McBride's Briar Patch

I just got a new calling in our ward and I am so excited about it: Activity Days! I liked my previous calling where I taught the 16 and 17 year-olds Sunday School class, but I feel like Activity Days is a little more up my alley! This past week was our first activity and we went berry picking. This field trip was the perfect low-key activity to introduce me to the girls.

First off, McBride's Berry Patch in Mapleton is awesome. They have rows and rows of raspberries and blackberries that you pick yourself. Each of the girls got a bucket and we set off down the rows to get our berries. I must say, it's kind of tough to maneuver the tight rows with a stroller, but I made do! We picked for about a half an hour and then took the berries to be weighed and payed for. One problem though - I remembered that they only accept cash and I had totally spaced it and only had a debit card! My Activity Days partner, Laurie, said that we both must have "new mommy brains" because she'd forgotten cash too! Laurie asked the owner if we could come back and pay with cash later that day but the lady was so nice and said not to worry about the cost! She said as long as we spread the word about McBride's that would be good enough! I was so taken by her kindness and generosity. I hope to be that kind someday. So needless to say, I am spreading the word! But I would have recommended berry picking at McBride's anyway because it was so fun.

Here's the info on McBride's Briar Patch: 

1849 S. 2100 W. 

Mapleton, UT 

8am-Dark Monday-Friday

8am-3pm Saturdays

The berries are $3.00/lb 

http://www.facebook.com/mcbridebriarpatch

Turning the Big 2-4

Well, I've gotta say that I had a pretty darn good birthday. I am blessed with great friends and family that always make me feel special. This year was no different. Here are some highlights from this years' festivities!

- Ruby slept all night and we didn't wake up till about 7:15! I'm always happier when I'm well-rested. I'm considering this Ruby's gift to me!
- Dan hijacked my blog. He totally surprised me with this one and I loved reading what he wrote about. It made me so happy.
- Every year, I look forward to reading all the Facebook posts and texts and such that flood in on Birthdays. They're so fun. Thanks everyone!
- Another year of Netflix! Thanks Carlyle and Karylee!
- Elise treated me to lunch at Cafe Rio! And let me borrow her clothes. Keep reading to find out why...
- Mini Shopping Spree at Target with the Gift Card from Mom, Dad and Sam.
- Oyster Crackers and Trader Joe's "Apple Walks into a Bar" Bars from Jenny. She knows me way too well!
- Mary brought me Ice Cream Sandwiches!
- Jason, Ellen, Gavin and Millie came to town! It just happened that their trip coincided with my birthday. How lucky am I!? We all went to dinner at the Art City Trolley. Yumm.
- An impromptu Birthday Party with Dan's side of the family with Funfetti Birthday Cake with Rainbow Chip frosting. :)
- Dan's gift is to help me update and revitalize my wardrobe. Nothing seems to fit well enough and I feel like I have nothing cute to wear so I'm going to work on that over the next couple of weeks.

And now for the not-so-fantastic part of my birthday:

I got thrown up on twice. Once in the morning (pre-shower so that was okay) and then right when we were picking Elise up at her apartment before lunch. Thank goodness we're the same size because I was soaked! Ruby threw up, grinned a big grin and then fell deep asleep. So we still went to Cafe Rio and Target...

That afternoon, we ended up taking Ruby to the pediatrician because she'd thrown up everyday since Sunday. Four days. They thought that she had Acid Reflux since these episodes always happened right around when she ate but wanted her to get an Ultrasound on her stomach just to rule out anything more serious. So...we spent a couple of hours in the doctors office and then at the hospital getting the Ultrasound done.

Everything's come back normal and she hasn't even thrown up again so I'm not sure what the problem really was. Oh well! I'm glad she's back to normal.

Overall, my birthday was filled with great food, family, friends and fun. I didn't even mind getting thrown up on!

.08/01/1988.

Hello Readers - this is Candace's husband Dan and I am hijacking the blog tonight!  For my birthday, Candace posted 25 things about me in honor of my 25th (if I knew better how this blog thing works, I'd have a link to it here___).  Anyways, it was really sweet and so I thought I should respond in kind.  Here's my humble attempt, as a birthday gift for her:

24 Things About Candace on Her 24th Birthday

1.  Candace went to summer school once or twice…but the crazy part is that she signed up to go, even though her grades were good!   To her, more school sounded fun.

2.  Candace can tell you everything there is to know about Disneyland, down to the basketball court on the top of the Matterhorn.  She’s been to the park scores of times and even got to fulfill her life-long dream of eating at Club 33, the super-exclusive and semi-secret club that Walt had built for his friends!

3.  The Beatles band history is the only topic that rivals Disneyland in terms of Candace’s enthusiasm and depth of knowledge.

4.  Candace eats most things (mashed potatoes, vegetable sides, etc) plain, foregoing the usual butter, salt, and pepper that I so enjoy.

5.  Candace can sing every word of “We Didn’t Start the Fire” by Billy Joel; this is a hard one to memorize and shows how smart she is with cultural references!

6.  Candace is so happy to be a stay-at-home mom and absolutely gives her all to making our house a home.

7.  Candace has incredible stick-to-it-ness: she ran cross-country in high school as a way of meeting people even though she was almost always at the back of the pack.

8.  As a kid, Candace use to tell people that she was allergic to dogs and cats because she didn’t like being around them!

9.  This is a sad one – Candace is the current owner of a US Passport….with no stamps in it.  I will work to change this one by taking her on a vacation!

10.  I take # 3 back actually.  Candace is also a Wizard of Oz guru and is excited about the prequel currently in the works.  She is also known to watch a pirated copy of Wicked on occasion!

11.  Candace does funny things with her fingers, using them as her primary movers when she dances and exuberantly pointing skyward when she makes a point. 

12.  Candace has the most luscious lips I have ever…seen….

13.  Despite being such a goody-two-shoes, Candace loves loves loves the musical “Rent” and breaks out into song regularly while watching it.

14.  Candace has had her paintings up in city museums and has some wicked natural talent in art.

15.  You know Candace is the one in the bathroom if you hear whistling or singing.  Just this past 4^th of July I awoke to the Star Spangled Banner being belted in my echo-chamber of a shower!  What makes it even more endearing is she’s sometimes super off-key / uses different accents while singing.

16.  Candace is very thoughtful (and better at this type of thing than me).  She once gave me a deck of cards with 52 reasons she loves me – WAY more than my measly 24 posted here.

17.  Candace is such a good friend to our daughter Ruby and talks to her all day long.  I already know they will have a great relationship.

18.  True to her name, Candace or “Candy” loves her some sugary confections.  She blames heredity for our high dentist bills but every time she knows I am going to the BYU Bookstore, Candace mentions how she’s “been a good girl” just in case I want to get her “a treat.”

19.  Oh I almost forgot – Candace can fall asleep anywhere.  She frequently will bend over forward in the passenger seat and fall asleep with her head on her knees during our drives home.  I envy her talent in this area!

20.  When it comes to Halloween costumes, Candace is a group / themed kinda girl.  I complain about it every year, but every year we have awesome costumes.

21.  It has nothing to do with wanting to be fit, but Candace loves going on walk every evening.  It’s a social thing for her and we plan our routes based on whom we hope to walk by / run into.  The best walks are the ones where we go the shortest distance because we’ve stopped and chatted forever.

22.  Candace loves Christmas so much.  For example, she currently (in July) has a book of Christmas recipes and stories checked out from the local library!  Her favorite things to do Christmas-wise would have to be filling stockings and making neighbor-treats.

23.  This one may seem like a cop-out but those who know Candace well will agree:  Candace is the happiest person I have ever known.  That’s what strongly attracted me to her was that she balanced my dark / cynical self and I knew I was in for good times whenever she was around.  I feel like she has changed me for good and I know she will be the best mom to our kids (we have tons of fun)!

24.  Candace always says that she prefers to come to peoples’ doors with food in hand.  I can’t tell you how much sugar, butter, and flour we go through because Candace is thinking of others (and thinking of baked goods to send their way).  

I thought this would be hard, but I actually have thought of many more little things that I cherish about my wife - too bad she isn't turning 30 so that I'd have more to write!  Anyway I should probably give Candace control of her blog again....so this is Dan, over and out!

A Good News Minute

In Relief Society on Sundays, they often do a "Good News Minute". It's where the ladies can share something good that's happened during the week with the rest of the group. I like listening to what the ladies say even though my things don't usually go along with the usual "My fourteenth grandchild was born this week!" or "I am finally recovered from my Carpal Tunnel Surgery!". I hardly ever volunteer my good news though. It's not that good things don't happen to me, because it's quite the opposite. It's just I can never really thing of something on the spot to share.  And since I have a little baby girl that probably won't want to go to Relief Society, here's my little list for this week:

• I was treated to an early Birthday lunch with Jenny and Jamie at Molly's. This restaurant is seriously one of my favorites! Jenny treated me to a Pulled Pork Sandwich with Coleslaw on top and a nice large piece of Carrot Cake. If you're in the Provo area, I highly recommend checking Molly's out!
• It was Pioneer Day! I love having a holiday that nobody else in the country has! And Ruby looked so cute in that little American Girl Doll Bonnet...
• I love that we can walk around the streets of Springville and run into so many people that we know! Last night on our walk, we saw 11 people that we knew. Most of them were Dan's Aunts and Uncles who'd just finished dinner at Magleby's. It was so fun to turn the corner and say, "Hey, I know them!" These summer walks truly are the best! 
• I am 2/3 of the way through Season 1 of Downton Abbey. There's been too much talk about this series to not give it a second try. (I watched the first episode a couple of months ago, and was totally not into it. Now that I've seen more, I like it!) 
• We went to Costco and bought more than just stuff from the Food Court. Dan and I talked about how we felt like real-live adults getting stuff and Costco and actually using it!
• Ruby (and I) slept 8 hours last night - 11pm-7am. Which were almost regular sleeping hours! 

And this is sorta from last week, but I made these S'mores Bars and they are the best thing ever. If you make them, make sure you share them because once you eat one you won't be able to control yourself. 

Picture from here via Stephanie via Pinterest. 

A Birth Announcement

I had the best intentions of being organized this summer. 

I had grand plans of addressing and stamping envelopes before Ruby's birth and even made master lists of who all'd receive an announcement in the mail. I designed this birth announcement when Ruby was about two weeks old. I was on track! 

But, that was right around the time when I got food poisoning, an ingrown toenail and major tooth infection that ended in an extraction. 

This past week, I was looking through the pictures on the computer and ran across this little beauty. Oops. It seems "like too little, too late" to send them out now, so I'm posting it for your viewing pleasure here. 

Our Christmas card will have to double as a birth announcement. If I'm organized enough to get those sent out...

She looks so little! Those scrawny little legs! 

Ruby Tuesday: Pioneer Edition

Happy Pioneer Day, Y'all! 

Love, Ruby Sue the Pioneer

Ruby - 2 Months

This little girl is getting bigger every day and is really starting to develop a cute personality! She smiles all the time and is beginning to interact with people around her. It's so cute.

2 Month Stats:

Weight -  10lbs 0oz. I thought she was starting to feel a little heavier! And she's 23 inches long. 

Diaper Size - She's size One. Today she had a crazy blow-out that I won't go into graphic detail on, but suffice it to say that I have no idea how poop can get where it did...

Clothing Size - Mostly 3 Month. Carter's 3M clothes start at 8lbs so that's why she's only two months but in 3M. I really hope that she'll be in 3M for a while because I have a TON! We're on the receiving end of about 3 groups of hand-me-downs so we're swimming in girl clothes. Which is so nice, I have no idea how people afford to clothe their children without hand-me-downs! 

Likes - Momma & Daddy talking to her, swinging in her swing, taking walks around the block, being held, eating, her pink elephant rattle, simethicone drops, the "kick-kick" game and getting her toenails painted :) 

Dislikes - Gas bubbles in her tummy, being left alone in a room, getting shots and attending the whole three-hour-block at church. 

Ruby is such a good and happy baby. We love her so much!! 

Hello There!

Here are some random things this Thursday Morning:

* I am so excited for this movie and this movie. I see a Christmas Day double feature in our future! 

* Dan is unloading the dishwasher as I type this. I didn't even ask. He's really quite helpful around here. 

* I really enjoyed reading this blog post - It's really hard work being a mom and I think it looks so easy on blogs and the internet...

* I kinda forgot about doing a Ruby Tuesday post this week but the little lady will be two months old (eek!) next week, so I'll just do a super update then!

* Ruby slept for seven hours last night! 11:30-6:30. WooHoo! 

* Dan's dream shed got built this week. He was seriously more excited than a kid on Christmas. I kept catching him peeking out the windows to watch the progress. 

*I'm dreaming of doing something like this to our kitchen. I have visions of farmhouse sinks, butcher block counter tops and subway tiles running through my head!

*I'm dreaming up a knock-off jewelry project that'll hopefully end up looking like this. 

*I would love to throw a "favorite things" party - it sounds so fun! Look at this one here and let me know if you want in! 

Picture from Katie Evans via Pinterest. 

My Old Cyber-Shot Camera

I recently found my old camera. My parents gave it to me for my 18th birthday. Wow, that was so long ago! Anyway, the battery had been dead in it for over a year and the memory card was full. 

It was kind of fun to look back at the pictures on it and see what we were up to. Our lives seemed so carefree then! 

Here are a few of my favorites.

*Dan was a Guest Speaker in a Sociology Class at BYU *Annual Roommate Christmas Dinner *The Yard Work Begins
*Hey, That's our house! (More on this later) *Some Vintage Christmas Pillows I made * Fresh Paint
*Taking out a leaky toilet, stained carpet and installing a new toilet* Pretty much sums up my time at Red Mountain * Dan's so happy to get our dishwasher hooked up! 

*Making sure Dan doesn't fall! * Message-in-a-Cookies for our Housewarming Party * The Mercer Girls!
*Mom & Elise's first trip to Cafe Rio * First photo of us and our house * Hot Air Balloons for 2011 Art City Days
* Bird's nest under our porch right before eviction * Mercer Girls like LeSportsacs * Kitchen Chairs -Before &After

Three Years of Dandace

On our Honeymoon - Club 33

First Anniversary - Paul McCartney Concert

Second Anniversary - The Huntington Library & Gardens in California

We had a great Anniversary this year. We didn't really do anything.  It's tough to do anything big like we'd done in previous years with a newborn but that didn't make it any less special.  We just spent the day together. Dan surprised me with a bouquet of sunflowers, my favorite candies from See's and a really sweet card. We were happy just being us. And that was perfect.