Happy Holidays!

What a great Thanksgiving week! I had Dave home all week which was fun, I got to spend Thanksgiving with wonderful friends, and I got to shop at all my favorite craft stores and buy new Christmas decorations! Yea! So I haven't posted since Halloween, but I wanted to post a couple pics recently taken by a friend. Oh, that reminds me, I am super excited for my Christmas present- a new camera! Our old one pooped out me a week ago so Dave found me an awesome camera online that he ordered for me. It's not super fancy but it's the step up from my point and shoot so I'm excited to learn how to use it when it arrives.

Happy Howl-ween

A day late and a dollar short, but better late than never, right? Not often you can start a post with two fabulous cliches! We had a great Halloween this year. Ellie was determined to be a princess, so I was trying to think of what Leah could be to go along with that. I decided that Leah could be a pea so they could be "the princess and the pea" together. A friend of mine loaned me a pea costume that fit Leah perfectly, and the girls were so cute together! Saturday night we went to a church Trunk or Treat with some friends and Ellie scored a ton of candy. Sunday night Dave took Ellie out for a while since he had been gone camping with the Scouts on Saturday night, and she got another ton of candy. We now have a giant mixing bowl full of sugary goodness...Mmmmmm.... For the sake of all our teeth I think it will have to disappear after another couple
days.


Ellie making Three-Ingredient Halloween Slime- find the easy recipe at "http://www.ourbestbites.com/2010/08/kids-in-kitchen-slime.html

Our State Fair is a great State Fair...

Well, we all headed out last Friday to visit the Great State Fair of Texas, home of all things deep fried including but not limited to fried butter, fried Coke, fried beer, fried grilled cheese, fried cheesecake, fried pickles, fried Reeses PB cups, fried Frito pie, fried bacon, etc, etc, etc, ad nauseam (literally). It was an interesting day. I don't like crowds and excessive noise, and Dave is on diet which means all the fried things he wanted to try were off limits, so I wasn't sure if we were going to have much fun, but Ellie wanted to go so off we went. The first 3/4 of the day were quite pleasant. We watched some acrobats, browsed a auto show, and petted the animals at the exotic animal petting barn (don't pet the ostrich-it bites). We met up with some friends and split up- Dave off to the Truck Show and Ellie, Leah and I off to the kiddie farm experience. After we finished that we had some time to kill before meeting back up, so we wandered around the cow barn together. Honestly, that was my favorite part of the day. It was quiet, there were very few people, and I happen to enjoy looking at cows. We met back up and watched a birds of the world show, and we should have ended the night there. Ellie was getting tired and I was pretty worn out too. But no, we had paid our admission and by golly, we were going to see everything! So we had some dinner and I decided I am getting old- not much there at the fair looked appetizing. I ended up paying way too much for greasy onion fries and a bland chicken sandwich. Blech. I should have gone with the deep-fried frito pie which is what I really wanted. I don't really remember much after that- we headed towards the midway to use our last sheet of tickets and it all became a blur of crowds, noise, and sore feet. We ended with the parade which was nice and short (or possibly nice because it was short) and then headed back to our car, with Ellie whining the whole way about how we never let her do anything fun. Nice. I'm glad we went but I think I've had enough fair to last me the next couple years.

DIY all the way

I have given up on professional photographers. The ones that are affordable aren't that great, and the ones I really think are creative, original, and exciting I can't afford. I would literally have to give up my entire month's food budget to use one of the photographers in our area that I like. Sadly, we have to eat. So, I decided that I would take my Sony Cybershot, the Photoshop software that our friend was nice enough to give us for free, and do my own pictures. Some of them you have already seen on the blog. This is Leah's 6 mo pic that I took today. Cost=$10 for the basket. Location=Front yard. Result=Super cuteness! At least I think so. I may be slightly biased.

Balloon Festival

This last Saturday we got to go to our city's Balloon Festival with some good friends of ours. Dave stayed home with Leah, but Ellie and I went and had a great time! We got there just in time to watch the balloons lift off- there is something so magical about hot air balloons regardless of how old you are. Riding in one is one of the things on my bucket list. Anyway, we watched them go up then we wandered around the event for a while. We found the Kashi/Burt Bees exhibit and killed time waiting in lines to score some free samples. We got Mango chapstick-yum! When it got dark, they had different balloons set up on a field where you could wander around and see them light up. They are really hot up close but so beautiful lighting up in the dark! I felt bad for my friend's little boy- he was sitting on the edge of the basket getting a picture taken when the owner flamed the propane right behind him. He shot off the edge of that basket so fast! He didn't want to get too close to them after that. The balloon owners handed out trading cards to the kids and were super nice about letting people take pictures with their balloons. The evening ended with a fireworks show. It was a lot of fun!

Day 1

Well, we survived the first day of school! Ellie was so excited to go, but when I picked her up after that first day, she got in the car and started crying. I asked her what was wrong, and she said "I don't get to ride the bus and Mom, school is NOT fun!" Welcome to the next 17 years of your life, babe.

Playing with Photoshop

So I was having fun learning a new Photoshop technique- what do you think? Here is the original image


Now black & white



Now messing with the color a little to tint it.

I know you're not brave enough to read this!

I love kids...and reverse psychology...and using reverse psychology ON kids. A while ago we decided it was time for Ellie to start taking a little more responsibility around the house. Accordingly, the chore chart was instituted. It was all fun and games until Ellie realized that she had to help out, then it became not so fun. Now, when I ask Ellie to help with something the whining begins immediately. "Why do I have to do everything around here! Am I Cinderella?"
So yesterday, just to be silly, I said "Ellie, I have some really hard chores for you. I bet they're too hard for you to even do!" Ellie said, "oh yeah!? What are they?" "I bet you can't get me a stack of diapers for Leah!" Ellie ran and got the diapers. "Ha ha, I did it!" The light bulb turned on over my head. I then got her to take the wet bathroom mats outside to dry off by telling her that she probably couldn't get them out of the washing machine. The final test was vacuuming the rug. Last time I made her do that we had literally an hour of crying and drama. This time I said "I bet you're too scared. I know it's too loud for you to do." "Oh yeah!?" She had the floor vacuumed in 5 minutes. Aaaahhhhhh, I love it! I'm not sure about the long term ramifications of this tactic, but for now at least there's no more whining.

A fine and pleasant misery

Yesterday we went on our 4th annual blueberry picking expedition. We do this for the same reason we go camping-because we believe that shared suffering makes us closer as a family...and because we like blueberries. Actually, it's quite a fun family tradition. We pack a picnic lunch and drive 90 miles out to the country, to a u-pick farm. We usually pick a gallon or two of berries, have lunch, and enjoy a glass of blueberry lemonade from the country store there at the farm. Yesterday wasn't quite as much fun as usual though. We all went out to pick, but after 20 minutes, Leah was getting too hot, so I took the kids to sit under the fans on the porch while Dave picked. It took him a while to fill up our bucket without our help, so he picked for a long time until a sudden cloudburst sent him running back to the store. When he gets to where we are, he is soaked with sweat, has a headache, and is not feeling well due to the sun and the pain from his recent surgery. He can't take his pain pills because they make him woozy and nauseous, a bad combination for driving 90 miles. The rest of us are hot and tired as well. We get about 1/2 an hour towards home, and all of the sudden the traffic stops. They had entirely closed the highway and we were diverted onto a tiny surface street with the rest of the highway. Our 1-2 hour drive ended up being 3 1/2 hours, much of it with either Leah or Ellie fussing from boredom or hunger. Fun fun fun! All the same, we will undoubtedly do it again next year. Why? Tradition!

War wounds

Being an office jockey can be rough- don't believe anyone who tells you differently! It comes with its own set of risks too. Last week Dave had carpel tunnel surgery on his wrist and another surgery on his elbow to correct another problem. The cut for the wrist wasn't so bad, but the shoulder surgery scar is a good 6 inches long and is held together with 18 staples. Dave is recovering pretty well but is still in a fair amount of pain. The irony in all of this to me is that originally Dave went in with his shoulder problem that's been hurting for years. I guess the elbow surgery is supposed to help with that-we'll see!

Baby Model

Isn't she just so cute! In this picture she's modeling the bracelet and headband my sister sent- thanks Anna!

Bad Hair Day

Some people are just born with a bad hair day:

And it just never goes away

So just blame it on bad genetics

and get on with your life.

Lexie-loo

We have a new dog! Some of you know about the disaster that was Jack. Jack was a rescue dog - a little miniature pinscher that we brought home with us from Petsmart one day. He was such a cute little dog, but he hated men. Dave, in particular, despite his best efforts to be friendly. He apparently had been raised by an elderly woman and given to the rescue group when she died. He was very poorly socialized. He would growl at everyone who came over, then as the final straw, he snapped at Ellie one day. We gave him a 2 week trial and then had to take him back to the rescue group.

So, we decided that getting a dog would have to wait until we had Leah and could handle another addition to the family. Then, a few weeks ago, my old friend Bethany posted on Facebook that she was finding a new home for her dog due to allergies. Everything worked out, and Lexie is now a part of our family. She is a cute little beagle, about a year old now. She has become Ellie's best friend. Ellie will lay down on the ground and Lexie will come over and climb on her and stick her face in Ellie's face- Ellie thinks it is the funniest thing ever. Lexie is so gentle with kids and friendly to everyone.

She's also good incentive for me to get out and exercise. Now that we have a dog we try to get out on walks more often although I discovered that dog + stroller + Ellie = a bad combination. We tried that once and I ended up trying to hold onto an active dog and push a bulky stroller which was ok until Ellie stepped on an ant mound on the sidewalk and started freaking out. Luckily all was well in the end but now we walk when Dave can come with us or I walk Lexie by myself in the evenings when it's cooler.



It's been great having a dog that came pre crate trained, potty trained, well socialized, etc. Lexie is a really sweet dog and we're happy to have her as part of our family.

So much for the stars

The stars had aligned...I was going to get a nap! Ellie was on the couch, food at her side, TV in front of her face. She was good for a while. Leah was fed, diaper changed, and snuggled in her baby carrier in the laundry room, listening to the dryer. For some reason that sometimes helps her sleep better. We weren't expecting visitors, the phone was turned off, the house was quiet. Yes! I crawled into bed, got all comfy, and waited to drift off into my much needed oblivion. And waited. And waited some more. Aaaggghhhh! I was wasting my sleep time because I couldn't fall asleep! Check the clock- one more hour until Leah would want to eat. Listen for a minute- Ellie's still watching tv. Try to relax. Start drifting....so warm....so quiet....WAAAAAAAAAAAAA. Leah's cry is like a shot of adrenalin right to the heart. I bolt upright in bed, then go get the little critter who thinks she needs to eat every half-hour to maintain her girlish figure. Oh well. Maybe the stars will align tomorrow.

Leah Mae Zincke

On Friday, April 2nd we welcomed our early arrival, Leah Mae Zincke. She was born 10 days before her due date, but other than a little breathing difficulty for the first several hours of her life, is a healthy baby girl! She is 20 1/2 in. long, 7lbs 9 oz, and is as cute as can be!

Thanks to all the family, friends, and church members who have offered their love, support, congratulations, and help to us during this exciting time in our lives!

St. Patty's Day

I just had to share a picture of Ellie enjoying a traditional Hardin (my side of the fam) St. Patrick's breakfast. Yep! Green pancakes and milk. Yummy!

Furniture: (re) finished!

A month or so ago, a friend of mine innocently asked if I had picked our baby bedding. I had not, in fact, I didn't even have a crib for the baby! We went out and got a crib, but the whole thing got me thinking. Not only did we need a crib, but it would be nice to have a dresser to put the baby's clothes in, right? Dave suggested plastic bins, but that wasn't quite what I had envisioned for the baby's room. We went on a date to several furniture stores, but new furniture is expensive, so it was off to peruse Craigslist! Dave found a bargain one Saturday morning so we went out and got a set from a yard sale that was a great price and looked like it was in decent condition. Oh, looks can be so deceiving! This is what we got:




We got it home, and it quickly became apparent that the furniture had been in a home with a heavy smoker for many years. It stank! This was the start of my epic furniture refinishing project. First I washed it...and washed it..and washed it...

This is a picture after the third washing- notice the gross amounts of brown residue still coming off. Remind me why people smoke?


I washed the whole thing down, especially the drawers with vinegar, bleach, ammonia, 409, and baking soda, everything I could find on the internet that people claimed would get rid of the musty smoky smell. Just as an FYI, this is what happens when you use an old rag with straight bleach.


Another FYI, none of that stuff worked. I gave up on the smell for a while and worked on getting the furniture in good condition. I sanded the tops smooth, repaired the mirror and took some decorative dowels off to update its look, tightened some screws, hammered, glued, stapled, and spray painted the brass hardware silver. I love fixing things and making them useful and beautiful so I had a blast with that part, tinkering out in our garage. I also gave the furniture a couple coats of paint which helped seal in the odor on the outside.

At this point all I had to do was figure out how to get rid of the smell from the inside. I ended up getting a can of polyurethane and coating the drawers and the entire inside of the dresser. Now the dresser doesn't smell like smoke and mold, it smells like polyurethane! I'm hoping that smell dissipates soon though. Anyway, it was lots of work but it was worth it to get the furniture in Ellie's room and see how excited she was for her "new room".



A happy ending for the baby too- she gets Ellie's old dresser so it all worked out!

A little bed makeover

I think I may have mentioned the nesting thing earlier- I have this drive to redecorate my house right now that Dave claims is related to pregnancy- who knows, maybe he's right. Anyway, I have a number of little projects I've been working on lately. And some bigger projects. I've been working on a furniture refinishing project that, like so many projects, has become much more involved than I thought it would be at first. It's nearing completion though, so I'll post pictures of that soon. We're also re-painting the room that will be the baby's this weekend, so I'll take some before and after of that too. This latest project was much easier and more fun- all it involved was several years of indecision, 2 stores, and some cold hard $.



This is what our bed has looked like for a couple years. I've been wanting to get a duvet for a long time now, because I love how you can take them off the comforter to wash. Unfortunately, I've never been able to find one I liked in my price range. A couple weeks ago, I went into this store called HomeGoods and saw the duvet I wanted. I thought about it for a minute, then left without buying it since I was in a hurry and didn't want to make an impulsive purchase. Later, I regretted it- it was just what I wanted and a reasonable price. When I went back a couple weeks later, it was gone. Bummer! I found out that there is another HomeGoods store in the area, so yesterday Ellie and I went to the other store and Viola! there it was. My beautiful duvet. Now it is on our bed with a fluffy comforter inside and I love it.

True Romance

Dave and I were discussing romance yesterday. This is a fairly common topic for us, it seems to come up every several months. Dave actually brought it up this time, joking about all the cutesy descriptions of valentine romance people posted out there in blogs and on facebook. That irritated me of course, since I want him to do more of those cutesy valentine romantic things that everyone else talks about. As we were "discussing" this, I informed him that he is good at doing thoughtful things, but not so good at doing romantic things. He asked me what I consider "romantic" besides flowers (which is another story entirely). "Well...breakfast in bed." I said. "You planning a date and getting a babysitter." "Anything that requires you to put some thought and effort into showing me that you care." So then I thought about this topic for a while. Like I said, Dave is a pretty thoughtful guy in many ways. He often takes care of Ellie in the mornings so I can get a few extra minutes of sleep. He'll run out at 10pm in bad weather to get me Panda Express if I tell him that I've had "the noodle dream." He complements me on how I look even when I feel like a fat cow. So, should that be enough? Is there a whole lot of difference between romance and thoughtfulness? Should I be grateful for a husband who loves me, takes care of his family, is responsible, shares my beliefs, and makes me laugh, even if he's not so good with the mushy stuff?

After thinking this over, I came to this conclusion. There is always room for improvement in any relationship. I think in any happy relationship though, you focus on your partner's good qualities and strengths, not their weaknesses, and hope they do the same for you. (This does not apply to pre-marriage relationships; for those I suggest you keep your eyes wide open to the good and the bad.) At any rate, it's enough for now that we keep working towards a relationship that's strong in what really matters. So, you enjoy those flowers-I've got some Orange Chicken waiting.

Help me!

This is a cry for help to all my crafty and color coordinated friends out there! Dave claims I'm "nesting", but for whatever reason I am feeling an uncontrollable urge to redecorate our nursery (yes I realize the baby won't even use it for the first three months) as well as Ellie's room. Here's the deal. Right now in Ellie's room she has yellow furniture with green accents- I think it's pretty but it doesn't go with her periwinkle blue walls. So, we bought some very old dressers that I want to paint white and replace the handles to update and put in Ellie's room. Periwinkle and white, pretty, right? However, that leaves the yellow and green furniture for the baby's room. Not a problem you say? Well, it is. Her room currently is a bright baby blue. So, do I (Dave) repaint the baby's room? What color? If I had more white furniture I would just keep it blue and add pink accents, but I don't really want to repaint the yellow furniture. Every day I change my mind on what I should do so if anyone has any recommendations, that would be great!

Christmas 2009

Well, what a great Christmas! We went up to Utah for Christmas again this year-it's hard not too when ALL our family's there. We started things off with a Hardin (my side of the family) Family Reunion. I was "in charge" of the planning for this reunion so I really was hoping it would go smoothly. Dave, Ellie, and I flew out to Salt Lake City, got to visit with his parents for a few hours (thanks for dinner!) and then got picked up by my parents to drive up to Island Park, ID where we were having our reunion. My parents have a 12 passenger van. They also have 10 kids. 5 of which are married. And 7 grandkids. And Toshi. And Eric and Kellie. Most of whom were in the car. Actually, we only had 12 people in the van, but they all had stuff. Food to feed 30 for 2 weeks, winter gear, clothes, toiletries, and a keyboard. And a violin. And a guitar. And a drum set (well, only one drum.) And about 20 ipods/laptops/electronic devices we can't live without for 3 days. So it was very crowded. Poor Dave was one-cheeking it off the edge of his seat pretty much the whole way.

We made it there in one piece and had a great time playing in the snow, hot-tubbing, eating great food, and hanging out together. We had a fun and goofy talent show in the great Christiansen tradition as well as a devotional and testimony meeting on Sunday that was really special. We also got to be there for my brother Matthew opening his mission call- Philippines Cebu Mission!



It was a great time together with the family and made me realize how blessed we are to be part of a family that loves each other and enjoys being together.

After the reunion we went back to Provo and spent a few more days with my family. We got to go "extreme sledding," a family tradition where you tie the sleds on long ropes to the back of the van and drive up and down a snowy road in the mountains. It is a blast! I couldn't do it this year because of the pregnancy, but Dave and Ellie had a great time. Ellie especially couldn't get enough of the snow and the sledding.


We had a great Christmas morning and brunch with my family, then it was off to spend a week with Dave's family.




We had a great week with Dave's family. Dave got to see some of the movies he wanted to see with his family, Ellie did buckets full of craft projects with the supplies Grandma and Grandpa got her for Christmas, and I got a massage! Yea! We also had a couple of very entertaining game nights together. A highlight of the trip for Ellie was going to the ice rink and having her Aunt Jessica and Uncle Steve and John teach her how to ice skate.

Ellie got really frustrated in the beginning because she just wanted to be able to skate really fast and obviously couldn't since this was the first time she's ever been ice skating. Jessica, Steve, and John were really patient with her and actually had her skating short distances by herself after a few hours! She was so proud of herself and had such a good time.

It was a great Christmas vacation! We appreciate both our families going out of their way to make sure we were comfortable and helping with transportation, etc. We love you all!