General vs. a Helicopter

James and General have a mutual animosity. Both of them like to bug the other. General's favorite method of tormenting James is to grab his pant leg and not let go, no matter what James does. General will even follow him upstairs all the while holding on to his pant leg with a death grip. General also likes to play "get the sock that James is trying to put on." Both of these games serve the purpose of frustrating James and giving me a good laugh.

Unfortunately for General, James got an upper hand on tormenting General. I present, General vs. the toy helicopter:

In the end, the helicopter won.

Christmas Presents for Ben & Brina

This year James and I had Ben and Brina for Christmas. I asked Brina for a Christmas list and warned the girl that she was getting socks for Christmas if she didn't give me a list. Well, guess who didn't give me a list. Maybe she'll listen next time :)

Despite the picture, the socks are actually a really pretty purple rather than blue. The shell pattern was fun and easy too. And I have to admit, they're not too bad for my first (completed) pair of socks.

I also decided to make two of their other gifts. One was a picture of the Salt Lake Temple set on a mirror and a wall hanging of framed burlap that says "For this child I prayed . . ." which is from 1 Samuel 1:27.

 It was fun to be crafty this Christmas and give Ben & Brina gifts from the heart, but I think I've used up all my craftiness for the next year.

Quick update

I've realized that it's been forever since I posted anything and just want to give a quick update. James and I are just plugging along right now and looking forward to spending Christmas together. We'll get two whole days to be together, I can't wait!

After the holidays, James is scheduled for a total hip replacement on January 6. We're looking forward to his surgery and for the day he can walk without a limp. I'm also excited for it because the surgeon told me that he can ride a horse once it's healed. Of course, now I have to convince James that he can ride a horse, but I'll tackle one obstacle at a time.

That's about it for now, I've got some other posts queued, but most of them have to do with Christmas presents, so you'll just have to wait.

Finished

Blessing dress for Baby Girl Nelson

When Nicole found out how much blessing dresses were, I offered to make her one for her expected Baby Girl. I used a soft Pima cotton that was super easy to work with and it only took me about two months to complete the project (I could do it a lot quicker if James would let me quit my job and stay home and knit all day). It was a fun project to work on and I'm happy to help Nicole make her adorable little one even more adorable.

A Week in Moab!

James and I took a vacation to Moab to visit my parents. We had planned on spending most of the week on the mountain, fixing up the cabin, but due to unforeseen circumstances, our plans got changed. So instead of working all week, we ended up playing all week.

We went to Dead Horse Point

And went down the river to look at pictographs and dinosaur tracks.

We got to see Newspaper rock and visit Natural Bridges

We took a (long and hot) hike up to Morning Glory Bridge.

We got to play with Ben and Brina in Arches

And after all of that, we finally got to go to the mountain. We only spent one night, but boy was it great to be on the mountain.

Shakespeare on the Green

One of the best things about living in Omaha is this city's commitment to the arts. We have a state of the art concert hall, an amazing theater, an art museum with great exhibits, and tons of free activities which encourage everyone to enjoy the arts. One of those free activities is Shakespeare on the Green.

Every year Shakespeare Omaha puts on two plays and opens them to the general public. This year they are performing Hamlet and  A Midsummer's Night Dream. James and I both have a love for Hamlet, so we headed to Elmwood park to enjoy an evening with the Bard.

 We packed a packed a picnic and enjoyed a nice dinner together before the play.

 We took General, because we all know he needs a little more culture in his life. He was actually pretty good all night and only barked with another dog walked by or when people around the park started letting of firecrackers. I was proud that he was a good boy.

A view of the set before the play.

We enjoyed the play. It was pretty well done and James and I had fun pointing out times we believed they had edited the play (it only ran less than 2.5 hours). For the most part we just enjoyed being there. Hamlet is a perpetual favorite and it was fun to have a night out with my handsome husband.

Happy Easter

Four Easters ago

I saw a boy who looked lonely,

so I invited him to a big Easter Dinner.

He was the only boy who came

and was subsequently

subjected

to dating advice.

Girls in this ward

won't say

no

if you

ask them out.

Two weeks later

he asked me out.

I couln't say

no.

And I haven't been able to

say no to him since.

Happy Birthday James!

On Tuesday the 1st, James turned

the everlasting 29. . .

Since the weather was bad,

we kept things pretty low key.

We had Orsi's Pizza

and

Cake Gallery birthday cake. 

James got to blow out his candle

and eat his little

heart out.

All and all

he was a happy Birthday Boy.

(We'll see if the smile lasts until next year when he turns the ominous dun dun dun 30)

Utter Awe

Like Father, Like Son