A List for Tuesday

5 Things I Love About Autumn
(in no particular order)
1. Sweaters, scarves, boots; I prefer to cover the whiteness that summer and spring pressure me to uncover.
2. Being able to wear socks and shoes without sweating. I get SO hot if I wear socks in the summer.
3. The changing leaves look so beautiful, not only up close but far away. I love looking up at the mountains and seeing them spotted with red, orange, and yellow.
4. Having a nice cup of hot chocolate before bed; too hot to do that in the summer.
5. Chris and I were married in the fall, so the cooling weather brings back good memories.

4 Things I Hate About Autumn Because I Couldn't Think of 5
(in no particular order)
1. The weather changes so much that I can't set the thermostat. It's cold in the morning making me want to turn the heater on, but then it's hot at night so I want to put on all the fans.
2. It means we're just that much closer to winter. And I hate winter.
3. The cooling weather gives me a vague sense of panic because the year is almost over and what have I accomplished?
4. It's much too brief; especially in Utah.

Whatever You're On Up the Dosage

I have felt worse in the last week than I have in the entire year put together (and keep in mind I gave birth this year). Last Monday night I started feeling a little weird. My stomach hurt and I wasn't very hungry. For the next 24 hours I had to stay really close to the bathroom; even go up or down the stairs about did me in! It was awful! Still not sure if it was a bug or food poisoning. Either way, it sucked. I felt okay on Wednesday, but then Thursday, Friday, Saturday, Sunday, and today I've either had a full-blown migraine or been fighting one. There's only been a few hours of reprieve where I haven't felt sick. On top of all this I've been exhausted lately, but unable to sleep (and not only because Dutch and Dane take turns getting up at night).

Anyway, I went to the doctor and... nothing is wrong. Seriously? He gave me a couple of prescriptions and said if things haven't improved in 2 weeks to go back in. I think I'm one of the only people in the world who hates being handed a pill to fix what's wrong. I especially hate getting prescriptions if there's no diagnosis.

Anyway, I just wanted to complain for a minute.

On a happier note I was awakened this morning by the sweetest toothless grin you've ever seen and Dutch slept in until 8. So the day started out in the best way possible!

A Great Weekend

 This was a really great weekend. On Saturday Aunt Marianne, Julianna and Thomas came up and got to see our new house. Then we all drove up to Ogden for Athena's 2nd birthday party. It was really fun. Dutch loved playing with his "cousins" and I always love seeing family. That night I went to the General Relief Society meeting and really enjoyed it.

Today was our nephew Xander's baby blessing. Afterward there was a luncheon at the Hardcastle's house and we all had a great time. We got to spend time with family and friends and had great food and lots of fun. Definitely a great weekend.

A List for Tuesday

A List of Reasons I Like Lists

• Since having kids my brain holds less information. Without lists I would forget pretty much everything.
• I love having what I need to do/want to read/want to buy all in one place for easy access.
• Lists bring order to my universe.
• I feel like a member of an exclusive club (with members the likes of Benjamin Franklin). I'm a Lister. Now I just need to make up a secret handshake.
• They are a brief way to get information across.
• When I come across an old list it sometimes brings back amazing memories.
• Lists aren't confining; they're freeing!
• A list is like a snapshot of someone's day/week/month/year.
• The minute you write something down it becomes more real.

I know that my "A List for Tuesday" is a favorite among my blog readers. Why do you like lists?

Because My Sister is a Loser...

...and refuses to join Facebook, she has not seen the pictures of our house. I will post them here. Now you should know that these are the pictures that the previous owners took. The house isn't "together" enough yet for us to take pictures and post them. So consider these the "before" shots and stay tuned for the "after."

 This is the front of the house, obviously.

We've done a lot of work in the yard and it is starting to look REALLY good.

 This is the boys' room.

I love all the natural wood.

 This is our back door and the stairs down to the basement.

We have our "Casablanca" poster hanging where that big poster is.

 Our backyard.

See that bush right in the middle? 

Yeah, Chris mangled it pretty badly when he pruned it.

It might be dead.

 This is the basement bathroom.

This is where Chris likes to shower and get ready.

 Our family room.

The walls are a matte dark green.

I want to do some stencils over it in glossy paint to add a little something special.

I also want to paint the ceiling pink.

Chris says no, but he's at work all day...

 This is the other side of the family room.

We got to keep the TV.

I know, awesome, right?

 The kitchen.

 The kitchen looking into the dining room.

 The dining room.

 The living room.

We have our bookshelves lining that wall.

 The other side of the living room.

 Upstairs bathroom.

Master bedroom.

Okay, so this is the only room we painted.

It's now a light gray.

Also, their bed was HUGE and the room is not as small as it seems.

Okay, these are a few cursory pictures of the house. What do you think?

A Little Behind

So after we moved into our fabulous new house we were without internet for roughly two weeks. A lot happened in those two weeks, but frankly I am too overwhelmed to even know where to begin! I now understand why people who don't blog regularly don't blog regularly. If you get even a little behind it feels like an insurmountable task to get caught up.

So I'm not gonna even try.

Tune in tomorrow for your regularly scheduled blog (but don't expect a "Previously on Our Blind Dog...").

Our House, Our House, Our Fancy House!

(Imagine that being sung to the tune of "Fancy Dress" from The Drowsy Chaperone)

On Tuesday we signed the papers (the millions and millions of papers) to buy our house! We were so excited to close and to get our very first dream house. On Saturday we moved in with the help of Julie, Greg, Kellie, Josh, and Dawn. Julie even stayed to help me put the primer on our bedroom walls!

Our internet won't be set up until the 14th so I may be a little hard to reach for a while. You'll actually have to pick up the phone and call me! ;) I fully intend on taking pictures of our house to show everyone when we're all set up and ready to go.

In the meantime I will leave you with this picture of Dane and his cousin Xander.

They weren't too happy,

but look at those matching outfits!

The Many Accents of Dutch

If you've read this blog for any amount of time then you know that Dutch doesn't talk a whole lot. Sometimes when he does hilarity ensues! Here are a few samples of Dutch's many accents:

Southern
Dutch says: "Bo, hush!"
Sounds like: "Bo, hoosh!"

French
Dutch says: "My paper!"
Sounds like: "My pay-pear!"

Spanish
Dutch says: "What they heck?"
Sounds like: "Whatha hayk?"

And this last one isn't an accent, but hilarious nonetheless
Dutch says: "Bye-bye, Oscar!"
Sounds like: "Buh-bye, Sucker!"