.

- I've really liked the first three seasons of the show Fringe. But this season? So lost. Oh so confused. J.J. Abrams is good at confounding his audience. Well on the way to this... (don't blast me Eric!):

- Is anyone going to watch The River? I'm a big Paranormal Activity fan (same producer or something) so hopefully this show is as good as the movies.

- Speaking of scary movies and shows, I'm going to see Woman in Black Saturday night. I hope it's scary! The movie poster is pretty freaky...

I have a hard time picturing Daniel Radcliffe being great in anything besides Harry Potter, so we'll see how this goes!

- Poor Mr. Fox is sick yet again. This is the third time in less than a month he's had a cold. He gets so cranky and ornery when he's not feeling well. It seems we may have found a replacement for Toy Story (can I get an amen?) - Lady and the Tramp. Fox LOVES dogs so it only makes sense he'd like this movie. Milk, snuggles, and a good movie will help get him through this ailment once again.

- Whelp. I've got a lot of schtuff to catch up on and things to create and a baby to tend to! So TTFN!

The One with CHA Winter 2012

2012-01-30T20:18:00.000-08:00

I've been a busy girl the past couple of days: I've been working at the Amy Tangerine booth at American Crafts at CHA Winter 2012 in Anaheim! Chris is so nice to take time off school to stay at home and watch Fox. Let me tell you, coming home and having Fox run into my arms and give me the world's biggest hug is the happiest feeling in the world. My life is complete :) I've loved getting to meet some of my blog readers in real life and meet new people. Scrappers are awesome.

Walking into the Convention Center.

Half of American Crafts. There's also the Studio Calico booth, the Pebbles booth, and the Crate Paper Booth. Next, they're buying Google :)

The Amy Tangerine: Sketchbook booth where I've been workin'!

Me'n'Amy.

The Dear Lizzy booth.

So much eye candy!

SWAG

Me'n'Lizzy.

The Studio Calico booth. Say hi to Greg!

Kelly Purkey's awesome map project.

The layouts at the Studio Calico booth are a.m.a.z.i.n.g. So much talent on their team! Here's just a sampling:

Then my homegirls Alisha and Nichole came to chat! Oh how I miss them!

I haven't had a chance to walk around the entire show yet. Hopefully tomorrow cuz I'm sure there's TONS to see!

The One with January 2012 American Crafts Layouts

2012-01-28T15:49:00.000-08:00

I saw Amy the other day and and she had a set of her awesome new Amy Tangerine - Sketchbook papers. When she asked if I'd like to create a sample for her CHA booth I didn't think twice - heck yeah! So here's what I made (which I'm also counting as my two monthly postings for American Crafts):

ROCKY MOUNTAIN HIGH

Journaling says: The day after Chris got home from his 2-year mission to the Philippines I flew out to Colorado to see him. Two years was over at last - oh how I had missed him! We picked up right where we left off and life was good. That same week the very first annual Evans family reunion took place. I even wore an official Evans t-shirt when we weren't even engaged! Good thing it all worked out :) We spent a wonderful week up in the Rocky Mountains at Grand Lake. It was so beautiful and peaceful and the perfect way to get to know each other again.

How to: Punch a 3" square from each of the 24 patterned papers in the new Amy Tangerine Sketchbook line by American Crafts. Cut each square in half along the diagonal. Arrange the triangles in a chevron pattern and leave a larger gap between the top sets. Trim any excess paper hanging off the edges. Sew along the chevrons using a different color of thread for each stripe. Add a pink glitter foam letter sticker Thickers title in the large gap. Write journaling on the top triangular section. Trim a photo into a triangle and glue it to the bottom triangular section. Place a blue striped heart sticker at the top of the photo. Cut a scalloped border from patterned paper and adhere it along the top left and bottom right corners; draw an "x" with a black pen on each scallop.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, stickers (heart, letters), pen, adhesive, paper cutter: American Crafts; Square punch: Marvy Uchida; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clarks

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KISSES

Journaling says: One of my favorite "tricks" that we've taught Fox is to give me kisses on demand. Not just any kiss - big, wide, open-mouthed kisses! I'll pick him up, hold him close to my face and say, "Give me a kiss!" and he'll lean in for the kill. It's so precious and makes me laugh so hard. It's been fun to teach Fox things and see him figure life out.

How to: Drop India ink across a gray cardstock background and set it aside to dry. Trim flowers from a variety of patterned papers from the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook line by American Crafts. Adhere a square photo to the center of the layout using foam squares then tuck and layer all the flowers under and around the photo using different levels of adhesive. Cut out a frame from the Paige's Portraits paper (this deserves a post of its own!) and tuck it under the photo; write "kisses" on the frame with a black pen for the title. Glue a sequin to most of the flower centers. Adhere a photo corner to each corner (made with a square punch and trimmed in four pieces). Sew borders around the layout using four different colors of thread. Write journaling around the inner most border.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, pen, adhesive, paper cutter: American Crafts; Sequins: Berger Beads; India ink: Artworks; Square punch: Marvy Uchida; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

CHA-bound tomorrow!

The One with the 2nd Trimester!

2012-01-27T15:16:00.000-08:00

Today marks a big day in pregnancy numero dos: hello second trimester!
Say goodbye to ~~morning~~ all day sickness!
Bye bye fatigue and headaches!
Soon my muffin top will start looking like an actual preggo belly!
Here's to the next 14 weeks!

And yes we're doing week-by-week photos again. I love looking at the ones of Fox so I figure, what they hey, we'll keep the tradition going!

The One with And I "Quote"

2012-01-26T12:00:00.000-08:00

Pinterest Pinterest Pinterest. I know I know I know. It's everywhere and talked about non-stop. But what can I say, it's an amazing thing! I have a board just for collecting quotes and I thought I'd share a few of them today!

To Chris:

source

Also to Chris:

source

So glad I don't have to deal with this for another 7 months or so...

LOL.

Inspiring.

Duely noted.

It's true.

Every day:

Yes please.

Guilty as charged...

I may have shared this one many moons ago, but it still holds true.

source

Make this:

source

Pinterest rocks! See more of my boards HERE and let's be Pinterest buddies!

The One with Dear,

2012-01-25T18:11:00.000-08:00

My SIL Tanya Taylor (how fun is that to say?) is such a great blogger, always coming up with fun new ideas and trends. I feel like I'm always copying her. So I'll follow suit and copy her once again with this Dear (insert blank here), format.

Dear Weather,
You were so beautiful today - I even wore shorts for the first time in months! Keep it up!

Dear Candy,
I hate you. I love you. Right now I'm on a gum kick. I've never really been a gum person, but the more sugary and flavorful the better!

Dear Malm and Dald,
It was so fun having you here for a few days, come back soon!

Dear Courtney, wait, let me rephrase that, Snatchy Courtney,
You're manipulative and I really really really hope Ben doesn't propose to you. This face says it all.

(FYI - this in reference to The Bachelor).

Dear Tomorrow,
I can't wait for you to be here! Fun things are happening which I hope I can share soon! Plus I get to eat at one of my favorite places - Lemonade!

Beef short rib mac ‘n’ cheese get in my belly!

Dear Baby #2,
I swear I feel you moving already, even though I'm only 14 weeks. Maybe it's just gas.

I saw you via ultrasound last week and you were flopping around like a fish and making me laugh. I love you already and can't wait to find out if you're a girl or boy!

Dear Fox,
Every day you get more and more fun and cute. I didn't think that was possible! You say a few words now like "dog" and "Buzz" (as in Buzz Lightyear). My favorite new thing is when you're in the bathtub and I say, "Where's your bellybutton?" and you grab your wee-wers. We'll have to work on that. You're also learning how to 'stack blocks' which reminds me of the episode of Modern Family called The Bicycle Thief when Cameron and Mitchell go to playschool with Lily. When they find out that all the other kids are much more advanced than Lily they decide to steal some blocks that another child has stacked. When the employee informs them of the CCTV cameras and that they can have a copy of Lily stacking the blocks, they quickly leave. Who knew stacking blocks was so important?

I love you and I'm so glad I'm your mom, even if it isn't always sunshine and roses!

Dear Toy Story 1 and 2,
I know you by heart and I never want to watch you ever ever EVER again.

Dear Spring Break,
I look forward to spending you in Seattle with my family! And hopefully we'll get to go to the house in Wallace for the first time.

Dear Husband,
I'm so proud of you. You're like an actual dentist now working on patients and what not. When you come home and start telling me what you did that day I have no idea what you're even saying - you're that smart! :)

Dear Future,
What do you hold? Where will we be for the four years we owe the army? What about after that? I can't focus too much on you or I'll go mad. It's time to live in the present and enjoy the moment!

The One with Amy Tangerine Sketchbook and Dear Lizzy Neapolitan

2012-01-24T08:00:00.000-08:00

Have you seen the new Amy Tangerine Sketchbook and Dear Lizzy Neapolitan lines? Unless you've been living under a rock I bet you have! They're alllllll over the internet! Or unless you don't scrapbook, in which case, I forgive you and just skip this post altogether :)

Is this line unique and beautiful and so happy or what? I can't wait to get my little (actually, I have rather large and manly) hands on it!

The Paper

The Embellishments

And this line is somethin' else! It looks good enough to eat!

The Paper

The Embellishments

Not to mention this video that Elizabeth, Ann-Marie, and Lindsey put together to promote Neapolitan. What a fun job! I miss it!

CHA and designer goodie boxes can't come soon enough!

The One with a Typical Week

2012-01-22T07:00:00.000-08:00

Google Calendar is my lifesaver. I used to use Franklin Covey day planners, but they were expensive and now that everything is digital I've come to love and majorly depend on this - no pens or pencils or erasers needed, AND I can change and update it on the go from my phone!

Here is what a week in the life of Paige Evans looks like:

Pink = Daily Life

Yellow = American Crafts work

Aqua = Scrapbook Trends work

Gray = TV shows/random things I don't want to forget

This week is filled with work, work, and more work, a Dr. appointment for Fox, a double baby shower (there are soooo many babies being born around here this year - as always!), the latest and greatest Studio Calico reveal, blogging daily, lots of great TV, paying rent, and so.much.more. Just another typical week in this stay-at-home-working-mom's life!

PS - It was exactly 8 years ago to the day that I met my eternal companion! Read our story as told from Chris' perspective HERE. Happy 8th Meetiversary Chris!

The One with Country Music

2012-01-21T14:09:00.000-08:00

Story time!

I grew up in San Jose, California. Not exactly the country music capitol of the world, but there's bound to be a station or two featuring country music where'er you go. I guess my mom liked country because my first recollections of singing out loud to music (to something besides Raffi) were to the tunes of Trisha Yearwood, Faith Hill, Shania Twain, and the like. Oh how loud we would sing "She's in Love with the Boy!" "X's and O's", and "Tall Tall Trees"! I loved me some country music. I would sit down with album booklets and memorize lyrics and then dance around in circles whilst singing them at the top of my lungs. I will forever hold a special place in my heart for these albums:

Flash forward to 1995 when we moved to Redmond, WA. I was 10 and in the 5th grade. Upon introducing myself I said I liked country music and was immediately scorned and made a laughing stock. Who knew 10 year olds could be so mean and degrading? I vowed never to listen to country music again. So I switched to alternative music like The Goo Goo Dolls and Matchbox Twenty and Third Eye Blind, then as I went through high school I got into more hard core bands like Rage Against the Machine, Chevelle, and Linkin Park. I do love some good screamo, which seems so out of my shy and reserved character. But it's true: I'm a closet hard rocker.

Still. There's nothing like the feeling of listening to a good ol' country song with the windows down and the wind rushing through your hair. Lately, Taylor Swift has rekindled my passion for that twang and honkey tonk. I have a major girl crush on that girl! She has the voice I've always wanted and the looks to go with it.

I'm not embarrassed or ashamed to say that I love country music anymore. And even though I only listen to it in rare moments when I'm driving alone in the car, it always brings me back to growing up in California and singing with my mom.

The One with Yet Another Batch of CARDS Challenge Cards

2012-01-20T07:00:00.000-08:00

Yesterday I made not one, not two, not three, not four, but FIVE cards for the CARDS challenges on the Create: blog! Woo-to-the-hoo! They are as follows:

Challenge for 1.19.12 - rolled paper

I LOVE YOU CARD

How to: Roll about 18 pieces of patterned paper into tubes. I used all papers from the Chap collection by American Crafts. Cut a heart from scrap cardstock, cover it with strong adhesive, place the paper tubes down the front, and trim the excess. Wrap mint green ribbon across the top and add a blue banner sticker on the right side. Back a gray chipboard frame with white cardstock and place yellow "i" and "u" foam letter stickers inside. Cut a heart from a red patterned paper tag and set it between the letters using a pop dot. Adhere the frame over the banner sticker. Tie a bow from more of the ribbon and place it below the right side of the frame. Set the rolled paper heart on a square dark gray cardstock base and trace around it with a pencil. Remove the heart then sew three borders using white thread around the heart. Glue the rolled paper heart to the middle and you're done!

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, chipboard frame, letter stickers, ribbon, adhesive: American Crafts; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Challenge for 1.26.12 - cards using a square punch

THANK YOU CARD

How to: Punch (19) 1" squares from assorted patterned papers then fold two opposite corners of each square to the middle. Adhere the shapes side-by-side in a row of 6, 7, and 6 on the front of a robin's egg blue cardstock base. Straight stich across the middle of each row using white thread. Add various buttons to the front as shown. Draw a border around a chipboard banner using a black pen then place yellow mini alphabet stickers on top to make a sentiment; adhere the banner with pop dots to the bottom right side of the card.

Supplies: Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper, chipboard banner: All from the Handmade kit by Studio Calico; Buttons: My Mind's Eye; Mini alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Square punch: McGill; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Challenge for 2.2.12 - 6+ hearts

THANKS SO MUCH CARD

How to: Handcut lots of hearts of various sizes from coordinating patterned papers. I used the Peachy Keen line from American Crafts. Layer concentric hearts then adhere them in a circle on the front of a square yellow cardstock base. Sew three circles over the hearts using white thread. Place a pink sentiment badge in the middle. Pierce two stickpins (one pink pearl and one jewel) into the foam adhesive behind the badge then knot gray baker's twine in a bow around the base of the stickpins.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, badge, adhesive: American Crafts; Stickpins: Making Memories (pink), Maya Road (jewel); Baker's twine: The Twinery; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Challenge for 2.9.12 - Valentines

I LOVE U CARD

How to: Make a card base from white cardstock then trace around a small round plate on the right side and trim to make a curved edge. Trace around the card edges using a brown pen and add three set of three 'x's as shown for detail. Three-hole punch a bunch of patterned papers (I used the Garden Cafe line from American Crafts) to make confetti. (I love the confetti trend these days!) Trim a heart from a transparency then place a tiny bit of adhesive on the edges before placing it in the middle of the card. Start sewing around the edges of the heart, fill the heart with the confetti, then finish sewing around the heart. Glue a pink baker's twine bow on top of the heart. Place an aqua "i" foam letter sticker above and "u" below the heart to finish.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, transparency, letter stickers, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Baker's twine: The Twinery; Three-hole punch: Office supply; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Challenge for 2.16.12 - 3+ ribbons

THANKS THANKS! CARD

How to: Trim lots of small pieces of various ribbons, fold each piece in half, and secure with adhesive. Glue the ribbon tabs across the top and bottom of a light gray cardstock base. Add a multicolored striped paper block across the middle then sew across the top and bottom edges of it to secure it and the ribbons in place. Cut a gray accordion paper flower in half and glue them to the middle with a gap between. Cut out a banner from a journaling card, add a red button to either side, then place gray mini alphabet stickers and a yellow sentiment sticker on top; adhere the banner to the middle of the card.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, buttons, ribbon, banner, accordion paper flower, adhesive: American Crafts; Stickers: Cosmo Cricket (sentiment), October Afternoon (gray mini alphabet); Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

Until the next batch, TTFN, ta-ta for now!

The One with Thoughts on a Thursday

2012-01-19T19:58:00.000-08:00

My brother of all people said I need to blog more. I didn't even know he reads this except when I tell him to. So this one's for you Eric.

On Tuesday we went to Disneyland (and renewed our passes - yay!). I took exactly four pictures the entire time we were there. This is the best one:

Either A) I've run out of things to take pictures of at Disneyland, B) I'm realizing it's much more fun to be "in the moment" rather than trying to capture everything on camera, or C) Having such a big camera is preventing me from taking it places and documenting everyday life. I really like taking pictures of our day-to-day events and blogging about them though, so I'm going to make a better effort to get back on the picture-taking-wagon, even if that means I use my crappy little point and shoot.

Poor Mr. Fox is sick again. He got over the virus right before my parents came, then as we were pulling into the parking lot of D-land he threw up. He has a cough and a stuffy/runny nose and is all around miserable. Lots of snuggles and Toy Story on repeat help.

I have a Dr. appointment tomorrow to hear baby #2's heartbeat! I hope there's an ultrasound machine available too cuz I love seeing the little lemon every month and makes it feel more "real". One more week then I'm officially in the 2nd trimester! I didn't take a nap today - the first time in a couple months - so hopefully I'm getting my energy and drive for life back! 1st trimester hormones really do a number on me physically and emotionally and psychologically and mentally and creatively...

I made FIVE cards today for the Create: Blog CARDS challenges that I make up every week! I haven't participated in a few months (see paragraph above as to why) but today I sat down and whipped some out! I only got to take pictures of three of the cards before I lost my sunlight so I'll show them all first thing tomorrow. Or, if you're super impatient, you can see the first of the five on the Create: Blog here.

I'm getting up to 1200 posts! I didn't do an 1100th post giveaway, I have no idea why, maybe I was still wiped out from making those 10 handmade books for the 1000th post giveaway. But I've got a box of stuff accumulating for 1200 which should be in about a month! Stay tuned!

My mom and I were sitting at the kitchen table Tuesday night when out of nowhere she says, "You're a very lucky girl." She then proceeded to list off a bunch of things to be grateful for. My husband, my baby, my stay-at-home jobs, our apartment, and so forth. I have a very pessimistic and negative personality so lots of times I revert to whining and complaining when really, we've got so many things to be happy about. I resolve to focus on the positive instead of the negative!

That's all for now!
How's that Eric? :)

The One with the Amy Tangerine Sketchbook Blog Hop

2012-01-17T07:00:00.000-08:00

Another CHA brings another awesome Amy Tangerine line - Sketchbook! Vibrant colors drip off the page in the latest Amy Tangerinecollection from American Crafts, Sketchbook. Featuring hand-drawn details and a boldwatercolor effect, Sketchbook bursts with eclectic goodness for youreveryday projects. Splash some color on life!

Here is a sneak of some of the stamps included in this fabulous line:

Once you've visited all the stops on the hop:

lisa truesdell
cindy tobey
shimelle laine
jennifermcguire
kelly purkey
amy heller
jenny chesnick
paige evans (this is your final stop!)

and seen all the photos of new product, go to the American Crafts blog and leave a comment about which of the products you're most excited about, and be entered to win the ENTIRE Sketchbookcollection!

Congrats on another great line Amy!

The One when the 'Rents Came to Visit

2012-01-16T20:36:00.000-08:00

My parents flew in from Seattle Saturday night and before we even drove home we made a pit-stop at The Hat. I was so not in the mood for a burger and fries though so I walked across the street and got some yummy Yogurtland. By the time we got home it was nighty-night time!

Sunday morning we hung around the house until church. Even Joey got in the "chillaxing" mood.

If my dad sits still longer than 5 minutes he falls asleep. Like so:

Chris was a super guy and made cinnamon rolls.

Grandma and Fox had some good laughs and giggles.

Fox has been a much happier boy with his grand'rents in town!

After sacrament we drove out to Thousand Oaks to see my Aunt Natalie play the mother in Cheaper by the Dozen. My cousins Cat and Daniel were nice enough to watch Fox while we were out.

We got front row seats! It's not what you know - it's who you know :)

The play was so great! I didn't know it was a real story and based on a book. I was expecting the movie! I liked this version better and Natalie was a star :) Afterwards we met her backstage (we had to flash some fancy passes - not really, but I imagined we did!) and I loved looking around at all the props, especially the dozens of old antique chairs dangling from the ceiling.

Back at the Taylor's we ate delicious BBQ for dinner then drove back home.

Today we saw and did it all! First we went on a hike to the Hollywood sign.

Back in the car I gave Fox some oreos. He looked like he'd been kissing a pig!

For lunch we drove over to West LA and ate at Fat Sal's. We've been hyping this place up for months now and my parents didn't even get a "Fat" sandwich. Wah wah.

I got the same thing I get everytime - The Fat Texas BBQ: bbq pastrami brisket with chicken fingers, mozzarella sticks, bacon, sautéed onions, melted cheddar and mozzarella, fries, mayo, and honey bbq sauce, all on a garlic hero. And no the chicken fingers and fries aren't on the side - they're IN the sandwich! Soooo good.

We were all tired by then so we came home and took naps all around. Except Chris who doesn't nap... I was still fatigued so my parents took the metro into Union Station to walk around and see the sites while the Evans family stayed at home to recuperate more. When they came back we hopped in the car and drove to Galco's Soda Pop Stop.

We all chose two drinks and loved tasting them all.

Now we're home and watching the premier of Alcatraz!

So far so good. The music is IDENTICAL to LOST. And Fringe. That J.J. Abrams likes one kind of music and one kind of music only!

The One with Fox at 15 Months

2012-01-14T15:05:00.000-08:00

Another month has come and gone - making Fox 15 months old! These stats were taken last Saturday when we went to the doc to find out what was wrong with him (result: a pesky virus. He's all better now):

Length: 32" (50-75%)

Weight: 23.2 pounds (25-50%)

Head circumference: 19.25" (75-90%)

How has Fox grown and developed in the last thirty-some-odd days?

(This is the best "15 month" shot we got... keep reading...)

He said his first word (besides "uh oh"): "Shoes!" I'm a proud momma :) Except it sounds more like "eeesh!"

Sometimes I'll find him sitting in his room "reading" a book. It's pretty much the cutest thing in the world to see him turn the pages, point at things, and "talk." He really thinks he's reading!

Fox is still a picky eater. Finding things for him to eat for breakfast, lunch, and dinner is a challenge every day. He'll like something for 2-3 days then never eat it again. So we're trying and experimenting with lots of new foods.

A pacifier might as well be permanently glued in his mouth. This could be a problem.

He does this new corny laugh/smile where he throws his head back and opens his mouth real wide and laughs. Gotta get this one on video.

We went on the "big kid" swing for the first time the other day! He loves it.

He understands some things that we say to him. For example, I'll say, "Fox, go get your shoes!" then he'll go into his room and bring me a pair of shoes. Or I point at a toy and say, "Go get your toy!" and he'll get the one I'm pointing to. I'll say, "Go get a book and we'll turn the page!" and he'll bring me a book. I'll say, "It's bath time!" and he'll walk to the tub. Next step: Harvard.

We've watched Toy Story 13985719865 times. He loves it. It's the only thing that calmes him down during a meltdown.

He's in a bit of a rotten streak right now and screams and whines and bangs his head all the live long day. It's been a rough couple weeks, but hopefully he'll outgrow it soon.

Fox loves to be outside and exploring and prefers that to any of his toys.

We love you baby Fox!

The One with XCVI

2012-01-11T16:13:00.000-08:00

I'm working on a top secret project with Amy and today we got to "pull our wardrobe" (how official does that sound?!) from XCVI! She has all the hook ups. I met her at a big warehouse in downtown LA (thank goodness for GPS cuz I woulda been crazy lost) along with her Mommy.

We jumped right into it and started looking through racks and racks and aisles upon aisles of CLOTHES. Practically every girl's dream come true, no?

me + that gray jacket = love

We tried some things on and then while our items were being taken out of inventory I walked around to document the experience.

Sewers making samples.

The cutting room. (I have no idea what it's really called.)

Bolt of lace trim and a super old Singer sewing machine.

Copious amounts of colorful thread.

Lace, trims, and string, oh my!

More lace, more clothes.

A big ol' box of hangers.

Ad wall.

Zoomed out.

All checked out and ready to go!

I got two shirts, a pair of comfy pants, and shorts that aren't technically maternity but the stretchy waistband will come in mighty handy when I'm mighty pregnant this summer!

The summer 2012 collection from XCVI is full of so many awesome mix and match items (that are modest - bonus!). I'm a big fan!

Always fun times with Amy and Mommy!

The One with the Happiness Is... Layout

2012-01-10T06:00:00.000-08:00

The first page I've made in a long time went up on the AC blog yesterday!

HAPPINESS IS...

Journaling says: Happiness is... family, friends, food, love, new babies, sleeping in, scrapbooking, blogging, candy, movies, dates, bookbinding, new clothes, shopping, pets, Disneyland, jumping pics, sunshine, the internet, fruit, traveling, the gospel, bright colors, good books, beaches.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, patterned fabric paper, stickers (heart, letters), die cuts (banner, label, sentiment), pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo by QuicKutz

How to: The theme of the week is Inspired by Quilts so this is the one I found to "scraplift":

I created a template in Silhouette Studio and then die cut it dozens of times from patterned papers and cream cardstock. Download the original Silhouette Studio file I designed by clicking here! Or here is just one section you can print and use as a template by hand (repeat the shape over and over and over):

Then it was just a matter of piecing everything together on a kraft cardstock background. I replaced one of the circles with only cream pieces and then added a photo on top with pop dots. I stuck letter stickers around that circle for the title then wrote more things with a black pen around the inner circle. A few die cuts and a heart sticker finished it up!

I'm so glad to have a little bit of mojo back! I hope it lasts!

The One with 200 Days to Go

2012-01-09T17:18:00.000-08:00

11 weeks and 3 days down.

Only 200 days to go!

The One with Sunday Randoms

2012-01-08T15:14:00.000-08:00

1. Yesterday morning Fox woke up screaming at 5:30am with a 102 temperature. I booked the first available doctor's appointment. When she looked down his throat she saw white stuff on his tonsils. I immediately thought it was strep cuz we had been around someone with strep over Christmas (I'm not naming any names... Nick!). So she took a throat culture which turned out negative, which is good. But the bad news it's a virus so there's nothing we can do but pump him full of tylenol and give him all the snuggles he needs. It's hard to watch your baby be sick! My achey breaky heart.

2. Shut the front door, I actually scrapbooked today! Not only that, but I used my new Silhouette Cameo for the very first time! Thanks Santa - aka Dald :)

Work in progress.

Sneaky sneak.

The full layout will be up on the AC blog tomorrow so I can show it here on Tuesday.

3. Pregnancy cravings have hit me something fierce. I've been eating the strangest and grossest things. Like Beefaroni.

I only crave it when I'm preggo.

4. Is anyone planning to go to CHA in a couple weeks in Anaheim? (Bonus: the event is next door to Disneyland!)

I'll be working there Sunday, Monday, and Tuesday at the Amy Tangerine booth at American Crafts so if you're there make sure to stop by and say hi!

5. My parents are coming to town on Saturday! This will be the first time they've come since Fox's baby blessing over a year ago. We have some fun things planned which, of course, I'll blog about :)

6. The Bachelor started last Monday!

Ben F. isn't my cuppa tea, and that's totally fine, I'm just in it for the drama! I don't have a favorite gal so far, though I do think Jenna is a bit off her rocker... And why are all the freaky/mean/crazy contestants always from Utah???

I suppose that's it for now! Happy Sabbath!

The One with Chris Evans

2012-01-06T12:57:00.000-08:00

I'm married for time and all eternity to my best friend, Chris Evans.

Not to be confused with the actor, Chris Evans, who is becoming more and more well-known.
They do kinda sorta maybe have some facial similarities goin' on.

Chris Evans is becoming so "popular" in fact, that when we go out to eat places and they ask for our name and he says "Chris Evans" the person does a double-take to see if it's the Chris Evans. It's LA afterall! Stars live here!

438 other Chris Evans's also have this dilemma.

Personally, I think I got the better Chris Evans :)

PS - Thanks for the idea for this post Leslie!

The One with the 1 Pound Sugar Daddy

2012-01-04T19:19:00.000-08:00

My brother done and got me an awesome Christmas present: a one POUND Sugar Daddy.

Look at the size of this baby (I mean, Daddy) compared to my hand! And I have pretty freakishly big hands!

Come to mama :)

I'm a happy girl.

Thanks li'l bro!

The One with Dirty Diapers

2012-01-02T14:30:00.000-08:00

To all the mothers and fathers out there who are still changing diapers - what do you do with them? Cuz the diaper pail we have and use just ain't cuttin' it no mo':

The rancid smell is leaking through the cracks and stinking up our entire apartment and my sensitive pg nose can't take it anymore. Sorry for being dramatic :) Do you have a miracle diaper pail that actually locks the smell in? Or do you immediately throw them away in an outside garbage? We live on the second story so it'd take some extra effort for me to do that, but if that's the only solution then I'll do what I have to do.
Fill me in. Give me some tips/pointers/solutions.

Thanks,
Hypersensitive Nose in South Pasadena

The One with a Bun in the Oven!

2011-12-31T00:30:00.000-08:00

Wanna know the real reason for my laziness and lack of mojo and sleepiness and poopy blog posts lately?

THERE'S A BUN IN MY OVEN!

WE'RE EXPECTING!

I'M PG!

I'M KNOCKED UP!
I'M WITH CHILD!
SOON TO BE EVANS PARTY OF FOUR!
FOX IS GONNA BE A BIG BROTHER!

I'm 10 weeks and 1 day along. I feel like I'm already showing, though it must be taken into account that I never got back down to my pre-Fox-pregnancy weight and still sported a muffin top, I just ate dinner, I'm probably pushing it out unintentionally, and I'm bloated. The joys of the first trimester :)

I'm due July 27th 2012. That seems forever away still, but I know it'll go by fast chasing a toddler around.
I have been sooooooooo tired and unmotivated it's not even funny. I sleep most of the day as the Evans family can attest to after Christmas vacationing with me.
I haven't thrown up (yet). I didn't start vomitting with Fox until 10 weeks. So perhaps it'll still come. I hope not though.
I have major food aversions and cravings.
We had our first ultrasound the morning we flew to Colorado and got to hear the precious heartbeat, as pictured above.
We'll find out the gender around 20 weeks so in 2.5 months.

We already have names picked out (I hold nothing back :)
Girl: Jane Catherine Evans
Boy: Clark James Evans

We are extremely excited for this little miracle. We'd actually been trying to get pregnant for seven months (yes, we are soooo crazy). Every month when I took an early pg test and only one pink line showed instead of two I was heartbroken. But God had our best interests at heart because Fox and baby #2 will be 21.5 months apart which is about as close as I really want and can handle them. I'm grateful for the trial of learning to be patient and working on the Lord's timeline and not ours.

There you have it! I hope to be back to my regular happy, chipper, daily blogging self by the time the 2nd trimester rolls around in a few weeks!

And happy New Year's Eve - 2012 is going to be grand!

The One with 2012 Calendars Now Half Off!

2011-12-30T15:15:00.000-08:00

The New Year starts in just three days! In an effort to get rid of all the 2012 calendars I made, they are now 50% off the original price! For $6 (originally $12) you can own one of these beauties :)

Visit my etsy shop to get yours today!
(Wow I sound like a commercial or something...)

Now I need to go stop Fox from flushing the toilet over and over and over and pulling all the toilet paper off the roll. Silly boy.

The One with Christmas in Utah Days 1+2+3

2011-12-29T15:04:00.000-08:00

We got to Utah in the early evening Monday and after we settled at the Taylor's house I drove out to my favorite Thai food restaurant in Orem (Thai Drift) to pick up some curry. So good.

Tuesday all the Evans' went to do a session at the Salt Lake temple but I stayed behind to see family and go to a work party. First order of business: lunch at Noodles & Company. It's funny how vacations revolve around food. You gotta eat at your favorite places while you can!

I got buttered noodles and Fox got the Wisconsin mac and cheese.

He liked it a lot :)

Coming soon to Orem: J Dawgs! No way! This once little po-dunk stand at BYU is turning into a franchise! Come on over to LA!

I visited my Warner grandparents and admired the beautiful sunset across the Wasatch mountains and valley.

That night I went to the Northridge work party at the Riverwoods Country Club.

It was so serendipitous that I was in town for the occasion! It was SOOOO FUN to see all the people that I work with on a daily basis via emails and chat IN REAL LIFE. It had been YEARS since I'd seen Pam - the Editor in Chief - and Tammy - the Editor of the Cricut Mags - and all the photographers and designers and ad managers and everyone else who keeps the mags running. I can't believe how much this company has grown since I started working there six years ago. Everyone took up three entire rooms!

I sat next to my good friend Alisha and we chatted all night long. I love my co-workers :)

Wednesday morning was MTC day! Seven years ago Chris went into the MTC. That was one of the hardest days of my life. As you can see from my face.

In the morning Grandma Doris hosted a good-bye brunch for Nick. Afterwards we sat down and talked about this and that until it was time to go.

They don't do the drop-off and video and take their leisurely time like they used to. Ever since the Swine Flu epidemic a couple years ago you roll in, kick your kid to the curb, and say peace out - see you in two years! I actually like the process - quick and painless. Well. I guess it's not painless. Two years is a long time to not see your son/brother/friend.

We found a parking lot to stop and take some pictures before we dropped Nick off.

We drove into the MTC and were guided to a numbered spot. There a group of missionaries greeted Nick and helped unload his bags. I love this picture of Margi and her look of supreme adoration.

Saying goodbye to Pops.

Saying goodbye to Mom.

Bye Nick! Go forth and serve! See you in two years!

We went to the BYU Creamery on 9th after we dropped Nick off, took naps, and then said our goodbyes. We woke up at 3:30am and flew back home to LA.

We had a merry Christmas with family! Now it's back to the grindstone :)

The One with Christmas in Denver Days 3+4+5

2011-12-28T14:44:00.000-08:00

We're finally back to home-sweet-home so now it's time to play some major catch-up!

Christmas Eve-Eve we did some stuff. See that's the problem with not blogging everyday - I can't remember! And I was super bad at taking pictures so even that doesn't solve my problem. I think we went to the mall which was utter madness because everyone was buying last minute presents. Other than that we spent most of the day inside looking outside at the GORGEOUS snow-covered Denver metropolis.

Bethany and Peter brought some books to entertain Evelynd - one of them in particular Fox loved to bits.

On Christmas Eve Margi and Tom hosted their annual Nativity in the barn. Fox was the staring role of baby Jesus!
(Thanks to Jay for all of the following pictures.)

Friends and family and horses and dogs gathered in the Evans' barn to watch and behold a reenactment of the nativity.

Chris was Joseph and I was Mary and we swaddled baby Fox and laid him in a manger.

Throughout the night we would sing carols and Nick accompanied us on the piano.

Margi was the angel, naturally, and narrated the nativity.

Peter and Evelynd.

Bethany and Evelynd.

HANS.

Christmas morning we woke up bright and early!

Looks like Santa came to town!

We opened presents then ate a delicious breakfast of homemade cinnamon rolls and egg casserole.

Before we flew out to Colorado we had our own Christmas at home. We didn't want to haul all the presents out to Colorado just to bring them back. Goodness knows I'm not a light packer as it is - to add presents would just be the cherry on top! Fox doesn't quite 'get' opening presents, but he sure likes what's inside them!

His toys entertained him for about 5 minutes each then he wanted our cell phones.

Kids these days :)

Monday morning we packed up and drove to Utah. Our Christmas in Colorado was two-fold in purpose: enjoy time with family then take Nick to the Missionary Training Center where he will learn Spanish and then fly to Leon, Mexico to serve an LDS mission for two years!

The One with AWOL

2011-12-27T08:24:00.000-08:00

This is the first time I've touched a computer in 5 days. (That's gotta be some kind of world record for me.)

Vacations are nice.

Instead of blogging I've been napping.

Instead of tweeting I've been reading.

Instead of Facebooking with family and friends I've been seeing the actual faces of family and friends.

I'll play catch up in the near future when life has gone back to normal!

The One with Christmas in Denver Days 1+2

2011-12-22T20:02:00.000-08:00

We made it to Denver! As soon as we landed yesterday afternoon it started snowing and didn't stop until this afternoon. So. Much. Snow. We left sunny, warm SoCal wearing sandals and t-shirts and now we're dressed up like eskimos. But more about that later. First, traveling to Denver!

Fox was a good boy on the plane. He slept the first half and played in the empty seat between us the second half.

Margi and Tom's house is immaculately decorated for Christmas. It's so comfy cozy!

My mom made this nativity set! It's fun to have a little bit of home all the way in Colorado.

We took Fox out in the snow for the very first time.

He lasted for 30 seconds before he fell on his bum and started crying.
We'll try again tomorrow.

It truly is a winter wonderland here!

Hans the poodle watches more TV than all of the Evans' combined. What a funny dawg.

Christmas is in full swing!

The One with Currently Reading

2011-12-19T21:07:00.000-08:00

One of my 27 before I turn 27 goals is to read a book every month. So far so good!

June: The Book Thief by Markus Zusak

July: Pompeii by Robert Harris

August: The Lost Symbol by Dan Brown

September: The Hiding Place by Corrie Ten Boom

October: The Help by Kathryn Stockett

November: House Rules by Jodi Picoult

December: Ender's Game by Orson Scott Card

I enjoy most books I read. Likewise I enjoy most movies I see. I'm all about entertainment!
I don't really have a favorite genre - I'll read whatever anybody tells me is good! So if you have recommendations, speak now or forever hold your peace.

As for reviews, I'll leave that to my better half. He reads like it's nobody's business and writes stellar reviews of everything on his blog. His review of The Help will be posted Wednesday morning. I'm curious what he thought of it. I loved it!

Okay, I'm leaving the computer now to delve back into Ender's Game - I'm hooked! So much so, I'm really starting to like the name Ender... Adding it to "the master list".

The One with Answers

2011-12-18T20:29:00.000-08:00

You had questions, now I have answers!

Isha said: Where do you find your inspiration to create such beautiful cards and layouts?
Since I work at Scrapbook Trends magazine I'm blessed to be able to view hundreds, if not thousands of layouts on a monthly basis. I am inspired by so many people! If there is a layout I particularly love I'll save it in my "inspiration" folder and then when I'm about to scrap I'll print off those image and look at them while I'm creating and use bits and pieces from my favorites. Lately I've also found lots of fun patterns and techniques on Pinterest. And, last but not least, I subscribe to hundreds of fellow crafter's blogs and love getting my daily dose of inspiration from them!

Holly F. said: Miss Paige, I have always wondered what Chris thinks of all your craftiness. Is he tolerant, enthusiastically supportive, or a mix of both?
Chris has known from day one that I'm a crafty gal and has been completely and 100% enthusiastically supportive ever since. He's also an artist so he knows what it's like to make something from nothing and the feeling of accomplishment that goes along with it. He's my #1 fan :)

Melu103 said: Have you been outside the USA? If so, where?
I went to Canada once (or twice?) when I was a teenager with my family. I don't remember much about it... Then I did a study abroad to London when I was 20 and also got to travel to France, Spain, the Czech Republic, and Germany during that time.

Most recently we went on a cruise to Mexico. There are lots of other places we'd love to travel to someday, particularly Italy!

Camille said: How did you guys decide on the name Fox? (because I LOVE it)
Once upon a time there was a show called the X-Files and every Sunday night the entire fam would gather 'round the TV to watch it. That was when I first heard the name Fox - as in Fox Mulder.

I fell in love with the name and vowed that someday I'd have a son named Fox. 10 years later my wish came true!

Danielle said (PS - send me a link to your blog!): I was just curious if you will ever be teaching a book binding workshop in Utah?
We don't make it out to Utah very often (much to my chagrin!) - hopefully the next time will be in March for an annual bookbinding conference I attend with my grandpa. If enough interest is generated I'd love to teach one then!

Carolyn (my dear sweet mother) said: What do you love most about your mother? :)

Everything! Now that I'm a mother, I appreciate your role infinitely more. I love how you raised me and everything you taught me and I love all the traditions we share and the memories we've made and I love your personality and how I can talk to you about anything and our daily chats and on and on.

Here's another question: When are you going to have another baby? :)
All in good time Malm! How's that for vague? :)

Erin K said: Does being fantastically crafty pay OK?
I think so. It's just a matter of finding your niche and then getting noticed for what you do through blogger or facebook or twitter. All my jobs revolve around scrapbooking, which I love, so I'm so lucky to be able to get paid to do what I love! One of my favorite quotes growing up was "Choose a job you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life." I like to think I'm living that to the fullest!

Eliz Gardner said: I am wondering if you are a member of CHA and/or if you have had any fun experiences at any of the shows?
I've gone to the winter show in Anaheim or Los Angeles every year for the past four years either through American Crafts or Scrapbook Trends. The show in 2009 was definitely the most memorable cuz I was literally face-to-face with Paris Hilton.

She's on the left and I'm in the front row in the yellow on the right.

That's also when I met my fabulous friend Reyanna Klein :)

Tanya said: I know how much you love movies. What is your all time favorite movie?!
I actually have a blog post dedicated to just this! My all-time favorite movie is Elizabethtown.

There's not really a big plot line - it's mostly a series of sweet moments, each capped with the right song at the right time. The music is a really big part of my attraction to this movie. It's so different from anything I listen to on a regular basis - it's sort of folk/small town/country music. Also, the chemistry between Orlando Bloom (Drew Baylor from Oregon) and Kirsten Dunst (Claire Colburn from "Loo-uh-vul" Kentucky) particularly draws me in.I think part of me wants to live the "small town" life where everyone knows everyone, houses have picket fences and wrap-around porches, and you can hear crickets and see the stars at night. There's a lot of that stuff in this movie which is another reason I love it.There are also some really great quotes in the movie, such as: "If it wasn't this, it'd be something else." So true.This movie definitely doesn't appeal to everyone - I've recommended it to friends and family who watched it and weren't impressed. I guess I hyped it up too much. If you do decide to see it, make sure you can watch it all the way through with no distractions and in a quiet place where you can really get into the music.

Sandee said: I want to know how Joey is doing after his encounter the other day, and did those people ever apologize or anything?
That's so sweet of you to remember and ask! Joey is doing great. He's still a little sensitive when we touch him where he was bitten, but I'm sure in time that will pass. I haven't seen those people since, though I'm always on the lookout. It was right around Thanksgiving and I'd never seen them before so I'm thinking they were just visiting? I remember they called their dog Charlie though so if I ever see them again or a dog that looks similar I can ask if its name is Charlie and then let them have it!

Mdegraeve said: What made you decide to title your blogs with "the one with"?
We're big FRIENDS fans.

All of their episodes start with "The One with" or "The One when". In addition to naming our pets after FRIENDS characters (Joey the dog, Rachel the cat, Chandler the rabbit, Alice the finch (her mate was Frank Jr.), all of my blog posts start like that just to show my dedication to the best show ever!

Lauren (if you have a blog let me know and I'll link you up!) said: 1. Do you ever get to scrap 'just for you'? Messy. Simple. Whatever. Put it in a book and done. No scanning or photographs. Just for you.
Eh, not really. I'd like to think that I am scrapbooking for myself whenever I'm doing assignments though because I'm using pictures that I want to scrap and that's what it's all about - preserving my memorable pictures.
2. Where do you see yourself in 5 years? 10?
In five years we'll be towards the end of our 4 year commitment to the Army. Who knows where that will be! We'll find out next December. We're hoping for Germany or somewhere abroad. In 10 years we'd like to be settled in Texas. Or Washington. Or Colorado. Somewhere more towards the west coast just to be closer to family.
3. If money were not necessary, what is the one thing you would purchase for yourself? What would you do? What places would you visit? To whom/what org would you give?
That's lots of questions in a single question! I guess I'd buy a big fat diamond ring? Or a ginormous house? Or a nice car? We'd travel all over and document our adventures. And I'd donate to animal shelters :)

Rachel said: I always read your blog and think you look so much like Anne Hathaway! Do people tell you this in real life?

I've never been told that I look like Anne Hathaway! Back in high school I used to get told I looked like Julia Roberts. Must just be the brown hair and brown eyes.

Also, how many kids would you all like to have?
4 or 5.

Louella said: I have been thinking of bucket lists at the moment - so what's on your bucket list??
I have a 27 before 27 list that we're slowly ticking things off of! Here's the link to it: http://www.paigeandchris.com/2011/05/one-with-my-26th-birthday27-27.html

Luke and Court said: I'm into shampoo... what kind do you like? Do you use professional stuff or stuff from the grocery store?
I guess I'm boring and just go for whatever's cheapest at Costco! We switch it out every time (since the bottles are so big they last like 8 months) but it's never anything fancy.

Reyanna Klein said: I *totally* was going to ask you the baby question the other day. Because Fox is almost 15 months old... meaning, if you got pregnant next month, they would be two years apart. Just sayin... ;-)
People people people. We'll have more kids when we're good and ready!!! :)

Melissa said: Remember when we had you and Chris over for dinner a million years ago. What did you think of us? We didn't really know one another and sometimes I just think I'm a big awkward goober. I've always wondered what you thought about that night. Is that strange? You can be honest, no tears will be shed :)
You're so funny Melissa. We totally didn't think you were goobers. We're the goobers for not returning the favor and having you over for dinner! We thought your apartment was cute and the food was delicious and we loved learning more about how you two met and getting to know you better! I'm so glad you did invite us over and that you have a blog so I can keep up with your fascinating life!

Bethany said: I want to know why you think a cursive Q looks like a 2.
Award for the most random question goes to Bethany :) And I have no idea how to answer it!!

Natt Smith said: What do you usually do when you have creative block?
I get creative blocks every month. Right around the time of my monthly gift. TMI? Sorry. It must be the hormones or something but I always feel sooooo uncreative during that week! The best piece of advice I received recently which has really helped me whenever I'm feeling unmotivated or don't want to do something that needs to get done is this: do whatever it is you're dreading for 10 minutes and that's all the time it usually takes to "get into" it. Try it for 10 minutes. Works like a charm!
Who inspires you?
Soooo many people. Right now I'm loving what I'm seeing from my fellow AC and Hambly gal Corrie Jones. Just look at my loooong list of "Scrapbookers" links and that's who I admire. And then some :)
How many scrapbook layouts do you have ?
All my scrapbooks are in Fox's room and he's sleeping right now or else I'd actually count. I'm thinking hundreds though... I've been scrapping for 10 years now so I've built quite the collection!

Jennifer Sanborn said: Who's your favorite Disney character?
Oh this one's easy! Belle from Beauty and the Beast!

Why? Because the gal who plays the voice of her in the movies is named Paige. And she has brown hair and brown eyes just like me!

Meredith said: Since Joey was your baby before Fox, how did that adjustment go for Joey?
Joey was interested in Fox for like a half second and then he went and did his own thing. Now that Fox is older and walking they interact more and are best buddies. Shiba Inus are not known for being great with kids but when Joey was only 6 weeks old we started taking him to obedience classes and have always had him around people and other dogs which has shaped him into the gentle creature that he is today.

Tiffany! (if you have a blog let me know and I'll link you up!) said: What hair product do you use? Do you use a diffuser? Or are you blessed with gorgeous curls that just naturally air dry like that?
I never really paid much mind to my hair as a child. My mom would braid it once in awhile but other than that it just always hung there, straight as an arrow. When I hit puberty at 13 and actually started caring about my looks my hair went and got curly on me! (Same exact thing happened to my dad - his hair got curly at 13!) It took an entire year and like 365 days of ponytails to figure out what to do with it. Now my routine is always the same. I wash it and then lather gel (DEP brand strength 8) into it when it's wet then I let it air dry. Once in a blue moon I'll straighten it with a ceramic flat iron, but it takes forever and a day so I have to have lots of time on my hands. Which is rare. 9 out of 10 days I still wear it in a ponytail. I wish I knew how to do fun and creative things with my hair!

Joanne said: So I'm just wondering, what's your favorite layout of all time because you have so many awesome layouts.
My favorite layout is always changing as my style changes and new product is introduced. Once I create layouts I clip six of them up at a time on the wall and admire them for a few weeks until they're replaced with new layouts or I send them out for publication.

Savannah O'Gwynn said: I just want to know how you do it all?
I've always been super organized - I lined up all the pots and pans and utensils in the kitchen when I was just a wee baby. And I've always been super self motivated. I think those things combined helps me accomplish everything that I need to all in a day's work. Chris is so helpful and understanding of me and my jobs and watches Fox as soon as he gets home from school and all weekend. And he does all the cooking... During Fox's naps and after he goes to bed at 7 is when I get most things done. I make time to do things that I want and prioritize. I use Google Calendar and make lists for EVERYTHING. I get tons of satisfaction from crossing things off my list.
And I actually thought of this question last night while watching Toddlers and Tiaras (I know I know... I shouldn't watch that show - teaches the kids bad things) and thought, "I wonder if Paige would ever put Fox in a pageant show... he would totally win!"
After I saw this comment I googled "baby modeling in LA" and found dozens of websites. But that's just another "thing" that I can't take on right now, haha. If we're ever approached by a talent agent or something, heck yeah we're all for it, but making it happen ourselves isn't in our cards right now. I'm sure he'll be flattered someday by this :)

Lynley Jill said: So here's my question... I was on an in house design team for years at a well known company but we never got our names put on any of our work :( With years of experience but no name to show for it I can't seem to have any success getting published on my own. What tips do you have for being a successful/published stay at home scrapbooker?
That's so sad that your name wasn't attached to your work! That's half the fun of it! My tips for getting published: use great quality pictures, not blurry or dark ones but very professional and bright ones. Use current product. Take really good photos or scans of your layout. Submit submit submit! The more you submit, the more familiar your work becomes. Look at what's being published now - does your style match what's "in"? Try scraplifting a few of the layouts in recent magazines and see if you can incorporate the latest trends into your style.

Heather Leopard said: So this is The One with Would You Rather... Sky dive or scuba dive?

Scuba dive for sure. Just thinking about skydiving makes me have vertigo.

Go mutton bustin' or ride a bucking bronco?

Mutton bustin' cuz that sounds less painful than riding a bucking bronco.

Eat live scorpions or live roaches?

I'm not even gonna answer this one! Ewwww!!!

Nicole Martel said: How did you meet Chris? High school sweethearts?
I've blogged about this many-a-time cuz it's a story I love to tell :) Click on that link to read the entire story. But basically, in a nutshell, we met in 2006 when we were 18 as freshman in college in an art history class. Turns out we lived right across the street from each other. So convenient! We dated for 9 months, then he went on a mission to the Philippines for 2 years, he got back July 2006, we got engaged November 2006, and were married in May 2007. There's a lot more funny details in the long version though!

Heather said: How did you learn Morse Code?
I've actually blogged about this too - one of my very first posts! In high school we all had to do lengthy, extensive, ambitious senior projects. My dad suggest I get my ham radio license and I didn't have anything better in mind so that's what I did!

The 2nd best license (which was my goal for my senior project) required learning Morse Code. There were some simple programs available on the internet which helped me learn. My dad knows Morse Code so well it's scary so we'd pass notes back and forth in church all in Morse Code to help me practice before the test.

The One with the Hambly Design Team Blog Hop!

2011-12-17T00:01:00.000-08:00

Welcome to the Hambly Design Team Blog Hop!

We'd like to introduce you to the new design team members through a blog hop (and giveaway). Visit all 16 designer's blogs, where you can read a little bit about each member and see a project and/or tip about Hambly products. Leave a comment on each of their blog hop posts, then go to the Hambly Blog and leave comment. On Dec. 19th 2011 at 12 noon PST we will randomly pick and announce the winners on the Hambly Blog.

Angela Gutshall PA
Corrie Jones GA
Felicitas Klink Germany
Iris Babao Uy Philippines
Janna Werner Germany
Jaz Lee Soo Hui Singapore
Jennifer Rzasa MA
Karine Cazenave France
Kirsty Neale UK
Leeann Pearce Australia
Leah Farquharson FL
Maisa Mendonça Brazil
Marie Ramirez CA
Mou Saha FL
Paige Evans CA - you are here!
Pearl Lui NY

Here are 10 random facts about me:
1) I've been scrapbooking for a decade now, ever since my first job at a scrapbooking store when I was 16, and I think it's the best hobby on earth!
2) My favorite things to eat are Thai food and candy - any kind of curry and anything fruity and chewy!
3) In the 2+ years we've lived in Southern California, we've been to Disneyland 40 times...
4) We have a dog named Joey, a cat named Rachel, a rabbit named Chandler, a finch named Alice, and a chinchilla named Li'l Chinchilla. I really like, no, love animals.
5) I know Morse Code.
6) Apart from scrapbooking I also enjoy fine arts like painting and drawing, bookbinding, photography, and crafting.
7) I've eaten over 17,000 bowls of cereal in my life.
8) When I was little I wanted to be a veterinarian. After I failed my first chemistry class in college, I quickly changed career paths to Art Education.
9) I blog almost daily - it's my guilty pleasure and totally therapeutic!
10) Our son Fox is named after Fox Mulder of the X-Files.

Without further ado, here is my Hambly hop project:

RIVERWOODS MALL

Journaling says: The Riverwoods Mall is so much different than when we lived there! It's closed off and was completely festified for the holidays. Eric, Tanya, Allie, and our little family loved walking around and seeing all the twinkle lights and sparkly trees - we even went in Santa's house! Fox seemed to really enjoy it and even pointed at the bright trees. To top the night off we got the most delicious apples from Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory. I may have anew go-to flavor: peanut butter cups. It was a fun night with family.

How to: Cut a diamond out of chipboard then use it as a template to cut out dozens of diamonds from all kinds of Hambly papers, transparencies, and vellum. Arrange the diamonds into "snowflake" patterns on a lime green cardstock background. Apply snowflake rubs ons across the layout and top them with mini jewels. Sew around the snowflakes using white thread then write around the largest one using a black pen. Apply round rub ons to kraft cardstock, cut them out, and adhere them to the center of the snowflakes using pop dots. Place letter stickers around the rub ons to create a title. Add three photos to the bottom right corner, using pop dots under one of them.

Supplies: Patterned paper, patterned transparencies, patterned vellum, rub ons (doilies, snowflakes): Hambly Studios; Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Jewels: Pebbles; Letter and number stickers: October Afternoon; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

Thanks for "hopping" by!

The One with the Hambly Xmas Frame

2011-12-16T09:30:00.000-08:00

I've got my first tutorial on the Hambly blog today! It's an "XMAS" frame - perfect decor for the holiday season!

Make sure you visit the Hambly blog to see how to create it from start to finish.

Bonus - more Hambly tomorrow!

The One with Q&A

2011-12-15T11:27:00.001-08:00

My SIL is the inspiration for this post - she comes up with awesome blogging ideas so I'm totally copying her. Hey - that's the most sincere form of flattery right? (Well, let's not open up that can of worms with the bunch of creative types that read this blog :)

Do you have questions? I've got answers!

What do you want to know about me, my life, what I do, what I think, what I believe, ANYTHING, EVERYTHING - let's hear what you want to know! (Let's keep it PG though :) I'll do my best to answer every single question in a near future post. This oughta be fun!

The One with Fox at 14 Months

2011-12-14T16:40:00.000-08:00

It's Fox's golden month birthday! 14 months old on the 14th of the month!

Length: 32" (75-90%)

Weight: 23.2 pounds (25-50%)

Head circumference: 19.25" (90-95%)

So he's a tall skinny boy with a big head. People always ask if he's two years old. Nope, only 14 months. (Mystified looks from said persons. I don't know where he gets his tallness or bigheadedness from! I'm sure he'll even out eventually.)

As soon as he woke up from his nap today we took his 14 month pictures... sleepy much?

Queue cats meowing and dogs barking (also known as parents making obnoxious noises to get their kid to smile) - hey, it works!

We love that Fox can walk. It makes him seem like such a little grown up to have him meandering all around the apartment and he goes wherever he wants to go. He's a little person! We're still boggled that we're parents and we are to Fox what our parents are to us, if that makes sense.

It's been pretty cold outside lately but when we do venture outdoors the first thing he does is find a pair of leaves. He's O.B.S.E.S.S.E.D. with leaves! Why must he walk with them? Hopefully he can tell us one day.

When he drinks his bottle he lifts his pinkie finger like a little gentleman.

Fox has a built in radar that finds water of any kind - puddles, rivers, creeks, what have you. All he wants to do is splash and play in the water!

Fox does this new sad thing. TANTRUMS. When he doesn't get what he wants when he wants it he bangs his head on the ground or smacks his toys on his forehead repeatedly until we make him stop. The poor boy. Is this normal? His head is one big bruise :(

Not to mention he's always running into things. He needs whiskers like cats or something.

Fox gets his groove thang on now whenever music plays. He bounces up and down and bends his knees all cutely. I didn't even know knees could be cute! But Fox proves they definitely are.

Occasionally Fox walks backwards when he's being shy or cautious. It's the funniest thing to behold. He slowly, timidly, takes a step back. Then another step. Then another. Other times he spins in circles. He's learning how to use his feet in more ways than just forward motion.

Sleeping and eating habits are about the same from last month. He might be phasing out his morning nap. He goes a few days without one then takes it again for a few days. Afternoon naps are still in full swing though. Naps are good.

Fox can climb up and down from the couch! It's amazing that in just 14 short months he went from a helpless being to a full-fledged boy capable of so many things.

One thing is for sure - he's a handsome little boy!

Happy 14th on the 14th my little man!

The One with Christmas 2011 Family Photos

2011-12-12T18:04:00.001-08:00

We hired my friend Megan of Megan Papworth Photography to take our family pictures this past Saturday. 48 hours later and we already have an entire CD full of beautifully edited photos! Talk about a quick turnaround - which is so(OOOO!) much appreciated - now we can send out our Christmas cards before we leave for the holidays! We decided to take pictures at the Pasadena City Hall, which, if you're a fan of Parks & Rec, is the same building they show as the Pawnee City Hall. Megan showed up right on time - bonus points! Fox was a great baby for the first five minutes. Then it was all downhill from there. The only thing that would console him was his pacifier, and we didn't want it in the photos, so I'm pleasantly surprised that there are so many great photos of Fox and our fam without a paci and a smiling happy face! Another reason Megan's a great photographer - you'd never know we had a screaming, crying, temper-tantruming baby between takes, she managed to snap at the perfect opportune moments.

I'll never be able to pic a favorite... That's a good thing :)

Thanks so much Megan - you rock!

Christmas cards coming soon!!

The One with Scattered Sunday

2011-12-11T20:19:00.000-08:00

Maybe a whole bunch of nothings will add up to a something :)

Chris and I went on our first date in two months yesterday. TWO MONTHS PEOPLE. Why do I forget that there are these amazing things called babysitters? Chris was so nice and chivalrous and opened the car door for me and all. He's a keeper. We went and saw Arthur Christmas.

It was cute. I like a cute Christmas movie. And then we had some dinner at The Hat. The only thing that would take The Hat from a 9 to a 10 is if they had fry sauce - Utahns, you know what I'm talkin' about. Fry sauce is dabomb.

My mom just sent me a link to this Peppermint Popcorn Crunch. Does it look good, or does it look good?

What is it about December that makes peppermint a million times more appealing than any other month?

Rachel likes to find funny places to hang out sometimes. Like right under the Christmas tree.

Our Disneyland passes expired on the 7th - that year went by so fast!

We'll definitely renew them though - nothing can keep me from Disney!

Riddle me this: why was the South Pasadena High School Marching Band playing right outside a cigar store?

Nevertheless, they sounded great! It was just an odd location.

A real vintage photo of my little brother and sister sitting on Santa's lap circa 1993.

Where was I? The world may never know.

Mr. Fox's naps have been all over the place lately. I'll talk more about that on the 14th when he turns 14 months old - his golden monthiversary! We watched Fred Claus tonight over at the Millers (first time I'd seen it - thought it was hilarious!) and Fox conked out at about 6 cuz he was so tired. Doesn't he look ginormous?

And on that note - goodnight!

The One with Erica's Baby Shower

2011-12-10T19:15:00.000-08:00

My sweet friend Erica gave birth to twins - Benson and Tenley - on 11.11.11 (how COOL is that??) after being on bedrest at home for 6 weeks and then in the hospital for 4 weeks (and whenever I saw her she had a giant smile on her face - she is one amazing woman!). As of today the babies are still in the NICU, but they're doing great and hope to be home any day now! We postponed Erica's shower once because she was hospitalized, and we nearly had to cancel the second time because it was the night after the great and terrible windstorm and most of the guests were still without power. Luckily all's well that ends well and everything went smoothly and wonderfully.

My contribution to the shower: a homemade banner and balloons.

When Erica arrived she brought pictures of Benson and Tenley to hang up below the banner so everyone could "see" them.

We sort of had a "pop" theme going on and had popcorn and cake pops. And that's about all the "pop" related things :) Balloons pop?

Thanks Veronica for supplying lots of the food!

Cheryl made these cake pops and boy oh boy were they as delicious as they look!

She also made this handy dandy diaper cake!

Aaaand she made these favors! This girl is crafty. I gotta keep that in mind.

Prezzies!

My standard gift at every baby shower is a print of the baby's stats. Like so:

It was fun to watch Erica open TWOS of everything. One in pink and one in blue.

A few candid shots of friends.

Lots of preggo eggos! It never stops around here!

I can't wait to actually see your babies in real life Erica! You're superwoman!

The One with Blogging Mojo

2011-12-09T15:51:00.001-08:00

Whoever stole my blogging mojo, I'd like it returned stat please.

Reward is negotiable if returned in mint condition.

The One with Planning Our 2011 Christmas Card

2011-12-07T18:02:00.000-08:00

This year will be our third Christmas card! They might go out a little late, but better late than never! Here's the pic from our last two Christmas cards:

Christmas 2009. Joey was our baby.

Picture taken by the amazing Kate Hawkley.

Christmas 2010. Evans family of 3!

Picture taken by the one and only Amelia Lyon.

Which brings us to Christmas 2011. No photo yet! Our photoshoot is on Saturday with the uber talented Megan Papworth. It's happening, rain or shine, with or without Chris (whose finals and patient schedule keep gettin' in the way!) I'm so excited about getting our pictures taken together as a family professionally. It's been over a year!

And then there's the matter of picking a Christmas card... Do I go the pre-made route? Here are some of my favorites from tinyprints.com:

And another batch of my favorites from minted.com:

Pre-made Christmas cards aren't super cheap. So do I design my own and get them printed at Costco? I could probably easily replicate or use any of these as inspiration... Or if I want to be really ambitious I could make Christmas cards from scratch using scrapbooking supplies... Those would be free cuz I already have all the supplies, but it would require lots of precious time. Lots to think over, so stay tuned!

The One with How to Change Your Favicon

2011-12-06T13:08:00.000-08:00

The latest and greatest blogger feature - which more people are finding out about on their own but just in case you didn't know like I didn't until a couple weeks ago - changing your favicon! What's a favicon you ask? It's the small icon or image that appears next to your blog URL at the top of your web browser.

It also shows up in reader, bookmarks, certain phone apps, etc. It, like, defines you in a tiny little nutshell! They're super small so you have to think of/design something mini that you love and want to represent you. Mine is just a scripty "E" for Evans. I've seen hearts, stars, initials, orange slices, colored pencils, flowers, leaves... really anything is possible as long as it's visible at 16x16 pixels. So here's what you gotta do:

Go to your Blogger dashboard and click on Design.

Lo and behold, there's the new feature right there on the top left side under "Add and Arrange Page Elements"! Click on "Edit" by Favicon.

Choose the picture/image/logo that you've designed (make sure it's less than 100 kb) and save that baby!

Sometimes it takes a few days for the change to take effect, but patience is a virtue and soon enough your blog will be extra hip!

PS - Can I share a little toot? (As in, something I've accomplished, not flatulence :) - someone bought one of my calendars today and when I was writing the address on the envelope I noticed it was going to a suite called ETSY in Brooklyn, New York. I looked on Etsy for their contact info and it was the same address! Someone from Etsy bought one of my calendars! When I inquired further she said it's for a book club exchange. Feelin' pretty happy about that! I've got lots of calendars still in my etsy shop if you're interested. Anyways, that's my tooty-toot!

The One with Wrapping Presents

2011-12-04T09:41:00.000-08:00

Confession: I don't like wrapping presents.

(I heard you gasp out loud all the way over here!)

I know, you'd think I would, what's not to love with pretty paper and bows and ribbon and string? It goes hand-in-hand with scrapbooking, right? Kinda maybe sorta. But for me it's like cooking (which I also despise): you put so much time and effort into it only to be destroyed/consumed in a matter of minutes. I like making things that last a lifetime!

In an effort to get more into the holiday spirit, I've searched through Pinterest and Googled "wrapped presents" to see if I can turn my Grinch of an attitude into a new found love.

Let the wrapping begin!

The One with Christmas-time at Disneyland

2011-12-02T16:18:00.000-08:00

Here's the happy post that was supposed to be up yesterday, but then the scary windstorm sidetracked me.

Fox and I went to Disneyland Tuesday morning! Everything is decked out to the nines in Christmasness! What could be better than the most wonderful time of the year at the happiest place on earth? Not much, that's what :)

1. Happy Holidays to you too Disneyland!

2. The main entrance.

3. Ditto.

4. Pretty poinsettias.

1. The huge Christmas tree they set up every year.

2. Festive Main Street.

3. Cinderella's Castle. Must come back at nighttime to see it all lit up.

4. First ride of the day: Snow White.

1. 2nd ride - Pinocchio.

2. If you can't tell, I love pretty flowers.

3. Waiting for the Casey Jr. Train.

4. The Casey Jr. Train.

1. On the carousel.

2. Giddyup!

3. Mr. Toad's Wild Ride.

4. Part of Alice in Wonderland - I think it looks like a lovely watercolor.

1. Another Alice in Wonderland view.

2. It's a Small World!

3. Inside It's a Small World. This ride is one of the coolest things about Disney at Christmas.

4. The Enchanted Tiki Room.

1. Inside the Enchanted Tiki room. A few months ago I'd never been inside this attraction, now it's a must every visit!

2. There was no line at the Haunted Mansion! My lucky day!

3. Last ride of the day: Pirates of the Caribbean. It's been closed for a couple months now and try as I might I couldn't find anything new about the ride? Maybe they just gave it a good cleaning. Who knows.

4. The Blue Bayou restaurant inside Pirates. They've got good food.

It's always a fun time at Disneyland! Now we just have to go back when it's dark to see all the twinkle lights. And to see The World of Color light show. One of these days!

The One with the Wind Storm

2011-12-01T15:24:00.000-08:00

I've been MIA cuz of the terrible, horrible, nasty Santa Ana Winds that swept through our town and left it looking like a warzone. Our power is back on but our internet and cable are still out, so the power might as well not even be on haha. But thanks to extremely awesome modern technology I am using my phone as a wifi hot spot just so I can blog. That's how much I love blogging :)

I used to be afraid of the wind. Click on that link to read about how, when, why, etc. Let's just say, my fears that I thought I had squandered and squelched came back in all their mighty fury Wednesday night. Chris was trying to calm me down but it was really hard when I could barely hear him over the howling winds. We brought Fox in with us because I was afraid the lone palm tree in our front yard would blow over and land on his room. He wasn't sleeping very well between us though so we set up his pack'n'play in the living room where he slept like a baby the rest of the night, straight through the raging and noisy winds. Oh to be young and unaware.

We woke up Thursday morning, powerless, tired, and in awe at the disaster all around us. This is our front yard. It actually doesn't look too bad, just a few palm tree fronds and a smattering of leaves and debris.

In the back parking lot a few of our neighbor's screens had flown right off their sill.

I took a walk around the block to assess the damage and this is what I saw through my lense.

The Great Palm Tree Massacre of November 2011.

Finding beauty in all the sorrow: pretty and colorful leaves.

Our poor neighbors were trapped because they couldn't exit their driveway - a massive tree had blocked them in.

It's sad seeing all these trees that are decades older than most of us meet a sudden and tragic end.

The culprit of our power loss:

Luckily people were right on it sawing it apart and fixing the demolished and fallen lines.

I needed to run a few errands and just had to get out of my cold and dark apartment. The worst of it wasn't even in our neighborhood! Palm trees literally popped off their tops! I've never seen anything like this before!

So sad. I hope they have good insurance.

I spy a car completely entombed by a pine tree.

It's going to be awhile before everything gets back to normal. We really need to start growing and expanding our emergency supplies and food storage. Who knows when the next disaster could strike. I'm so glad that nothing more than our power/cable/internet went out. Counting our blessings.

The One with a Paige Rage

2011-11-30T07:17:00.001-08:00

Warning - here comes a little Paige Rage:

Dear seemingly super nice (but now I know better) couple who was taking their stupid dog for a walk yesterday morning: you owe us $300 in emergency vet bills and pills. Cash, check, money order, Paypal, we'll take whatever. Cuz when your dog got loose and attacked my dog, he bit him under his belly, not once, but twice, and made him bleed. You seriously need to change your definition of "oh he just wants to play." That's not playing. That's vicious attacking. Control your dog and get a tighter leash.

Sincerely,

Angry in South Pasadena

Okay. Rant over. Now we're off to Disneyland - which will make for a much happier post tomorrow :)

PS - Thanks for all your concern for Joey - he's doing okay, acting super weird and tired though. We're keeping our eyes on him. Hopefully he'll feel better and back to normal soon.

The One with the Rest of Thanksgiving Vacation

2011-11-29T08:57:00.000-08:00

These are just some pics from the rest of our Thanksgiving holiday.

I loved waking up and seeing Mt. Timpanogas every morning. One of the prettiest mountains in the world, IMHO.

Black Friday shopping.

My cousin and sister-in-law. I just love these girls.

My grandparent's have a sweet view of the Provo temple and surrounding city.

Fox mesmerized by his uncle and aunt.

Getting into mischief.

Are we a Mac family or what? It's hard to tell...

Joey Joey bo boey bo nana fanna fo foey. Me mi mo moey. Joey!

Grandpa Tedder the Gooder and Better and Joey relaxing and reading by the fire.

This single wreath made the entire room smell like Christmas! I love the smell of pine!

The anatomy of a tantrum. We'll talk more about this in his 14 month update in a couple weeks...

We opted to drive home later in the day instead of super early in the morning. We made the mistake of coming home when everyone else and their dogs were going back home too. Took 10.5 hours instead of 9. Which isn't too bad. But every minute counts!

Fox took a nap as soon as we started driving, woke up for a few hours, then fell asleep for the night. The problem though was he kept waking up and tried to roll over onto his stomach the way he sleeps in his crib but that couldn't happen. So. We haven't decided which way is better - early morning or late at night. Six of one, half dozen of the other. Undecided. Stalemate.

I'll save the best picture/story for last:

SANTA!!!

Instead of seeing Santa in the hospital like last Christmas, we actually lined up to see him. This was the one and only picture the photographer took. It couldn't be beat! I hope we can do this every year until he gets too big. I love making new traditions!

And that concludes our Thanksgiving festivities posts. Back to reality! Until Christmas vacation that is :)

The One with the Turkey Bowl 2011

2011-11-28T15:49:00.001-08:00

Last weekend we bundled up and went to the local junior high to watch Chris participate in the annual Turkey Bowl.

The teams were made up almost entirely of future dentists. Holy moly that's a lot of dentists! My teeth hurt just thinking about it!

They had to switch fields and go to the high school because soccer games were starting, so I ditched and went home, but it was fun while it lasted! Fox liked watching his daddy play.

I had no idea Chris even knew how to play football, let alone would lead his team to victory! That's my hubby :)

The One with the Christmas 2011 Wishlist

2011-11-27T08:50:00.000-08:00

Oooh it's been so nice not being at a computer 24/7! We're still in Utah - driving back today, but Fox is taking his first real nap this entire vacation so back to the computer I go :) I hope everyone had a lovely Thanksgiving and is now delving into the magic of Christmas. I for one have the Christmas music blasting through the radio non-stop and have watched more Christmas movies than I care to admit in just a few short days. What can I say, It's the most wonderful time of the year!

Dear Santa, if you could bring me a couple of these things, I promise to be a good girl all year long!

Harry Potter Page to Screen: The Complete Filmmaking Journey book. Who wouldn't want this book? That's the real question :)

An instax camera so I can take pictures and scrap them right then and there.

A new phone. I dropped two phones in less than two weeks (shame on me!) and the screens shattered to bits. I am currently using a phone that gets LCD screen shards stuck in my fingers as I drag my pointer across the screen... So yeah, I could really use one of these babies.

Just saw this neat gadget on Pinterest last night - you can make your own photowheel!

A Silhouette Cameo. Pretty self explanatory. I think this is on all scrapbooker's wishlist this year.

And last but certainly not least, I'd love to win tickets to one day of Ellen's 12 Days of Giveaways, natch. Crossing my fingers I haven't used up all my luck this year!

Note to Santa: I'll forgo all the presents and goodies and treats and sweets if I can just continue to have a healthy and happy family and continued success in school and work.

The One with Thanksgiving 2011

2011-11-24T21:56:00.000-08:00

Today was just how Thanksgiving should always be - full of food, friends, family, fun, laughter, lights, and lots of Christmas movies. We arrived at the Warners a little after 9am - just in time to watch the Macy's Thanksgiving Parade!

I brought Fox's bag-o-toys which kept him entertained for .02 seconds. He wants the TV 'motes, cameras, cell phones, and computers.

After the parade we headed outside to take pictures and set up Christmas lights. Provo is so beautiful.

Aunt Allie and Mr. Fox.

Baby Fox kisses!

Trimming the tree.

Eric's ultimate jumping photos. A+++

Joey wanted to come outside and play so badly! If he didn't run away and not come back when he's called we woulda...

Our little family on Thanksgiving Day 2011.

Did I mention Allie got engaged?

Kidding. She just tried Aunt Katy's ring on for size. Don't have a heart attack Malm :)

Joey got soooo much attention from all the wee little ones. He was a good doggie and kept his cool all day. The puppy training classes worked like a charm!

The feast began around 5pm.

The Taylors/Evans' had our own exclusive table. Wish you were here Malm and Dald!

Dinner fit for a king!

Finally it was dark enough to light up the masterpiece - aka the tree in the front yard.

Magnificent!

We packed up our messes and then drove to The Riverwoods Mall to see all the twinkle lights.

The original Taylor siblings.

This mall has changed so much since we moved to California two years ago - for the better! It's great!

I love the icicle lights on this tree.

Mr. Taylor and His Lady in Santa's House.

A picture of the entire group, except Fox. He got the shaft cuz he was down low.

Now that Thanksgiving is over it's time to devote our 100% attention to Christmas!

Fox loooooved the lights! You can see him pointing at this super bright tree.

Awestruck.

Then we came over to the Taylors and watched Four Christmases followed by Elf. The plan was to stay up til midnight to hit up the Black Friday sales at Target, but every party has a party pooper and that's why they invited me :) I'll just go in the morning. Next year I bet sales will start during Thanksgiving so it'll have to be changed to Black Thursday and then Black Wednesday and then Black Tuesday until "Black Friday" is in October.

Perfect Thanksgiving from beginning to end!

The One with Driving to Utah

2011-11-23T23:12:00.000-08:00

We made it to Utah!

We either wanted to drive overnight while Fox was sleeping or leave super early in hopes that he'd still sleep most of the way. Since neither of us can stay up past 11 without using toothpicks to hold our eyes open we decided to go with the early morning option. So we woke up this morning at 3am. Yup. 3am. Since I knew I had to wake up at an unseasonable hour I had a hard time falling asleep until 2am. Oh well. We got up, packed everything in the car, awoke the boy from his deep slumber, grabbed the dog from the comfort of his cozy bed, and off we went! Fox was totally awake for like an hour before he fell asleep for an hour.

A beautiful sunrise.

To pass the time we watched Home Alone 1 and 2.

We passed through Sin City around 7:30am.

It seems like all planes pass over Vegas to get to their final destination - the sky was completely filled with cloud streaks made from airplanes - so cool!

Awesome canyons.

Here you go Chris. Proof that there were spots where we could go 80mph.

At long last the Wasatch Mountains came into view! The end is in sight!

For the drive we brought a gazillion little toys and knick knacks (or snickers snackers as Gloria from Modern Family calls them) to keep Foxy entertained. Sometimes they worked, sometimes they didn't. Overall I'd say he was a pretty good boy. Towards the end he was sooo done but he gave up and went to sleep. He made himself comfortable, funny guy.

As we drove down Center Street we caught a glimpse of the new Tabernacle being turned into a temple.

We made it to the Warners around 2pm local time - 9 hours of driving.

I pretty much dropped off my stuff, kissed Chris and Fox goodbye, then Allie and Tanya and I were off to the American Crafts Warehouse Sale in American Fork.

There was so much more stuff than I could have ever imagined!

Ribbon galore!

An entire wall of Thickers! Heaven on earth!

We filled our cart (this was the damage from just the first two aisles...) and checked out.

I'm so tempted to go back! But I know I shouldn't... My wallet (and husband) will thank me later.

Back at the Warners, Allie helped cook dinner of twice baked potatoes and French dip.

They tasted as good as they look.

It was just like old times when we'd come over every Sunday for lunch!

Fox was so done with the day by 7pm.

We love Provo and are super glad to be back if only for a few days!

The One with The Twinery's Fan Celebration Winner

2011-11-22T06:46:00.000-08:00

Sometimes I get lucky :)

A couple weeks ago I won The Twinery's Fan Celebration Giveaway! Out of over 3000 entries my name was picked - woo-to-the-hoo! I got:

- 14 spools of baker's twine - one in each color they make

- $100 gift card to Michaels

- Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts book

The box came last week and Fox was just as excited as me to open it up!

Aren't they pretty?

I took a quick glance through the Martha Stewart's Handmade Holiday Crafts book and it's going to be my main source of entertainment on our 9 hour drive to Utah!

What a perfect way to start to the holidays! I'm pretty sure I'll be using baker's twine on nearly all of my projects from now until kingdom come cuz there's so much of it. Thank you thank you thank you Twinery!

The One with November 2011 American Crafts Layouts

2011-11-21T07:41:00.000-08:00

Here are my two monthly creations for American Crafts!

FIRST 12 MONTHS

Journaling says: My dear Baby Fox - you are not a baby anymore! These pictures are proof of the big boy we've watched grow and love more than words can express. Every month just keeps getting more fun. Every age is my new favorite. I love looking back through your newborn photos and remembering how small you were. It is so fun to be your mother and teach you things and see you learn and develop. You're walking and nearly running! My how babies grow up fast! I love you Fox!

How to: The inspiration for this layout comes from this quilt from the Moda Bake Shop:

To create the circles, I had to design a 2 3/4" circle template in Adobe Illustrator and then printed it out (this is actual size if you want to print and use it yourself).

Then I cut out just the inside part, placed it over a 2 3/4" circle of cardstock, added glue to the empty spots, placed patterned paper circles over the glue (each circle punched from patterned paper is 2 1/8"), then trimmed the excess.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, tearaway strip, epoxy brads, chipboard label, tags, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Baker's twine: The Twinery; Stickers: American Crafts (foam numbers), Cosmo Cricket (mini alphabet), Making Memories (numbers); Spray mist: Studio Calico; Circle cutter: Martha Stewart Crafts; Punches: Fiskars (corner rounder), Martha Stewart Crafts (pinked circle), Marvy Uchida (circle)

FAVORITE PHOTOS

How to: The inspiration for this layout came from a bench that my dad made and weaved himself:

It's a different pattern than I've ever tried before - usually I just go over under over under, but this one is three over, three under, repeat. I sewed around and around and around the strips in concentric squares - or really more like a square-shaped spiral. Gives it that quilt look I love! I definitely don't feel like this layout is finished, but I'm afraid to add anything else because it's already so busy and I don't want to cover up any more of the weaving. It's a dilemma.

Supplies: Cardstock, tearaway strips, foam letter stickers, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Floss: DMC; Chipboard borders: Crate Paper; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

The One with the Bling Bat Mitzvah

2011-11-20T08:24:00.000-08:00

First, I picked a random winner for one of my calendars - congrats Kelly!:

I hope everyone gets what they want from Santa this year :)

PS - I've reduced the price of the calendars from $12 to $10 and you can still use a 10% coupon by typing in EARLYBIRD during check out. Merry Christmas!

So last night I worked at another Bat Mitzvah! This one was at a Four Seasons hotel and the theme was "bling".

And it was blinged out something fierce!

Glitter (aka the herpes of the scrapbooking world :) was all over the tables!

The biggest crystal chandelier I've ever seen.

My favorite part was the crystal bead "wall".

The brought-in dance floor. Every bar/bat mitzvah has one of these babies!

Chillaxing space.

One of the many food tables before the food was there.

The hotel was huuuge. I could have gotten lost a million times over.

My favorite element was this built-in-the-wall fish tank.

All the vendors were set up in this hallway.

Here's the photo area and my scrapbook table.

My scrapbook nook up close.

There was also jewel tattoos and crystal hair extensions.

A virtual video game thingy.

And an oxygen bar. Don't ask me, I have nooooo idea.

I started with 48 pre-made pages and by the end of the night after gluing in photos and embellishments the album was complete!

Success :)

Instead of getting henna tattooed and feathered I got bejeweled and frosted!

Probably one of my top favorite bat mitzahs. I love me some bling!

And, just so I remember to ALWAYS check traffic before I head home... in good ol' LA style it took 2 hours to get back instead of 45 minutes. There was an accident so it literally took an hour to go one mile.

Supposedly no one was hurt but the car that rolled over sure looked like a mess...

Anyways, what a fun night - these parties always are!

The One with Breaking Dawn Part 1

2011-11-18T14:58:00.000-08:00

A few weeks ago V and I went and saw a scary movie and while I was buying tickets the cashier asked if I was interested in purchasing tickets for an 8pm 1-day early showing of Breaking Dawn? That's like asking if I'm addicted to scrapbooking - a big resounding yes!!! So together we got 16 tickets for us and our friends - goodness knows there are some major Twihards around here!

At long last the night arrived. Not wanting to end up in the front row, V and I left at 5:15pm to get in line. We sat outside on our bums until 6:45 and chitted and chatted and got super psyched for the movie.

Once they let us in the theater we literally dove into two rows and practically stripped off all our clothes and belongings to save 16 seats. There were sweaters and purses and shoes and snacks all over!

Some kid was shining a stupid laser at the screen during the previews, but V stepped it up and told him to put it away or else. You go girl :)

After what seems like an hour of previews (though, there are some hopefully great movies coming out soon!), the show began.

I went in with zero expectations. Breaking Dawn is definitely my least favorite of the series so I didn't have high hopes for the movie. But I must say it was super entertaining. I laughed a lot (Charlie's reactions to things and Jessica's wedding speech). I almost cried (Bella and Edward "hearing" the baby and Jacob imprinting - which I thought was going to be super awkward but it was actually awesome) and I thought WTH a few times (the wolves "talking" to each other - SO WEIRD!). I was super impressed with Kristen Stewart's acting. She really nailed the feelings and emotions of pregnancy, even though hers went ultra fast. The way they made her look so sick and emaciated was brilliant. Edward is still fugly. I'm sorry, but Robert Pattinson just doesn't do it for me in the slightest. I'm totally team Jacob in the movies. I love how it ended and I love how graphic they got during the birth. I'm all about the supernatural :)

Afterwards we all lined up for a photo op with the display boards.

Twas a fun evening with the gals!

Now we just have to wait an ENTIRE YEAR for the second half!

PS - Chris totally ditched me this morning at 8:45am to go see it with one of his buddies. Is that hilarious or what?

The One with the Studio Calico Spotlight!

2011-11-17T04:50:00.000-08:00

I'm so tickled to be the November Member Spotlight on Studio Calico :)

Here is a layout I made just for the occasion using the Field Guide kit:

UNDERWOOD FAMILY FARMS

Journaling says: One day in October the South Pas moms all drove out to Simi Valley to check out Underwood Family Farms. There was so much to do! We could have spent all day there. Fox loved the pumpkins.

Tip: To make the leaves I punched tons of little diamonds from every patterned paper in the Studio Calico Field Guide kit. I arranged them in a sort of leaf pattern on a transparency so I could move them around easily. I added some stitching to make them look more like leaves and then they became the focal point of my layout!

Supplies: Cardstock, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: American Crafts, Basic Grey, Crate Paper, Echo Park Paper Co., Fancy Pants Designs, Lily Bee Design, My Mind's Eye, October Afternoon, Pebbles, Sassafras, Studio Calico, We R Memory Keepers; Epoxy brads: Basic Grey; Shipping tag: Avery; Stickers: Basic Grey (letters, numbers), Jillibean Soup (labels, sentiment); Chipboard butterflies, journaling spot, washi tape, arrow stamp, spray mist, kit (Field Guide): Studio Calico; Ink: StazOn; Diamond punch: Punch Bunch; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

Here's a little Q&A I did for the spotlight:

When did you start scrapbooking and what got you started?

I started scrapbooking when I was 16 and got my very first job at a scrapbooking store (it wasn’t even my first choice for a job but boy am I glad it worked out the way it did!). My life has revolved around scrapbooking ever since! I worked there (Yesterday’s Scrapbooking & Stuff) until I left for college and got a job at Pebbles In My Pocket, then I started working for Northridge Publishing (they publish Scrapbook Trends, CARDS, the Create: series, Simply Handmade, Bead Trends, and the new Cricut Mags) where I still work for from home going on 6 years now; I was an In House Scrapbooker/Product Designer for American Crafts for 20 months and now I’m their Blog Hostess and Design Team Manager. I also had a brief stint at Archiver’s. My how 10 years of scrapbooking has flown by!

What are your top 5 favorite products and why?

#1 – patterned paper because there are unlimited choices and I love all the things that can be created with it.

#2 – fabric brads because they can be incorporated onto pretty much any project and I love the bit of texture and pop of color they add.

#3 – Bits decorative tags by American Crafts because they’re the perfect blend of design and cuteness.

#4 – punches because they can be used in so many different ways over and over again.

#5 – my sewing machine because it gives all my projects that perfect finishing touch and I love the “homemade/homespun” look.

What is your favorite Studio Calico product and why?

I know I’m going to sound like a broken record here, but the patterned paper is my favorite! Every piece is usable!

What is your favorite go-to or signature technique?

Because I love using lots of different patterned papers on my layouts and projects any kind of paper technique where I can show off as much patterned paper as possible is okay in my book!

Where do you find your inspiration?

Recently – Pinterest! Also magazines like Scrapbook Trends, CARDS, Simply Handmade, Cricut… wink wink

What is your favorite color and/or color combo?

Does rainbow count as a color? I’m all about bright, happy, and fun color combos!

Tell us a bit about your design process.

I start with a super simple sketch of what I have in mind. Usually it involves a lot of patterned paper so I’ll choose my papers based on the colors of the photo/s and then cut into them to make the embellishments or background. I don’t adhere anything until I’ve figured out the placement. Lots of times I step away from my projects and come back several hours later when new inspiration comes to mind.

Tell us a bit about what else you do since we know you are creative in more ways than just scrapbooking.

I’ve been a mommy for just over a year now so that takes up most of my time! I also love to bookbind, dabble in fine arts like painting and drawing, and home décor projects are always fun. Someday I’d like to get back into the design aspect of scrapbooking. There’s nothing like seeing products you’ve designed in stores or on layouts of friends in this awesome community!

The One with 2012 Calendars Now On Sale! (+Giveaway & Discount Code)

2011-11-16T10:21:00.000-08:00

Season's greetings!

I just listed (20) of these 2012 bold, bright, graphic, and fun 5x7" desktop calendars in my etsy shop!

They're printed on 110lb white cardstock and they'll spruce up your workspace or desktop all year long!

Here are a few closer views of four of the months:

(note: these are 2010 calendar images but all the dates are correct on the 2012 calendars)

I have a special deal for my blog readers: type in the coupon code EARLYBIRD for 10% off your purchase in my etsy shop!

For a chance to win one of these handmade calendars for free leave a comment on this post and let me know what you want Santa to bring you for Christmas! I'll pick a winner Saturday morning (11.19.11).

Have a holly jolly day!

The One with Another Batch of CARDS Challenge Cards

2011-11-16T08:48:00.000-08:00

Here's another batch of cards I created for CARDS Challenges on the Create: blog!

Challenge for 11.17.11 - Washi Tape

BLISSFUL CARD

How to: Punch a partial scalloped border from the top left corner of a robin's egg blue cardstock base. Sew a border around the edges using white thread. Tie a piece of green baker's twine in a bow around the ends of three pieces of ribbon (pink pom-pom, yellow polka dot, and aqua felt ric rac) then adhere the entire piece to the bottom of the card. Place a dimensional sentiment sticker above the bow. Glue three pre-made washi tape flowers to the ends of the ribbon.

Supplies: Cardstock, pearl brads, ribbon, dimensional sentiment sticker, adhesive: American Crafts; Washi tape flowers: Handmade by Chin Pooi; Baker's twine: The Twinery; Scalloped border punch: Fiskars; Sewing machine: Brother; Thread: Coats & Clark

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Challenge for 11.24.11 - Thanksgiving Cards

HAPPY TURKEY DAY CARD

How to: Cut a curved banner from kraft cardstock, draw a border around the edges with a brown pen, place a yellow mini alphabet stickers across it to make a sentiment, then adhere the banner with pop dots across the top of a cream cardstock base. Hand cut four leaves from fall colored patterned papers then adhere them in a curve across the bottom of the card. Place five fall colored paper leaves below the patterned paper leaves and then add a row of leaf stickers. Place a dimensional turkey sticker on the bottom middle so all the leaves look like tail feathers.

Supplies: Cardstock, patterned paper, stickers (dimensional turkey, leaves), paper leaves, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket

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Challenge for 12.2.11 - Christmas cards with non-traditional Christmas colors

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

How to: Trim about (35) 1" strips of patterned paper then roll them into tubes. Punch a scalloped circle from white cardstock then glue the paper rolls around the edge of the circle to make a wreath shape. Place a blue accordion paper flower in the middle (take off the button that comes on top of it). Make a banner from white cardstock, draw around the edges with a pencil, then write "merry christmas" with a brown pen across it; adhere the banner to the middle of the card. Cut a snowflake sticker in half and tuck the pieces behind the banner. Stick a silver glittered berry sprig behind the to left edge of the accordion paper flower.

Supplies: Cardstock, snowflake sticker, accordion paper flower, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: American Crafts, Basic Grey, Crate Paper, Making Memories, My Mind's Eye, October Afternoon, Studio Calico; Berry sprig: Target Dollar Spot; Pencil: Bic; Scalloped circle punch: Marvy Uchida

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Challenge for 12.8.11 - Christmas cards

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

How to: Weave ten pieces of ribbon/trim/tinsel/pipecleaner across a white cardstock card base (five vertical and five horizontal). Place a doily die cut on the bottom right corner and add a dimensional bird sticker on top. Type a sentiment onto creamed line paper, cut it into strips, then adhere them next to the bird.

Supplies: Cardstock, dimensional bird sticker, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: Scenic Route Paper Co.; Ribbon: American Crafts, Pebbles; Doily die cut: Martha Stewart Crafts; Typewriter: Smith Corona

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Challenge for 12.15.11 - Christmas trees

MERRY CHRISTMAS CARD

How to: Punch (56) diamonds from green patterned papers and cardstock, (1) diamond from yellow patterned paper, and (3) diamonds from brown patterned paper. On a kraft cardstock base, adhere the yellow diamond at the top using a pop dot then adhere the green diamonds in ascending rows all the way to the bottom. Adhere the three brown diamonds at the base for a trunk. Remove a few of the diamonds and re-attach them with pop dots for dimension. Sprinkle red pearls across the tree for ornaments. Make a sentiment across the middle using cream/black alphabet stickers. Trim a doily die cut into two pieces and adhere them on the top right and left edges; trim the excess. Use a pounce wheel tool around the edges of the card, skipping over the doily pieces.

Supplies: Cardstock, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper: American Crafts, My Mind's Eye, Studio Calico; Pearls: Pebbles; Doily die cut: Martha Stewart Crafts; Alphabet stickers: Cosmo Cricket; Pounce wheel tool: Making Memories; Diamond punch: Punch Bunch

The One with the 2011-2012 Hambly Design Team

2011-11-15T06:31:00.000-08:00

I woke up to some awesome news! I'm on the Hambly Design Team for 2011-2012!

Angela Gutshall PA

Corrie Jones GA

Felicitas Klink Germany

Iris Babao Uy Philippines

Janna Werner Germany

Jaz Lee Soo Hui Singapore

Jennifer Rzasa MA

Karine Cazenave France

Kirsty Neale UK

Leeann Pearce Australia

Leah Farquharson FL

Maisa Mendonça Brazil

Marie Ramirez CA

Mou Saha FL

Paige Evans CA - meeee!

Pearl Lui NY

I thought invitation to be on the team emails would have gone out before the announcement so I had long given up hope - so imagine my surprise when I saw my name amongst so many amazingly talented women this morning! Made my day - my week - my month - my year!

Here are some layouts that I did for my guest design spot for Hambly way back in April of 2010:

I'm so excited to be on this team and get to know all these women better and showcase Hambly products for an entire year!

The One with Fox at 13 Months

2011-11-14T07:57:00.001-08:00

I was going to stop doing these but Chris asked why? And I couldn't think of a reason so on we go! Here is Fox at 13 months:

Length: 31" (50-75%)

Weight: 22.5 pounds (25-50%)

Head circumference: 19" (75-90%)

Same ol' same ol'.

I tried taking pictures in his chair like usual.

I took two or three before he said peace out and slid off the chair.

That in and of itself is a milestone. He's learning about heights and the consequences of what happens when he falls and learning to get down from the couch and chairs on his own.

The biggest milestone this month? FOX CAN WALK! Inside, he usually likes me to walk around with my hand in his, but once we go outside he forgets his crutch and off he goes! He's a funny guy though, the first thing he does is find a pair of leaves so he can hold one in each hand while he walks.

If he falls down on his bum while walking it's game over and he'll just start crawling wher'er he wants. But he's learning to bend over and pick things up and use his leg muscles to stand back up.

We haven't given him a haircut yet. I dreading it! I love his curls! Even if they are a bit out of control...

He's now in a big boy booster seat! I love being able to see his cute face from the rearview mirror and I think he likes facing forward.

He will try to eat any red or green thing he finds outside. Why only red and green? He loves berries of any kind. Especially blackberries.

This boy LOVES splashing in puddles. He reserves a special "stomp stomp stomp" action for puddles. I need to take a video of it cuz it's quite comical.

He still sucks on pacifiers and we haven't switched over to sippy cups... We're working on it.

Fox is a mama's boy. Wowzers he is clingy to me! He must be holding onto me or within my eyesight at all times and in all things and in all places or it's over man. Let the waterworks and shrieks and shrills begin. Naps are my saving grace. He still takes one in the morning and one in the afternoon and sleeps from 7pm-6am.

He's a picky eater. We've tried lots of different things but he still only prefers certain things. He likes goldfish, peas, string cheese, hot dogs, berries, green beans, chicken, and french fries. He refuses to try eggs or bread or pizza or anything we eat. So we're still feeding him baby food so at least he's getting some nutritious foods.

It's so fun to watch him grow up and explore the world and become interested in things and more independent. Love you Fox Thomas!

The One with the American Crafts 2011 Warehouse Sale

2011-11-13T19:57:00.000-08:00

On an excitement scale of 1-10 I'm a 100 about this:

We're going to Utah for Thanksgiving which means I'll be able to go!

Seriously people, there are some AWESOME deals at this warehouse sale. You'll find things you never knew you even needed :)

Please leave some stuff for me!

The One with Coming Soon: 2012 Calendar

2011-11-12T18:38:00.000-08:00

If all goes according to plan I'll have a whole sleigh full of designed-by-me 2012 calendars available in my Etsy shop on Tuesday!

I have an appointment to print them all on Monday night then after I cut them out into the shop they go, so keep a weather eye out! They make the perfect Christmas present, wink wink :)

The One with Craft Beach Retreat = Success!

2011-11-11T21:36:00.000-08:00

Preamble to today's post: At 11:11am today, 11.11.11, I was hanging out with my two favorite people:

Nothing special, but it's the everyday moments like this that make life worth living :)

Shortly after 11:11 I left to go teach at the Craft Beach Retreat in Santa Monica. It was a perfect day when I arrived.

The event was right on the beach at the Annenberg Community Beach House.

Every seat in the class looked out the window onto the beautiful beach.

VIP!

I love the feeling of sand between my toes.

Ready to get my teach on!

Ly T. Le was finishing up her amazing class when I arrived. Isn't this altered tray incredible? I want to make one.

Some close up shots of all the little charms and embellies involved in the tray.

Product galore!

Lunch is served!

At 1pm my class began. The women were all so nice and involved and talented - I loved when they did things their own way.

Paper and ribbon weaving!

This wasn't posed at all... okay, it totally was.

The participants crafting away!

Over the course of my class the clouds rolled in and it started raining a little bit. I loved the cloud formations and all the different colors of them.

Thanks for coming out to take my class Joanne!

I couldn't leave without walking along the boardwalk and taking all the scenery in.

The class was a success. I hope to teach more in the future cuz I had a blast!

The One with Redmond Days 6 and 7

2011-11-10T18:29:00.000-08:00

First - the winner of Kelly's Sketchpad Class is (drumroll please):

Wendi Robinson! Congrats Wendi! Email me at paigetaylorevans at gmail dot com and I'll have Kelly hook you up.

Onto the post:

I'm baaaaack! (In LA that is). Hopefully daily posts will start up again now that I'm in my routine. I had such a blast at home. I can't believe how fast it went! Here's what happened the last couple days:

Fox has been waking up between 4 and 5am the entire trip. Try explaining Daylight Savings to a 1 year old. He doesn't quite grasp it.

My dad wasn't feeling too hot yesterday so he worked from home. For lunch we went to the one and only (well, technically there are two now, but both are in Seattle) Mae Phim! No trip home is complete without eating at Mae Phim. It's only the best Thai food in the world. We drove across the 520 floating bridge to get into Seattle.

I would love to live in a house on the edge of a lake some day. I don't think I'd ever tire of the views of rippling and reflective water.

Hello Seattle!

We drove right by the Columbia Tower on our way to Mae Phim. I've only been to the top of it once and I really want to go again! Hopefully next time.

We found a primo parking spot then walked to the hole-in-the-wall restaurant known as Mae Phim.

My dad served his mission in Thailand so he likes to order in Thai. It always catches the employees off-guard and I smile. That's my dad!

I order the same exact meal every time (why change a good thing?) - the #14 Mae Phim Special: chicken sauteed in yellow curry sauce with cashew nuts, bell peppers, and onions. Hold the bell peppers.

Sooooooo good.

While I was in el bano Dald snapped a pic of Foxy.

After lunch we walked down the street so I could take a few pictures of this beautiful vine-covered building.

Had to take a picture of Grandpa Tom and Fox in front of this painted mural!

Mt. Rainier. So majestic.

While Fox was taking his afternoon nap I walked around the house, camera in hand. Timothy the tarantula is alive and well.

My dad's ham radio collection is still growing. He needs more radios like I need more shoes!

My parents just finished painting all the white walls bluish gray. The entire house feels warm and cozy now.

Note to self: Try paperweaving scrapbooking paper strips like this bench my dad made:

Fox woke up at 4:30 this morning (heaven help me) and we finished packing and were on our way to the airport by 7:30am. I found a playroom for him to, well, play in!

(I tried not to think about the germs... thank goodness for hand sanitizer!)

We boarded the plane and settled in for our 4.5 hour flight - should only be 3 hours, but there are no direct flights from Seattle to LA on Southwest. We made a pit stop in Salt Lake City. I wanted to get off so badly! Oh well, we're going there in just a couple weeks for Thanksgiving. Poor Fox has a cold so he has to breathe through his mouth and that's why it's always open in recent pics.

A nice lady gave him a sucker to help with ear pressure.

Of course he was awake the entire two flights until the very last 10 minutes. That boy. He's a nutter.

Tomorrow I'm teaching at the CRAFT Beach Retreat! Should be full of kicks and jollies!