What is that?

What the heck is THAT?

And I know the only way to find out is to put my face next to it, and take a big sniff.  Only moms and nurses have to do this.

Ok, I've done this before, nothing to be afraid of.  Check to make sure there are no kids around who are going to jump on my back when I lean forward and tip me off balance into the mystery brown.

Sniff.  Whiff.

Chocolate.

Hallelujah.

"Who has been eating chocolate upstairs?  No more elf kisses today!"

But one for me (chocolate kiss).  As a reward for cleaning up this mess.

Ta Da!

My outdoor table is finally complete.  The only sad thing is that it wasn't a one woman show.  I hired some work out!  I am sad inside that I did it.  I won't be doing it again, because, quite frankly, I think I could have done a better job.

But this post is about celebration, so lets not dwell on the imperfections.



The table top is 1.5 inch thick maple wood.  I paid to have someone join the boards together to make the table top, because I didn't have all the tools necessary to do a good job.  In future, I'll buy the tools.  Because I love tools and I love having skills.



It's 9 feet long.  I sanded it for about 14 hours.  There are 5 coats of outdoor polyurethane on there.



The legs are made from black pipe - intended for gas pipes.  This was the easiest and, surprisingly  most expensive part of the table.

This is my Christmas present this year.  It is all I wanted, and Paul let me have it, and my wants are satiated - for the moment! (I have been thinking about a really great bench I want to make with caning at the back support.)

Bring on birthday parties in the backyard with 15 extra kids!

Bring on having a family over for dinner and having a place for everyone to sit - and not on the couch.

Bring on the inevitable shoving that will occur when the children are getting in each other's space on the bench.

Bring on spraying off the cement and not worrying about water damage to the table legs. (You can see I need to spray it off now.)

Bring on weather changes and hope my table top can take it.



We had a our dining room table outside until about a month ago.  And we loved it.  We love eating outside every meal.  We were even tough through the 100+ degree weather, and loved eating outside.  So I could with confidence go to the expense and hassle of bringing this beauty into our lives.  And the best news of all - I think I'll have more people in my little family to warrant such a monstrously large piece of furniture!

Sense of community

It's been lacking.  Because I've decided not to document my complaints in the never-to-be-erased and able-to-be-read-by-everyone-ever internet, I'm not going to relay the many disappointing events/places we've gone to the last 5 months.  Let's just say, Vegas has been everything I thought it would be.

BUT, I'm writing this post, because I think that's about to change.  My ward recently started a playgroup and today, one of the moms told me about community centers.  They seem to be the bomb.  You can get 6 1-hour swimming lessons for $25.  You can get 8 tae kwon do lessons for $27.  4 hip hop dance lessons for $15.  This is just what I've been looking for.  Also the Springs Preserve (which is a desert botanical garden plus museum) had a composting class that I loved loved loved.  I'll be composting soon.

These things make me happy because they make me feel a sense of  community with the people around me.  I really really loved the Nashville community feeling we had at the school, and when I was at the library, and listening to the radio, and even at the gas station.  I felt connected to all the people around me.  Though I didn't realize it until we moved and I noticed the community void in my little heart.


I've been trying to fill the community line in my happiness cup, and have come up dry.   (I'm so witty.)  But I am hopeful that these community centers and playgroup and Springs Preserve and that nice check-out lady at Walmart who sounds just like Lisa Simpson will help me feel like I am part of this city and like it's worth being a part of.  (Yes I do feel all the people who don't live here smirking at this moment.  Keep it to yourself.  My happiness depends on it.)

And I came upon a trade I can live with.
I had a day of mourning when I went to the best fabric store in Vegas and it was nothing close to Textile Fabric.  I cried in the car about it.  I didn't even know fabric was that important to me until that moment.

BUT, there is a great place to buy wood here - Peterman Lumber.  And I have a delightful project I'm working on, to be published on this very humble blog in a few days made out of 1.5 inch thick maple wood.

Isn't she a beautiful wood?  Brace yourself.

They also carry zebrawood.  I've already made a plan in my mind for a gorgeous bedside table for Paul.
So masculine.

Wish me luck in Vegas!

Boone has croup

He did pretty good yesterday, but in the middle of the night, he was having a really hard time breathing and was freaking out.  Good thing we have the outdoor daybed!  Thank you World Market.  (I'll post show off pics when I get the pillows done.)  The cold outdoor air did the trick and he was breathing fine in a few minutes.  He slept great.  I did not.  He's like a cat.  He kept pushing me closer and closer to the edge.  How can such a small sleeping companion make such a big discomfort?  It did make it easier that he's so cute and his breathing was so good.  I'd pretty much do anything to ensure he keeps breathing.

And I experienced this beautiful sunrise, and birds chirping.  Who can complain about that?

Paul had a dream last night

He dreamed that Obama was our bishop and we liked him so much.  And Obama knew that we didn't vote for him, and we felt sheepish about it when seeing him in the hallway at church.  Paul shook his hand and said, "Good luck tomorrow."  And meant it.

I really like my husband.  I wish both candidates luck today.  But what I really hope is that at the end of the day we can all sing kumbaya together and feel as passionate about our communities as we do about our political parties.

At the grocery store

I often let Lou pick between two items.  Today I asked her if she wanted the sausage ravioli or the spinach.  Before deciding she wanted to know all the ingredients in each.  After reading them, she scrunched her lips in thought and said, 'spinach.'

That's my girl.

I finally saw the beauty of the desert

I think I deserved it.  I paid my dues, I tried really hard, and I did see how the desert could be beautiful.  

In Spanish Las Vegas means, The Meadows.

(I wish I could say I lived in The Meadows, it sounds more like a place for me.)

We went about 30 min outside of Las Vegas to Calico Basin.

The plants are fighters, so we help them out by not treading on them.

There are natural springs there, and the plants are soooo happy.

So are the bees.  Can you see the bees on the white fluff?  They are having Thanksgiving.  I was so happy to see them.

Axel is personifying what was going on in my heart.

Seeing the plants in their natural habitat, instead of highly manicured in yards, helped me see how they are meant to look.  

I couldn't help but think that these plants are more thankful than plants in Nashville.

I was certainly appreciative of their hard work.

We are meant to be outside.

Then we went climbing around the Red Rock.

And by we, I mean Paul and the olders.  That's a super zoomed in picture.

Boone and I were slow.

It was really just Boone, but I don't want to point fingers.

There are endless rocks in the desert, which is a little boys favorite toy.

He also discovered a slide.

And the camera pointed the other direction?  Homes.  Yes, people live here, right next to where the desert is beautiful.  Made me want to live here too.

  

Bye.