Hawaii Update!

Adam and I had an AWESOME time in Hawaii. We visited the Big Island and stayed at the Hilton Waikoloa Village Resort

The website doesn't do it justice. It was so beautiful and there were so many fun things to do and see. We spent a lot of time just wandering around the resort and visiting pool after pool!

I haven't uploaded all the pictures from Adam's point and shoot yet, so you will just have to see my photos for now. This one was my favorite from the 200 or so pictures we took.

The big island is different from the other islands from what I hear. It is more of a relaxation island and is mostly volcanic rock. In fact, when we landed in Kona, it wasn't what I expected "Hawaii" to be at all. Our first day we spent in Kona, going to get a few groceries, because the resort prices for food were unbelievable.

There was a huge lagoon in the middle of the resort that was open to the ocean, so we could swim with sea turtles, eels, and other sea animals. We spent a day and drove to see a volcano, the black sand beach, and other parts of the island. Yes, we rented a convertible with Adam's brother Sean and our sister-in-law Sara. Come on folks ... it is Hawaii ... we had to splurge a little :) Other activities included snorkling, laying out and being a beach bum (Yes, that is the only picture in my new suit you get to see :, and going to a "local" breakfast joint that was TO DIE FOR! All I have to say is Hawaiian sweet bread french toast with cocoanut syrup! Ummmmm!


Last but not least, we attended an INCREDIBLE luau at the resort with Sean and Sara. The food was outstanding and the entertainment of the luau was amazing. A woman working the luau made me an awesome rose out of coconut leaves to put in my hair!


We were sad to leave and enjoyed our great vacation, but missed Bryson SO much. It is good to be home, back into reality ... and starting the "nesting" stage! Only 11 weeks to go if I go full term! Still can't think of a good boy name ... be sure to post any ideas!
M

I'm BACK!!!

Jet lagged, tired ... SO excited to see my Bryson ... and too tired to give you all the details of the trip today! I promise, I will get you the details on Monday! Hope you all had a FANTASTIC week!

M

This is me ...

Are you jealous yet? I am sure I will have some awesome pictures and fun events to share with you from our trip when I get back.

Adam and I decided to vow to not bring our computers with us on this trip ... So I am sorry to say I will be taking a small vacation from blogging for the week as well. BUT I promise you can still find some great blogging from me on Creating Keepsakes Blog this week. I am not sure which day my post will go up but I will be a guest blogger. Hope you enjoy, and don't worry ... I will be sure to have more starting next week!
Aloha!!

Carrabba's Italian Grill...

It's just that good!

NO, it really is! Adam and I head out for Hawaii tomorrow and went to dinner there with my family tonight. It was as good as ever. From the awesome bread, to the great creamy parmesan dressing on my salad, to Adam & I's favorite entrees ... marsala chicken and spinach and chicken cannelloni! It is all divine.

My sister and I LOVE this web page called TOP SECRET RECIPES! They have a few of our favorite recipies from this restaurant and I thought I would share! Hope you enjoy!

Questions & Answers

So here are a few answers to questions by you fabulous readers:

I have a two year old boy and he is into EVERYTHING! How, since you said your scrapping stuff was in Bryson's room, do you keep him out of everything??

I would really appreciate your help and advice!

Megan

Well Megan, I don't have a two year old yet, and it seems like DAILY Bryson gets into more and more, but here are few of the solutions that have worked for me:

I try to place things in the lower part of my desk that I don't mind him getting into. I also do the same with the shelf in my hallway and closet. So far it has worked ... but I am sure lots will change as he gets older, taller, and more capable of opening things. The nice thing about my new desk is that the drawers are actually a little more difficult to open, so he can't open them yet!)

1. I place memorabilia in boxes so he can't see what is inside. He likes to touch the front of them, but I haven't had a problem with him pulling them off the shelves yet.
2. I try and put baskets of toys in places next to my scrapbook stuff to veer him away from my stuff.
3. Again, on my shelf in my hallway, I put the baskets of toys on the bottom shelf. The next shelf is books that I squeeze SO tight together that he can't pull them off, and then my magazines on the next shelf. He can't quite reach those yet. Those are ones I really don't want him to touch, and then of course everything else are things I don't want him to touch on the highest shelves.
4. My ribbon I put in cheap plastic containers. They close tight so he can't get to my ribbon.
5. This picture I included to show you how I stack it all in my cubes I mentioned before.

Hope that helps a little Megan.

The other question was from Val:

What did you use to hang the clipboards?? And how did you make it strong enough for their weight??

Honestly, I just used regular push pins and they hold them great. I know I have too many "things" on my clipboard and it is time to clean it off when the clipboard gets too heavy.

Hope that helped a few of you out. I am hoping to "clean off my desk" before I leave for Hawaii so I can show you the last part of my office before I leave. Be sure to check back!
Mandy

Are you Lucky?

I am the Luckiest person in the WHOLE WIDE WORLD because of these two boys!


We went over to a friends house this evening to see a family that moved away about a year ago. We had a pot luck dinner and enjoyed visiting with all of our friends. I had to share this DARLING cake that my friend Kelly made! Isn't she just SO creative? I am so lucky to have such amazing and wonderful friends here in Page. They have made living here for the past couple of years enjoyable!

And the winner is

I am having it shipped to my parents house in Orem just in case it doesn't get to me in time. We are leaving Bryson with my family in Utah and flying out of SLC. Cross your fingers for me!

Board

I had Ada write the question

"The fabulous board with clipboards in the corner of your photo. I use clipboards all the time to keep organized and portability. Please please explain how you made this. I have given attempt before but it wasn't as "solid" as I wanted for long term & continual use."

Well, Ada, I bought some really cheap clipboards from Office Max, painted them black, and used Mod Podge to attach some cute polka dot paper from chatterbox. They were REALLY quick to make.

So now you ask, what do you used them for. WELL, since I work for AC, CK, and have LOTS going on serving in the Young Women's organization for my church, I have LOTS of things to keep track of. I attach things I don't want to get lost on my desk to the clipboards and make sure to check them frequently. Some of those things I attach would be flight itineraries, assignments, etc.
Now for a few more details about "the board"
I am also a HUGE to do list person ... so I made myself a little note pad, so I can continutally make "to do lists" until my heart is content! I also wanted to display pictures of the most important people in my life, and that is my family. It helps me keep the perspective of what I REALLY need to continually focus on.

I would also love to share how I came across this board. The board is a TOTAL makeshift, my friends. All it is is a LARGE cork board that I bought in college.
I attached boards to the back of it, and wrapped some linen canvas with tacks. Thanks to the idea help from Martha Stewart, I think it looks SO much better than that nasty board.

So there you have it. Be sure to post more questions as I continue my office posts!
Mandy

April CK

So I have had a few people comment on the article about my office in the April issue of CK. I would love to share more about it with you all!
FIRST:
When I found out that CK was going to come and take pictures of my office ... I had a SEVERE panic attack, because to be quite truthful ... this is what my office looked like:

YES ... I am a real person with a 15 year old desk, and a cart table! I had tried for a while to talk my husband into getting another desk, but he refused ... UNTIL I actually had an excuse to get a new one! HA HA!!!
(If fact, it was pay day when he saw the article and said, "Yeah, the new desk really does look better doesn't it?)
SO I will start you on my road of how I came to my office looking like it did in the April issue of CK.

SECOND:
I don't like having a lot of things out on my desk and being shown. I like my scrapbook supplies hidden away so that no one can see them, and I can feel like my room can be clean for when guests come. (YES, not only is it an office, but it is Bryson's bedroom and I also use this room for guests and put an air mattress up. You would be SHOCKED of how well it works!)

One thing that didn't change much when I got my new desk was my closet.
When I first got married, I bought these cubes from Target. They were $9.99 a piece and I bought them as I had the funds. They were perfect for organization. As I said above, I don't like my scrapbook supplies displayed where people can see them, so they are shut away in my closet. Since my office reorganization, I have gone through my shelves and gotten rid of a TON, but it still looks a lot the same. (I am planning on showing you my organizing strategies, shelf by shelf in the next couple of days. Maybe some of my organizing ideas will give you some ideas too!)

I know you can get the similar look of these cubes at Ikea.

So I will continue with my "desk" search. When I worked for American Crafts we had desks from Ikea that I loved. They weren't too expensive, so I thought that we would start at IKEA. I put together an office plan with one of Ikea's awesome employee's and by the time I had finished ... we were looking at around $1200 for my ideal Ikea workspace. Adam and I looked at each other and said, "lets think about it". We were also worried about how we were going to get the whole desk to Page, since we only have a small SUV.

The following weekend we went to St. George for the weekend and went to a furniture store called Boulevard Home Furnishings. We found this BEAUTIFUL black desk and thought ... THAT WILL BE PERFECT! To be honest, it was about the same price as my ideal ikea desk and MUCH higher quality. The only thing I would change is the color. Although I LOVE black, it gets REALLY dusty and you can see scratches easily.

For $50 they delivered it and set it up! It was SO worth it. Then I spray painted my two filing cabinets and had the lumber store cut a piece of wood to create a desk covering on top.

So there is my start on how it all happened. Stay tuned in the next couple of days for MORE details ... OH and if you have any questions, be sure to drop me a note. I would be happy to answer them!
M

Maternity Swimming Suits Anyone?

Okay, so I need to find a swimming suit for our Hawaii trip! Any suggestions or websites?

I have had a few friends offer to let me borrow theirs, but I think I still want to get one as well. Tell me what you think of these three:
Number 1
Number 2
Number 3

Baby Nesting

So I finally determined ... I have been in my "nesting" stage for a few weeks now. My goal is to finish Bryson's first year book by the time that the new baby comes ... and I am starting to stress. Next Friday is Scrap night with by friends and I have GOT to accomplish tons!

With that being said ... I have taken a trip down memory lane that past few days and thought I would share what I did for Bryson's thank you notes.

I decided to hand make them, but after making over a 100, (4 showers!) I got a little overwhelmed and decided to do his announcement graphically. (It was a 5 x 7 card that opened from the bottom.


I stamped his feet, scanned them in, and turned them brown to match the "color scheme".

I do free-lance design work on the side for Wedding Invites, and other graphic design needs ... so if anyone is interested ... I am always looking for new jobs. just email me! (skierdouglass@gmail.com)

Here is a great website where I find inspiration!
Tiny Prints

Paradise?

Is there a question?

Well as of March 22 ... Adam and I will BE THERE! That is right ... a quick trip to the big island in HAWAII! I am so excited I can't contain myself. We are going to leave Bryson with my family and enjoy a week together before the baby is born. SO stoked, Can't WAIT, and about ready to fall over with excitement!