Helaman Hall Honeys

I was blessed to make some amazing friends for life while living in the dorms at BYU my freshman year of college ('99-'00). We managed our first reunion in Texas in October 2008. Ever since then, we'd been saying we needed to get together again. We decided kind of last minute to hurry and get together before Emily's second son was born (he's on his way in the next few weeks!). We quickly pulled off another reunion, this time in Colorado, since Emily was so close to her due date. We had a blast chatting, eating yummy food, and laughing a lot! We already decided that our next reunion will be a cruise or rented beach house getaway. :)

All of us
(l to r: Cynthia, Me, Emily, Alycia, and Katie)

Alycia and Katie
Emily and Cynthia
On one of our days together, we decided to brave the cold and go out for lunch and window shopping on Pearl Street in Boulder. We didn't last long, though, as it started snowing down on us pretty hard. Here's Cyn with her sweet little guy Bergen (before the snow got going).
I don't think I've ever seen snowflakes that actually look like the pretty little graphics in books and cartoons. In Boulder, it apparently does snow perfect little crystalline snowflakes. Just check out the flakes in Katie's hair! We were pretty amazed by them and took lots of pictures of each others' hair. :)

See more pics of the reunion here, here, and here.

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mini home makeover

We always have our eye on wish list items -- things we want to get for the house but know we can wait on until we can get a better deal. We frequently check Craig's List and other sources for these items. A couple of the things we have been watching out for went on sale this week and we finally got to splurge a little. No buyer's remorse here in the least!First of all, our living room rag rug was one of our favorite purchases ever...three years ago when we bought this place. At this point, it's seen much better times. There is no question we used it up and wore it out, on both sides in fact. If you've seen it recently, you know the rug pad is showing through in spots and the colorful fabric is deeply muted by three years of heavy, daily traffic. For about the last year, we have been looking to replace it, but could never find something we liked as well for an affordable enough price. Several months ago, I found a very similar rug from the same source we purchased the first rug -- Crate & Barrel Outlet. We watched and waited as the price came down lower and lower. Finally, after Christmas, it went over 60% off and we pounced. Happy day! We love it even more in real life than in the pictures online! I sort of wish we would have bought one for our master bedroom now too but, alas, they sold out the day after we ordered ours.

IKEA had a big huge sale after Christms and over New Years weekend. We happened to be in Utah a year or two ago when the MALM collection went on sale during the holiday season, so we couldn't purchase what we wanted since we weren't at home. We've been watching them ever since and they went on sale finally! We purchased two of these dressers (in black) for our bedroom that also double as bedside tables for us. For the first time (after 8.5 years of marriage), I feel like a grown-up person with my own real-life dresser!

We also had been keeping an eye out for a new headboard. We had even toyed with the idea of making our own upholstered one, but weren't sure when or how that was actually going to get done with a million other projects on deck. When we this on clearance in IKEA, my heart jumped and I fell in love!

Last, but certainly not least, we decided on new bedding. We picked out our first bed in a bag set from K-Mart as newlyweds. I still adore everything about it except it's age. It's deep, warm, red/sage/gold, paisley yumminess was exactly my style. Just like with the living room rug, I wasn't sure I'd ever find something I loved as much. However, just like the living room rug, it began to get ridiculously worn. We can see the mattress pad through the sheets. And so it's time, and this is what we have decided upon.

And so a mini home makeover is in the works. Pictures to come when it's all put together!

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Mama’s Holiday Wish List Meme

TodaysMama and Provo Craft are giving away a sleighful of gifts this holiday season and to enter I’m sharing this meme with you.

1. What 5 items are on your holiday wish list this year?
(This is hard because we don't really buy gifts for Christmas. Last year we only spent $20 or $25 each I think, and the two years before that we went to Mexico, so we bought each other stocking stuffers only.)

• Music by Lenka, Ingrid Michaelson and others
  
• Dream Item: An iPod maybe...
  
• Another pair of jeans (I only have one pair right now)
  
• Another Dream Item: A double jogging stroller (Shane really wants this too)
  
• Yet Another dream item: A sewing machine (I have always wanted one!)
  

2. What is your favorite handmade gift you have received?

• My sister Marci has made me several handmade things and I love her gifts SO much. Right now I especially love the patchwork framed in Ruby's room that Marci made me. I think it was for Christmas a few years back, but it could have been for my birthday.
  

3. What handmade gift have you always wanted to tackle?

• I have been trying for a few years to gather all the favorite family recipes, make them and photograph them, and get them into a cookbook for my siblings and friends. This year I am actually making something (for a few people on our list) that I have always wanted to learn how to. I can't tell you about them yet though because it's a surprise for the recipients!
  

4. What was the best Christmas gift you received as a child?

• I remember being pretty stoked about my red Barbie Ferrari.
  

5. What items are on your kid’s wish list this year?

• CJ: Transformers that really transform (Bumblebee specifically)
  
• CJ: Toy Guitar
• RJ: Diapers, wipes, formula, and toys!
  

6. What is your favorite holiday food?

• Traditional foods my family ate every Christmas include clam chowder, homemade rolls, Danish pastries, and shortbread cookies.
  

7. What will you be hand-crafting for the holidays?

• Like I said before, it's a secret! Check back to see pictures after the recipients have gotten them. I will say this -- I am sewing them.
  

8. What is your favorite holiday movie?

• Christmas Story is a classic -- "You'll shoot your eye out!"
• I also love all the cheesy ABC Family Christmas movies on every night in December.
  

9. Favorite holiday song?

• Love almost all of them, but I never tire of hearing O Holy Night.
  

10. Favorite holiday pastime?

• Hanging out with family and friends, driving around to see Christmas lights, eating yummy food and warming up by the fire with warm beverages.
  

To enter to win all these cool prizes below simply answer the questions in this meme, make sure to post links back to TodaysMama.com and Provo Craft (use this link: http://bit.ly/4ikY3c ) and tag your friends!

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Have you ever cried while shopping?

Have you ever been so touched by an item in a shop, found it SO perfect in a personal way, that you can hardly stand it? Has it ever taken you by surprise and caused you to get all teary-eyed? It happens. Want to see the cutest onesie ever??

So sweet, huh?

And how about this shirt?

So adorable, right?

My kids will be wearing these items shortly. I ordered them yesterday. I can't wait to send Carter's birth mom a picture of him in his shirt! I wish Ruby's birth mom wanted contact. I would send her a picture too. As Mrs. R says, "Every baby is a miracle," but you all know it took MANY MIGHTY MIRACLES for Ruby to come home.

Visit the R House Couture Etsy shop today! Don't forget they also make gorgeous sterling silver necklaces and charm bracelets that would make lovely Christmas gifts for anyone on your list this year.

If you live in Utah, they are doing a boutique tomorrow. They will have supplies on hand to create custom pieces while you wait! Here's the info:

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the r house couture

Isn't she a beauty??

Guess what? She's mine!
I ordered her today as an early birthday present to myself.

I am pleased to announce that
our friends at the r house have an etsy shop
{and I'm in love}
with their adoption inspired jewelry!

Don't worry, the jewelry is meaningful and beautiful even if you aren't a member of the adoption triad, so you all should go check it out immediately. You will be supporting a wonderful cause.
Over at the r house there is a tiny, darling boy named Gavin. Gavin's mommy, daddy, and big brother Tyson are having to fight for Gavin to remain in their family = mucho attorney fees = the need for your support.

Click here right away to see the beautiful creations!

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