And then I woke up and realized

I may have owned a DVR a bit too long.

So.

Last night I had a dream. It was about work and completely unrealistic. It wasn't a nightmare, but not necessarily pleasant. About half way through the dream, I woke up. It was that kind of waking up when you know that you are just going to continue the same dream when you go back to sleep. I promptly decided that I didn't want to finish that dream, so I fast-forwarded it.

Yep.

I lay there as the dream flew by in silence (just like I was using my beloved DVR). After I knew I had gotten to the end, I fell back asleep and had a completely different (yet still slightly disturbing) dream.

Weird? Yeah, I thought so too.

Some visuals to go with all of the stories

Since I have made you all listen to my childhood memories so many, many times, I thought it might be nice to have some visuals of little KaLee.

6 month old KaLee. She's pretty cute, but doesn't have much hair.

2 year old KaLee. I thought those glasses were the bomb.com, except probably not in those exact words.
3 year old KaLee. I have painfully stick-straight hair. Here we see my mother's attempt to give it some life. Sock curlers anyone?
Here, I was about 4. Side ponytails were all the rage. As were matching outfits for sisters. Pink for me, blue for Erc. Always.
Erc, Dad, Ad-man and me in Mississippi. About 1989.
My first grade school picture. I fell down the day before pictures. Oh, the horror.

We moved to Laramie and my cheesy smile got bigger. And then the face paint came out with the funny faces (this was approximately the time of the fish hook incident).
All the while I was taking ballet, trying to be graceful and all that.
And this is me in 5th grade. That side ponytail will never die.

Mysteriously, I don't have any pictures scanned from the 5th grade all the way to high school. Just imagine the classic, awkward young girl--that was me.

Here I am with Jord-man. I'd like to point out just one thing. The Fuzzy Pen (oh, how I wish that wasn't documented).
And here is one of my senior pictures. Yes, I had a perm, and yes, I loved it. In fact, if straightening it every now and again wasn't such a pain, I'd probably still have one.
Hopefully that little trip didn't scar you too badly. I may even share a few of Ronnie (if he doesn't read this and stop me). [Karen--you are not allowed to tip him off, he has to read it of his own accord!]

Sometimes, he gets so sleepy

Ronnie was getting some reading done the other day and noticed Easton was being a little quiet. He looked up to see this:


Sometimes, you are too tired to stop playing with your toys. You just need to sleep right. that. minute.

I love it when my boys cuddle. It is only possible when Easton is on the brink of falling asleep. He never stops moving otherwise!

The promised crib bedding

Well here it is! The primary reason I have neglected you all.

This is the crib skirt. I find it very convenient that my coffee table is almost the exact same size as a crib. If you look closely you will see that there is a pleat in the middle.

And here you see the valance. Erc's window is so wide that she will be using two of these side by side. Imagine that it is tied around a fabulous curtain rod.
And these, my friends, are the bumpers. I heart them. A lot.
The inside of the crib will be alternated, with a bumper that looks like this....
...and then a bumper that looks like this. You get the idea.
While the outside of the crib will feature this side of the bumpers.

Since Erc is making her own quilt (I'm sure pics will be on her blog soon), I decided to throw in a few extras. The first was this tag blanket made from one of the coordinating fabrics that was not used in the bedding.
And then I tried my hand at embellishing a few cloth diapers so that Erc could have absorbent, yet stylish burp cloths.
Here's a little different view.
You may remember that I made Easton's bedding as well. And, yes, I used the same pattern. I'm a pro at it now--which is a nice feeling. Now I just need to figure out if being a pro at baby bedding can be a career. :)

Time

I've been MIA, and I'm sorry for that.

Here are my excuses, in no particular order.

• I volunteered to make Erc's crib bedding as my gift to her (it's a good thing I love her so much--I may have given up otherwise). I finished on Sunday, but can't post pictures until after her shower this Saturday.
• I don't know if you have heard, but the Olympics are on. Late. Every night. This leaves little time for me to think about blogging and I don't think you need to read yet ANOTHER blog about the Olympics.
• Since I start working part-time next Monday (hooray!) I've been wrapping up a few long-term projects at work while I have the time. Again, this leaves little time for me to think about blogging.

That's it, a pretty pathetic list. Come to think of it, this is a pretty pathetic post. Stick with me. It'll get better, I promise.

A favor

Due to the fact that I use our real first names on this blog (and Easton’s blog), I have a favor to ask.

If you have us listed referencing our last name, please change the listing to:

KaLee & Ronnie
or K-dawg & RJ
or KaLee Lou and Her Gang
or The Coolest People I Know
or My Favorite Friends
or anything else that doesn't have the last name in there

You get the idea.

I’m trying to have a bit of anonymity in this crazy world.

Thank you!

8 months and ice cream

Easton turned 8 months old on Sunday. I remembered at 8p.m. right before bed time. He let me get this shot.
And then gave me the "death stare." He was really, really ready for bed.
He is doing great at sitting up now--finally. I wasn't sure if that skill would ever come and is army crawl/crawling all over the place. We got it on film last night, so I'll get that video up here ASAP. Easton constantly babbles and is working on saying dada. He is really close and only whispers it when he says it, which is super cute. He is currently trying to transition from 3 naps to 2 naps a day and is driving me crazy, but we will get there. He is eating food like a champ--except for those darn carrots and peas and he still doesn't have any teeth. I know that this will likely mean that he gets four at one time. Lucky me.

While at Mt. Rushmore, he had another first. Ice cream. Needless to say, it was a big hit. Judging from my love-affair with the stuff, he is doomed for life, so we might as well start him young.

Black Hills Roundup

I'll warn you that this post may be a bit long.

We decided to go to the Black Hills and invited my parents and younger brother and sister to join us (or we may have hi-jacked their vacation and told them where we wanted to go--you can decide what story to believe).

Only after we started researching and making reservations did we realize that Sturgis was going on. And we decided to go anyway. Because we are hard core like that.

First we hit up Wind Cave. It was awesome. Easton HATED the total darkness bit, but other than that did great. He we are inside the cave.

And here's the rest of the crew.
They had this awesome stuff all over the cave. It's called boxwork and is super fragile. Luckily I just broke off a little tiny piece for myself. [just kidding!]

And of course, we were able to see the main attraction. The sky was beautiful and weather fantastic. Not too warm, but warm (got that?).

And then we tried to get a few shots with the family. Harder than you think.
And here we see the parentals and the Wyo family that still lives at home.
We then took the presidential walk to get a closer look at the memorial. I was amazed at how they made the eyes look the way they do. Those columns for pupils? Brilliant. [and now you know how easy it is to amaze me--just carve a gigantic sculpture and show me the eyes]
And then Ronnie asked if that gray blob on Lincoln's head was supposed to be there or if they just didn't finish. And I informed him that that blob was his hair. It was precious.
After Mt. Rushmore, we visited Bear Country. All the men drooled over these babies.
And then tried to pretend that they weren't behind that huge fence. And then planned where they would hang the antlers if they could kill one.
We saw lots and lots of bears. This one had some pretty "human-like" tendencies. He looked just like Ronnie while watching sports.
Next, we took a drive up to Crazy Horse Monument. Here you can see the prototype of the finished mountain and well as what they have done so far. I'd say they have a ways to go--no?


Finally we visited Devils Tower. You can't live in Wyoming for almost 20 years and never see this bad boy.
We did a hike [and when I say hike, I mean walk on a paved path] around it and stopped to take obligatory shots.
Back in the parking lot, we realized that this was a much easier picture opportunity. Here's the whole group minus Ronnie.
And here is our little family.
Easton was a fantastic traveler--although I'm sure he would be okay with a rest from the car seat for a while. And that whole Sturgis thing? Not a big deal. In fact, all of the places we visited were less crowded than when we were there 14 years ago. We decided that families avoid this week and so, if you don't mind the constant roar of Harleys, it is a great week to take the trip.

Happy Day

Everything has finally finalized. (Yes, I am consciously typing that).

Beginning on August 25th, I will be working part time.

Hallelujah!

I'm so excited to be with Easton more often.

He is awesome.

Squash Book Winner (and where I am headed)

Random.org selected two winners.

melissapher who wrote, "Great variation on the accordion bind! The papers are really cute."

and

Alicia who wrote, "Oh man I hope I'm the lucky one!"

Congrats melissapher and Alicia! Email me at the email in my profile with your mailing address and I'll get your books right out to you!

Also, I'll be absent for the next few days. We are taking an impromptu trip to the Black Hills. Yes, it is the middle of Sturgis. Apparently we are crazy.

How about some preparedness?

A while ago, before our move, I helped to plan an event at my church. This was to educate the women on some good emergency preparedness ideas as well as allow them to make a 72-hour kit. (Well, most of a 72-hour kit. We decided that since food is such a personal preference, they would have to provide that themselves—as well as clothing).

So anyway. We made 72-hour kits. This came at the perfect time since just weeks before the event, Laramie experienced a few tornadoes and parts of the city were without power for over a day. You learn a lot about what you do and do not have when you are forced to pull out your emergency supplies. Like flashlights, and battery powered radios, and food.

I’m proud to say that we now have three 72-hour kits. Complete. Ours are housed in 4-gallon buckets, which have pros and cons. I love that I have something to hold water, sit on, one to use as a toilet, etc, but they are significantly harder to carry than a backpack. In a few months, when it is time to update them, I think I may buy some backpacks and put the heavy stuff in there and the light stuff in the buckets. That way I can have the best of both worlds.


Because researching what exactly to put inside of a 72-hour kit can be a bit daunting, I thought I would list the things that are in mine.

These items were at the church to get us jump started:
1 4 Gallon Bucket
1 Heat Blanket
1 Box Waterproof Matches
1 Bar of Soap
1 Can Opener
2 Pain Reliever
1 Burn Free single dose
1 Instant Cold Pack
1 Alcohol prep pad
1 Antibiotic Ointment
1 2 x 2 Gauze Pad
1 3 x 3 Gauze Pad
4 Standard Bandaids
1 Large Bandaid
3 Pair gloves
1 Hand Sanitizer
1 Toothbrush
1 Sewing Kit
1 Whistle
5 yards Duct Tape
3 Spoons
1 Toilet paper
2 Trash bags
2 Ziplock bags
1 Pkg Baby wipes
5 Emergency Candles

Pretty good start I think. I added the following to our kits:
Toothpaste, shampoo, conditioner, lotion (I don’t even want to THINK about 72 hours without lotion), flashlights (two wind up, one battery powered with extra batteries), diapers, rice cereal, rain poncho, knife, rope, underwear, pants, shirt, socks, jacket, three lunches, three breakfasts, three dinners, snacks, water purifying bottles, water, cash and one of those mini, red Books of Mormon.

I feel pretty good, but I’m sure there are things that I will wish I had if (heaven forbid) I ever need to actually use these kits. What do you have in your kits?

Squash Book Tutorial and Giveaway!

What is a squash book you ask? It is a fun little thing that starts off as this size:

And unfolds to this:



Perfect to stick in your purse with pics of your family, or little ones, or dogs, or cats, or grandma, or...well, you get the point. You may remember that I mentioned being in charge of a mini-scrapbook at our Stake Girls Camp this year--this is what the girls made. It has a *slight* western theme to it (as the Girls Camp theme was Cowgirl Up!) but I think it is cute for any person (I may be a TINY bit biased).


If you want to learn how to make one of these little puppies--read on, if not--you can enter to win one of two anyway! [scroll down to the very bottom]




1. Begin with three square pieces of paper. You can make these any size you want. Mine are 8.5" by 8.5" purely because that is an easy square to make with an 8.5" x 11" piece of paper. This means that my finished squash book will be 4.25"x 4.25"

2. Fold each piece of paper in half. Now bend it backwards (on the same fold the other way). You want these folds to be "remembered" by the paper.

3. Unfold the first fold and fold the opposite direction. Remember to bend it backwards to get a really nice fold. *Note: the better you fold at this stage, the better your book will come together.

4. Unfold the paper again and fold diagonally. It does not matter which diagonal you choose, just be sure to bend it backwards to really crease that paper.

5. All three sheets should now look like this.

6. Line the papers up so that the diagonal fold is on the vertical (as shown).

7. With the adhesive of your choice, glue one paper on top of the other in one of the "solid" squares.
8. And then glue the third piece of paper on top of the second.
Your completed assembly should look like this.
8. Now comes the tricky part. Folding. Take the left hand side and make it fold under like this.
9. It will now lay flat, like this.

10. Do the exact same thing to the right side.
11. So that when those two are completed, it will look like this (only when your hands are holding it down though).

12. Now pick up the entire creation and make the middle portion fold under--as this picture shows. This is the hardest part of the whole thing--don't get discouraged!

13. Once that is done, your entire book should fold into a little square.

14. Now get out two 18" pieces of ribbon.

15. Apply your adhesive in the middle of the square (it doesn't matter which way) and place the ribbon on top. Don't worry if this is a little messy--it will be covered up in just a minute.

16. Now flip your book over.

17. And do the same thing on the other side.

18. now get the paper that you would like for the front and back cover of your book. Cut it into 4"x4" squares.

19. Adhere the paper over the ribbon. Repeat for the back cover.

20. And now, when you unfold your book, it will look like this on the inside.

21. Next select the papers you would like to use for the inside. You will need four 4"x4" pieces of paper.

22. Adhere them to the inside like so.

23. Now you will need the triangle pieces of paper. Twelve in total. To cut these, cut your paper 4"x4" square and then turn on your paper cutter and cut into triangles.

24. Adhere your triangles however you would like. And maybe add some stars and brads for good measure. At this point--you are done with the decorative base of your squash book. If this was for you, you might add pictures, journalling, etc.
25. Sometimes your book needs a little bit of a reminder on how to fold back the first time, so let's review. Fold the left side flat as shown.
26. Like this.
27. Now the right side should follow.

28. So that you have this.

29. Now we have to remind that middle part the way that it needs to go.

30. And then your book will lay flat.

31. Now tie the ribbons into adorable bows.

31. Now you may want some scalloped circles to embellish the outside.

32. These would normally be monogrammed on both the front and the back. I love me some monograms. I'm waiting until the giveaway winners are selected before I monogram these babies. I don't think everyone wants a "K" on the front of theirs.

Now enter to win!

Rules: Leave your comment by Wednesday, August 6th. One Comment per person. TWO winners will be selected at random and be announced Thursday morning. Good Luck!