New Game

My cousin Melanie recently put this game (now at the bottom of our page) on her blog, and no sooner did I introduce it to Paul, he was addicted. I won't even admit my score on it; I'll only say our mouse is very hard to control. Paul on the other hand, got to level 10 his second try.

It seems like there has been a lot I wanted to comment on these past couple of days, but never got around to it. We were certainly saddened to learn of President Hinckley's death on Sunday evening, but also greatly relieved. It was almost as if we could feel the huge weight he had to carry finally lifted, and the joyous reunion that was surely taking place between him and his wife, Marjorie. We will miss our beloved prophet!

Benjamin has been sick with a cough these past couple of days. Nothing serious, but still sad. He graciously put up with a house-full of ladies this morning who came over for a recipe swap. It was a lot of fun! Now I have a whole new repertoire of crock pot and muffin recipes for the remaining long winter months.

Also today, Paul got some interesting news at work. The guy who he works closely with and reports to has accepted another position in the company, which makes Paul that guy. I'm excited for him, and I know he'll do great!

New Room, New House

We've been having a blast redecorating our home, but nothing has made such a dramatic impact as tearing down those giant mirrors and changing the front room from white to red. It's so cozy and inviting, and we actually like hanging out here now. Sarah's art feels much more at home on these walls too. Did we mention that there are no more giant mirrors? We don't have any good before and after shots, but here's the latest.

Entryway with cute built-ins and some of Sarah's art hanging on the walls.
Living Room: You can see part of the eating area on the right. We went with complimentary colours to further divide the area into two separate rooms.

We haven't quite finished this room; we still want to put in some arm chairs and do something about the bright white faux brick facade.

This is the view looking out to our holly tree which is home to a bunny we affectionately call "Redd". This picture shows the warm afternoon light pouring into the room. It makes for a nice sunning spot.

Benjamin's Expanding Vocabulary

Hey! It worked! Our very first video. Just a couple of weeks ago, Benjamin started saying 2-syllable words, which is a huge advancement from "da," which was his only word (if you can call it that).

When was the last time Duct Tape Saved Your Life?

Sarah feels like she has made this site into too much of a Mommy Blog and has asked me to step in/up and try to make a post that people besides grandparents will enjoy. I'm not sure I can do that, but I can at least try to write a post without mentioning Benjamin (or the fact that he went to Nursery all by himself for the first time today.) Here goes.

I have one more reason to laude the magic of duct tape. I've always known that this stuff could pretty much fix anything, but I never thought it would actually save my life. This past weekend Sarah and I decided to paint the dull white walls of our front room. After taking the Christmas tree to the curb and clearing out the furniture I felt like it was as good a time as any to finally rip those monstrous mirrors off the wall. When we first decided to buy this house we both agreed that the mirrors would be the first thing to go, but we just never got the courage to try. They're MASSIVE! But with the room totally empty and a hammer in my hand I felt empowered.

We carefully pried the mirrored borders from the edges exposing two huge, thick mirrors that just wouldn’t budge. I put the claw side of the hammer behind the mirror and began to gently pull the lever. As we listened to the glue slowly peal behind the mirror Sarah calmly said, “Wait. All the hairs on my head and neck are standing on end. We need to get some duct tape.” Fortunately for us, Sarah has a crush on one of the carpenters of our favorite HGTV show and remembered how they always duct tape the mirrors when they pull them off the walls.

After putting nearly a whole roll of duct tape zigzagged across each of the mirrors, I began again to try to leverage them off. Again I heard the glue pealing and my heart took courage, then SNAP! A huge crack shot across the top third of the mirror and nothing but a few strands of duct tape stood between me and certain decapitation. I leaped back in terror, but it wasn’t my whole life that flashed before my eyes, just Sarah’s calm words. I guess the seven years bad luck I’m sure to have will be pacified as long as I have Sarah’s wicked awesome spider sense to keep me safe (that and a good roll of duct tape.)

So I know I’m not the only one who’s had their life saved by duct tape. We’d love to hear your stories.

Here's the nearly finished project, brought to you by Benjamin himself.

Elder Ballard

Hey, so apparently blogs are now being endorsed by the church! President Ballard addressed the students at BYU-Hawaii about the Internet and how we need to use it as part of our mission to "Go forth and Serve." I especially liked this quote:
"There are conversations going on about the Church constantly. Those conversations will continue whether or not we choose to participate in them. But we cannot stand on the sidelines while others, including our critics, attempt to define what the Church teaches. While some conversations have audiences in the thousands or even millions, most are much, much smaller. But all conversations have an impact on those who participate in them. Perceptions of the Church are established one conversation at a time."
You can read the rest of the article at: http://newsroom.lds.org/ldsnewsroom/eng/news-releases-stories/using-new-media-to-support-the-work-of-the-church
I just want to commend others who have been using their blogs to discuss news and church related events and share their beliefs. I don't feel like I'm nearly as eloquent or have as many interesting things to say as most of you, but I always enjoy reading about your experiences and thoughts.