Craft Table Envy

I really like the idea of  a craft/sewing table that doesn't have to look like a craft table.  I love these two designs from Walmart.

If I were going to this one I would go with the lighter wood.  It would match the rest of my furniture so much better.

Or this one.

I love all of the extra storage space in this one, and I am amazed at how small it's "footprint" is when it's all folded up.  I would also rather have this one in a lighter wood, rather than the white paint.

Which one do you like best?

Music list

Here are 100 tunes I've been rocking out to as of late.   All of these were tagged using one of my favorite apps,  SoundHound Infinity. Artist Song Title Ace of Base Don't Turn Around Aerosmith I Don't Want to Miss a Thing A-Ha Take on Me Alan Menken Something That I Want Billy Joel The Longest Time Billy Joel The River of Dreams Brad Paisley Anything Like Me Breathe Hands to Heaven Bruno Mars Just the Way You Are Carrie Underwood Before He Cheats Celine Dion My Heart Will Go On Cher After All Cher Believe Cindy Lauper Girls Just Want to Have Fun Cindy Lauper All Through the Night Dan Fogelburg Leader of the Band Daniel Powter Bad Day Daughtry September Deniece Williams Let's Hear it for the Boy Dixie Chicks Landslide Elvis Presley Burning Love Extreme More Than Words Fergie Big Girls Don't Cry George Michael Careless Whisper Grace Potter I Want Something That I Want Heart Alone Howard Jones Everlasting Love Jason Mraz I'm Yours Jefferson Starship Nothing's Gonna Stop Us Now Jefferson Starship We Built This City (On Rock and Roll) Jerry Lee Lewis Great Balls of Fire Jimmy Cliff I Can See Clearly Now John Mayer Say John Mellencamp Hurts So Good John Michael Montgomery Life's a Dance John Oates Kiss on My List Jordin Sparks Tattoo Katy Perry Firework Keith Urban You'll Think of Me Kelly Clarkson Breakaway Kool and the Gang Celebration KT Tunstall Suddenly I See Lee Ann Womack I Hope You Dance Lifehouse You and Me Loggins & Messina Danny's Song Lonestart I'm Already There Madonna Into the Groove Madonna Vouge Madonna Crazy for You Mark Cohn Walking in Memphis Martina McBride In My Daughter's Eyes Matt Nathanson Come on Get Higher Matthew Wilder Break My Stride Men at Work Down Under Michael Buble Everything Michael Jackson Thriller Mr. Mister Broken Wings Mr. Mister Kyrie Naked Eyes Always something There to Remind Me Pat Benatar Love is a Battlefield Pat Benatar We Belong Patrick Swayze She's Like the Wind Peter Cetera Glory of Love Phil Collins You Can't Hurry Love Phil Collins You'll Be in My Heart Pink Raise Your Glass Plain White T's Rhythm of Love Red Hot Chili Peppers Otherside Red Hot Chili Peppers Snow (Hey Oh) Reo Speadwagon Can't Fight This Feeling Richard Marx Hold on to the Nights Richard Marx Now and Forever Rob Thomas Sleep Til the War is Over Rob Thomas Someday Rod Stewart Forever Young Roxette It Must Have Been Love Sara Bareilles Love Song Sara McLachlan Angel Savage Garden I Want You Savage Garden Truly Madly Deeply Smash Mouth All Star Smash Mouth I'm a Believer Taylor Swift Love Story The Cardigans Lovefool The Cranberries Dreams The Dream Academy Life in a Northern Town The Goo Goo Dolls Iris The Jackson 5 ABC The Proclaimers I'm Gonna Be (500 Miles) The Rembrandts I'll Be There for You The Swinging Blue Jeans Hippy Hippy Shake Three Dog Night Joy to the World (Jeremiah Was a Bullfrog) Timbaland Apologize Train Marry Me Uncle Kracker Smile Vanessa Carlton A Thousand Miles Vanilla Ice Ninja Rap Vertical Horizon Everything You Want Wilson Phillips Hold On Yello Oh Yeah

I simply remember my favorite things and then I don't feel so bad!

This post is dedicated to all of the little obsessions in my life.  
*Note, these are listed not in order of importance or level of obsession, but merely in the order that they come to my mind today.


1.  Rainy days.
I know, this is cliché, but for me a rainy day is not an obsession in enough itself.  I love rainy days with no work, school, or other obligations, and when my house is clean.  Days where I can cuddle up in bed with my hubby reading a good book with the window blinds open and the rain streaming down the windows.  A day where the rain becomes an excuse to be comfortable.  These days are kind of rare lately (especially the no work and clean house part) and they are some of my all-time favorites.





2. Technology
I an a bit of a tech freak.  I LOVE figuring out how to make computers/phones/TVs/technology in general do what I want it to.  It's such an empowering feeling!  Some of my latest tech enhancements are:
*BTW, no laughing at this.  You may have known how to do these things for years and good for you, but don't steal my steam by saying it's juvenile or easy as pie.  However, if you have a better way to do it, that I would LOVE to hear!*
     1. Hooked up my entire tv surround sound system to work with my tv, dvd player, and comcast DVR.  Next, I will connect it to my computer so I can use it as a 2nd monitor.
     2. Found an amazing appstore in Amazon's appstore.  They are offering a free download of one of their paid apps each day.  All you need is an Amazon account.  I have been using it for about 2 weeks now and have had no problems with it so far.  Plus, since Alan and I use the same Amazon account, he can download any of the ones I've ordered for free on his phone as well.
     3. I just downloaded a whole bunch of stuff from my dad's computer, including a bunch of photos and music that I thought I'd lost.
     4. My cricut now works perfectly with my computer thanks to sure cuts a lot!  I LOVE this program!  It is so easy to use, and can cut any font on your computer using the cricut.   It was $50 to download, which is less than most cricut cartridges. You can also cut anything based on a JPG image, so you can use any clipart you can find.  As a warning, Provo craft is suing Sure cuts a lot for copyright infringement, and the last I heard they had reached a settlement where all future updates to Sure cuts a lot will not be compatible with the cricut.  So all of 
those SCAL users out there make sure you check before you do any updates to it!
     5.  I have reorganized my external hard drive, so that everything is where it should be, and is all properly labeled.  This is something I have been meaning to do for a long time, so it really is a relief to have it done.   
     6.  I have copied about half my DVDs to my computer in .iso format, which is basically a virtual copy of the entire DVD, special features included!  This is great for Pixar movies in particular, which have so many special features and shorts on them.  Now to find a program that will copy them in AVI format so that I can easily watch them.  My plan for these movies is pretty far in the future, but I plan to get an android tablet sometime in the future, so we can load all of our movies on there for roadtrips.  Plus, when we have kids it will be really easy for them to just touch the movie they want to see to play it, and we won't have to worry about them scratching the dvds.



3.  Crafting
This one encompasses the areas of Crating, Cooking, Sewing, Scrapbooking, Interior Decorating, Thrifting, and all of the other things featured on the amazing blogs I follow!  I can't believe how creative you all are!  I hope that if I ever get rich enough to not work full time, I would be as enterprising and ingenious as you are, rather than ending up with a messy home and my butt permanently glued to the computer chair or the couch in front of the TV.  Seriously, this is why I do not work from home, even though my work would allow it.  I would never get dressed.  EVER. Ok, maybe on Sundays for church, but that's only once a week.  


There are so many things I want to try!  One of my first priorities is going to be making me some new clothes.  I mean, I certainly have enough clothes to wear, but I cycle through the same clothes over and over, and they are all so plain!  I have maybe 3 shirts with any sense of style to them.  I really want to make me some more skirts too.  Particularly ones as amazingly simple and adorable as this one from No Big Dill



Isn't it gorgeous?  The best part is that it's so easy!  just one seam in the back and then an elastic waistband!  The fabric she uses is also really low maint, no ironing required!  Wrinkles just add to the skirt's character!


4.  Blogging 
It's really a relief to put some of my thoughts down.  I was importing this blog into facebook, but honestly, I prefer forcing people to go to my site to read it.   I get so excited when I get a new follower, and I love seeing new comments!  I can be free to express my thoughts, and if anyone has a problem with what I say, they can just stop reading. ^_^  I have had a goal lately to include at least one picture with each post, and I really think that it helps.  I know I have a tenancy to skip most posts without a picture, and I don't think I'm the only one.


5.  Becoming an authority on random subjects.
OK, so maybe not an authority, but I love to know enough about a given subject that I can offer an opinion on it.  Some of my favorite topics as of late have been childbirth, foster care, 
adoption, technology, crafting, medical, blogging, etc.  It is so nice to know things!


6.  Camping 
The worst thing about this winter is that I have not been able to go camping!  As tech savvy as I am, it is so nice to just get away from everything for a while!  It's especially nice going with a bunch of family, with all the dogs, and a river nearby!
  
Family picture right before going down the green river.  This was after 5 days camping with no shower, so please forgive the crazy hair on all of us.


7.  Playing Cards
For years my family has played card games as a family.  One of our favorites in my family is Nertz, especially now that most of us kids are old enough to play it.  I can't tell you how many times I pulled out my cards at debate tournaments.  I always had at least on deck in my purse, and I now have an entire box of them in my car.  My love for games was only strengthened when I married Alan, because his family also are avid card players.  It's the main activity at camp-outs, and in the above picture the table behind us is covered in card decks.  Our favorites include Nertz, Hand and Foot, Mormon Bridge, Golf, and Slamwich (which is called Egyptian Ratscrew when played with face cards) 


8.  Roadtrips
I think this is the one I have been craving most as of late.  I really REALLY want to just get in the car with Alan and drive to some far off location.  Seattle is first on my list.  I went on a Seattle road trip soon after graduation and it is to this day one of my favorite memories.  There is something so freeing about driving through the country with a good audiobook on the radio and a friend by your side, eating snacky foods and stopping at random little tourist locations on the way.
  
Alan and I went on a roadtrip to Cali on our honemoon, and despite all the disasters along the way, it was still a blast!

Outside the San Diego Temple just about to head home from the trip.




What are a few of your favorite things?

Have you ever prayed for the strength to live through a day?

Have you ever prayed for the strength to live through a day?
That was my day today.  Yesterday we received news that Alan's Grandpa Vance Calder passed away yesterday morning after suffering a massive, though fortunately very quick stroke.  He and his wife of 65 years this August were alone on a Mexican Rivera cruise at the time.  He passed within a few minutes of the first pains of the stroke, so it was as painless of a death as one could hope for.


Right now Alan's uncle Steven is flying out to meet Grandma.  He will board the ship, then they will travel to the next port, which is a larger port and is more able to accommodate them.  Because he passed away on the ship, they do not have to have the Mexican government release his body, which is really fortunate.  


His affairs are all in order.  They have the headstone, casket, and plot all purchased, so our main concern at this time is getting his body back home.  We will update when we find out more. 


We love you Grandpa!

At our wedding in September of 2008



Whittling in the rain while camping in 2010.



Always the fisherman!


At the Flaming Gorge Dam in 2010 with Glissy and Ginger in tow.


At the BYU-San Diego game in 2011.  Thank goodness BYU won!


I married into the family, and Vance always treated me as nothing short of a Granddaughter. Some of my fondest memories are of going camping with them, and watching him skunk us all in cards. We always figured that God was cheating for him. You could always count on Grandpa finding some old stick to whittle on at every camping trip, and you could follow his trail of wood shavings all over camp. He always used pet names like sweetie, honey, little lady, and beautiful, and somehow always managed to give me a kiss on the lips goodbye, no matter how much I tried to direct him to my cheek. ^_^ I fondly remember him going river rafting with us last summer, sitting proudly at the head of the boat, with Grandma beside him and Ginger wedged in between them.

Glass Etching

I have been inspired.

It all started today when I was looking for some cute sayings to etch on the bottom of my pyrex dishes for Enrichment tomorrow.  I could just do my last name, but I would rather do something like this


Or


Those links take you to A Girl with a Glue Gun.  Her tutorials are great and super easy to follow!

Oh but then, I came across this lovely web site.   Chris Sommer is a wiz with glass etching!  As a warning, there are some glass etched topless mermaids on there, so the site isn't 100% safe for work.  I now have a goal to be as amazing as him at it!  I'm going to start training by getting a bunch of dollar store picture frames and mirrors and practicing.  I'll post the ones I don't use personally on Etsy, so I can pass all of my supplies as "a way to bring in a little extra money" rather than a vain attempt to boost my crafty self.  I mean seriously!  Aren't these fabulous?

I would kill for this bathroom.  Pity mine doesn't have glass doors.


So pretty!  And this one I could probably actually do with my Cricut really easily.


I love how much detail he puts into it.  I don't know if I could get to the point of where mine look this good, but I could so handle the solid shapes ones.




Would anyone be interested if I did any glass etching?  I was thinking of doing something similar to this for a first attempt.  I would be happy to take requests, and it would be a great starter project.



What do you think?