A Joy

You may not know this, but it is a well known fact in my family that my arrival as the last child was a bit of a surprise. A complete surprise in fact. "But a good one nonetheless," is what I always like to point out whenever it comes up. My parents were done having kids after my older sister Kerstin was born; but little did they know I was still in the works somewhere. And 8 months after my mom's 39th birthday I entered the Schmidt family -- all sans hair and big eared (and by C-section nonetheless). Ta-dah! And while I was visiting with my family the other week, my mom and I were chatting about my coming so unexpectedly into the family when I made my usual comment about how she has to be "so glad I came though, right?" ::wink wink:: Being my sweet mom, she stopped what she was doing, turned to me, and in her sweetest most sincere momma voice replied that she was. "Because you are a joy," she said. And as that little, kind compliment floated across the room and wriggled its way into my heart it made me feel just about like a million bucks. A joy. I can't think of anything else I would rather be called, especially by my sweet momma. I'm so lucky to have her, and when I grow up I hope to be as thoughtful and selfless as she is.

Wye Oak - Civilian

A few weeks ago, Ty was doing quite a bit of guitar playing while we were at home during the evenings. Which, in turn, meant I was doing a fair amount of singing (Ty is the great guitar player in our home), and this is one of the songs we were often playing together (such a pretty song in my opinion). Since then, our schedules have gotten a bit crazier so less guitar has been played, but we are both hoping that changes soon since I love having his strumming ringing throughout the house; it just makes it feel so much more homey, you know? If you're in a listening mood, he was also keen on playing quite a bit of this, this and this too. And when we start back up we wanna learn this.

Snow day in SLC

We spent Saturday as expected, trudging through the stormy streets of downtown Salt Lake as we ate lunch at Cafe Molise, visited with friends and shopped to our little foodie-hearts content at Trader Joe's. The snow really doesn't bother me as long as I'm equipped with my down jacket (I have the shorter version of this guy) -- I swear they are the magic of all magic coats. I was fully equipped on Saturday, toasty as a marshmallow, so no worries there. And I was sure to wear my Ty-thinks-they-are-ugly-but-they-are-my-best-snow-boots boots, so I was solid. My visiting sister on the other hand, who is sadly not pictured, was wearing cotton tennis shoes and a light-weight cotton jacket (she explained she was trying to pack light). Poor little lady. There was no complaining out of her though -- what a trooper. And no car accidents; I would chalk that up to a great day.

As for the snow in these parts, it seemed to snow forever on Saturday, but come Sunday it was all gone (insert total confusion). I'm not sure how that happened, but Hank and I took a hike  in the hills behind the house sans snowshoes, and about half of the ground we covered didn't have snow at all. Even the large, accumulated piles around the neighborhood have all but disappeared. Unthinkable. But kinda great if we are being honest. Bring on spring, I say. 

And I will say one sentence about Life Of Pi -- not as good as the book, but visually stimulating and the CG tiger was fantastic. And that was that.

Happy weekend!

Maybe it was the long weekend that extended into this week, or maybe time is just flying now a days, but I can't believe it's Friday already. I swear this week barely existed at all. We're expecting quite a bit of snow in these parts over the next few days, but Ty and I are still planning to venture out this weekend to see Life of Pi (we have both read the book, so we are anxious to see how the film lives up -- and ends! oh my goodness, what will they do with that?) as well as spend some time with my sister while she is in town; we are envisioning a trip to IKEA, a lunch out and a stellar trip to the still-fairly-new Trader Joe's. What do you think? Sound like a good weekend? I think so too. I love me a good bum around town and watching movies weekend.

And now here are a few links to kick off your weekend.

I think this non-traditional wedding dress is a bit stunning. What do you think?
Could you eat this much frosting?
I want to paint the insides of the front and garage doors this color.
I want to rid myself of bookshelves in the guest bedroom and store the books on the upper ledge instead. And I think these inexpensive storage baskets are just the ticket.
Ty needs to build us a couple of these for us.
Garance gives me inspiration for wearing my man shoes in the spring.

Colorado for the weekend

For the last couple weeks, Ty and I have both had the itch to get out and adventure a bit; nothing sounded less fun than sitting around our house for another weekend. Unfortunately for our adventure bug, though, it's winter. So places like Zion and Moab are kinda cold and muddy (not to mention they don't allow Hank). So instead, Ty came up with the awesome idea of heading out to Colorado to hang with my fam last weekend. Free housing, Hank friendly, plus great company made this the perfect idea for our weekend plans.

So we packed in the car after work on Friday (along with Hank, who I might add is an amazing road tripper) and made our way to the good old Fort Collins. Honestly, it was just like it always is. Fun, filled with good food, games and family time. Unexpected highlights included taking home some childhood movie favorite (Turner&Hooch anyone? I didn't think so. I think I am the only person on the planet who remembers that movie) and making a Clark family decision that our next dog will be a Bernese Mountain Dog. It really is so nice to get away for a few days at a time; relax, recharge the batteries, just honestly plan nothing (nothing days are my absolute favorite). Not to mention the drive through Wyoming affords just about the prettiest sky views to be had. It makes me excited for summer retreats to Glacier National Park and Yellowstone in the coming months, and it was just what the doctor ordered for the weekend.

Valentines + Happy weekend

Yesterday was probably my favorite Valentine's day of my life. But you wanna know the funny thing? The only real difference between this Valentine's day and all the other adult Valentine's days of my life was how much effort I put into it. Funny huh? I put up that sweet little sign for Ty to see when he got up in the morning. I made stuffed french toast, as predicted here (p.s. it was surprisingly easy and ridiculously delicious. totally do it). And I got Ty a schmoopey card to open after dinner, which is actually the only effort I usually put forth. But with all this sign hanging and breakfast making, I was already having the best Valentine's day of my life by 9:00 a.m! Flipping fantastic.

For our evening events, Ty was on campus taking a test until late, so we headed over to Smashburger for some tasty, you-don't-have-to-wait-an-hour-for-a-table eats (I wore one of the necklaces Ty made me last year). And then when we got back home, Ty surprised me with these Jcrew pajamas that I have been lusting after! Is he the best or is he the best? Hope your holiday was great too!

Here are a few links for your extra long weekend!
Ty and I added this place in Norway to our vacation destinations today.
We also want to see here and here.
How to brew cold herbal tea.
Such a sweet family keepsake.
I want to make these.
I think this may be my next knitting project.

A bonfire miracle

After collecting some abandoned Christmas trees from around the neighborhood (and having one placed in the back of our truck unbeknownst to us -- thank you random neighbor) we had 5 beauties to burn after the holiday season, so we decided to host us a tree bonfire over the weekend. It was nothing big, just a few friends and some pulled pork sandwiches on the east shore of Utah Lake. But, toward the end of our evening, we had a bonfire miracle! Just as the sun was setting, and we were burning the last couple trees, we were joined by at least 100 other unexpected people who had come to celebrate the Chinese New Year and light off lanterns. You know, like in Disney's Rapunzel? Lanterns, people! Now, I must tell you, this kind of made me beyond ecstatic. I am bit obsessed with these lanterns, and the fact that a massive lighting of them had just fallen into my lap made me feel a tad like the luckiest lady in the world, if you know what I mean (hello!). And seeing as we were there, everyone just assumed we were part of the party. So we all just cozied up by the fire together like one big happy Chinese New Year family, and I got to light off one of the extra lanterns (I had seen them many a time but never had never actually lit one myself). And it was kind of amazing. My kind friend Thomas (who just happened to show up as part of those 100 unexpected people) snapped those last shots of me up there lighting off the lantern. Such an awesome end to our night at the lake.

Happy weekend

It's Friday! What a wonderful day. Last night Ty reminded me the weekend was almost here and it kind of made me giddy. I hope you have some wonderful plans! I hope to do some climbing at the gym and I kinda want to take an impromptu camping trip tonight; we'll see if I can make that happen. Happy weeekend! Here are a few things I've come across this week that you might enjoy too:

Could you imagine having a wedding reception on this?
It's hard to believe this is simply paper.
This is on our menu for Valentine's Day breakfast.
Lovey gift wrap for your valentine.
A pretty up-do.
Loving the look of patterns mixed with stripes.
Karma.

Deals of the week

FYI, Jcrew Factory has a new location (I was just alerted by the Jcrew website -- it's jcrewfactory.com). But, back to business. As I was browsing Jcrew Factory today, I noticed they are having a 30% off sale items sale right now, and in my meandering I came across those items up there. After the sale discount, that dress is $17.50. And that pink blouse? $24.50. The earrings are $13.65 and that cute cardi is $20.65. Man, you gotta love a good sale on sale. Now go buy that cardi, spring is on its way.

AND IF YOU WANT TO SPEND AN INSANE AMOUNT OF MONEY ON A TOP, THIS IS ADORABLE TOO.

Superbowl Sunday

We started Superbowl Sunday off with church (on a fasting Sunday nonetheless), but we ended it camped out on the couch, watching the game with a plethora of goodies laid out in front of us, including those bad boys up there. Before marrying Tyler, I didn't know the beauty of Lime Jarritos soda with fresh slices of lime in it, but let me tell you people. It is delicious. Next time you have a hankering for a tasty, zesty soda with a lightly sour zing, treat yourself to one of these. Perfect for the next time you are having a game day, or attending a BBQ, or eating tacos, or really just whenever.

Happy weekend

Happy February, all! Do you have any fun plans for the weekend? Ty and I are attending a farewell potluck dinner tonight for one of our closest friends (he's moving to Washington DC tomorrow!), and I will be making this soup to bring -- it's so delicious. Ty is bringing the makings for al pastor tacos too! Yum.

Here are a couple fun links for your weekend:
Minnetonka moccasins giveaway today.
Antlers to accent a bookshelf (Ty and I got one that is now happily sitting on the shelf unit he built us in December -- a piece of Utah we can take with us when we find a new home in a few years).
Ty is jonesing bad for this jacket.
And these boots.
How great would it be to have these log stacking cubbies in a cabin? This one too.
Friendly panda.
Amazing suspenders with look alikes here.
Homemade raw nutella.
Cute, exotic friendship bracelets.

QUOTE CREDIT, SHE TALKS ABOUT IT HERE AND HERE. 
I DON'T KNOW WHERE I FOUND THAT PLANE PHOTO, BUT IF ANYONE DOES I'M HAPPY TO CREDIT IT HERE.
COMPOSITE BY ME.