M I K A E L A

Lulu at the Park

2011-09-28T23:29:00.006-06:00

Playing with Lulu at a Field from Mikaela Pronk on Vimeo.

Now that we are both back in school and both working, poor Lulu spends 10+ hours cooped up some days (poor thing). So, we found a place by our house for her to get her exercise on those long days. As always, this video is unedited, out of focus, shaky, and my voice sounds funny, but Lulu is cute in it. Lulu loves this video, whenever I play it she barks at the computer.

Dates and Friends

2011-09-25T23:59:00.041-06:00

It has been so fun being back in Rexburg where everything is cheeeeaaap. It's ridiculous how much cheaper things are here, groceries are a 1/4 the price they were in Fort Mac. So, we have been going on little fun dates all the time, and it's even better because we have friends to go with us too. We used to go to Pita Pit all the time last year, but both of them closed while we were gone. The one in Idaho Falls was replaced with an island grill, it is sooo good. I like to pretend I'm in Hawaii while I'm there. I think we'll be going back often.
We love Fro Yo, especially when it's cheap on Tuesdays!

We got to meet Dan & Katy's cute baby boy. Here he is in the coat we got him (I stole this from Katy's Facebook Shhh) I can't wait to buy baby clothes for our own babes!

B was happy to be reunited with "His French Lover" who is now a married man. I told his wife, Vicky about my nickname for David, she now calls B, "His Canadian Lover". :)

Sadly, our dates will probably have to stop in a week or so, once all the projects and homework assignments start piling up. & here's a video of my putt putt skills (or lack thereof).

Snow cones

2011-09-12T23:40:00.000-06:00

We really missed Original Tai while we were in Fort Mac, we would crave it all the time (so we got some immediately when we got back), but we also really missed getting snow cones during the summer. So, we got a couple, before all the little snow shacks sadly closed.

Ice cream on the bottom is my favorite.

Hello ladybug friend.
P.S. Today was the first day of school and kind of the start of my new job as a graphic designer for campus. I'm excited and terrified for this new semester after being out of school for so long. Only two more left though! :)

9.11.01

2011-09-11T22:17:00.003-06:00

I can't believe it's already been ten years since nine eleven. I have since written what happened that day in many classes, but I don't know where any of those papers are now. I wish I did, because I don't remember as many details as I once did. I hate how you forget the details of events more as time passes and you age.

I was 13 and I was at Webb Middle School in my homeroom/first period class, Bear Tracks (the class for journalism staff). My teacher Mrs. Lloyd was gone that day and we had a sub. The lady told us at the beginning of class that a plane hit a car in New York (she obviously had the story mixed up). I thought that was strange and thought it was even more strange that she was announcing this random news story to the class.

Later that day other teachers told more of what was really going on. Our principal later got on the P.A. and put our school on "Lockdown". I also thought this was weird because I doubted any "bad guys" would have any reason to come to our school.

When I got home after school I watched the news that night and could actually see more of why this was such a big deal. Although, my 13-year old self still didn't quite comprehend the magnitude of the event.

But, over the next weeks and months, I began to understand that it was the first big event in history that I had actually lived through and could remember. It was amazing to see the change over the next months with all the national comradery, American flags everywhere and the new pride people had when they'd recite the pledge in class.

Furniture

2011-09-09T21:17:00.001-06:00

So, yesterday we borrowed B's friend's truck and took a quick trip down to the Ikea in Utah. After 3 years of marriage it was about time we got some actual furniture. It was nice that we were finally able to save up some money after living in Fort McMurray to buy some.

It is so wonderful to have an actual couch that's not old and sinking in, like the one we got from DI. And it's so nice that for the first time in our marriage, we actually have a couch that we can both comfortably lay on at the same time and watch a movie.

I initially didn't want a couch from Ikea because the legs the Karlstads come with are so cheap looking, but I found an ad for a woodworker online who did replacement legs that were the exact kind of mid-century modern legs I was looking for. He did a great job and I thought it was funny when I got the package, because I found out he lives in my hometown.

Lulu got upset as usual that I was taking pictures.

And we finally have a bed and don't have to sleep on a mattress on the floor anymore (although we had been spoiled with a bed in Fort McMurray).

Now we just need an actual bed set. I really wanted to make a duvet like this one at Anthropologie while I was in Fort McMurray, but plain white cotton fabric was 15 dollars a yard there (which is ridiculous), so I decided to wait to make one when we got back to America, but now I don't have time. I can't wait to have an actual house to decorate one day.

Last Trip Back to School

2011-09-04T20:22:00.001-06:00

We packed, cleaned and left our town house in Fort McMurray Thursday morning.

B played the usual game of Tetris packing our car tight, although he really missed having the help of our friend Dan who has helped pack our little Tempo on many a move.

We said goodbye to the clean and lush surroundings of Fort Mac.

And farewell to some of the largest trucks in the world, constantly on the road. This one looked like it was moving a small city.

Poor Lulu had a rough time in the car as usual. This time she spit up daisy petals. I guess she had eaten my anniversary flowers out of the trash right before we left.

8 hours later we stopped in Calgary. We stayed with B's family for a day and a half.

We had our usual sister manicure party.

Then we got back on the road Saturday morning. B's dad and Brother came along too.

I was so happy that we made it through the border with ease. My jaw had been killing me (my TMJ was flaring up) due to the stress of moving and my fear of the border. I'm always afraid of the border guards, but the American ones are usually nice, and they were this time too.

Finally home. It was so nice to know I was back in America after 8 long months. I had never been out of the country for so long before.

The drive on the I-15 is super long, but the views are breath taking, a camera can't really capture how beautiful it is.

Speaking of the I-15, B somehow got confused and got on the I-90 after a stop for gas. And we had stopped following his dad at that point. So, that added on about an extra hour of time on the road. But, I was just so happy to make it back to Rexburg safely that it didn't matter in the end. It's great to be back in Rexburg. I felt so nostalgic when we drove into town. I have so so so many memories in this little town (I've been here on and off for the last 5 years) and I can't believe that this will be our final two semesters here.

Farewell Fort McMurray

2011-08-31T20:31:00.000-06:00

I cannot even begin to describe how elated I am to be leaving Fort McMurray. I seriously can't believe it's true, it felt like I'd never go back to America again. I am not sad we are leaving in the least bit. It's been a long and boring 8 months. I think my lack of blogging proves how boring things have been. B is sad to be leaving his job, but other than that he is happy too be leaving too. And Lulu is just clueless as to what all the commotion is about. Lulu and B will surely miss their 3-day weekend naps together each week.

And I will miss all the nice people here and the pretty scenery and the old lady at church who blurts out random comments every class and bares her testimony tangent every fast Sunday (she makes church really entertaining).

And as I said before it's my favorite place we've lived together, but the only other place we've lived together is Calgary, and Rexburg doesn't count, so that's not really saying much (Fort Mac is still at the bottom of the list for places I've lived). But, I will say Fort Mac is a way nicer place than everyone says it is, I just don't think I could live here ever again, especially if it included the awful winter.

I better get back to packing. We leave tomorrow morning and I can't wait! :D

3 years

2011-08-23T13:54:00.000-06:00

B and I celebrated our 3rd anniversary yesterday. I can't believe we've already been married that long.

I made B a plethora of heart cookies...there's still half of the dough in the fridge (I should have known when I saw the recipe ask for 5 and a 1/2 cups of flour).

B got me the prettiest flowers.

And my most favoritest treat, the right flavor even. And a dog card that he actually wrote in, "I promise I will always make sure that our marriage includes puppies and ice cream. They make everything better." He knows me so well.

And Lulu obviously had to jump up and smell the flowers.

Speaking of Lulu, B drew the cutest Lulu portrait in the card. I love his drawings.

We went out to dinner at the always packed earls.

Lulu always finds some way to sneak into our pictures. Anyways, we had a fun little anniversary.

Quarter of a Century

2011-08-08T16:34:00.001-06:00

B's Birthday was a week ago, we celebrated it all weekend long. We went to see Cowboys and Aliens, we splurged at The Keg (we even got a whole lobster, which was an experience, and I think I'll just stick with tails) and B even had off on his actual birthday (it was some random Canadian holiday). Usually it's just the two of us to celebrate, but now we had Lulu, B's bro, and our home teacher happened to be over when we had the cake.

Lulu was a party pooper. She kept taking off her hat and she was terrified of the balloons. The cake turned out ok considering, all I had to work with was a hole in the corner of a ziploock bag and I accidentally smeared all the icing when I covered it in tinfoil the day before. But at least it was an improvement from last years haha.

B liked this years party hats much better than last years. I'd say my party making skills and resourcefulness are getting better each Birthday. I can't wait to have little parties for all our future kids.

busy

2011-07-27T17:59:00.000-06:00

Hi mom and grandma (and whoever else reads this blog) sorry to disappoint you with my lack of postings lately (and all this year really). I've been super busy the last little bit.

It's funny how when you have nothing to do and are bored out of your mind, no one asks you to do anything. Now that I decided to do a bunch of big projects that I've been procrastinating, (since I realized I only have a month and a few days to get everything done) people keep asking me to do things. Literally every day someone from church calls or emails and asks me to do something, I'm not complaining, I love to do service, I just think it's funny these things didn't come up when I was bored out of my mind before.

I've recently come up with all these projects I want to complete before I leave (and I keep thinking of new ones) so the days are going by super quickly. I'm really excited about these projects, I just love sewing and making pretty things. I think I'll even post some sewing tutorials on here.

And B's Birthday is on Monday and it's the BIG 25! I've been trying to think of ways to make it special since we don't want to spend money (and there really isn't anything to do up here even if we did have money). So, things are going great right now! I am so excited to get back to Rexburg and be thrown back into a bunch of sewing and art classes and be surrounded by fellow creative minds again.

Puppy Purse

2011-07-19T13:55:00.001-06:00

Every time I leave Lulu at home I always miss her and I tell B that I wish I could just carry her in my purse everywhere. So, B decided we should see if she would actually fit in my purse and she did. You would think this was animal cruelty, but Lulu stayed sitting in my purse for awhile after I sat it down. She just loves tight and confined spaces for some reason. I guess she is easy to travel with after all.

i love ice cream

2011-07-17T23:10:00.001-06:00

Happy National Ice Cream Day! I just recently learned of this great holiday and instantly became a fan, since ice cream is my favorite guilty pleasure. Oh and July is National Ice Cream Month, so I think that's a great excuse to keep on eating it!

Besties

2011-07-15T13:00:00.003-06:00

Friendship bracelets have made a big comeback this year, I think it's interesting how they are being mixed with high fashion. I recently made a few BFF bracelets for B and I to wear. Wearing them takes me back to a trip to Mexico with girlfriends several years ago, girls camps several years even earlier and many many summers reading klutz books as a kid.

squirt squirt

2011-07-14T15:20:00.000-06:00

I've been kinda grumpy with B lately, so he got me flowers the other day, it was so sweet. We don't have any vases up here so I put them in jars. Lulu really likes flowers and likes to be naughty by jumping up on the table to smell them. We just recently bought a spray bottle in order to start spraying her with water to try to break her bad habits. She hates the sprayer (probably because B sprayed her in her eye the first time, poor thing,) but the sprayer seems to be working pretty well on her so far.

Happy 4th

2011-07-04T21:43:00.000-06:00

We had a nice long weekend. We never have people over but there were lots over this weekend and Lulu was in heaven. First the missionaries and then B's brother came in Saturday night, Lulu is in love with him (she doesn't even want to sleep in our room anymore). Then on Sunday one of B's childhood friend's was in our ward. His wife and their friend were there too. They are up here for a couple of weeks selling security, they are living on a campsite so we had them all over for dinner (I had 3 turkey burgers this weekend, I think I need a fast from meat for like a month now.) It's nice having people our age up here.

The weather was beautiful today. B had off work and we had another lazy relaxing day (I'm really bored of being lazy, but it's good when you're sick I guess). It really didn't feel like the 4th, no fireworks, no Americans, no flags (I realized I need to invest in some American paraphernalia since all we have is Canadian stuff which is just wrong), but I continued on with my 4th of July rice krispie treats tradition and tried to look out for red, white and blue everywhere I could. I miss you America, a lot.

Canada Day 2011

2011-07-02T14:14:00.000-06:00

Yesterday was my very first Canada day actually in Canada, but the funny thing is we ended up spending it with Americans anyways. I sadly got really sick with some kind of awful sinus infection or something the day before, so I spent most of Canada day sleeping. We didn't get to see fireworks because they had the show Thursday night (or 12 am Canada day morning) and it was at Mac Island and we knew it would be packed and there wouldn't be parking and we didn't feel like taking the bus so we decided not to go.

Lulu had a groomers appointment in the morning (I was hoping they'd put in some kind of red bow, but she still looked adorable). We had the missionaries over for dinner and Lulu jumped up and kissed them on the mouth like she does to everyone she meets and the one missionary said he wasn't allowed to kiss girls on his mission, it was so cute. They were wearing matching Canada ties and I wanted to take a picture, but I didn't since that would be creepy. We had burgers & turkey burgers and we had Canadian food like fries and gravy and Canada Dry. B and I got Tim Bits later that night. It was a nice and relaxing Canada day.

I wish it were the beginning of Fall

2011-06-22T15:37:00.000-06:00

So, yesterday was Summer Solstice and officially the first day of Summer.
That means it was the longest day of the year. In Fort Mcmurray that meant:
Sunrise: 4:33 a.m.
Sunset: 10:22 p.m.
Total time of daylight: 17 hours and 49minutes (this means it was only dark outside for about 3 hours.)

The above photo is what it looked like at 10 p.m. and it looked pretty much the same at four in the morning. This crazy amount of daylight has made it impossible to sleep the last few days. I feel like I'm 6 again and I'm being forced to go to sleep at seven p.m., but I can't because it's still bright out and Wheel of Fortune is on (for some reason I remember being really upset I was missing Wheel of Fortune, I still love that show by the way). I'm sadly not living in beautiful San Diego, California anymore, I don't have a curfew anymore, and I can watch Wheel of Fortune if I want to, but it's still that same weird feeling of not being able to sleep even if my eyes are covered, because I know it's still bright out.

I think I am the only person that wishes Summer would hurry up and Fall would come. Fall has always been my favorite season. I used to love Summer when I was a teenager, but the older and older I get the less I like Summer. It's not fun because it's usually too hot (especially in Texas where it is common for people to die in the heat), I feel frumpy and overheated in my modest summer clothing, and I now avoid the sun at all costs for fear of what it will do to my skin. I got my first sunspot on my 21st Birthday in Hawaii and have avoided the sun since (or slathered on the sunscreen). I am also afraid of getting skin cancer since it runs in the family.

I just love everything about Fall. The weather, the clothing, and how everything seems like a fresh new start. And I can't wait to get out of here and get back to America, have a cellphone again, have friends again, finish up school and get a job. And I am looking forward to this new show to come out. Yay, Zooey will be on TV.

So, I only have to last 72 more days up here. The first 8 months of 2011 might be/have been kind of crappy, but I think the last 4 will be really great.

Sunday Sweet//Ultimate Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-06-19T13:12:00.003-06:00

Ingredients

3/4 cup granulated sugar
3/4 cup packed brown sugar
1 cup butter or margarine, softened
1 egg
2 1/4 cups Gold Medal® all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup coarsely chopped nuts
1 package (12 ounces) semisweet chocolate chips (2 cups)

Directions

Heat oven to 375ºF.
Mix sugars, butter and egg in large bowl. Stir in flour, baking soda and salt (dough will be stiff). Stir in nuts and chocolate chips.
Drop dough by rounded tablespoonfuls about 2 inches apart onto ungreased cookie sheet.
Bake 8 to 10 minutes or until light brown (centers will be soft). Cool slightly; remove from cookie sheet. Cool on wire rack. Makes 4 dozen cookies.

RECIPE FROM HERE.

These cookies are probably the thing I bake most. If I make the recipe without the nuts (like today) I only use a cup of chocolate chips, otherwise it is too chocolaty. These cookies are delicious and so easy to make, we love them.

7 Months

2011-06-18T16:45:00.001-06:00

I just found these pictures of Lulu on my computer of the day after we got her.
She's only 3 months old and weighs about 3 pounds here.

Today is her 7 month Birthday, so she is full grown now and weighs just under 5 pounds. I also found this picture on my desktop of her parents that I saved from the ad her breeder had up. I think she looks equally like both parents.

Lulu had her surgery to remove her lady parts last weekend. We got her a new toy and treats to cheer her up. It's been a rough week for her and me. Her pain killers were making her crazy, she would not stop barking. And she's been cooped up inside most of the week since its been raining and she can't get her stitches wet. But she seems to be doing better now, and this is hopefully the last time we will have to spend a ton of money on her this year.

Living in the North in the Summer

2011-06-18T16:20:00.002-06:00

There are lots of pros and cons to living this far up North in the Summer. I'd say one of the biggest cons is food. It's usually nice eating summery foods in the summer, but up North produce is expensive and gross (these strawberries are very deceiving, they look pretty but are not tasty, that is why they are accompanied by ice cream). Living way up North like this makes me grateful for how cheap and fresh food is in the U.S. In Fort McMurray food is about double the price of what it is in Idaho or Texas and the produce is often out of stock or rotten.

Living up North in the summer means B stealing my sleep mask so he can actually sleep because it looks like this out our window at 10 pm.
This chart shows the hours of daylight in Fort Mcmurray and as you can see we are right at the peak, so that means daylight early in the morning when we wake up at 4 am and still daylight late late at night. I would say this is definitely a pro. I love sunshine, I wish there was this much daylight all year round. Luckily we will be leaving here before the daylight hours start to get short again. Along with that, it is the perfect temperature here, it stays pretty much in the 70s all Summer long.

Delete?

2011-06-14T16:38:00.000-06:00

{Image Via}

I've been going back and forth on whether to delete my blog or not for awhile, like since I started it.

But, lately I've been thinking about it more and more. It really freaks me out that anytime you google my name all these links and photos from my blog popup (but i should have thought about that before, since blogger is powered by google). It also freaks me out because anytime I've mentioned the first name of anyone from my husband's family their name pops up too since we have the same last name (which is why I've started using nicknames). I mean I don't want all this stuff popping up at job interviews for them in the future.

Another thing that freaks me out is that we want to start a family in the near future and I know I will be so tempted to put up pictures all over the blog of our future kids. And I don't want their names and pictures being plastered all over the place either (the photo above makes me crack up because it is so true.)

And I really don't like having to deal with "Negative Nacys," and I know that the more I blog, the more of them I will continue to encounter.

Does anyone else ever think about this kind of thing too? I think we all are a little too willing to give out our information freely nowadays with all the different social networking sites. I wonder how this will affect our future or our children's.

So, my dilemma is should I give up blogging all together? Should I make a private little family blog? Should I make a new blog and not use any real names? Or should I start a blog that is just strictly art and design?

We are the Champions

2011-06-13T12:42:00.003-06:00

{Image via}
I am so happy my home team the Dallas Mavericks finally won the Championship! What a fun series to watch. Even Lulu was excited. It was really inspiring to hear Jason Terry talk about how he had pictures up in the locker room of the trophy so the team could visualize it and he even got a tattoo of the trophy on his arm. It really shows how you can achieve your dreams if you put in the work and believe you can. And I just love this. hehe.

Sunday Sweet//Banana Muffins

2011-06-12T22:02:00.004-06:00

I've made this recipe since I was a Freshman in college and I've made it many many times because it is sooo good. I've tried mixing up the recipe too, see I made it into a banana bread here. Today I thought I'd try making mini muffins instead, since I love anything miniature.

Ingredients

1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour
1 teaspoon baking soda
1 teaspoon baking powder
1/2 teaspoon salt
3 bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten
1/3 cup butter, melted
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
1/8 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1 tablespoon butter

Directions

Preheat oven to 375 degrees F (190 degrees C). Lightly grease 10 muffin cups, or line with muffin papers.
In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour, baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together bananas, sugar, egg and melted butter. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Spoon batter into prepared muffin cups.
In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 tablespoons flour and cinnamon. Cut in 1 tablespoon butter until mixture resembles coarse cornmeal. Sprinkle topping over muffins.
Bake in preheated oven for 18 to 20 minutes, until a toothpick inserted into center of a muffin comes out clean.

RECIPE FROM HERE.

Changes For Mini Muffins
I baked them at 350 degrees for about 12 minutes (but I have to deal with a weird oven and high elevation, so I always have to bake things a little different, so I think a normal oven at normal elevation would be 375 degrees for about 10 minutes for the mini muffins.)

I like variety so I made some of the muffins plain, some with chocolate chips, and some with the crumb topping that the recipe calls for.

The recipe makes about 10 normal muffins but it made over 4 dozen mini muffins, this took forever since I only had one mini muffin pan to bake them all in (I can't wait to get back to Rexburg so I can have all my cooking/baking tools and pans back). Making mini muffins was a bad idea because they were so small and cute, B and I just kept eating them and before we knew it they were gone. It normally takes a few days to eat them when they are the normal size. I think we'll have to make up for this little accident in the gym tomorrow.

Summer Projects

2011-06-06T16:23:00.012-06:00

B's 3+ week vacation ended today. The smoke situation was finally under control so, B went back to work this morning. We sure had a lot of fun being lazy together. It was funny because right before this all happened, B was sad because he hasn't had a vacation or break and it seems like everyone else is always going on vacation, I guess he got exactly what he wanted (except we didn't really get to go anywhere).

I was able to sign up for my Fall semester classes this morning. It was really exciting to think that we don't have that much time left before we go back (and I have hardly any classes left to take). I realized that I need to be more productive these next 3 months and take advantage of all this free time since I can't work up here. B just found a TV show that teaches you French lessons (as you can probably tell from the picture, it's from the 80s and is really funny and odd). I watched one today and barely understood any of it because everything was in French. I found that the shows are on Youtube here, I think I'll watch them in order and then maybe I can start understanding more. I really need to practice French more because if B gets into the grad program he wants, we will be living in France in two years.
Another project I want to work on is reading all my drawing and design books that I brought. And I also need to practice from the drawing ones each day.

This pretty red art book is from the 60s and it is my favorite because it was B's grandma's. She was an amazing artist, I really wish I could have met her, but it's nice because she kind of lives on through all her paintings and sculptures.

I'm really excited about this creative Workshop book that I ordered. It's a bunch of graphic design challenges, which is exactly what I need. I want to get through as many of the challenges as I can before I leave.

And finally I ordered stuff to make jewelry and got some charms when we were in Calgary. I'm going to make as many books (both big and itty bitty) as I can so that I can sell all my books and book jewelry. I plan on opening an online store of some kind, maybe an Etsy, when I get back to the states (it costs too much to ship stuff here).

So, I have no excuses to be lazy, I have plenty of fun Summer projects to do before I leave.

Sunday Sweet//Banana "Ice Cream"

2011-06-05T16:08:00.003-06:00

So, all this recipe requires is one ingredient, a frozen banana.
Then you blend the banana with a food processor or hand blender and that's it.
I've seen this recipe all over the place and I had to see if all the rave reviews were true.

I thought this was awful, but I should have known I wouldn't like this because I don't like bananas (I force myself to eat them because they are so healthy). But the creamy texture of this was unbelievable, it really was just like a soft serve ice cream.

I think the ripeness of the banana before you freeze it really makes a difference. I tried this with two different bananas and one definitely tasted better than the other. I added a little cocoa powder and honey to one and it did make it taste a little better, but I just couldn't get past the overly ripe banana taste. But all of this is coming from a banana hater, if you like the taste of bananas then you will love this, it really is a great healthy alternative to ice cream.

Good Morning

2011-06-05T13:41:00.000-06:00

I woke up to B laughing this morning. I looked over and Lulu was between the two of us under the covers (with her arms sticking out), on her side, and with her head laying on my pillow, she looked just like a person. I think Lulu thinks she is a person, our daughter instead of our dog.

I obviously had to recreate the scene for the blog.

Best Friends

2011-06-04T16:30:00.002-06:00

"Until one has loved an animal, a part of one's soul remains unawakened."

-Anatole France

O

2011-06-04T15:33:00.002-06:00

When I was around 10 my dream was to go to Chicago, so that I could go to The American Girl Store (the only one at the time) and also so I could go to see the Oprah Winfrey Show. I've still sadly never been to Chicago. I can't believe Oprah's show is really over, I grew up watching her and I've learned so many things from her show. I really enjoyed her final words on the final show (over a week ago), here are some of my favorites that I want to remember.

"What I knew for sure from this experience with you is that we are all called. Everybody has a calling, and your real job in life is to figure out what that is and get about the business of doing it...live from the heart of yourself. You have to make a living; I understand that. But you also have to know what sparks the light in you so that you, in your own way, can illuminate the world."

"Start embracing the life that is calling you and use your life to serve the world."

"Nobody but you is responsible for your life."

"All life is energy and we are transmitting it at every moment. We are all little beaming little signals like radio frequencies, and the world is responding in kind...Remember physics class? Did you pay attention to Newton's third law of motion? Let me tell you, that thing is real. It says for every action there is an equal and opposite reaction. That is the abiding law that I live by."

photos via

2011-06-01T17:23:00.001-06:00

Are you pinning yet?
I know I am, I'm totally addicted! If you don't know what it is yet, Pinterest is a website that lets you pin pictures you like from other websites into different little organized categories (or boards as they call them). And you can search pinterest for things that others have already pinned or you can follow or look at other people's pinboards for pins.

It's so much better than clipping photos from magazines or cluttering up your desktop with saved files. & another great thing is that the pins always take you back to where the original source is, so you don't have to remember where the the picture came from. It's so addicting. I've found so many recipes, how tos, and ideas on it. I can't stop pinning, I think B is feeling neglected.

My Style Pinboard

My Interior Inspiration Pinboard

My Sweets Pinboard

It's also a great website if you are a graphic designer, interior designer, or if you need to plan a party or do something for someone. You can just have the client/friend make a pinboard of what things they like so you can easily figure out a theme/style.

I don't know if they are still making it difficult to join or not (I had to wait several weeks when I first joined), if they are you can email me (mikaelapronk@gmail.com) and I'll email you back an invite (so you can join immediately) and we can follow each other and waste time looking at each other's pretty pins!
You can find my pins here.

Patio Picnic

2011-05-31T07:36:00.010-06:00

So, B randomly said yesterday, let's make burgers to celebrate Memorial Day. I though it was strange since he's Canadian, but he is a guy who enjoys any excuse to eat a burger. So, we decided to have a little picnic on our patio since the weather was perfection. It is so nice to have a patio, I'm really going to miss it when we go back to school.
Me with my turkey burger and Lulu looking to lick/steal something. Our friends make fun of us because we are always "the family" to bring whole wheat burger buns and turkey burgers or falafel burgers instead of real burgers at gettogethers. But I guess it isn't really a family thing it's more just me (B pouted at the store when I said no to the white buns, poor B).
While eating we came to the conclusion that B should celebrate Memorial day because he actually has a ton of American ancestors and many who were in the military. So, Happy Memorial Day yesterday and thank you to all who have fought and continue to fight today for our freedoms.

Sunday Sweet//Zucchini Brownies

2011-05-30T22:30:00.001-06:00

Ingredients

1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini
1/2 cup chopped walnuts
6 tablespoons unsweetened cocoa powder
1/4 cup margarine
2 cups confectioners' sugar
1/4 cup milk
1/2 teaspoon vanilla extract

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini and walnuts. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched. To make the frosting, melt together the 6 tablespoons of cocoa and margarine; set aside to cool. In a medium bowl, blend together the confectioners' sugar, milk and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Stir in the cocoa mixture. Spread over cooled brownies before cutting into squares.

RECIPE FROM HERE.
These brownies were great, they were so moist.The best thing about these brownies is that you don't have to feel totally guilty about eating them, I mean at least you are eating walnuts and zucchini too.

Lulu Art

2011-05-30T22:14:00.001-06:00

When we were visiting B's family, Missy asked me to come into the kitchen and hold Lulu so that she could draw her.

I think she captured Lulu very well in her piece. She even added in the little green soccer ball that Lulu stole from her. I love watching children draw and make art. I like to snoop on how kids color at church so I can get ideas from "the real masters of art".

Wildfire

2011-05-29T22:49:00.000-06:00

Just a little while ago B and I were talking about how although we don't really like living up here, at least we don't have to worry about a natural disaster happening up here like they seem to be happening all over the world. I guess we should have knocked on wood, maybe on one of the many trees around us.

So, over a week ago let's see when was it (I've been a bad blogger lately) umm let's see, Tuesday May 17th, we woke up and B found out that he didn't have work once again, because of the wildfire right near his work site. He then found out that he would probably have the rest of the week off because of the fire.

So, we decided to go to Calgary to spend time with B's family since there wasn't much to do up here, so we drove down right away. B loves spontaneous things like this, I on the other hand like to be prepared and plan for things, but it all worked out.

We got to see my brother-in-law's track meet.

We took Lulu on a few walks, she loved sniffing out all the new places.

Missy and Lulu became best friends. Lulu didn't even mind when Missy played dress up and put her doll clothes on Lulu.

Missy and I carried on our "sister manicure tradition" like we always do when we see each other.

We celebrated my brother-in-law's 20th Birthday.

We got to see B's Grandma, she is so cute.

The boys all took turns driving my father-in-law's new motorcycle, B got a nasty burn on his leg from it.

Then we made the long 9 hour drive home. Lulu hates the ride, she even got sick this time, poor thing.

We have since found out that there were over 100 wildfires all over Alberta, and over 30 that were out of control. The worst was in a town called Slave Lake, the fire burned down over 40% of the town, it's the worst fire that's ever happened in Alberta. It's so sad. B's dad is a firefighter so he was gone almost the whole week up fighting the fire in Slave Lake. It's just so scary and sad because there are so many fires all over.

We were glad we left on our little trip when we did, because people up here said the smoke was so bad the first week that you couldn't even see the apartments right across the street.

It is still smoky up here. My throat, nose, and eyes burn in the mornings. And my hair and clothes smell like smoke, but I guess it doesn't matter since everything probably smells of smoke. The creepiest thing was that on last Friday night the sun looked bright red with all the smoke. I should have taken a picture.

I'm so happy none of the fires happened near where we live since there is forest all around us. B has had two weeks off work and has tomorrow off too because the smoke is still so thick up at his site. I wonder if he'll have to work at all this week. The nice thing is that we've gotten to spend so much time together.

Sand and Sun

2011-05-17T19:50:00.018-06:00

There was a big wildfire right next to where B works so he had work off yesterday, the weather was warm so we decided to go to a lake that we'd heard about.
I love how B is standing near a "No Dogs" sign while he is holding Lulu.
A dog who kept trying to befriend Lulu and she wouldn't have it! I apologize if my paleness hurts your eyes.
Lulu's first time experiencing sand, she loved it and was covered in it.

Twiggy

2011-05-16T17:13:00.003-06:00

I introduce you to "Summer Lulu" or "Twiggy" as I like to call her now. Lulu finally had her first real haircut! It was about time since the hair on her back was almost touching the floor when she walked. I think this face really shows how she feels about it.

The weather is so beautiful here right now. Our little family walks are the best.

Sunday Sweet//Nutella Chocolate Chip Cookies

2011-05-15T17:11:00.003-06:00

Ingredients:

1 1/3 cup all-purpose flour
1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa
1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
1/4 tsp baking powder
1/4 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp of salt
8 tbsp unsalted butter (1 stick), at room temp.
2/3 cup granulated sugar
1/3 cup light brown sugar
2/3 cup Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread)
1/2 tsp vanilla extract
1 large egg
1/2 cup semisweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Mix together flour, cocoa, cinnamon, baking powder, baking soda and salt. Set aside dry ingredients.
Cream together butter, granulated sugar and brown sugar until light and fluffy. Mix in Nutella and vanilla extract. Mix in egg.
Add flour mixture and mix until just incorporated. Add chocolate chips.
Chill for at least 1 hour.
Drop tablespoons of dough 2 inches apart onto parchment lined baking sheets. Bake at 350 for about 11 minutes until the edges look set. Cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes then carefully remove to cooling racks.

RECIPE FROM HERE.

So, I made nutella cookies with a different recipe last Sunday and they were terrible, some of the worst cookies ever (B only ate one cookie bad.) But this recipe is perfection! These cookies are so good that I had to tell B to stop eating them so that I could take a picture. They have a really nice flavor with the combination of the nutella and the cinnamon. I've seen other variations of this recipe and they said you could add nuts too, but I didn't have any, and they tasted great without nuts anyway.

Yay for Moms

2011-05-08T20:11:00.003-06:00

Happy Mother's Day Mom! I love you!
I hope we can add a 4th face to this picture in the future. :D
& Happy Mother's day to all the other mothers in my life!

P.S. Yay for my home team, The Dallas Mavericks for owning the Lakers today (they beat them 4 games in a row)! I bet there are a bunch of celebrities pouting in L.A. today. I wish I had a picture of me and my mom at one of many Mavs games back when I was in high school, that'd be a perfect picture for this post.

P.P.S. I made a Sunday Sweet, Nutella cookies. They tasted awful so I am not going to even bother sharing it, I think the recipe was too simple. But, I found another recipe that looks a lot better so, I'll have to give them a try sometime soon.

P.P.P.S. I had to give my first adult talk at church today (the last time I gave a talk was 5 years ago when I graduated from Seminary.) It was terrifying, I was shaking and I even cried in it, which was so embarrassing. I'm so glad it is over with. It was on strengthening the home. I shared this quote in it...

“The most important of the Lord’s work you will ever do will be within the walls of your own homes.” -Harold B. Lee

I thought it was perfect for Mother's Day. Yay for moms and all they do!

Happy Friday

2011-05-06T17:50:00.000-06:00

Hi! I hope you have a nice relaxing weekend.
I plan on unwinding in my favorite spot, on the dishwasher.

Kisses,

 ♥Lulu

Sunday Sweet//Mini Lemon Meringue Pies

2011-05-02T11:56:00.003-06:00

Ingredients

1 cup white sugar
2 tablespoons all-purpose flour
3 tablespoons cornstarch
1/4 teaspoon salt
1 1/2 cups water
2 lemons, juiced and zested
2 tablespoons butter
4 egg yolks, beaten
1 (9 inch) pie crust, baked
4 egg whites
6 tablespoons white sugar

Directions

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
To Make Lemon Filling: In a medium saucepan, whisk together 1 cup sugar, flour, cornstarch, and salt. Stir in water, lemon juice and lemon zest. Cook over medium-high heat, stirring frequently, until mixture comes to a boil. Stir in butter. Place egg yolks in a small bowl and gradually whisk in 1/2 cup of hot sugar mixture. Whisk egg yolk mixture back into remaining sugar mixture. Bring to a boil and continue to cook while stirring constantly until thick. Remove from heat. Pour filling into baked pastry shell.
To Make Meringue: In a large glass or metal bowl, whip egg whites until foamy. Add sugar gradually, and continue to whip until stiff peaks form. Spread meringue over pie, sealing the edges at the crust.
Bake in preheated oven for 10 minutes, or until meringue is golden brown.

RECIPE FROM HERE.

Are you a lemon person or a chocolate person? I recently heard somewhere that people either like lemon or chocolate and that men usually favor lemon and women chocolate. I definitely favor chocolate, but lemon is nice sometimes too.

B had been craving Lemon Meringue Pie for some reason so I thought I'd give it a try. I did not feel like dealing with the headache of making a pie crust from scratch, so we went to the store looking for pie crusts. When I found these little tart shells I knew I had have them. I ended up using 15 tart shells with a little pie filling and meringue left over.

While grating the lemons I decided I needed to make lemon treats more often because lemon zest smells so good.

WARNING: DO NOT TRY TO MAKE MERINGUE BY HAND!!!
I really miss my Kitchen-Aid stored away in Rexburg, I didn't know how much easier it made life. We don't have that many cooking/baking tools since we are living in a furnished place and the kitchen didn't come with that many tools. We don't have a mixer of any kind so I attempted to whip the meringue by hand for about 20 minutes (making B trade off with me since my arm felt like it was going to fall off). I finally looked online and found that it takes about 15 minutes on high with a mixer for meringue to form. So, B borrowed one of his coworkers hand mixers and sure enough it took about 15 minutes. I don't think we would have ever gotten the meringue to form by hand.

In the end these little pies/tarts turned out perfect, they were very flavorful.

The Big Nine Oh!

2011-04-30T11:48:00.002-06:00

Happy Birthday Grandma! I am so happy you moved to Texas when I was in high school. It has been so fun getting to spend so much more time with you and getting to know you better than I did when I was younger.

I love our girl outings eating sweets and going to see cheesy chick flicks. And I love how excited you get about the Twilight movies. I've had so much fun sewing different projects with you and learning to make things like your amazing jam and rolls. I've enjoyed playing many card and domino games with you too, even though you always beat me.

You have always been such a good example by showing how the most important things in life are family and faith. I hope I can be as talented and faithful as you when I grow up. We are so sad we couldn't be there to celebrate your special day with you. We hope you have a fantastic day!

♥ We love you,
Mikaela, Branden & Lulu too

Southern Tornadoes

2011-04-29T23:09:00.001-06:00

This is my friend Rachael on the news yesterday.
I can't even begin to imagine what it would be like to live through something like this.
She is such a great example of gratitude and positivity.
Remember to keep all the people who have been effected by the recent tornadoes in your prayers.

POST EDIT: You can make donations here.

Longggg Easter Weekend

2011-04-25T23:28:00.002-06:00

Our Easter weekend was 4 days long, it was so nice.
We were lazy ill people.
We watched 3 documentaries, this movie was my fave, it really put life into perspective.
We made pretty eggs.
We bought sale Eater candy after Easter.
& Lulu sunbathed on the patio.

pineapple chamomile infusion

2011-04-24T18:22:00.000-06:00

Sorry, no Sunday Sweet for today, I'm trying to avoid sweets at the moment and am instead sticking to things like herbal tea. B has had a nasty cold for the last two weeks, I tried my hardest not to get it, but it got me this last week. And I have some other infection too so, basically my body hates me right now.

We went to church and I could hear a bunch of people had the same nasty cough as us, so something is obviously going around. Two different people invited us over for Easter dinner, people never invite us over for dinner, but we declined because I didn't want to share the gift of this never ending cold. So, we hurried home after the first hour of church.

The upside of being sick is that it makes you appreciate your health and your body. I miss you, healthy self, come back soon.

Well, Happy Easter and remember the reason we celebrate this holiday. ♥

Sunday Sweet//Chocolate Chip Chocolate Cookies

2011-04-17T19:18:00.006-06:00

I always make a sweet treat on Sundays, so I thought I'd start sharing what I make each Sunday on here.

Ingredients:

1 1/4 cups margarine, softened
2 cups white sugar
2 eggs
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
3/4 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 cups semi-sweet chocolate chips

Directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C).
In a large bowl, cream together the butter and sugar. Beat in the eggs one at a time, then stir in the vanilla. Combine the flour, cocoa, baking soda and salt, gradually stir into the creamed mixture. Fold in chocolate chips. Drop by rounded spoonfuls onto unprepared cookie sheets.
Bake for 8 to 10 minutes in the preheated oven. Do not overbake. Allow cookies to cool on baking sheet for 5 minutes before removing to a wire rack to cool completely.

RECIPE FROM HERE.

I like normal chocolate chip cookies best, but these were a nice change to mix things up. See, B liked them.

P.S. B just got his haircut, they cut it way too short, he hates it. I like him with long hair best. I just like long hair on people better, I guess I'm a hippie at heart. He's cute no matter what hair length he has though. Although, he wants a mohawk for some reason? Ahh!

Weekend Wandering

2011-04-11T15:45:00.005-06:00

Family walks are my favorite, Lulu finally likes them now that the snow is gone.

Lulu had her first trip to the groomers. I love her new lilac bow, she looks so girly.

I can always find B watching anime early in the morning on Saturdays, it cracks me up.

Lulu's favorite spot is squished under the couch. She loves confined dark places.

Lulu hates being in the car and gets really bad anxiety. She likes to hide behind my back in my jacket and she tries to stick her head in my armhole.

Or she likes to hide behind my neck on my shoulders.

Smartie Blizzard. Do you like Smarties or M&M's? I guess that question is basically asking if you are Canadian or American. B obviously favors Smarties and I favor M&Ms, but then again my initials before marriage were MM, so M&Ms are my kind of candy.

Poor Lulu is starting to lose her baby teeth, it's so cute yet, sad. She can't eat very much right now, but her teeth are so small I don't know how she ate much before.

Sunday Sweet. Super easy to make. It was a little too cakey, I guess I'll use less flour next time.

I think the funniest thing that happened this weekend was me nearly passing out at the podiatrist. I wasn't even in that much pain, but I got so anxious I felt sick, and he had to put a wet towel on my head. I can be so dramatic sometimes. I wonder if this problem happens often? Feet may be small, but they can cause a lot of pain.

POST EDIT: B wanted me to clarify that he does not watch anime, just Dragon Ball Z.

Lulu the Teacher

2011-04-10T17:21:00.001-06:00

Having a puppy is the best training you can have before having a baby in my opinion. Lulu has taught me so much in the past two months to prepare me for being a mom one day. She's taught me to appreciate my sleep. She's like an alarm clock and wakes up at 4:30 every morning (when B has to get ready for work) this was a problem after daylight savings, waking up at 3:30 every morning was not fun.

She's done this to our toilet paper on more than one occasion and it has helped me to learn to puppy proof all rooms (in this case, never putting the toilet paper on the roll because she will bat at it like a cat).

She's taught me to always keep my things put away and to keep my doors closed. After she chewed up this shoe, she kindly left me a present inside my other shoe, isn't she sweet?

She's taught me to never leave things on the floor like my bag of yarn. The other day I was down stairs and she went up stairs, a few minutes later I could hear her crying. I then found a once brand new ball of yarn still somewhat in the bag and completely unwound all the way down the stairs and tightly wrapped around all her legs, her body and her head. I swear she's a cat, her favorite thing is string.

She's taught me to triple check when puppy proofing rooms. A tiny bit of my straightner cord was sticking out of the cubbard in the bathroom while we were gone and she pulled it out and chewed through the cord. She also chewed through one of B's computer cords.

Lulu has also taught me to get over my gag reflex. I get easily grossed out by things, but after having to constantly clean up her messes (especially when she got sick 10 times in a row this past week after having an allergic reaction to some pet medicine) I think I will be able to better handle diapers and such in the future.

Lulu is a crazy little puppy but we really do love her. She has been so good lately. She is pretty much house trained and she tries so hard to please us. She is a lot more obedient now and can even do tricks like dance. We were talking about charity at church today and it made me think of Lulu, she just loves people. She can't stop shaking with excitement when people come over. She doesn't care who you are or what you look like, she likes me just as much when I look crazy in the morning as when I'm dressed up. She will give a big kiss on the mouth to whoever she meets, like she did to her vet and groomer. It made me think how I need to be more like Lulu and be more loving, not give kisses to complete strangers, but be kind and excited to meet everyone.

Hipster Hello Kitty

2011-04-05T18:51:00.004-06:00

This weekend was so good, I just loved conference. And I finished up an online class which is a relief. In other news B and I were getting groceries and we saw this Hello Kitty book in a sale bin. Yes, this would be more appropriate for my 9 year old sister-in-law but I love Hello Kitty and the book has over 500 stickers! It has every Hello Kitty you can think of, even a detective Hello Kitty, but I like to call her Hipster Hello Kitty, because she looks more Hipster than Sherlock Holmes like, right? Anyways, it had little questionnaires in it too, I filled this one out for your viewing pleasure. I love how you can see the joy in my eyes for Hello Kitty in this picture. I wonder how many times I said Hello Kitty in this post?

Advanced Style

2011-03-29T09:43:00.000-06:00

Advanced Style: Age and Beauty on Nowness.com.

I've seen this video on a couple of blogs and I just love it! I love old ladies and I love the style of the ladies in this video. And the best part is that there is a blog by a photographer named Ari Seth Cohen called Advanced Style and it's all about the stylish elderly of New York. How did I not hear about this blog before? It's my new favorite blog. And he plans to make a documentary all about aging and style, yay! Anyways, I hope I'm as stylish and confident as these ladies when I grow up.

It's finally Spring

2011-03-21T17:37:00.001-06:00

I am so happy it is officially Spring! Even if it doesn't look like it or feel like it outside, at least it isn't officially winter anymore. I am loving so many of the trends for spring right now. I'm loving the mix of patterns (especially stripes) with neutrals and pops of bright colors. I'm also loving all the crazy shapes of sunglasses out there and how many of them are very retro. I need to get some cat-eye ones!

I also love how the 70s are back. I wish I had my mom's photo albums to look through for inspiration again. I'd like to steal her high waisted jeans, sandals, and stitched leather bag. I'd also like to have her hippy hair, but I look awful with a part down the middle.

Even crazy Lulu who can't sit still, is following the trends. Neutral, brights, stripes, and floral all in one sweater that "grandma" sent her.

I'm also loving all the honeysuckle and coral shades in make-up. Speaking of make-up, my foundation on the left was like 5 shades too dark for my skin and no one looks good with that, so my new foundation (on the right) finally came in the mail (and I highly recommend it for anyone who has oily or sensitive/combination skin like mine). It is so sad how light it is, it's almost the lightest shade there is. My skin is now the whitest it has ever been. Luckily being pale is socially acceptable now and trendy in some circles. Avoiding sunspots, wrinkles, and most importantly skin cancer (it runs in the family) is more important than being hip in my book, I just hope no one else mistakes me for being ill because of my white face (this has happened on more than one occasion)!

Does anyone have Spring trends that you are loving or new ones I have missed?

Copy Cat

2011-03-18T23:47:00.001-06:00

There is nothing that makes me angrier than a copy cat. I've had quite a few copy cats throughout my life and I just don't get it. Don't steal other people's ideas just because you are not creative enough to come up with your own. My husband just showed me this picture of his "friend" who obviously stole my artwork (she changed a few things and tried to pass it off as her own.)

She has this picture on facebook (I've chopped off their heads to be nice) and says, "Those are customized robots I drew on my computer of [him] and I". Yeah, I'm pretty sure they aren't customized since you made robots that look almost exactly like mine! See examples of mine.....

And probably where she got them off of my website with a video with the robots digitized in it.

I know it's not like she's selling the Tshirts and making money off of them or anything, and it's not like these robots are the best artwork I've ever made. But, I just don't get why someone would do that and lie about it!

Imitation is the highest form of flattery, but PLEASE ask for permission to use people's artwork and ideas. And PLEASE give credit where credit is due people.

Spring Forward

2011-03-12T18:07:00.000-07:00

It sure doesn't look or feel like Spring here. Don't you love Lulu's afro? We tried to take her on a walk again today since we finally got her a coat and booties. Her booties wouldn't stay on and she could barely walk with her coat. She would only walk if we would put treats on the ground, so she ended up in Branden's coat as usual. Here is her "walking".

Lulu on a "Walk" from Mikaela Pronk on Vimeo.

Poor Thing. I can't wait for the weather to warm up so we can actually take her on walks. Sadly, that won't be until like May. Spring and Fall don't exist here. There's just a super long winter and a summer.
Remember to turn your clocks forward tonight!

I got my hairs cut

2011-03-11T17:17:00.000-07:00

I just ran across the street and got my hairs cut. I think it took less than a minute from my door to theirs. And it only took 30 minutes for the cut! I guess it's been awhile since I've been to a professional. I've been going to paul mitchell/aveda schools for awhile and they take hours! It was nice to have someone know what they were doing for a change. I got my straight bangs back. I just keep going back and forth between straight and the swoosh kind. I also got some layers put back in so my hair would actually do something when I styled it instead of being one length and heavy.

In less frivolous news when I woke up this morning B told me a tsunami hit Hawaii. I was worried since we have friends and relatives in Maui and Oahu. Luckily everyone was ok. But I feel so sad about the earthquake in Japan. It is so sad. I almost cried watching a video of it on the news. I am turning into such a sap. I keep telling B that I think the world is going to end, but he tells me I just watch way too much news. I guess that's one great thing about Fort McMurray, you don't really have to worry about natural disasters.

B and I are about to go have dinner with B's Uncle. He's visiting for the weekend (he comes up and teaches at the college every once in a while). It's nice to see a familiar face since no one else ever comes up here to visit (and I don't blame them).

Shhh...don't tell.

2011-03-08T17:34:00.000-07:00

B likes to pretend he doesn't like having a dog, but Lulu and I know that he secretly loves her. Lulu loves to sneak out of her kennel and spoon B's head every night. Oh and we took Lulu to the vet the other day. She weighs a whopping 4 pounds! I guess her breeder meant kilograms and not pounds when she was telling us how big she was. We are proud to say she is a healthy girl. Isn't it the cutest when guys hold babies and animals? B is going to make a good dad one day.

new specs

2011-03-07T13:10:00.000-07:00

I finally got new glasses. I've had the same frames since I was 16. I'm so picky that I never can find ones that I like on me. And I am so blind. My vision is like a 70 year old's. My lenses are so thick they don't often fit in cute frames so, I just always wear contacts.

When I heard about Warby Parker last year I was so excited! They are so cheap and are a good cause. The only problem was the big lens situation. But then I found out about high index lenses for prescriptions with a big sphere (some how they make the lenses thinner so I don't have to get huge grandma glasses). Now I want so many pairs of glasses.

Anyways, B got me these way back in December for my Birthday, but I just finally got them a couple of weeks ago. There were some technical difficulties (my new eye doctor's fault, and I'm not going back there, man I miss my eye doctor I grew up with in Texas). So, by the time Warby Parker sent them I was out of the country and they don't ship internationally. So, I had to have them ship them to my mom and then have her ship them to me. It took forever. I miss you by the way, America. Canada is just too cold.

Don't you love my cheese face thrown in here? B says I look angry in my pictures and that I need to smile more, so here you go! Sorry that I was born with a natural frown face B, thanks a lot genetics.

Woohoo don't mind my spastic bed head hair. I'm getting a much over due haircut on Friday, so I'm letting my hair do whatever it wants to until then.

P.S. I obviously gave up on my 30 for 30. I was feeling pretty sick there for awhile so I got behind and gave up. Maybe I'll do the summer one. I decided I'd continue with personl style blogging anyways, because it's so fun sharing style, even if I look like an angry goof.

P.P.S. We watched "How To Marry A Millionaire" yesterday. I've always loved that movie because of the scene on the plane where the guy tells Marilyn Monroe that she shouldn't be embarrassed to wear her glasses and that she looks even more beautiful with them on. I think all little girls who are nervous to get glasses should see this. I know I was nervous when I first got glasses in 4th grade. I want her glasses and his too!

Pillow Talk

2011-02-26T18:06:00.002-07:00

B and I are trying to save money and with it always being frigid outside, we are often left with thinking of ways to stay entertained at home. We like watching movies together but, it seems like there are rarely any decent new movies coming out these days (how funny that tomorrow is the Oscars). So, I told B we should just start watching old movies instead. I loved watching old movies when I was a little girl and Doris Day movies were my favorite. So, we've been having a little Doris Day movie marathon over the past couple of weekends. Pillow Talk was my favorite of hers and we just watched it recently and I fell in love with it again.

Everything about old movies is so glamorous. The only thing B and I have realized that we don't like, is that the falling action in some of them can be ridiculously long, in modern movies the climax is usually at the very end with no real falling action. But, in Pillow Talk it is so cute and funny the whole way through. We are gonna watch "The Thrill of it All" tonight. Does anyone have any good old movie recommendations?

What is Graphic Design?

2011-02-24T16:05:00.003-07:00

What is graphic design ... what a graphic designer does from Design Council on Vimeo.
Some people like relatives, friends, and strangers that I come in contact with have a blank stare when I tell them I'm a graphic designer. One friend thought I made jewelry. A classmate in another type of art class once said, "So, what do you guys do besides make logos?" I came across this video and thought I'd share in case anyone out there still didn't understand graphic design. I chose to study graphic design because I am indecisive and I couldn't decide what what I wanted to do because I wanted to be so many different things. I think that with design, you are unlimited in the types of "hats" you wear.

Black & Purple

2011-02-20T22:52:00.002-07:00

Shirt: Macy's, Sweater & Skirt: RW&Co., Tights: ??, Shoes: Target
I'm so sore. There isn't much to do in snow covered Fort McMurray, so, B and I work out for fun. We go everyday but Sundays. It's nice to actually have a lot of time to do this now and since we have to pay (at school it was free) we feel obligated to go everyday to get our money's worth. I'm a cardio kinda girl, I love love love running and riding the bike, so that's what I always do. But after riding the bike day after day and still doing it even when my legs were really sore, I made it where my legs hurt so bad that I couldn't sleep at night.

So, I finally realized that I needed to work my upper body and not just my legs. If anyone knows me, they know that I have the weakest upper body strength ever. I never lift weights because I am so weak and embaressed and I always have flashbacks of my eighth grade athletic coach laughing at me during weight lifting. Well, I'm proud to say, B's been helping me lift weights properly the last couple of workouts. I still can't get the breathing thing down right, B laughs at me because I hold my breath. Now my whole body hurts to move, which I guess is a good thing.

bath time

2011-02-19T22:17:00.000-07:00

We decided to give Lulu her first bath today. She was so calm and good during the bath. And she shrank to the size of a little rodent.

And this is what happened after her bath.

Crazy Lulu from Mikaela Pronk on Vimeo.

She went crazy.

Love and Hate

2011-02-18T16:09:00.005-07:00

Shirt: Forever 21, Necklace: Lucky Brand, Jeans: Hudson, Shoes: DSW
This outfit consists of some of my favorite things like this shirt, it is one of my favorites and I wear it way too often. But, I absolutely hate these shoes. I've had them for like 4 years and I've worn them once. I put a few things in the 30 for 30 that I hate, hoping to find a new love for them. I still don't like these boots, they have a weird slit in the back which makes them awkward to wear with things. I have such a hard time getting rid of things, I always think I'll wear something later, but an overstuffed closet just gets in the way of what you really like. After this challenge is over I am going to be happy to go through my closet with a new outlook on what I really love and what I really hate.

You can see B's reflection in that picture. I told him my self-timer takes better pictures than him, ha! B is not the best photographer, finally we found something he's not amazing at!

Valentine Love

2011-02-16T12:05:00.002-07:00

Cardigan: Nordstrom, Top and Skirt: Nordstrom Rack, Tights: Theory, Wedges: Target
Lulu did not like having a bow in her hair, she took it out right after these pictures.

We had a great love weekend. B got me chocolates & pretty flowers. I made him a coupon book for the third year in a row, except this book is a fancy leather cord bound book. We had chocolate strawberries and ice cream, that's kind of healthy right? And we went out to dinner on Valentine's. We had an hour wait, so we aren't going to eat dinner out on Vday anymore, maybe we'll do the day before like last year. Anyways, we had lots of fun, especially with crazy Lulu.

Don't ya love a wedge?

2011-02-13T17:08:00.046-07:00

Necklace: Forever 21, Blouse: Urban Outfitters, Cardigan: gift, Skirt: RW & Co., Tights: ??, Wedges: Target
The weather has been so beautiful lately, I just love it. I can't wait for the snow to all melt so I can wear less boots and more wedges. Don't you just love a wedge? It's the most comfortable kind of shoe in my opinion. Heels and flats hurt after awhile, but wedges are so comfortable.

Lulu likes us now, I think too much. She is now having separation anxiety whenever we leave or go to bed. She cried so much last night that we eventually caved and let her sleep with us. I think she also misses her family and friends sleeping with her at night. She ended up sleeping on Branden's pillow, spooning the top of his head. I think it's because he has so much styling product in his hair and she likes to chew on it. I'm studying up on the Dog Whisper's tips so we can properly train our little Lulu and not give in to her cuteness.

It's starting to feel like spring

2011-02-12T17:07:00.030-07:00

Sunglasses: Urban, Scarf: Sam Moon, Flannel shirt: Forever 21, Jeans: Target, Coat: Kenneth Cole, Boots: Steve Madden

Fort McMurray is so beautiful. It is my favorite place we've lived and the funny thing is people said we were going to hate it. I wouldn't want to live here forever, but for now I really like it. It is just so beautiful here and the air is so clean and fresh. I love all the trees they are just so pretty. People say it's even prettier here in the summer and I can't wait to have fun outside. It's starting to stay light out longer and the weather has been relatively warm lately. We decided to take Lulu on her first walk outside as a fun family activity today. But as soon as we put her on the ground she started shaking and wouldn't budge. I guess we need to get her a coat and some booties.

B carried her in his coat for the rest of the walk. B pretends he doesn't like Lulu, but I know he secretly loves her!

Lulu

2011-02-11T20:57:00.007-07:00

Sweatshirt: Forever 21, Jeans from forever ago: Express, Key Necklace & Owl Ring: Lucky Brand,
Bracelets: Vintage via my mom, Boots: Steve Madden

We started our morning off bright and early tody. Don't I look so Canadian with my official mittens and Tim Horton's Hot chocolate? I say so. I like when B and I put our mittens together and it makes a maple leaf.

So, we ventured over 5 hours south to St. Paul to pick up our new "daughter". We named her Lulu. She is a 3 month old Morkie (her dad is a Yorkie and her mom is a Maltese). We went back and forth on what kind of dog to get but she was the best for B's allergies, her small size and for the distance we would have to drive (most of the Dogs in Fort Mac are big like Huskies). She is so small, so sweet, and so cute! She is such a good dog too. Her Breeder did a really good job of training her. She didn't have any accidents on the long drive home and she waited to spit up right on the newspaper when we got home.

She is still pretty shy, she didn't make a peep all day but, she really loves to be held.

Don't mind my crazy hair, it was a long drive!

I'm so excited to be a new "momma"

2011-02-10T19:50:00.002-07:00

Sweater, Skirt & Tights: RW & Co,, Shoes: Dolce Vita for Target
Hey I didn't even realize I was wearing almost head to toe RW & Co. (a Canadian store, kind of like an Express) when I put this together. I worked there for a month last year and so I got a bunch of clothes for a 50% discount which was awesome, but working there was not awesome, so I quit. I am not cut out for retail. I hate when people try to sell me things, so I felt very uncomfortable being forced to keep bugging people to buy things. I did however love when people came in clueless and let me pick out whole outfits for them to try. It is so fun playing stylist.

Anyways, I am beyond excited! I am not going to be able to sleep tonight. B and I are driving 5 hours south tomorrow to get a puppy! We already have our deposit in and everything. I feel like a new mom nesting and setting up all her little puppy stuff for when she comes home. I just hope we get there safely and back, the roads can be really scary and we'll be on them for 10 hours.

my uniform

2011-02-09T17:28:00.000-07:00

Shirt: Target, Blazer: Zara, Necklace: Gift, Jeans: Hudson, Boots: Steve Madden

I thought I'd wear "my uniform" for my first outfit. My uniform consists of all my favorites that I own. These are my favorite jeans that I wore so much a huge hole in the bum formed & I just got it fixed so I can wear them to death again. Also, my favorite boots that I wore almost everyday last winter. I've stopped wearing them as much this winter because the soles have started to wear off. And a new favorite blazer. I just love blazers and I have been wanting a tweed one with patched elbows forever. I finally got this one and it's so warm. & I just love Zara! I use to model as a child and posing for this made me realize my mom was smart to take me out of it. I am a terrible model! I always squint in pictures because my eyes are so sensitive to light. Maybe I should start wearing sunglasses. Anyways, I'm so glad the snow is actually melting enough to go out on our balcony.

30 for 30 CHALLENGE

2011-02-09T16:41:00.002-07:00

I'm a week late, but I decided to try the 30 for 30 challenge. 30 pieces, 30 outfits and for 30 days.
I thought this was a great thing to try since I left half my shoes and clothes in storage in Rexburg. I also need to be more creative when it comes to outfits instead of wearing the same things over and over and leaving everything else unworn. You aren't supposed to shop for clothes while you do it, which is always good. After going through my closet I can already tell there are lots of things my wardrobe is lacking and then there are tons of things that are "cute" and I got them for cheap, but they don't really go with many things so they hardly get worn. A good wardrobe evaluation and challenge is just what I needed. Here are the only 30 pieces I can wear for the next 30 days.

Apparently all my clothes are black, gray or blue.

Be kind & fearless

2011-02-02T16:14:00.000-07:00

Happy love month! I love, love month!
Happy Groundhog day! Supposedly Spring is coming early.
Happy 2 years to my blog. I started it in February 2 years ago, see I checked. & the funny thing is I received my first negative comment and my first sponsorship within the last week. How funny that two of the biggest events for a blog would happen in the same week? I guess people besides my mom like to read my blog once in a while now.

Be kind to yourself & be fearless are my words to live by for 2011/age 23.
I started the year off making a huge list of 23 things to accomplish like usual, and like usual I didn't look at the list again. Why, because it was too overwhelming. I have been feeling really bad lately, in fact I thought I was pregnant last week because I was feeling so nauseated and my skin was looking so gross. Then I saw that Kathy Freston was going to be on Oprah. I just love her, she is such an inspiration to be healthy. The show was all about knowing what you're eating and trying to eat more like a vegan. It hit me that I have been eating horribly lately and that is why I have been feeling and looking so awful. It made me realize that I need to be a lot kinder to my body. Making goals to drink 8 glasses of water a day and to work out 6 days a week can be overwhelming. But just asking yourself on a daily basis, "Am I being kind to myself?" is a lot simpler and more attainable. With that I decided to also add "be fearless" because I am terrified of things way too often. And I think the presence of fear is a sign of lack of faith. Instead of making an intimidating list of things to do and overcome, just trying to live without fear everyday is also much simpler and leads to more happiness. After all, what's the worst that could happen?

STRESS EXHIBIT

2011-01-31T22:42:00.004-07:00

For my final huge project for info design last semester we had to install an exhibit somewhere on campus. I chose to do stress because I’ve had so many health problems relating to stress, I’ve even broken out in a stress rash during finals. But, this project taught me I have a lot more stress related health problems than I even realized. Here's B pretending to be a spectator.

My project turned out well considering I spent all my time once again researching (and doing double the research since I changed my topic from vanity sizing) and trying to figure out a concept. So, once again the design was rushed the very last day. The project definitely had room for improvement, but I was amazed at what I accomplished in such a rushed ending. Me looking all sleep deprived and gross due to finals.

When giving out a survey to random students on campus I realized that they were not afraid to give a little T.M.I. which was both hilarious and informative. It was such a cool experience to install my project. I put it in the main building on campus right next to where everyone eats, socializes, studies, and walks across campus. It was so fun to think that so many people were walking by something I designed for a whole week. The best part was that people kept taking the stress cards and I had to print out more.

The main point of my project was to inform students during a very stressful time (finals) that stress is the worst thing for your health, it hurts every area of the body and makes you more susceptable to getting other illnesses and viruses. It is important to always take time to take care of your body by doing things to alleviate the stresses of life.

This little man model showing the main areas of the body stress harms was my favorite part. I was happy nobody vandalized my project because some other classmates exhibits got ruined. The only thing wrong with mine at the end of the week was that someone stole the pore little man's intestines. Why the intestines, I do not know.

Oh and B got straight A's in all but one class this semester. I got straight A's (an A- in Info Design, but I think that still counts). It was so nice for all of our hard work to pay off this semester. This was my best semester grades of college so far, they've gone up every semester since I've been married. It's actually kind of funny when you look at my transcript.

VANITY SIZING

2011-01-26T15:59:00.001-07:00

What is vanity sizing you ask?
Well, have you ever wondered, "Why do I wear a size 2 in one store and a size 8 in another?"
Have you ever freaked out when vintage shopping and wondered why you wear a size 14 dress when you normally wear 6?

Well, I will now show you the light on the craziness known as vanity sizing.

60 years ago the American government created guidelines for women's clothing sizes. The measurements were taken from women in the military during World War II. The women were fit military women, which is one reason why the average women of today seem so much larger or more overweight than the measurements of the women back then.

Around the 80s the U.S. standard clothing sizes stopped being used and U.S. Catalogue sizes were
introduced. Companies now provide their own measurements for their sizes. This is why a person’s size varies from store to store.

Over the last 5 decades each size has dropped 5 sizes, another words, a size a decade. This means that a size 10 in the 50s, the smallest size at the time, now measures a size 00 by today's standards (but then again that size would depend from store to store, so we'll just say on average). This is why Marilyn Monroe a size 14 of her time, would really only be a size 6 today.

Each decade more and more Americans are overweight or obese. This problem plays a big role in causing vanity sizing. If Americans weren’t getting bigger, than clothing companies wouldn’t need to change their sizes to make their customer’s feel better about themselves.

Previously vanity sizing was only a problem effecting women because a men’s size 32 inch pant really should fit a size 32 inch men’s waist. But now popular clothing brands are even labeling men’s pants as a few sizes smaller than they should be. This could lead to health problems because people often base how small they are on what size their clothes are. But if your clothes are getting bigger with you, you won't realize you really don't have that 32 inch waist anymore, it's a 36 now and your pants are lying to you.

I did this project around midterms last semester for my Information Design class. I found this topic so interesting. I spent all the weeks of the project researching and making graphs, so I did all of the actual design part by pulling an all nighter before it was due in the morning. So, the design didn't turn out as pretty as I imagined especially since I didn't have models and was snapping pictures of myself and things at 3 in the morning using yucky florescent kitchen lighting (which is why I'm only showing the cover front and back and one spread.) But how fun is the card with my sources, you can't have "the magazine experience" without a card falling out on you right? Anyways, this is a topic I would love to learn more about. And the great thing about graphic design is that you can always go back and redo your projects to make them better, which I really want to with this one.

ombre hair

2011-01-24T15:41:00.000-07:00

I get sick of my hair way too often, I've had many many shades over the years. And I'm always wanting to change it again. Right now I love ombre hair. It reminds me of the sun bleached hair I had as a little girl always at the beach. I first saw this trend on models, then I started seeing it on some celebrities and now lots of trend setters.

The only problem is that if you aren't a tan supermodel you run the risk of looking unkempt or dirty. But as with anything it all depends on your confidence and how you style your look.

I still can't decide if I'm daring enough to try it. Maybe I should give some self-tanner a go first.

Images via google.

Randoms

2011-01-17T15:49:00.001-07:00

I just started using bloglovin. It's so much better than google reader.
Follow my blog with bloglovin

I see this guy waking his dog outside all the time and it makes me so excited when I see them because he always has it in the cutest little coats! This time a hat and shoes too! I snapped this for you mom, so you could see what I keep talking about. I can't wait for us to get our own puppy!

I listened to this broadcast this morning from Stephanie Nielson and her husband. I've heard and read their story many times but it was so inspiring to hear them tell their story again and what they've learned since. It puts things into perspective and makes me feel foolish for ever complaining, even if it is -40 outside.

Happy MLK day. I really like this quote. "An individual has not started living until he can rise above the narrow confines of his individualistic concerns to the broader concerns of all humanity."
-Martin Luther King, Jr.

Cameras

2011-01-12T17:13:00.003-07:00

This was my final printmaking project last semester. I did it of two of my old polaroids and of one of my old motion cameras. People seemed to really like it (probably because everyone and their mom is a photographer nowadays), a guy studying photography in my class even asked for one of my additions, so I gave him one. I really need to stop giving my art away for free. This edition is a little over wiped, but I hurried and snapped a pic of one in our garage before we drove up to Canada. I used hard ground, aquatint, and a smidge of dry point. Printmaking scared me to death at first, it seemed so complicated and difficult. There was frustration at first and a big learning curve but by the end of the semester I ended up loving it! I hope I have enough time to squeeze in advanced before I graduate so I can learn and improve even more.

fort mcmurray

2011-01-11T15:10:00.004-07:00

So, we started out packing up all our stuff and leaving Rexburg, Idaho. We took a shuttle to Salt Lake, Utah and stayed the night in a hotel.

Then we woke up super early and flew from Salt Lake to Dallas, Texas to stay with my mom. David Archuleta walked right by me at the Salt Lake airport and we had eye contact, I didn't even realize it was him until after he walked away.

Dallas was so hot, it was 85 degrees the first day we got there. After several days in Dallas, we ended up driving down to Houston, Texas for Christmas at my Cousin Christi's for a few days. The we drove back to Dallas for the rest of the week. New Years day we flew from Dallas back to Salt Lake. Then we took a shuttle back to Rexburg.

We stayed at the Brownlee's for a couple nights. Then we packed all our stuff in our little car and drove up to Calgary, Alberta, Canada for several days where we spent time with B's family.

Then we woke up at 3 AM last Friday morning and drove up to Fort McMurray. I was not looking forward to getting here, but after staying at so many people's houses and living out of a suitcase for almost a month, I was ready to not be homeless anymore even if our new home was in Fort McMurray. Fort McMurray is endless pine trees and construction. It's kind of scary with all the huge construction trucks and ice on the road. I was so happy we made it up safely. All the trees are pretty, it's how I imagined all of Canada to be actually.

B made dinner the first night in our new home because he felt bad for moving me up here.
Our place is so nice though. And the best part is that it's rent free. It is so big because usually 3 guys stay in one, but since B is married they didn't give us any roommates. There are 3 floors with 3 Bedrooms, 2 Living rooms, 2 Bathrooms and a nice kitchen. And I set up a little area for all my creative endeavors. I love how modern and clean everything is.

The sun comes up at about 8:30 AM and goes down at about 3:30 PM. It really is depressing having so little light, but the sun comes out and stays up a few minutes longer each day. In the summer it will be the exact opposite and it will be bright out all day, which I am really excited for since I love sunshine and natural light. This is the farthest north B and I have ever been. B has a friend from Calgary up here who goes to our church which is nice. There are quite a variety of Canadian accents up here and some are really funny. Even B laughs at Canadian accents now. Food is so expensive here, it's like 8 bucks to buy a box of Cheerios. I feel bad for kids who live here permanently. I would hate to grow up in such a a cold dark place. At least this is temporary. There isn't much to do and everything is pricey, so is forcing B and I to be creative, which is always good. And we are so happy B has such a great opportunity to get experience with this internship.

This post is supported by jobs in Fort McMurray.

New Years Eve 2011

2011-01-10T15:27:00.000-07:00

We continued our Texas NYE tradition by having dinner and playing games with my mom and grandma. Aren't we such party animals? My mom was really sick so she asked not to be photographed but I sneaked one in. We played Tripoley and my favorite, Bananagrams! Doesn't B and my grandma look so cute in their party hats? Happy 2011 super late.

Happy New Year 2011

2011-01-01T16:00:00.001-07:00

We hope you have a happy, healthy and wonderful new year in 2011! Just think, your year has to be better than ours because you won't be living in the arctic tundra of Fort Mcmurray, Alberta, Canada.

dallas contemporary

2011-01-01T07:31:00.001-07:00

Branden and I went on a double date with Tiffany and her boy to a new museum in Dallas called the Dallas Contemporary. It was really fun, inspirational and free!

Prints! I think Tiffany and I both have a greater appreciation for prints after taking printmaking, you don't realize all the complexities that go into making one until you try it yourself.

I love this style of mixed media paintings.

The Rainbow thread installation by Gabriel Dawe was my favorite. Pictures don't do it justice. I thought it was cool to learn that he was a graphic designer and now does textiles art.

The Bling Blang Exhibition was also really fun.

Bridges and Constructions Exhibition

Dinner at the Iron Cactus after. It was nice to spend some time & take some photos with my cousin/blonde twin/bestie since we go months and months without seeing each other nowadays.

The Green Building!

"Wind is cold alright back in Dallas. The neon light from the building lets you know you're home."

-Ben Kweller

handmade christmas

2010-12-30T19:10:00.002-07:00

I love handmade presents and I got some really nice ones this year.
My grandma made me the beaded bracelet for Christmas and gave me the turquoise bracelet for my Birthday. I can't decide which is better, handmade or pretty vintage hand-me-downs?

Tiffany gave me some of her pretty prints.

My mom knitted everyone nice chunky scarves.

& Christi got me the cutest push pin ring from etsy! It is so cute! I can't wait to show it off in my next sewing class.

I guess my love of art, craftsmanship and handmade runs in the family!

Christmas in Houston

2010-12-29T22:33:00.001-07:00

We went to Houston to spend the Christmas weekend at my cousin Christi's house. Christi & Maiya made cookies.

Sierra ate dog treats instead.

Maiya and I tricked Sugar into letting us dress her up for the festivities.

Shane and Branden became best buds.

The kids put on a Christmas program.

Sierra loved B. He helped her play the role of the angel in the Nativity story.
Stockings with cookies, milk and notes left to Santa.

Christmas morning.

The dessert book I made my mom.

We made sock monkeys all weekend to help Christi`s relief society, they are sending 200 of them to an orphanage in Africa. I wish we could see the kids get them.

B with my favorite one I made.
The men drinking sodas while frying turkeys outside.

The girls thought their dolls looked like me and B (except our eye colors are opposite) the girl even had purple hair.
Tiff and I playing with kens, they sure look a lot more feminine than they did when we were little. The blond one looked more like Ellen than a guy.

Christmas dinner.

Delicious desserts and why my jeans are now tight.

Some of the monkeys we made. I wish we had time to make more.

We had such a fun weekend. It was fun seeing the little kids get so excited. Christmas isn't Christmas without kids. It'll be fun in a couple years when we have our own.

Home for Christmas

2010-12-22T22:11:00.004-07:00

So, B and I packed up our apartment and B found these old tiger ears of mine and had the urge to wear them for some reason. Isn't he cute?

B saying goodbye to his French BFF David. They are so cute together. We packed up and moved out thanks to our kind friends the Brownlees. We took a shuttle to Utah stayed the night and caught a early flight to Texas yesterday morning. We had fun spending the day with my mom. And we loved the 85 degree weather, a nice change from the ice and snow! B woke up with food poisoning this morning (we think he had some bad lamb) and my mom is still recovering from a knee surgery she just had, so we all had a nice restful day. B is feeling good now and we are happy to spend time with family and be out of the cold.

twenty three

2010-12-18T23:28:00.003-07:00

Yesterday was my 23 Birthday. I feel so old. Maybe it's because I keep thinking I'm in my 30s for some reason. It was a decent Birthday. Branden was gone all day at school doing finals and I was grateful to be done. We missed the dedication of the new BYU-I center since B still had tests and projects to do. But I hear it was good. I got some nice cards and treats from loved ones. I especially loved B's card. He knows that cards with animals doing funny things make me happy.

B finally got done with school at 5 and so we got dressed up and drove to I.F. too bad you can't tell that we look nice.

We went to the Cellar, the only nice restaurant around for miles and miles.

The food there is amazing! I almost forgot I was in Idaho it was so good.

We were going to go to a movie but I was still recovering from finals and was too tired so we went home to sleep.

It was after 11 and we were in bed and I was giving B a hard time because he didn't do any kind of Birthday candle singing for me. It wold be my first time to not make a Birthday wish in 23 years! & after I made him such a beautiful cake for his Birthday how could he deprive me? Well, I fell asleep and woke up to this. B drove to Cocoa Bean after they closed. He begged for a cupcake. There was only one left and an employee had saved it for herself. He pleaded and said his wife's Birthday was almost over, so they felt bad and gave him it and a candle. B woke me up (as you can see by my bangs sticking up) and sang to me minutes before my Birthday was over!

The End.

Hydrostatic Fanatic

2010-12-15T21:31:00.002-07:00

I thought I'd share this amazingness. This project is a work of art in my opinion.
For B's product development class they were put into groups and they had to invent a new product. Another one of B's teachers had told him how he had a concept for a fluid powered bike. So, B and his group made the concept a reality. It is so cool and way over mine and many people's heads. It was funny how confused people were when B was explaining to them how it worked at the Engineering exhibition. The main concept of the bike is that you don't have to shift gears and you always pedal with the same effort, even going up hill because the bike automatically adjusts for the gear ratios using a system of pneumatics and hydraulics (B just told me to say that).
Anyways, the bike has some kinks to fix still, which B will do later as a Senior Special project.
Their project was definitely the coolest, especially since B painted the bike and made fun logos.

B says, "Next is integrating regenerative breaking, and getting rid of the chain all together."

finally finished with finals

2010-12-15T13:44:00.002-07:00

I finished people! I am finally done with the semester and now I have a year off from school! I really didn't think this day would come. So, this is what my house looks like after it has been hit by a finals tornado.

And people wonder why I am grouchy and don't like people coming over/visiting during finals?
This is literally what our apartment always looks like after finals. Except normally there is a bunch of sewing stuff on the floor too. This is the first semester I didn't have a sewing class in a really long time which also is probably why finals were doable and I didn't cry once this time. Normally I end up pulling several all-nighters crying and sewing something at 3 in the morning. But this time I made it through with limited lack of sleep and zero tears. Well, I'm off to go clean up the finals tornado aftermath.
But first, we should play I spy on this picture.
I spy my pillow that looks like a log.
I spy a huge jug of glue I just spent 50 bucks on.
I spy a paintbrush glued to paper and the floor.
I spy my needle. Actually can anyone see my needle? I really need to find it so I can make some more books.

It's almost here

2010-12-13T15:29:00.001-07:00

I finished my two biggest final projects and turned the in today! Woohoo! What sweet relief! Much art will be shown on here in the near future. But I still have quite a bit of finals to plow through. Christmas tunes are getting me through it. Like this amazing video with both Conan & She and Him! I love when things I love collaborate.

Free Christmas Tunes

2010-12-03T17:07:00.002-07:00

So, I am sick, Branden is sick and most people at school are sick. I tried my hardest to not get sick by eating really healthy and by taking way more vitamins than necessary. But several people coughed on me this week and I kissed B while he was sick, so I ended up catching something from somebody.

I thought it was strep but I got a strep test this afternoon and I am strep free.
I am now filling myself with liquids and trying to rid myself of whatever I have. I am also trying to find homework to do that doesn't require too much brainpower since most of my final projects are due in a week eek!

So, rather than being stressed and sickly, I decided to find some new Christmas tunes to perk up my spirits. I just found that you can download all the cute holiday songs from Target's holiday commercials plus more for free here.

New fun music always makes life better.
& I am so happy it's December, my favorite month of the year!
M.

Thanksgiving in America

2010-11-27T14:45:00.000-07:00

B and I had a lovely thanksgiving just the two of us. It was so nice not to have to waste time with traveling. It was B's first American Thanksgiving in America. We've had the last two in Canada. This was our 6th Thanksgiving together and as always we were grateful for each other. We are so cheesy.

We slept in, then watched a dog show and I wanted all of the dogs. B made the most delicious slow cooker turkey. & I found the best recipe for rolls, best rolls of my life.

We ate way too much. We had pecan tarts for dessert (my mom's recipe, one of my favorite holiday treats).

I made a pumpkin pie yesterday & it was disgusting. I threw the recipe and the whole pie in the trash after trying it. The one time pumpkin puree+Martha Stewart failed. The gingersnap crust was good though.

We have loved this whole week off. We have had so much fun watching movies, eating, laughing, and sleeping way too much. I don't think I've felt this well rested since I was a child. Now I have a ton of projects and homework I have to do before the last 2 1/2 weeks of the semester.

The Coat

2010-11-23T08:19:00.000-07:00

Here's my second printmaking project for the semester. I traced a sketch from one of my grandma's old sewing books and tweaked it a bit. Then I sketched it into hard ground and used some of my favorite thick houndstooth fabric for the soft ground on the coat and hat.

It doesn't show signs of stopping...let it snow

2010-11-22T22:17:00.001-07:00

B & I have the week off for Thanksgiving. We've already had a wonderful few days over the weekend sleeping in not having to worry about projects, class, or homework. We both got much needed haircuts on Saturday. & my hair now has bit of a purple hue. I didn't want to do it too purple and get in trouble at school...so it will be even more purple in the future when we are not in school.

It dumped down snow all day Saturday & Sunday & it is now actually starting to be really really cold.

All that snow is from just two days. It made me so happy that we decided to stay here and not travel. Hopefully people are safe while they are driving on the icy roads.

All this snow & down time is making it feel like it's Christmas already. I even painted my nails with clear polish & sprinkled on some glitter to get in the spirit. Glitter nail polish & all that sparkles & shines is so in right now & I love it!

& I am wearing my "festive ring". B thinks it should only B worn near Christmas because he thinks it looks like little ornaments, but I wear it all year. (Thank you mother & Kate Spade).

B & I went on a date to see Harry Potter 7 today. It was so good. Later after the movie we got Thai take out at our favorite place in Rexburg and we saw this car outside, what a coincidence.

We caught up on season 4 of The Big Bang Theory while we ate our Thai. Takeout & The Big Bang Theory are the perfect match, especially since they always eat Takeout on that show & it makes me crave it.
Happy Break & Relaxation to all.
Thanks for being a kind reader whoever you are.

Acrobat Jack

2010-11-22T13:08:00.001-07:00

This was my first big project for printmaking. It's an aquatint of my Grandpa Jack doing his "acrobatics" on the beach when he was around my age.
Here's the original photo I used for inspiration.

let it snow

2010-11-12T13:15:00.001-07:00

So, it has been oddly warm here in Rexburg for quite some time. It was so hot this past weekend, it was in the low 70s, hotter than Dallas. But then out of no where a blizzard came on Monday and it has been snowy ever since. The poor flowers and trees didn't know what hit them. All the leaves dumped down after the snow because it never got cool enough for them to fall off before. Idaho just has two seasons, summer and winter. There really is no in between.

In other news I finally learned to knit! I never thougth I'd learn. I'd tried to teach myself and also had my mom and grandma teach me and I never could get it. Then yesterday we started our chapter on knits in Textiles and we learned to knit for our lab. I was in shock & so grateful to my teacher for finally teaching me! We learned the basic knit and pearl. I now have another new addiction. My first tries were a little wonky, so I think I am going to start over. I probably should stop, because I have lots of other homework and projects to do before Thanksgiving, but I want to keep kniting so I don't forget, I'm so scared I'm going to forget.

And holy cow is my hair red. I don't know how it gets so red after the dark dye fades out. B wants me to dye my hair Rhianna red, another words, fire engine red. But I really want purpl-ish hair. I want to do it next week. Hopefully I don't get in trouble at school, we aren't supposed to have unnatural colors. We shall see. Oh and the dog search continues. I really want this dog off of the Real Housewives of Beverly Hills, it is the cutest dog! B is afraid it will be too yippe & I'm afraid he might step on it if it were too small.

book arts books

2010-11-06T15:14:00.000-06:00

Here are the box of books I've made for book arts so far.
Box. If I can find some time I'll make a matching lid.
My syllabus. French sewn. The only class where you'd make your syllabus look this pretty.

Perfect bound. Basically how a paperback book is bound.

Long stitch. It's so fun going to the thrift store and finding leather coats, purses, and luggage to cut up and make books out of. Recycled leather is good, and it smells even better.

Coptic. I made the cover out of pages from a children's book from the 60s that I found at the thrift store.

The end papers are made from paper we marbled in class one day.

Coptic takes the longest to sew, but it is my favorite to sew. I love how you can actually see the binding's sewing and the pretty pattern it has.

Moleskin. Why it is called moleskin, I do not know.

Stab.

Case Bound. How a textbook is bound.

Cord Bound. The really expensive leather bound books you find at the store, except they don't usually actually sew the cords into the binding, if they do it is even more expensive! I love how the leather looks and feels stretched over the cords.

Book arts is my new addiction. Books for everyone for Christmas!

A Play by Play of the Day

2010-11-04T21:33:00.001-06:00

Today was such a great day, I think it's the fact that the weather is perfection. I mean, it's November and I didn't even wear a jacket today.
My first class today was Textiles. Have I mentioned how interesting Textiles is? I know way too much detailed information about fibers, yarns, and many other things that the average person does not need to know because of this class. Today was my favorite day so far because we had the President of The Weaving, Spinning & Fiber Arts Guild of Idaho Falls come and speak to us about the whole process of basically how a garment goes from "sheep to shawl". We've studied all about this information in our textbook, but it was so nice to see the actual tools and make our textbook come alive and make sense. I love sewing because I think it's sad how people don't sew anymore and it's fun to be a part of something that use to be a part of people's everyday lives decades ago. Today made me realize that before even that, the whole process of getting the fibers, washing them, drying them, spinning them, weaving them & then sewing them, was a part of peoples every day lives. Hence why people only owned 2 dresses. We are so lucky to not have to go through all of that work today. But, it's so interesting that people still take part in that art today and have not let it die. Here's her spinning wheel she brought.

It makes me think of Sleeping Beauty. Random fact: the lady said that Sleeping Beauty came about because it was common for people back in the day to die from pricking their finger on the spindle of the wheel because it had the bacteria off the animal's wool.
I turned in my box & books so far for the semester for book arts. I love book arts so much, it is my favorite class I've taken in college. I could make books and boxes for days. Maybe I should get a Masters in book binding, such a degree does in fact exist. Then B & I were reunited. Is it sad that I miss B when we are apart at school for only hours? B in the engineering building.

He called me Linda & said I was weird for taking pictures. But I've just realized that we only have 2 semesters left of college & I don't have actual pictures on campus & I want to remember what it was like before they completely remodel it in the future. I can't wait to get a new phone so I can take pictures more discretely & not look like a weirdo for doing so.

Me frolicking about because I love Fall & making books way too much.

B being bad & eating McDonalds, while driving, AND talking to his French lover on the phone. You can tell he's speaking French because of how his lips are sticking out. I remember my French teacher in high school saying, "Just stick out your lips to sound French". It's so true, it really helps.

halloween weekend

2010-11-01T23:02:00.001-06:00

Our Halloween weekend felt like any other weekend.
We didn't dress up. We didn't go out. & We didn't have time to carve our pumpkins. At least they will last through November now.

I instead spent all weekend in the print lab working on my first big printmaking project. I was pretty frustrated with how many things kept going wrong with my prints. And I had to reprint like 20 times. I even was there printing on Sunday, who knew you could even get into the school on a Sunday. Boy was this past week stressful and full of sleepless nights between printmaking and graphic design. But I managed to get both big projects done. And many other little ones. And I am so grateful I didn't get sick as many people in my classes seem to be right now.

We had no trick or treaters, at the times we were home, so we were left with way too much candy. I guess that's what happens when you live in a place with only babies and no kids. We had a primary presentation for sacrament meeting and there was only one kid in our primary, so adults pretty much did the whole thing, it was the most interesting primary presentation I've seen. Even though we didn't have time for Halloween, other people made it feel more like Halloween. My mom sent me a sweet Halloween package. That is my favorite card, it makes me laugh every time I see it. And my sweet visiting teaching partner brought over cute little witch hat cookies.

And B and I finally took a break from the stress. B downloaded Eclipse for us to watch as a Halloween type movie before bed Sunday night. We had the prettiest rainbow that night.
I am so grateful that it has yet to really snow. Being able to see a pretty rainbow like this in October, instead of snow was such a treat. School is extremely stressful and time consuming for both B and I. B is trying to build a fluid powered bike & I am taking 3 studio classes, what were we thinking? It might be crazy & it may seem unfair how other people get to do fun things and never seem to have homework, but I think the harder you work in college, the easier life will be after it.

Sewing & pattern books

2010-10-29T17:42:00.002-06:00

When I last visited Texas, my grandma gave me a couple of her sewing books from the 60s. They are the books she learned how to sew from. They are so cool, in fact they gave me the idea for my current graphic design project I just completed. It would have been cool to find these at the thrift store, but it makes them that much more special that they were hers. Here are some of the pretty pages of the books, I love the 60s style of illustration.

I love how it asks you what your basic color is. Mine is definitely black.

I love the style of clothes too, they are so classy & flattering.

Another cool info graphic video

2010-10-26T09:18:00.000-06:00

pumpkin cupcakes

2010-10-25T08:05:00.003-06:00

Pumpkin cupcakes are always my favorite when I go to cupcake shops because they are the only ones that are moist. These cupcakes are even better than a cupcake shop, they are perfection. B and I have already eaten way too many of them. The cupcake recipe is from here and the cream cheese frosting recipe is from here. You just can't go wrong with a recipe from Martha or with a recipe that calls for pumpkin puree. They are the perfect pre-Halloween treat.

Pronk kids

2010-10-24T17:04:00.005-06:00

My fashion Merchandising class was a block class, so now it is finished. Hooray, one less class to worry about. Here is the final project I did that I talked about in the last post. I used the coat that I made in my children clothing class as an example. My idea was all about how I hate how ugly most kid's clothes are. I wear lots of black and neutrals and I plan on dressing my kids that way, not in pastel clothes with teddy bears. My line would be more grown up looking clothes, but they would be made out of kid friendly materials like cottons & jersey knits, clothes that kids could still play in. Hence the tag line, "stylish clothes your kids can jump in". I made a kangaroo logo & talked about jumping because Pronk means, "to jump straight up".

My teacher couldn't believe I made the hang tag, & I think was overall impressed with my poster, since most girls hand drew and taped things to their posters. There were some really bad ones. I think everyone who goes to college should be required to take at least one entry level design class, the world would sure be a lot prettier.

kiddy clothes

2010-10-22T12:05:00.005-06:00

So, for my fashion merchandising final project we had to design a line of some kind. I immediately chose to do a children clothing line. I also Immediately went to Zara for inspiration. Zara has the cutest baby and kid clothes. It makes me wish I had a baby to dress up. B feels otherwise. Maybe I can dress up my dog? Anyways, enjoy the adorableness.

(Click images to see larger)

I'd like the cape, vests, suede skirt, and mocs in my own size, thanks!

And I'd like to dress my future baby boy totally hipster. We just need to find faux baby glasses.

Our kids are going to dress better than us.

Maybe we should get a husky

2010-10-21T22:22:00.007-06:00

B found out this morning that he got the amazing internship that he really wanted. Hooray! We go up in January for 8 months. I should be really upset about this because he is not just dragging me up to Calgary like he usually does, he's dragging me 10 hours north of that to Fort McMurray. A place where people used dog sleds to get around only decades ago. We are getting closer and closer to the North Pole, people!

But, I'm really happy for him. & I'm happy because I really am burnt out from school. I really would enjoy time to make my own art projects and make them good rather than rushed. & I need time to start my business with branding and such. & best of all, I made B promise that if we go up there he has to get me a puppy. I get a puppy! I'm so excited.

A cavalier king charles spaniel? Yes, please.

We are still on the hunt for the perfect dog, but this kind is at the top of the list for now.

Or maybe we should get a husky and a dog sled.

Images via google images.

pumpkin squares

2010-10-18T18:41:00.000-06:00

I love that I can feel the fall chill in the air.
& I love that it's not snowing yet, because it usually is this time of year.
& I love being able to eat fall food like soup, caramel apples, and my mother's pumpkin squares.
These squares are so pumpkiny, so tasty, and so easy to make. I just made them on Saturday and they taste better each day.

PUMPKIN SQUARES
1 29oz can pumpkin
13oz can evaporated milk
3 eggs beaten
2 t. cinnamon
1 t. nutmeg
1/2 t. ginger
1/2 t. cloves
1/2 t. salt
1 c. sugar

Mix all together well. Pour into 9x13 pan. Grease pan. Sprinkle with topping.

Topping:
1 pkg yellow cake mix (dry, straight from box)
1 c. chopped nuts (walnuts or pecans)
then drizzle 1 c. melted butter over all

Bake 350 degrees for 45 minutes.

Reunited with KFC

2010-10-11T23:21:00.007-06:00

So, B left super early Thursday morning on a geology field trip through Utah and to the Grand Canyon, I'm so glad I didn't have to do that when I took geology! He got back at one this morning. I missed him so much. It's so nice to be together again. We didn't realize it until later in the day, but today is Canadian Thanksgiving. We were too tired to go to the store or to make food so we went to KFC for thanksgiving like food instead. We ended up getting there right before they closed and so they gave us a ton of extra food for free.
Happy Columbus day & Canadian Thanksgiving!