Move over, Martha!

I've been wanting to complete this project for awhile now. Painting the living room and redecorating gave me a good reason to finally get the job done. A quick trip to the dollar store for frames and scouring through our hundreds of pictures resulted in my latest masterpiece: The Family Wall.

Ib came to my rescue with his awesome laser-level. I think it turned out great. It's even more amazing to think that we'll be adding at least 3 new family members before the year's end!

My next focus is finishing up our wedding scrapbook and getting the post-wedding adventures documented so I can start the baby scrapbook...luckily we've got til September!

Oh, Baby!

I've been suspicious for about a week and a half now. Last Monday I had a negative response, but after consulting with the experts (store brand tests aren't so accurate) and getting a "second opinion" today, it was confirmed!

We're so excited! I'll be making my first appointment in the morning and we'll be posting updates as they come. Ib brought home a specially-selected orange Gerber Daisy plant in celebration.

So maybe the kitchen will have to wait...I've got a NEW room to get ready!

Feng Shui...

...according to my husband "is just a fancy term that translates into an excuse for the woman to move all the man's stuff into the garage."

Shortly after moving in with Ib, I got this fantastic idea to paint the livingroom orange. Roasted Pepper, actually. It wasn't a bad color...it just needed a little help. And the surrounding white walls weren't cutting it. Of course, painting is one of those home-improvement projects that I get really excited about until the 1st swipe of the roller. At that point, the novelty has worn off and I'm wondering why I didn't just hire someone to do it for me. Thus, the one obnoxious orange wall that's been dominating our livingroom for the past 3 years.

So when we got the call that Ro had booked her plane ticket to fly in for the gem show and that Reef and Tawnisha would be making the drive down from Colorado as well...

Yep, you guessed it. Off to Ace Hardware I went!

Despite appearances, Ib really enjoys painting. Really.

It's something I'd been thinking about doing for awhile now. I just needed a good reason to get the job done! The main color is Sedona Sands, with an accent wall of Truffle. Mmmm...truffles...

Everything back in it's place.

Mr. Spider-plant is liking the new digs. Earth tones really improve his feng shui.

He's smiling because he doesn't know I'm going to tackle the kitchen, next!

Happy Birthday Ib!

Ib celebrated his 38th birthday on Sunday. I wanted to take him out for his favorite dinner. So after he and Tim had their regular Saturday jam session, we headed to Takamatsu, a Teppan Yaki restaurant. This was the hat Tim brought for Ib.

We enjoyed a fabulous meal, prepared by chef Nathan. Ib had his usual: the SF7, which is shrimp, scallops and lobster tail. I had shrimp and filet mignon, with an extra side of shrimp. Mmmmm...shrimp!

The only bummer about dinner was that Reef & Tawnisha weren't with us. It's a tradition to go whenever they're in town. But on a happier note, we'll get to see them (and Ro!) in just over 2 weeks for the gem show! Thumbs up to good meals and good times with family.

We stopped and picked up some ice cream on the way home. Then spent the rest of the night cuddling with the puppies on the couch. Cooper must have had a big dinner, too. Can you find him in this picture?

What a funny dog!

Mr. and Mrs. Goodwrench

For about a month, now I've been hearing a squeak coming from my front brakes. Somehow I got the notion that changing the brake pads myself was a great idea. I did some research and found a great step-by-step video on Google. I also consulted with my head mechanics (Dad and Poppa Bond) before I headed off to the part store.

Oooh, look! They're NASCAR Performance brake pads! Suh-WEEEET!

Ib couldn't understand why it was so hard for me to smile while trying to loosen the lug nuts. At this point, the neighbors had a full-on view of my plumber's crack.

Ib changed the driver's side, but turned me loose on the passenger side. It was really easy once we figured out what all the parts and pieces were.

Things went so well, that we decided to change the brake pads on Ib's truck too. He's been riding around with the new ones in his back seat for about 3 years.

The pads on the Civic still had quite a bit of wear left. Not sure what the squeaking was...but we changed them anyway. Ib, on the other hand, caught his just in time. Boy does the truck stop nicely now!

Here's to getting dirty with my husband on a Saturday morning!

First Hike '09

This morning we met up with the Rawn's for the first hike of the year. We went to Catalina State Park, in Oro Valley, near my old neighborhood. Maddie had her very own mini-Camelback, while Hailey was riding in style.

We did a short 2 mile trail called the Canyon Loop. It crossed the wash a few times, which had water because of the snow melting off Mt. Lemmon.

I've never been very good at rock balancing. Not to mention, Cooper chewed my hiking shoes, so I just had on my Adidas which have no tread whatsoever.

So, when we came down the hill to the wash, and I had Maddie on my shoulders, I just trucked straight through the water. I was envisioning both of us going in the drink...and that just would not have been a pretty sight!

It was a gorgeous day to be out! The sun was bright, with temps in the mid-60's and a nice breeze. Ib packed us a snack lunch with crackers, cheese, pepperoni, granola bars, carrots and apples. We had a picnic feast in the middle of the trail.

We were definitely some happy campers...er, hikers!


I suggested to Ib that we plan to do a hike each month this year, in the interest of getting out and being more active. We'll see how it goes!

But I think we're going to have to work up to the longer hikes...this one just tuckered poor Hailey out.