Park City Exodus

Last weekend six lucky women made a trip to Park City where they competed for the coveted P Bunny Best Deal award. Mom, Susan, Karin, Brenda, Alison , and Charisse participated in a celebrity photo shoot, received celebrity gift bags from noted designers, and stayed at the prestigious Yellow House Hotel of Buelah. It was a heated competition, but by unanimous vote Charisse won the P Bunny Best Deal award for her $11 pants. Brenda won honorable mention for a free pair of socks. Susan won the coveted lime green diva sunglasses for her vocal stylings during the sing along song competition. All in all, it was a fantastic weekend and some great memories.
Charisse and Karin had to share the small upstairs bedroom they lovingly dubbed the Naughty Box.

Everyone modeling their park city club shirts (complements of Karin) and celebrity gift bags (complements of Mom).

Karin, Alison, and Charisse at the kick-off breakfast.

Susan and Dad at the kick-off breakfast.

Mom and Grandma at the kick-off breakfast. Grandma was the guest of honor.

Banana Bonanza!

This is for Katie because she requested it and I don't have her e-mail address. It's also for anyone else who wants a really good banana bread recipe (although, I can't take credit because it's my mom's).

1 Cup Sugar
1/2 Cup Butter (softened)
2 Eggs
1/2 Teaspoon Salt
1 Teaspoon Baking Soda
2 Cup Flour
1 Teaspoon Vanilla
3 Very Ripe Bananas

Cream sugar, butter and eggs in a bowl. Add dry ingredients and mix. Mash up bananas and vanilla in separate bowl. Add banana mixture to dough. Mix until blended thoroughly. Grease loaf pan well (not the spray stuff, get real shortening and grease it so some white is still visible, get the corners really good). Bake @ 300 for 45 min - 1 hour. The best way to tell is to touch the top and see if it sponges back up. If it's too soggy leave it in for 5 more min. This recipe usually makes one big loaf and one small loaf or a dozen normal sized muffins.

Redfish Excursion

Paul and I spent our summer vacation at Redfish Lake last week with Curt and Megan. We had a blast biking to the lake and playing games and (in curt and paul and megan's case) jumping off the dock. The following are snap shots of endless summer fun.

Beyond A Crush

Ok, so I've had a KitchenAid for eight years and have had a crush on it the whole time. How could you not?! They come in all different cute colors, they're so sleek and stylish looking, and just the presence of one on your counter top gives you added credibility in the culinary world. Unfortunately, a crush is all is ever was because the one time I actually tried to use this masterpiece of machinery was a disaster that ended in blobs of egg-soaked butter and sugar all over the place. Since then the KitchenAid and I have had a strained relationship where I sigh and stare from afar and it squats cold and beautiful in its corner, unwilling to compromise.

And so it continued until this weekend when, with the help of my personal Kitchen Appliance Counselor and Mediator Extraordinaire, Diane, the KitchenAid and I finally progressed into the next stage of our relationship. I had my first successful encounter with the KitchenAid and actually made one normal sized and two tiny loaves of bread. Will we continue along the path into a full-blown culinary affair? Well, I'm pretty sure we'll never share the love that I harbor for my Chi Blow Dryer, but now I can bake easy in the knowledge that we are at least friends. I no longer have to exist in the uncomfortable situation of having an unrequited crush on an appliance.

Curt Crosses to the Dark Side

It was our pleasure to host a wild Star-Wars-themed extravaganza in honor of Paul's BFF, Curtis, who crossed over into his fourth decade of life (aka, the dark side) last week. Curt's family was in on the scheme and lured him to Logan with fake plans so Paul, Megan, and I could surprise him with his very own intergalactic party. It was Paul's first-ever viewing of the original Star Wars trilogy and Curt was kind enough to keep us informed and answer our questions on Star Wars culture. Happy Birthday Bo-Burtis! May the force be with you.

Welcome to the Cottage

After a month of preparing and waiting (and a few long days of moving) we have officially unpacked the last box and have almost hung the last picture on the wall of our new home we affectionately call the cottage. The following are pictures of the house, along with some before and after photos of our handiwork.

The Cottage: With the help of a whole team we cleaned the lights trimmed the bushes, painted the window trim, and painted the front door. Dad made the sign for the house numbers. Ron and SueZan also excavated a serious grove of mini-maple trees that had taken residence right in front of the windows.


Before Shots of the kitchen. Notice the countertops are two different colors.



After shots of the kitchen. We redid the countertops, painted and distressed the cabinets, and painted the walls. Now all we need is some hardware...


Before shot of the bathroom. The bathroom with the shower in it is downstairs and through the kitchen... it's also the only way to get to the laundry room.


After shot of the bathroom. Susan and I vanquished the wallpaper and mom made a cute black and white curtain for the window.


The entryway looking into the living room.

This house used to be a log cabin and the living room is where the original room was. We are told the fireplace grate is from the 1800's. The ceiling is curved and the floors are the original wood from when the rest of the house was built.


This is my desk under the stairs where I sat to post this very blog. In order to get electricity to these outlets the light in the dungeon room on the other side of the kitchen has to be switched on. We are still getting used to the nuances of an old house, but isn't this desk cute! I will never put a closet under the stairs as long as I live.


View of the dining room from the kitchen. We love the stained glass chandelier. That's paul reading at his desk complete with green banker's lamp.


Our bedroom and another room is upstairs. Off the bedroom there is a small room that used to be a nursery that has since been converted into a closet. There is also a small half bath upstairs that would rival the bathrooms in a cruise ship. You can't even open the door without hitting the toilet. Vance and Miles call it teeny tiny. (And THAT'S small.)


These are some pictures of everyone helping to fix the place up before we moved in. We REALLY appreciate our friends and family and all the work they did.

The Fray!

Back by popular demand, two hot chicks hit the town one Saturday night and went to the Fray concert. I can't speak for everyone there, but I thought it was awesome. Although the entire crowd didn't give the band the welcome we thought they deserved, Natasha and I did our best to carry our cheering section. It was a really fun night and a good concert. The following photo is the actual band as seen from our great seats... you're gong to have to trust me on that one.