Road Trip to Southern Utah-Part II

{ Coral Pink Sand Dunes }

We made a little detour on our way to Page to the Coral Pink Sand Dunes. As you can see from the picture above, it was quite windy while we were there. We didn't stay too long to endure the sand blasting.

We stayed just long enough to get a few fun photos.




This could be a fun place to play in nicer weather. Even in the wind it was a worthwhile detour to see one of many geological fascinations Southern Utah has to offer. They say the sand all blew in to that area and got stuck there.

Road Trip to Southern Utah-Part I

(an excerpt from Abby's journal)

On our way we stopped to witness the beautiful scenery of Bryce Canyon.

While we were there we visited a great little museum.

They had an amazing exhibit of butterflies from all over the world.

And lots of wildlife like this...

and this...

and this! (Even better than Cabellas.)

Candy necklaces help the miles go by faster.

And finally, we arrived in Page, where we got to camp in our trailer for the very first time.

More to come.

dining chairs

I am a big fan of bentwood chairs, and I would love to have a set of 6 or 8 for my dining room someday. I fell in love because of these chairs from Pottery Barn, which I sadly discovered are no longer available. I would have loved to mix the 2 styles shown here (in mahogany color).


I've searched online for a good (affordable) alternative, and the best I've found is this chair from a restaurant supplier, kpeterson. I like them pretty well, but I don't want to buy something too flimsy, either. It's hard to buy blind from a place like this. The price is right...


I have also searched the classifieds and ebay, but it would be a miracle to find a full set in good condition. I'm surprised there aren't more good replicas out there, considering the popularity of this style. (I see them all over interior design blogs.) So... please think of me if you ever come across a set of these in good condition. You would be my BFF!

I also like this set from West Elm. They are a bit of an investment, like the Pottery Barn chairs, so most likely I'll put off buying anything until they are discontinued, like the Pottery Barn set. But what do you think of these?

My hangup on these is they are a little more modern looking. I love modern, but with a vintage/traditional twist. Also, I should mention I have a great little set of 5 antique bentwood chairs that came with a table we inherited from Tom's grandmother. They are a bit more rough looking than I'd like to use for my primary dining room chairs, but they would be great to add in when I need extras.

My ideal dining chair is smaller than most chairs you see in traditional furniture stores. I don't like how bulky many of them are. It is nice to be able to fit more chairs around/under your table.

Do tell me what you think of my choices!

a day in the life of the girls

Brynn (our awesome babysitter) shared these pictures she took of the girls while I was at work. Yesterday she took the kids to the tulip gardens at Thanksgiving Point. They look so beautiful!

May flowers

This weekend I declared war on these:

via

On their side, a very large army. On our side:

Our neighbor's Weed Hound. A great warrior. Worked like a gem. Also on our side: beautiful weather.

After a war comes peace and prosperity. Time to plant. Here are a few things I planted this weekend:

Cowhorn and Mexibell peppers; lemon basil, cilantro, and oregano; Early Girl, Grape, and Patio tomatoes; Spaghetti squash

Annuals: Snapdragons, Viola, Petunias, and Sweet Alyssum

This beautiful rose bush . . .

. . . which produces the most beautiful lavender roses. We had lavender roses at our wedding. Aaawww.

A few tulips standing tall among the daffodils:


Sarah planted a little Chia pet at her babysitters a few weeks ago. He reminds us of Grandpa Rog 'cause he's a little bald on top. Except for the spiky hair.

life at home

So, it's 10:26 PM. I'm lying in bed about to drift off when I hear the telltale pitter patter of Sarah's little feet across the tile floor. We always know it is Sarah coming by the speed of her patter. I'm not really surprised to hear her coming even though she has been in bed for over an hour and a half.

She comes in to my room with a bright smile on her face and says "Igot sirsis on my fed." Huh? "I got sirsus on my fed". Huh? When I make her repeat herself over an over again to try to decipher what she is saying, she get's more quiet each time until I say, "Sarah, speak up. I can't hear you". Then she yells. "I got circles on my feet!" Oooohhh. Perfectly logical.

I pick her up to examine her "circles". On her toenails? The bottom of her feet? I don't get it. Then I find them. Two identical little puffy circles, one on each big toe. "Ouch, Sarah, those are blisters! "No", she says with a giggle, "they're circles. I go down slide". I ask, "How did you get them? She says "They're really awesome."

Apparently she is really proud of her "circles". But now I'm thinking it might be time to buy her some new shoes.

another organizing project

I like to organize. Or, rather, I like things to be organized. Sometimes the process is a chore. So it took me quite a while to get my office organized, but I finally tackled the project last weekend.

{ before }


{ after }


I got my ribbon and punches nicely organized with this rod and basket system from IKEA. The baskets were too small for my grosgrain spools, however, so I found these racks (meant for CDs) that worked perfectly.


Tom worked on his side of the office too. It looks great but needs a few finishing touches. Maybe I'll show you his side another day...