He Sits

We've only had a few minor head bangs while Weston has been practicing his new trick... he sits!!

Pleasanton Parade and Tree Lighting

Last Friday Pleasanton had their annual tree lighting and parade... who knew?? We met up with the Zalewski's to enjoy the festivities while braving the cold {don't we live in California to avoid these type of temperatures?)

And about the parade... it's no Macy's Day parade. Basically it involves a lot of old cars, boy scouts, girl scouts, and Pleasanton folk. You really need to see it if you haven't.

See, all you need is an old car and a strand of lights to participate.

An old inner tube, mop, and Santa hat will get you in too.

My favorite was the scene from A Christmas Story. What you can't see is the leg lamp in the back of the truck. It seriously was spot on and hilarious!!

Weston loved the lights, music, and all the action.

And after 2 long hours on the cement ground Santa FINALLY showed his face. Merry Christmas!!

Swinging

I'm a little bummed out it is getting so cold because Weston and I have discovered the park. He loves to swing and he cracks up when I push him high. Pushing him brought back memories of my childhood swing set and the hours I spent playing on it. I remember pumping so high that I could only see the sky. Oh the memories.

Turkey Pot Pie

Pretty sure we made enough food for five Thanksgivings. And lets be honest, how much longer after Thanksgiving do you still want to eat leftovers? To clean out my fridge before I began tossing things... I made turkey pot pie. I had everything in my fridge from Thanksgiving and The Pioneer Woman's recipes are so good!

(image via The Pioneer Woman)

Christmas Wreath

I used to be in a berry kick for Christmas decor and I decided to switch things up a bit last year. Now I'm loving everything in pine, greens, silvers, and a bit of purple. I think it is all looking pretty cute and I definitely need to add to the collection this year. Good thing I'll be in Utah the day after Christmas... Tai Pan here I come. Extra suitcase will be a must.

I've been looking for the perfect wreath and I loved this moss wreath I spotted on Martha Stewart. I was determined to make it and then I got real. Where do you buy moss around here and I'm sure it would cost a million dollars to cover a wreath in moss.

So I found new inspiration here and made this wreath last night.

I found my wreath 50% off at Richard's (I LOVE that store) and bought 4 boxes of bulbs at Walmart. Total cost was $22... a steal of a deal.

Back To Tummy

One day he can't, the next day he can.

Thanksgiving '09

We had Cameron's mom, Preston (brother), and Hilarry (sis-in-law) here for Thanksgiving. We had such a fun weekend and we are all pretty sure we don't need to eat again for at least a month. Holidays are bad news.

As for Thanksgiving... I'm not going to say that I loved dealing with a 22-pound raw turkey. Doing the pre-turkey prep made me consider going vegetarian for a few seconds. Gross. But the finished bird was pretty dang good.

Preston gave Cameron a few carving lessons which didn't go over too well considering our VERY dull knives.

We went buffet style to serve the food mainly because I didn't want to wash all the serving bowls. Lazy, I know. The food was delish and all the recipes I tried out were successes {lucky for me}. A few of my favorites were the cranberry sauce and gravy. Weird, I know... but I usually hate both of those but I liked them this year.

My "what are you grateful for" response was easy this year...

The rest of the weekend was spent hanging out in the city {deets here}, shopping, golfing, going to movies {Blindside was so good and New Moon was NOT}, playing games, watching football, and watching more football. I'll be fine if I don't hear and/or watch another football game till I make my next turkey {which might be never}.

5 Months

Thanksgiving Prep

I'm hosting Thanksgiving this year {gulp}. Considering that I've never made anything to do with Thanksgiving meal... it should be interesting. Say a prayer for my guests.

Anyhow... I bought my first turkey and roasting pan, rounded up some great recipes, divvied up some of the cooking {because I'm not going to screw up on the rolls or pies}, and now I've moved onto the important things... the place settings and table decorations.

Burlap table runner inspiration here.

Place cards from here.

And I love the fabric I used for the napkins but I'll NEVER make my own napkins again. What a pain. If I added up the cost for the fabric and my time I could have bought 50 napkins instead of having 6 homemade ones.

Girls Weekend

A bunch of us girls headed up to a cabin in Jackson this past weekend for some r&r. Literally.

A word on the cabin... it was huge and beautiful and I have no pictures to prove it.

I mainly lacked in the picture department because I was mostly laying on the couch talking, laughing, or watching a movie. For the record I did take an hour run but that just made up for good grub and diet coke.

Here are the girls...

Here's what we did...

Here's how we slept...

Here's how we ate (kudos to the group who planned this meal)...

And here's how we drank...

Super fun times. Can't wait till next year. And props to the hubby for watching Weston for the weekend. You are the best.

Just Hanging Out On The Porch...

enjoying the nice fall weather.

Music

Weston loves music. Not just any music... parent sung music. Too bad for me because let's face it... my singing voice has some issues.

Cameron thinks it is because he is going to be a famous rock star one day. I'm leaning towards the theory that he heard Cameron sing and play his guitar all throughout my pregnancy. And let's not forget all the rock concerts he attended in utero.

Anyhow, if you've heard my voice you know it is not good. But my boy thinks it is because he falls asleep to it before every nap {Yes, I still rock him to sleep for naps. Don't judge me}.

But Cameron's voice is good and Weston loves it even more. Cameron will place his little feet up on the guitar and he'll kick his feet while Cameron plays. And a few songs later this happens...

Charlie And Weston

We went to see Tim's costume on Halloween and somehow this picture of Weston and Charlie evolved. I die each time I look at it.

Whoooo

Halloween was so fun this year... it's way more fun to dress up a baby than yourself. Plus, my scrubs needed a break this year {you can only wear them so many years in a row}.

I slaved away on this owl costume because Weston's favorite thing to say all the time about a month ago was "Whooooo." And then Halloween comes and he won't udder even a single "Whoooo." Whooo or no whoooo, he was still pretty cute.

No trick-o-treating for us... but it was fun to pass out candy, hang out in the neighborhood {which was packed with kids}, see all the cute costumes, and visit with some friends.

My mom was in town for the weekend. It was fun to have her here again, especially over a holiday.

Pumpkin Carving

Last weekend we had our annual pumpkin carving night. Gotta love traditions. The tradition in our pumpkin carving night is the judge. I love recruiting the judge because it is really an official job... one must take it seriously. Although last year we switched it up and blasted pumpkins through machine guns {which you must try}. This year the tradition was back on.

The spread...

The delish mini pumpkin bites from here

and the candy corn cookies from here {although I used my mom's peanut butter cookie recipe}

We had a few of our neighbors over that we love. Here's cute Ava

and Evan the skeleton.

We got down and dirty in the kitchen

and finally it was time for the judge. Meet Bob, our other neighbor. He really did take this job serious. Here he is in action weighing the pros and cons.

And the winner? Our witch. And we didn't even rig the competition. It makes up for 2 years ago when we came in dead last as "Supreme Losers."

Brooke and Jason had a pretty sweet mummy. They always mean serious business with the props... I love it.

And Matt and April came in strong with whatever Matt carved :) and another mummy.

Our neighbors left with their kiddos before I got their pumpkin pics. I'm already brainstorming my idea for next year...

4 Months

Weston is all about his hands.

The Odor Bomb

Someone someday is going to thank me for this post. Because one day something this bad might happen to your car, or your friends car, and now you will have the solution. {Read this post to read the beginnings of the drama}. Here's what to do when your car smells like something has died in it due to a simple mistake {like leaving an entire Costco bag of chicken in your car to defrost and leak}.

DO NOT:

-Cut up an onion and leave it in your car... in just makes your car smell like the first horrid smell combined with onion.

-Use fabreeze. It does not work... it temporarily just covers up the smell, kind of.

-Mix vanilla extract and water and then spray it all over your car. It barely covers up the smell and then you have to wash all the plastic parts in your car down because they are covered in brown water droplets.

-Leave bowls of vinegar in your car. It is a bad combo. I now HATE the smell of vinegar.

-Rent a carpet cleaner and try and clean the carpets yourself. Save yourself the cash, find a coupon, and go to the car wash.

-Scrub the carpets with vinegar and water. This is a big no-no. It smells absolutely wrong and it will not go away.

After I scrubbed all the carpets with vinegar and water it was foaming up something fierce. It looked like you could have taken a bath in the foam and I literally had no idea how to make it stop. I headed to the car wash and was feeling really bad for the guys who were going to have to clean my car. I opened up my car door and said, "I have a problem." The guy goes, "Whooaaa, yes you do. " Nice.

So I got talked up a few packages and the men went to work. It seriously took about an hour and Weston was not excited about spending an hour at the car wash. I walked outside just as one of the guys cleaning my carpets walked by and sniffed his hands. Poor guy. That being said, the car wash guys know me now and said they have smelled worse. What could be worse?? I need to know.

They blasted my car really good with air freshener and it covered it up for a few days but the smell came back. That is when we ordered the Odor Bomb, thanks to the suggestion of an anonymous commenter. I mean, we had nothing left to lose. Waiting for the Odor Bomb to arrive was like waiting for Christmas; we could hardly wait.

And then it arrived. A huge box carrying such a small precious can.

I mean really, could this work?

We prepped the car. We took out anything that could be damaged by this small can. After all, the word bomb is in the title. Cameron pressed down the nozzle and we hurried and shut all the doors.

The can sprayed and sprayed all over the car for a minute or so. The bomb was doing its magic. We let it sit for 2 hours and then went to open the doors to let it air out. Warning: the smell of vanilla might knock you off your feet. But let's be honest, I'll take anything besides chicken and vinegar.

And I must say... its been over a week. It seriously worked. My car no longer smells like chicken, vinegar, or onion. The Odor Bomb works and this might be a miracle. Thank you anonymous commenter and thank you Odor Bomb.

{I almost forgot. Odor Bomb, you should call me. I'll be your spokesperson.}

Pumpkin Patch

Fall, I love it. The decorations are up, Weston's costume is almost made, the pumpkin is now bought, and now I just need to do some fall cookin'. We headed to the pumpkin patch today and I'm always amazed how the pumpkin patches are "events"... full of rides, animals, hay barrels, and hundreds of perfect and imperfect pumpkins. Weston is totally in that stage where he will not miss an instant of what is going on around him. Don't even think about holding him close to you or else he will crank his head around so fast you will almost drop him. I love watching him discover his world.

I asked a worker where the photo booth was and he said, "Uh, it's my first day." Ok then... no photo booth but a picture taken by a pumpkin worker, on his first day.

I die when I look at this picture. He apparently loves Pooh... I should have had him be Pooh for Halloween.

Links

He is obsessed.

BYU Groupies

Being the sports fanatics we are around here... we took a little road trip to So Cal to see BYU play over the weekend. We can't miss a game.

I'm funny. No seriously... it was just a good reason to go visit Hilarry and Preston... love them and love their new place in Huntington. Thank goodness for a woman's touch {no offense Preston}. Besides the 9 hour drip down {in the chicken juice car} and the 3 hour trip to see the Cougars play... we had a blast.

We had to go to Pei Wei to check out the digital coke machine Hilarry has been raving about. Hello, awesome. Hundreds of flavors and combinations all in one little box. I want one... but with rabbit ice.

Going to the game brought back memories of going to the BYU games back in the day. And to my credit, I still remember the fight song. Hilarry and I caught some of the game but mostly we just talked. We wouldn't have this problem if we lived closer.... we will keep wishing.

I caught up with my aunt and uncle {Deanna and Dick} during half time... so fun!

And look at these cheeks...

Thanks for the room and board So. Cal Rosenhan's. Until Thanksgiving....

Apple Turnovers

I have tons of phyllo dough leftover from a pot pie recipe that I tried {and hated}. Personally, I think phyllo dough is better for dessert... so I found my inspiration here and made little apple turnovers. They were delish, made on a whim, and super easy.

I stacked 3 sheets of phyllo dough and cut them in fourths. I used my apple cutter to slice a granny smith apple and cut 1 slice into tiny chunks. I piled on the apples, a tiny bit of butter, cinnamon, sugar, and brown sugar and folded the dough over to make a triangle. On the top I put a little butter, cinnamon, and sugar. I cooked them at 375 degrees for 20 minutes and served them with ice cream. These are totally part of my new post-baby diet.

Toys

Watching Weston's little hands try and grasp his toys is my favorite. He has such an interest in EVERYTHING that moves, shakes, rattles, rolls... you get the point.

Desperate Times, Desperate Measures

I feel like I'm pregnant. I feel like everything stinks and/or smells like rotting chicken juice. I can feel it though, this is my weekend. We have this book and we are getting down and dirty with the car .

This woman is nutso... she has all these random tricks that include mostly vinegar, baking soda, and club soda. How is that possible? I don't know, but I'm trying everything this queen says. It's like I'm reading the cleaning bible.

I just soaked my back seat with some type of pet enzyme cleaner, covered it all up with plastic garbage bags, and stacked bins on top of the bags to trap in the cleaner. Like I said, I'm desperate.

Pillows: DIY style

I'm OBSESSED with switching out my pillows and decorations for each season and holiday. I seriously look forward to it and that is why I loved my Pottery Barn job. Loved, as in past tense. I decided that my discount was not worth being away from my babe 2-3 times per week because I'd be too sad to leave him that often. Plus I'd have to find babysitters because of Cameron's crazy work and school schedule.

I won't say I'm not going to miss it because I kind of do. And I REALLY miss the discount. Not to mention my mall discount when I bought diet cokes at Mrs. Fields. Mrs. Field's diet cokes are about as good as McDonald's by the way.

No discounts mean more DIY's. Look what I made for $15 (because I already had the inserts).

Oh Deere

I'm narrowing down why Weston is crying:

1. Out of happiness for his John Deere boots that now fit

2. Out of sadness because now they almost don't fit

3. But I'm pretty sure he is crying over the stench of our car. Remember how I left chicken in the car overnight?? I threw the bag away thinking the smell would go away since nothing leaked. Yeah right, I'm not that lucky. After the car still stunk so bad, post throwing the bag away, we did some investigating. The culprit: chicken juice had leaked all under the carpet, dripped out of the car into the garage, and the spare tire was swimming in it. It stinks so bad that I might cry, scream, and then pass out. As a result... all things have been tried. Oxy clean, Tide, anti-bacterial spray, a rented carpet cleaner, vanilla extract mixed in water, onion, vinegar, and our own blood, sweat, and tears. We are soooo open for suggestions {except "buy a new car"}.