Beyond Saran Wrap

Fighting for Candy Canes: Songs of 2011

2011-12-21T08:43:00.000-08:00

Its the time of year when I put together my favorite songs for the year. If you are having a hard time finding any of these, send me an e-mail, I'll point you in the right direction!

01 Good Times Bad Times, Led Zeppelin
This is the first year I’ve put a Zeppelin song on my list, which shocked me when I realized it. This song was the first song on their first record, and therefore, I thought it was a great way to start this year’s list. Face it, this song rocks.

02 Bizness, Tune Yards
I knew this song was going on the list the first time I heard it. I love the horn section and the rhythm. It’s a very pleasant plea for life.

03 Loosers, The Belle Brigade
This song seems to be an answer to Beck and Radiohead. A new looser anthem! The feel good song of the year! It does have a swear in it. Sorry.

04 Crown of Love, The Arcade Fire
Funeral. The album I should have been listening to years and years ago. I guess I didn’t give it a chance because the guys from U2 absolutely loved it. This year it has been in heavy rotation. I had a hard time choosing which song, because Funeral is an extremely cohesive album, so pulling a song out of it feels odd. My wife has pointed out that I love songs with tempo changes. Maybe that is why I chose this one.

05 Do-Wacka-Do, Roger Miller
How can you not love this song? How can you not be jealous of a guy driving a Cadillac full of girls and cash? Proceed with caution. This tune can get stuck in your head, and if you find yourself singing the tune a lot, you may really get under the skin of your loved ones.

06 Maker, The Moth & the Flame
Thanks James Krause! He took me to a Fictionist concert in Logan where The Moth & the Flame played. Fictionist was great, but I really got sucked into the Moth & the Flame. A few weeks later the album came out. I think it has to be the best “Utah Band” album I’ve ever heard. I really appreciate the interplay between the guitar and the organ. Here comes another song with a change in tempo.

07 Greenback Boogie, Ima Robot
I don’t know why I like this one, I just do, so deal with it.

08 One Red Thread, Blind Pilot
Yet another change in tempo! This song just feels right. Nothing complicated going on, it just sits right with me.

09 Helplessness Blues, Fleet Foxes
I’ve been listening to the fleet foxes for a while, always thinking they had potential, but I think most of their songs have felt a little lacking in overall direction, so when I heard this song I was very pleased. Musically, it has great direction. Lyrically, it’s even better. I love the concept of these young guys (they are quite young) grappling with what they have to offer the world, and really wanting to contribute in some valuable way. This might be the best song of the year. (Another tempo change. I think my wife is right.)

10 Stranded, The Walkmen
I love the horns and melody on this one. I can thank KEXP for playing this one. This song sounds like it belongs to one of the old crooners.

11 Dawned On Me, Wilco
Wilco’s latest album is probably the best since Ghost is Born. You can tell on this song that Jeff Tweedy’s outlook is somewhat sunny these days, which has been known to take the proverbial wind out of the sails of many great bands. I think this song still manages to maintain a great vibe and edge.

12 Know Better Learn Faster, Thao With the Get Down Stay Down
This song comes from another album under the same name that I just keep coming back to. I really had a hard time choosing which song I should choose, it’s a great little album. I kept thinking “wow, this song reminds me of Andrew Bird. I finally googled it. Yup, Andrew Bird worked with Thao on the track.

13 Jodi, The Dodos
Hang on for your life. This song doesn’t ever let you catch your breath, much like many songs from the Dodos. This song feels like hipster punk. Hey, a new genre!

14 House of Diamonds, Bowerbirds
Sometimes there is just something special about a chord progression. For me this is one of those. I just can’t help getting sucked into the mood. It’s got a nice little chorus as well.

15 Jean Genie, David Bowie
I had no idea this was David Bowie! When I looked it up, I was surprised. It’s just not the kind of sound I associate with him. That being said, if David Bowie was going to do old school blues rock, this is definitely what you would expect.

16 Home, The Moth & the Flame
Another song from the Moth & the Flame. This is meant to send a message: listen to Moth & the Flame. I love the sentiment of this song.

17 One Sunday Morning, Wilco
12 minutes. That is a long song, and yet I don’t get tired of it. I’m not really quite sure why.

A Barnum & Bailey Christmas

2010-12-30T16:43:00.000-08:00

So, Every year some friends and I choose the songs that we've really enjoyed in the year, and put together a little mix CD. Here is this years list, complete with cover art. Check out these songs!

Open spaces, Johnny Greenwood- This year I went on a real classical kick. I listened to an NPR list of 50 top classical albums. I read about all the composers in the list. Then I never returned to it. This track was not among the music NPR suggested, but I think it was the catalyst for my classical listening.

The Clap, Thao with the Get Down Stay Down- I like clapping ever so much, and I originally wantedthis to start the compilation, but I felt that Open Spaces fit their better. Consider “Open Spaces” and “The Clap” as the “overture.”

See Fernando, Jenny Lewis- While I don’t see myself partaking of “a bottle of suds” anytime soon, I think I’d be more tempted if it were offered to me by Fernando.

Start A War, The National- I love this track. I love this voice. This was the first of two groups that I discovered this year only to realize that Chris had recently posted music from them on previous compilations. The other band was Vampire Weekend. I like how this song could have so easily erupted, and somehow didn’t. It’s right on that edge.

The Breeze, Dr. Dog –I don’t know exactly why I like this track, I just do, so stuff it.

Please Do Not go, Violent Femmes – This was the year that I the Violent Femmes made a somewhat unexpected return into heavy rotation. Do you realize how old this music is? It reminds me of high school, but in reality, it should remind me of kindergarten.

Truckin,’ Grateful dead- I don’t get the Grateful Dead. Never have. But I like this song.

Lomhlaba Kawunoni, Ladysmith Black Mambazo- I first heard Ladysmith Black Mambazo when I was just a little kid, and loved them right away, although I had no idea to whom I was listening. It was only this year that I discovered the secret behind those great African vocals on Paul Simon’s “Graceland.” Ladysmith Black Mambazo were brought into the studio, but they’ve recorded a bunch of stuff on their own. What an incredible sound. Since we had an overture, let’s call this the “entr'actes”

People are strange, The Doors- “Women seem wicked when you’re alone.” Truer words were never spoken (well, with the exception of “leggo my eggo!”). The Doors are weird. Jim Morrison was whacked out. I guess that is why I love them so.

You got yr. cherry bomb, Spoon- Give me a steady upbeat tempo & I tend to be hooked. I love the horns on this track. I also am aware of the fact that it causes my foot to tap involuntarily.

Where is my mind, the pixies- I watched a Pixies documentary this year. What a cool band. I had a really hard time choosing a track, but in the end, I couldn’t resist playing my favorite from days gone by.

Acid tongue, Jenny Lewis- Jenny Lewis says it how it is, and apparently she is a liar. So am I, sometimes.

World news, local natives- I could have put several tracks from Gorilla Manor on this list. James & I hired lawyers & spent several thousand dollars working up a mutually favorable agreement in terms of who got which song. Clearly, I hired the better lawyer.

Laminated Cat, Jeff tweedy (sunken treasure)- And you thought I might put together a compilation list that contained no Jeff Tweedy. Ha. Think again. Laminated Cat became my favorite song to play on the guitar this year. I love these lyrics despite my general optimism. “Springtime comes and the leaves are back on the trees again, snipers are harder to see, my friends.” (Chris, be warned.)

Like the Ocean PT 1 & 2, the Besnard Lakes- I liked these 2 tracks. The rest of the album sounded about the same. These tracks almost got deleted. The reason they stuck on is that they used a guitar technique that got heavy use on “Loveless,” by My bloody Valentine. I like it when things go a bit out of tune for a moment or two.

Band on the run, Wings- James & his wife joined my wife and I for a trip through some of the best music of the last 50 years- Paul McCartney Live! It was an excellent concert, and Sir. Paul, my third favorite Beatle, was incredible. I’ve always liked this track; probably more than anything else he has done post Beatles.

I’m waiting for the man, the velvet underground- This is also the year that I finally realized what the deal was with the Velvet Underground. I guess I just had never given them a good listen. I almost put “Heroin” on the list, but in the end I wanted something a bit more upbeat.

Pretty Birds, Fictionist- I usually dislike local bands in Utah. They tend to either be really heavy, trying to buck the Utah culture, or they tend to sound like another happy day in happy valley. Fictionist is a local band that I think deserves international attention. This is a live (in studio) performance of Pretty Birds. I tried to get a better copy, but failed. This was recorded off of YouTube, but I think the soundis pretty good.

I stand corrected, Vampire Weekend- Frankly, I could have put 60% of the Vampire Weekend album on this list, and maybe one track from Contra. As a whole, listening to Vampire Weekend (the album) is such a great mix of sounds, and the drumming is incredible.

2010-07-29T14:44:00.000-07:00

Audrey & Bethany love their cousins! We were so glad they came up to spend a few days. Everyone got to spend some time bike riding :) eating good food, and I had a riot shooting with all the lovely ladies!

(ps, you can full-screen it) and here are some of my favorites too..

2010-07-22T13:21:00.000-07:00

Am I crazy, or what? I feel, at my age, I should know better. I know there are only 24 hours in a day. I know there are only 7 days in a week. Why then do I set out to accomplish so much more than I can ever manage? Ha ha. For example, I started out with the idea of sewing a simple quilt for our two girls, which then turned into 2 more complicated quilts, which then turned into 4 quilts and hosting an I-Spy Kitty cat fabric swap. (2 more spots if anyone or their girls like cats) Also, trying to figure out a way not to have to cut out dozens of butterflies by hand (anyone have a Sizzix Big Kick?) And then all of the other daily things that should be required of a mother, but I love it all. Truly, I love being where I am and couldn't have better girls in the world. So, maybe someday I'll try being more practical, but for now I'm having too much fun.

going private?

2010-07-16T11:45:00.000-07:00

I've been thinking about making this a private blog for a long time, and maybe now is the time to do it. I'm not really worried, but I guess I'll be able to be a bit more liberal with some information. Ooh... that sounds exciting, huh? No, I don't have anything too interesting that we're concealing, but I suppose I will leave it at that :) I'd like to say I'll post more often... but let's be honest, I probably won't.
So if you would like to be added to the illustrious list, send us your email. Really, we're happy to share and are not picky at all about who views our blog, as long as we know who you are.

2010-07-06T11:25:00.001-07:00

Hmm.. I guess we haven't posted for a while. Yes, we are still alive and now radon free in our house, which is nice.... Also, we are mostly healthy (which I hesitate to post this as it seems whenever I admit we're all healthy something changes). We've gone camping (see Doug's "dads pics") where Bethany spent most of the time swinging and Audrey got to enjoy her cute cousins. We had fun watching fireworks with some friends and talking about taking photos, and BBQ'ing at the Cache Valley Cruise-In, which was interesting, and we saw some fun cars (including the "monkey car" which was the girls favorite). I started a quilt with the original idea from obsessively stitching who does an awesome job breaking it down for those of us who don't sew. As always, I made it more complicated and time consuming and will probably be working on it for several more weeks, but we will see how it goes... I'm not sure if I will like the quilts, but at least the girls will. We hope to get out and play more this summer in this nice weather and hopefully our garden will finally do some growing. I haven't taken any photos for a long time and hope to remedy that soon for the next post in a month or two :)

poison in the air, flowers everywhere

2010-05-19T19:59:00.000-07:00

Turns out our lovely home contains radioactive gasses, from the breakdown of uranium to be precise. Radon baby. Radon is the 2nd highest cause of lung cancer. Apparently this may be more common in quaint little Cache Valley than one might expect. We now know that several people in our area have radon problems in their homes as well. Looks like we'll be installing a mitigation system. It might be worth it to check your own homes. http://www.radon.utah.gov/

2010-04-26T08:20:00.000-07:00

If you haven't read it before, I'm posting it again. Here is Jamie Oliver's petition for school food & the health of your kids. It only takes a few seconds to sign. http://www.jamieoliver.com/campaigns/jamies-food-revolution/petition
Also.... I'm so excited! The end is actually in sight..it's been two years and a lot of hard work (mostly on Doug's part). We are finishing caulking and taping this week. Then we (yes, we meaning Doug) need a sprayer to prime and paint our basement this weekend. Does anyone have one to lend? I promise I'll make it up to you! A photo session? Pretty please?? :)

Come on, come on, come on, and give 'em to me

2010-04-08T16:14:00.000-07:00

I'm guessing any Jack White reference is most likely futile, but indulge me for a moment. Thanks.
I do have some extra tomato starts... I re-potted a few today into bigger containers and still have too many. They are better boy (my favorite) , Brandywine, and sunsugar (tiny yellow sweet). If anyone wants some, please come get them; I hate to throw them away! I also have more buttercrunch and Romaine lettuce seeds than I will EVER need in my life. I would be happy to share :)

meandering thoughts

2010-04-06T10:12:00.000-07:00

The LDS conference this weekend (thanks to the internet) was great. I always love to be reminded of things to work on to improve myself. There is never a shortage of things to work on in the day :) Patience- as in working hard, is one of the things I wish to keep in mind.
This rest of this post is almost verbatim to my friend Jenny's. I had watched Jamie Oliver's Food Revolution when I was down in SL over a week ago and loved it. I was ready for a little extra motivation; I've been intending to put more action into my thoughts (especially after my doc told me to cut my sugars out....not to mention a handful of nutrition classes creating awareness of accountability) I feel pretty strongly about this, and if you feel any bit similarly, you should watch the video. (It is the same link from Jenny's blog to the video, so thanks for letting me steal this from you :) ) It is food for thought. At least my kids know what a tomato is though!
Here's Jamie Oliver telling you what he really means about a food revolution.
You can also sign his food revolution petition on his website here.

Thankfully, I can say we're starting our 2nd tray of broccoli sprouts (yum! even my kids eat them!) and I'm on the search for fairly quick, unprocessed, healthy meals, especially some that use our food storage and that my kids will eat. Cheers!

2010-04-06T09:54:00.001-07:00

I'm trying my best to be optimistic... I know this snow will melt soon, it is after all, April. It's a good thing that it is warming up instead of cooling down. I'm very excited for spring and summer. My garlic is peaking out of the snow and my peppers are sitting on my window. I also had promised to build a snowman this year and had failed to do so yet, so I thankfully made good on my promise.

Albie

Atlas is confident in his vole-catching skills. I do wish he was more fortunate and that we didn't lose a third of our grass to those little buggers. Oh well.

this and that

2010-03-23T11:10:00.000-07:00

We spent more time than not down in SL last month. Being a bit compulsive, I manage to keep myself busy no matter where I am. I guess it gives me a chance to do the crafty things I normally don't do at home because I feel there are more pressing things that divert my attention. So, I worked on my first "real" sewing project, dresses (I don't feel like I can count curtains or pillowcases) and had some fun with different flowers.
I also finished covering the cough-drop tins my mom gave me and embellished them with the tags my cute friend Nicole gave me (Thanks Nicole!). We've been doing "commission" for Audrey. Rather than an allowance, she "earns" commission and has 2 tins- savings and spending, and sets aside tithing. I did 2 for Bethany at the same time, since I'm guessing I'd be a year behind if I waited to do them until she needed them.
The "bubble stick" was an alternate project because toward the end of working on pinwheels I discovered (apparently I didn't read the directions) that I didn't have any eyelets or the tool to set them, so the pushpin will have to work for now until I can find one. Oh well.
So, now that I have neglected any real projects that need to be done (cooking, cleaning, gardening, etc. etc.) hopefully it will warm up again soon and I'll have even more motivation to press forward.

waiting for spring...

2010-03-18T10:28:00.000-07:00

Thanks mom for the cute dresses! They love them! Here is Bethany - who keeps calling herself a princess and twirling in her dress. I thought you'd want to see how fun they are on them. Thanks again.

The Rickenchocolater 360: EAT YOUR HEART OUT

2010-03-08T19:38:00.001-08:00

Let me start this post by introducing you to a fabulous guitar. Keep in mind that while this introduction is somewhat focused on my (Doug) obsession with guitars, it doesn't continue that way. Therefore, those of you who do not care one whit about guitars, feel free to read anyway, as you will see this post has more to do with how awesome my wife is, and less to do with cool guitars. Any Questions? please send them in triplicate via certified mail. On we go. This is the Rickenbacker 360. For our readers from mars, it is a musical instrument known as a guitar. It is played by shortening the theoretical string length by pressing the strings down to the long board or "fretboard" using ones fingers and then plucking the strings with fingers or a plectrum (often referred to as a pick.) Made famous by the likes of George Harrison, Peter Buck of REM, and many others, in my humble opinion, it is a piece of artwork. I love its retro design and smooth lines. (Of course, if you know me, I'm in love with alot of guitars) Anyhow, if I have my way, some day this guitar will hang proudly on the wall of my home music studio. Donations are always welcome, and can also be sent via certified mail, or any other means of transport, for that matter.

Now, on to the point of this lengthy and worthless, as many might claim, introduction. Two days before my birthday, Heather asks me via instant messaging if I have seen the new "Rickenchocolater 360." Now, a smart man would have been very quick to pick up what was happening. I am not a smart man. Therefore, I proceeded to perform a google search, despite a sneaky suspicion that she was up to something. As many of you have likely already surmised, My google Search revealed nothing. It was at this point that I began suspecting that Heather had created something exciting for my birthday. without getting into any more detail, I shall simply display an image of what I found when I came home from work that evening.
Needless to say, she nailed it. This was, without question, the coolest birthday cake I have ever received. (sorry mom, the Hot Air Balloon Cake, complete with licorice ropes, supplied for my 5th birthday? has dropped one rank position, feel free to re-apply for first place by providing a cake of superior taste and creativity than that which heather made. I will be happy to consume it, and restore your rank.) Heather, thanks so much, it was such a great surprise. I really appreciated the thoughtfulness and time it took to create such a magnificent cake. You never cease to impress.

my name is doug and I have a brother.

2010-02-25T21:48:00.000-08:00

We went on a double date with my (Doug) younger brother Scott and his girlfriend, Michelle last week. We had a great time. In typical Heather fashion, the camera came along. We took some fun pictures in a location that cannot be revealed without taking a blood oath (sign-up sheets will be made available next Monday). Thanks, Scott and Michelle, we had a great time!

Happy Valentines Day!

2010-02-14T16:12:00.000-08:00

more to come....

just curious...

2010-02-11T08:34:00.001-08:00

I just checked out who's been looking at our blog and saw a lot of visits from someone in Sweden as well as a private blog- in the crown .blogspot? Maybe I should know who you are, but I don't and I'm curious. So, if that is you, tell me who you are!!!

field trip

2010-01-30T11:59:00.000-08:00

I took these a long time ago at the house where my dad grew up and milked cows. I hadn't been there since I was maybe 2 or younger, so it was interesting to see some of the things I vaguely remembered... the old barn, for example. It would have been fun to go inside. I did find an old car with character... charming.

another one bites the dust....

2010-01-28T12:51:00.000-08:00

I guess a good thing about everyone being sick at the same time is that I don't try desperately hard to keep everyone healthy just to find out someone else is sick by the time the other is healthy; but two colds at once? There is no rest for the wicked. Bethany has been throwing up for 5 days, and now Audrey started this morning. I'm also guessing everyone, parents included, have RSV on top of something else. Thank you nursery! I have hope that everyone will be well again soon and I will not be so lazy and get my act together instead of wasting time on things like making valentine bingo because I'm too tired to do anything else. I hope everyone else is well and let me know if you want a file to print for Valentine picture- bingo :)

2010-01-24T10:11:00.000-08:00

We're tired of boring old snow. Ah, now that is better!

C12H22O11

2010-01-24T10:02:00.001-08:00

By January, I'm completely tired of the snow. I thought we'd try an experiment. I was going to do those liquid-bluing/ammonia crystal garden things for the girls, but discovered I had none of the ingredients, alas. I did have sugar :) so we made rock crystal candy. Pretty easy, just had to wait a couple of days. The girls had more fun looking at them grow than actually eating them, but they were pretty good.

2009-11-07T08:23:00.001-08:00

Halloween 2009.

witch season

2009-10-19T20:16:00.000-07:00

Gardner Village always does a great job decorating... Audrey looks forward (and now Bethany, too) to going to see the witches. They also had fun feeding the ducks and dressing up for the West Jordan pumpkin walk (which was fun, but it can't beat Logan's). Thanks mom for a fun weekend!

2009-09-21T11:31:00.000-07:00

Summer has always been my favorite season. I don't know if it's the long nights, warm weather, flowers or tomatoes from the garden, or just that school is out. I love the magic of pretending and hope it stays for a long time for my girls. I also hope summer holds out a little longer too, at least for my garden. My sister made these cute wants for both girls; they love them! Thanks Em! Here are some pics we took at my mom's last week.

Secret Lake Hike

2009-09-03T09:15:00.000-07:00

here is one pic at the lake, I'll post a gallery link later- Laura, you're more than welcome to have any of these you want. Thanks, mom, for putting it all together.

caterpillar dreaming

2009-08-30T21:09:00.000-07:00

As a kid, I spent a great deal of time with my grandparents, which was wonderful. They were both retired teachers; my grandfather taught science. He was always doing some project with me. I’d help him formaldehyde insects and pin them up, learning all about thoracic segments, prothorax, etc. to learning about plants and lichen on trees. Apparently, I stopped everyone getting off the bus one day to point out some algae in the gutter. Yes, I am a geek to this day. I wanted Audrey and Bethany to get a little exposure too, so, we looked for an egg, but to no avail. We did find some caterpillars; one I could identify as a monarch, the other maybe a leopard moth? The girls loved watching them eat (about 5 times their own weight every day; I understand why they can do so much damage) and miraculously spin their chrysalis. I thought there was a good chance we’d lose at least one, but the first one was a success. The girls had such a fun time watching them that we’d really like to share this fun with someone else. So, does anyone want a caterpillar? :) We have a wooly bear and another unknown moth, maybe another leopard moth... similar to our first one. So, really, if anyone wants a caterpillar, please let us know! :)

2009-08-25T10:28:00.000-07:00

My mom got these old photos to me to scan a while ago. They're of my dad's dad, Frank Pierson. They are a few of the ONLY photos I've ever seen of Frank. So, if anyone Pierson-related wants a copy of one for any purpose (family history, dart board :) etc.) just email me and I'll be happy to send you a decent sized file for your computer or to print (these are web-quality only). I like the top one of the work horses. I can't believe not that long ago, tractors weren't extensively used.

Guess I missed Christmas in July already...

2009-08-25T10:07:00.000-07:00

I can't believe it's the END of August....the weather made summer feel like it's been 2 weeks long. I feel like I need to make up for it all this month before it gets cold again. I've taken a few pics of my girls (good for me, I feel like I don't do it often enough usually) but I'm getting excited about doing family pictures for the holidays, too. This was last years photo for Bonnie and Steve (we shot it on a warm day in September or October) It was a lot of fun to do! This year I am dying to dress up a dad as Santa, with mom giving dad a kiss, and the kids in his lap, all in a rocking chair! :)

rainy day mondays always make me smile

2009-08-25T09:40:00.000-07:00

We've had the best weather lately.... I love when it rains! I got these cool watering cans for $2 and have wanted to take some pics with the girls in their raincoats... so I got the opportunity to do so this week. It doesn't look rainy, but we all (especially Doug who wasn't under an umbrella) got soaked. It was fun.

The many faces of Emily

2009-08-22T16:33:00.000-07:00

I simply adore my sister Emily; she is the sweetest girl. She also looks cute when she makes faces... something that I can't do. She is thinking about going on a mission (we're so excited!) So, Emily, here are 2 to choose from (I can post more, too) but the top is my favorite one, the one on the bottom doesn't have any editing done yet. Double click on the row to see close-up.

July adventures

2009-08-18T11:31:00.000-07:00

So Doug had been sick, and we needed to get out of the house, too. He'd also been on gone and staying late for work last month a lot, too. So I rewarded myself by getting out of the house and trying to take a few pics of my girls. I know it's cliche, but they grow up SO fast! Anyway, we're glad we've gotten to play some this summer, with friends (thanks Zuich's and Perry's as well as Anderson's and Barnett's for the 4th) Hopefully we can hit Bear Lake again (don't worry folks, no bears- Audrey makes sure to clarify that EVERY time we go :) ) and have a little bit more of warm weather (what's been up with the 50's in August, anyway?)

"really, mom, this is SO boring... are we almost done?"

Audrey loves to point out the tabernacle every time we drive past it. They also have some fun free concerts in the summer at noon.

A summer evening in Cache Valley.

2009-07-13T10:28:00.000-07:00

I (Doug) love where we live. I was sick all last week, and so to stay away from the kids one evening, I went out and shot some pictures. It was peaceful and refreshing. Here are some of my favorites.

Note: You can double click on the slide show, and then click full screen if you want to see these images at a reasonable size.

2009-06-26T07:49:00.001-07:00

I have a hard time believing it is almost July... we turned on the ac once for the first time this year and watered our grass the second time since last fall. For the most part, it has been a very nice spring. And although it is finally warming up, my kids still like to parade around in their winter coats and hats. Go figure. :)

maybe

2009-06-18T11:58:00.000-07:00

maybe, if you've read Purple, Green & Yellow.....
maybe if the people who know you best think you only like to do "safe" activities...
maybe if you don't mind editing blue off of your kids face in the family photo you'll take tomorrow.....
then maybe it's just good for your soul to paint with your fingers (or mouth or whatever..) every now and then

Audrey couldn't wait to wash her hands (even for a pic) so I turned around for a second and Bethany jumped into the containers....van gogh would have been jealous.

Edible Finger paint.... I always think of the lickable wallpaper from the movie I broke as a kid because I watched it soooo many times.

1 package unsweetened KoolAide (I used black cherry (red), pina (yellow) and a blue kind)
1/4 cup sugar
1 heaping tablespoon clear jel (you can find this at a kitchen store)
3 ounces water.
Mix sugar, KoolAide and clear jel in a bowl, then add the water and blend well. It is thick and dries glossy and pliable.

2009-06-09T13:56:00.001-07:00

We're glad to be back home after a week and a half in SL. We put in my mom's sprinkler pipes (next week heads) and got over some very long yucky stomach flu...it took the girls 6 days each to get over it and 2 days at Primary Childrens for an IV for Bethany. The girls had fun, as always, with grandma, uncle Spencer, and "Auntie Em". Bethany especially had fun riding fast on the trike with Emily. I'm very grateful for hospitals and doctors and the times we are all healthy. We're also glad it's summer and for strawberries out of the garden....mmmmm.

I decided with all the extra pipe from the sprinklers it would be fun for the girls to have a playhouse. I bought some fittings (about $20) and 2 king flats from the di ($3 together) and bought a mesh laundry bag from the dollar store that I cut for the window. I know how often I get invited in for a tea party, so I made it extra big. 40 inches by 65? or so and 5'7" at the tallest point. It's tall enough for me to completely stand up inside without hitting my head... and big enough to get a few kids in there and have some room to spare. I traced the shape on the floor onto the sheet, cut it out, and sewed it together, and added some wide seam-binding for around the window and door. You can order a pricey 4-opening fitting, but I just put a few pieces together and it works the same (last pic). I left it unglued so it can be taken apart and stored in little space. I think I'd like to have them help paint it, too, but that's a project for another day.... I love toys that encourage imagination, and with the extra pipe pieces, it was only about $25!

2009-05-25T14:15:00.000-07:00

I know some ladies apologize when they haven't posted in a week or two, and it's been.. um... slightly longer than that, but hey, we've been busy here! And, no, I'm NOT pregnant (I'll clarify that now.) We've just been building garden boxes (Thank you, Doug!), working and playing outside, attempting to uphold a resemblance of composure in the interior of our home, and having fun with the most important part of our lives, our girls. So, with that being said, I have a few posts that I've dated back over the last week. I took an idea from my very smart friend, Jenny, who posted her scrap-pages instead of posting photos and then scrapping later (I thought this would help reduce procrastination, but alas.. oh well.) Maybe I won't wait 12 months before I do a post again.

so glad it's spring

2009-05-18T13:37:00.000-07:00

egg dyeing

2009-05-16T13:37:00.000-07:00

v-day 2009

2009-05-14T13:36:00.000-07:00

Bethany turns one!

2009-05-13T13:35:00.000-07:00

book

2009-05-12T13:54:00.000-07:00

nice september weather

2009-05-11T13:33:00.000-07:00

4th of july

2009-05-10T13:19:00.000-07:00

Oh Christmas Trees

2008-12-07T18:23:00.001-08:00

Audrey had some fun playing in leaves at grandma's house last week. We also continued the tradition of hiking in the mountains and choosing a tree (9 month pregnant Heather missed out last year, but we were all here this time). It was cold and fun. Atlas got some exercise, too.

family pic 08

2008-12-03T09:22:00.000-08:00

Thanks to Jenny & Chris for your help! We'd never be looking in the same place or all smiling at the same time if it wasn't for you. Thanks!

the joys of motherhood

2008-12-02T20:39:00.000-08:00

We tried to shoot some family pics up Logan canyon last month. I'll just say it was a challenge to get everyone looking at the camera without me or Doug behind it.. but that's another story. Doug shot this - yes, un-posed, if you couldn't tell :) and I thought it was pretty funny. Audrey is trying to pull out my earring and Bethany is trying her best to get her finger up my nose (a favorite pastime of hers). We've spent too much of this last month out of town; Doug working everywhere but near and I've spent my share behind my camera or in front of the computer (ugh!) or getting my A.B. fix (that's Alton brown, for anyone who's not cool enough to know what to watch.) Thanksgiving was spent at my (Heather's) mom's, where I got to do some fun cooking, pleanty of eating, and enjoying my girls.

Spruces

2008-11-02T09:22:00.000-08:00

Here is a slideshow from the Audrey, Doug and family camping trip back in September... hey, it's better than never.

Yo ho, yo ho!

2008-11-01T05:08:00.000-07:00

Happy Halloween!

2008-10-30T18:53:00.000-07:00

So... we were going to post all of these photos.. of a camping trip and other adventures...but more pressing things have taken priority. We'll post some soon, but before another month has past, we thought we'd commemorate our favorite holiday with a few classics. A few more photos are on their way for all you land-lovers! Happy Halloween!

Seed Storage

2008-09-10T07:36:00.000-07:00

I (Heather) thought it would be a good idea to include some seeds for our food storage. We figure it would be a bit nicer to have some fresh veggies to complement all the other stuff, so I started working on this little project a few months ago and have now finally finished it. I'm posting this so the families I did this for will have an idea of what's inside. There are 25 numbered, sealed Mylar bags, corresponding list of seeds and short gardening notes compiled for the specific varieties. A basic idea of types of seeds: bean, beet, broccoli, cabbage, carrot, corn, cucumber, kale, buttercrunch lettuce, romaine, honeydew, cantelope, onion, pea, snap pea, bell pepper, pumpkin, spinach, zucchini, butternut, spaghetti, 3 varieties of tomatoes (1 cherry) and watermelon. All of the seeds are USU recommended, many AAS listed, and non-hybrid (well, all but the corn because they were out) so that, theoretically, you can sustain your seed storage forever. These should last a while... from the research I've done, it should be at least 4 or 5 years or so.. the lettuce being the first to significantly drop in germination rate. So, you should take your cans and put them in a ziploc or other plastic bag and freeze them for the longest storage, or at least in a dry, cool, place in your basement. Oh, and when I started this.. I had no idea of what 1/2 pound of lettuce/any other seed looked like, so I GUARANTEE there are more seeds than your wildest dreams. Any other questions, or if you want the document or pdf, just call me.

Baby, All I Need(ed) is a Shot in the Arm

2008-08-26T10:39:00.000-07:00

I often find myself flipping through the CD's at the library. Its a habbit that rarely reaps rewards. One day, however, I found a CD entitled "Yankee Hotel Foxtrot" by Wilco. The name Wilco sounded vaguely familiar, and so, I decided to check it out and give it a listen. Move forward 2 years. I am now an obsessed Wilco fan. I think they are the best active American band. I can't stop listening. They are often referred to as the "American Radiohead," which, in my opinion is only true in that the are both extremely talented and not afraid of taking sonic adventures. I heard one person describe it like this. "Radiohead gets you in the head, Wilco gets you in the heart." I have to agree.

When I find a great band, I have a tendency to get up on a soap box, and begin to proselytize . So, when I found out Wilco was coming to Salt Lake, I went into missionary mode with vigor. Mix CD's were burned, DVD viewing of live performances were forced down various throats, and various bribery was used to organize a group to go see Wilco. My efforts were successful. I had convinced Andrea, Gary, and Scott to attend with me. Ah, the glee. Then, they sold out before the tickets were available to the public. I pouted. I moaned. I groaned. I complained. Then, I found out they were playing Boise, and to my surprise, found my concert going group willing to make the journey, even at $4.11 a gallon for gas.

Have I dragged out this post long enough? I guess all I really need to say is this. We went to Wilco. They were incredible. Everyone enjoyed themselves. The band played for 2 and a half hours, thanks to a second encore entitled the "longcore." Scott became a bigger fan, Scott's buddy Jeff became a bigger fan, Andrea and Gary survived the more "experimental" elements of their music, and at a minimum became more interested in listening. Oh, and by the way, I became a bigger fan, which I thought was impossible. As a live act, they showed more richness and depth than I thought they had. Thanks Wilco, your great.

*since posting this, Andrea and Gary have called to report that they are fans, and need access to more Wilco ASAP. All in a days work.

Jalapenos, Anyone?

2008-08-16T08:47:00.000-07:00

I've decided I really enjoy gardening, despite my gardens best efforts to frustrate me. The spinach quickly bolted, the peas were attacked by weevil, the potatoes have scab, the soy grew to a grand 3 inches and halted, some of the beets have issues (see photo below...we'll let you guess who had a hand in creating him), and we're guessing all of our squash plants bit it when someone sprayed round-up. I pulled out the beautiful carrots just to find they had gone to seed as well. However, our little jalapeno plant is thriving. So...I made jalapeno jelly for Doug this week. My estimation of what was needed in the recipe was a little off; I think I still have about 1/2 - 3/4 of a pound. We'd like them not to go to waste, so anyone who could use them and would like to come pick them up, give us a call.

One tool I used to Trick Heather into Marrying me.

2008-08-15T08:04:00.000-07:00

Listen to me attempt to show Heather my love Here. I love you, Heather.

All because of Asthma and a Stolen Car

2008-08-15T06:30:00.001-07:00

Today Doug and I have been married for five years. I have a difficult time believing how fast it has all happened. I wanted to take this opportunity to tell Doug I love him and tell him how happy I am. I also thought we'd share "the story of us" for some of our family who requested it. Our friends are welcome to read as well, it's just a bit lengthy, that's all. Also, I thought I'd post a couple of old photos (thanks for the idea, Kenzie) of our "younger years" :) Well, here it goes for those who want a long story...

.....................
In the fall of 1999, Heather enrolls at the local college. Her plans of attending SUU had been altered by a stolen and dismantled vehicle.....was this fate? Also that fall, Doug signs up for a subsequent semester of college.

Doug gets asked to run as VP of public relations with some friends in student government. He accepts and life gets hectic running for office and storing 3,000 pounds of bananas in his garage. Trying to gain the favor of students for the upcoming election, Doug and his team volunteer to help at a DEX (marketing association) event. Heather, who is involved with the club, happens to be helping also. While helping run the event, they meet each other briefly. Doug sees a cute girl he might like to get a date with someday and later asks a mutual friend who is there to identify the mystery girl as Heather Pierson, and to potentially set up a date . . . which never happened.

Heather, while working out with a guy friend at the LAC (gym) spots a campaign poster capturing Doug Moore and his teammates. She exclaims, “that guy is cute” which was followed by a “and what are you going to do about it” from her friend. She states that she WILL find a way to get a date with that handsome fellow . . . someday.

Doug and the “One Party” (Bricannie Towers, Jake Packard, Todd Barnett, Crista Anxiety, and Tim Dennis) win the election. The school year progresses, with notes, papers, and finals. In a math class in spring of 2000, Heather meets Todd (T.B.) Barnett, who convinces her to check out the student government fine arts board.

Heather joins the fine arts board. Doug immediately recognizes the elusive Heather when she begins to spend time in the student government office. They enjoy spending some time together such as the night they hiked the St. George narrows with a group of students. They are both definitely interested in one another.

Soon after, Doug and Heather begin going on dates, which include a fun night hike up a Salt Lake canyon, and Doug’s unsuccessful attempt to kiss Heather at the top of the mountain. (Some say that Doug blabbered uselessly trying to get up the nerve while Heather got frustrated with the whole escapade).

In early September, Heather went with her fine arts group to San Jose. Sindee, a friend of Doug’s, admitted he was a bit discouraged because he had attempted to take Heather on several dates in which Heather had claimed to be SO busy (some say she may actually have been busy). Doug thought Heather didn’t want to date him and that he should give up and move on (she was probably out of his league, anyway). Heather had a feeling that, although she felt he was out of her league, she needed to keep him in her life, so she asks him on a date. They go out to eat at the Olive Garden, listen to a Copland tribute concert by the Utah Symphony, and watch “Buffy the Vampire Slayer.” This date re-ignites Doug’s hopes and determination.

In December, Doug takes Heather out to dinner, a dance, and then they watch “How the Grinch Stole Christmas.” Doug gets his first (yet small) kiss. The day before Heather’s birthday, Doug takes her out to eat at Chili’s and they color in a coloring book. This unique date impresses her (finally, a date that doesn’t just consist of dinner and a movie).

During the summer of 2001, Doug and Heather both leave the state and head in different directions (Heather to California and “fat camp”, Doug to Denver and home security sales). Doug calls Heather the day after he gets home, and is very happy to find that she has returned and is available for an evening together. Another date leads to The Iceberg for shakes to be enjoyed on a “dessert picnic” on the grass in front of the business building. Doug is finally convinced that Heather can give nice big kisses (some say that she is finally willing to).

In September of 2001, much to Doug’s dismay, Heather departs and spends the fall and winter in Florida working for the Disney Corporation (who some say are trying to take over the world). Doug makes occasional lengthy phone calls that require dialing 39 digits before being allowed to speak with Heather.

January 19^th, 2002 (you may want to remember the January 19^th part of this story) Heather and Doug go on their first date upon Heather’s return from Florida. When Doug picks her up, he feels a few goose bumps and a little excitement as she opens the door. They spend the evening with friends, snow tubing near Park City and eating dinner and playing games at the home of Bricannie Towers. During this date Doug realizes that maybe dating Heather is more than just a fun adventure.

Stupid Cupid is February 8^th, and although Doug and Heather arrive with different friends, they manage to find each other and actually get married by Mr. Elvis Presley (would have been a sissy without Johnny Cash) that night! Doug gets a kiss in the parking lot (a first since Heather’s return from Florida). For his birthday, Heather cooks Doug an enchilada dinner at her grandma’s house and they watch the Jade Scorpion. By March Heather and Doug are together all the time. They go to plays, the arts festival, concerts, and other things. To prove their adventurous natures, Doug and Heather decide to spend a week in California. With a few phone calls and preparation, they pack their bags and load themselves and a cooler full of food into Heather’s car. They drive down the I-15 with books of CD’s and building excitement for the time to come. The first stop is Las Vegas. Doug and Heather spend an evening walking “the strip” and searching for Elvis Presley. They visit a couple of wedding chapels and send letters to their families on wedding chapel stationary. In California they stay with Cheryl and Scott Toland (Heather’s cousin and her husband) and Doug’s Grandparents. They spend a day in Tijuana, managing to never give in to the temptation to purchase “a cigar for your Grandpa.” They enjoy a day of boogie boarding at the beach in Carlsbad, and another day spent at the Museum of Contemporary Art. Other favorite moments include a trip to the pier and a wonderful dinner at Fish House Vera Cruz in Oceanside. On their return trip they stay in St. George with Tammy and Brent Low, and experience the exciting sport of “Geocaching.”

As they attend school together (now at the University of Utah), their love for each other seems to grow stronger. Doug finds himself desperately searching for moments to spend with Heather, and even attends her ballroom dance class for some time (and keeps his eyes on all the other boys).

When Christmas break arrives, Doug and Heather find themselves driving to the sprawling metropolis of Alton, Utah for the Bastian Family Reunion and a lot of fun in the snow. While in Alton, Doug begins to realize that he wants to do something big, soon.

On January 4^th, 2003, Doug is driving to his weekly stop at the plasma bank, when he decides to stop and look at rings in the mall. He discovers the perfect ring for Heather, and decides the waiting is over. When Doug comes home with a shiny ring, he begins to formulate a plan.

On January 19^th, Heather and Doug attend church together. Doug intends to sneak out of church to complete a few “chores,” but unfortunately classes are held together that day. Doug sneaks out for a “drink” and calls home to ask his sister, Leslie Johnson, to finish his “chores.” When Heather and Doug leave the church that day, Doug decides to blindfold Heather on the drive home. Heather thinks Doug is up to his usual silly antics. When Heather’s blindfold is removed, she sees a romantic dinner prepared and two dozen roses on the table with a message tied to each stem. The room is filled with nearly 100 glowing candles. Heather gives Doug a hug of appreciation and love, and discovers that for some reason, Doug is acting a little strange. He kneels down before her and asks “Heather will you marry me”? He then slips a ring onto her finger. Heather kneels down facing Doug and says, “I couldn’t be happier marrying you.”

In preparation for this event, Doug went to Village Inn with Claudia and Steven Pierson to ask for their daughter’s hand in marriage. This experience, according to Doug, was more traumatic than asking Heather to marry him. However, it turned out to be a great experience in which Heather’s parents expressed their great love for her, and excitement for their future together.

For the next seven months Doug and Heather plan for the big day. In May, Heather begins her last summer semester at the U of U to finish her bachelor’s degree. Doug and Heather continue working on the reception and design their own announcements. Heather finishes school the first week in August (whew!) and they move their stuff into an apartment where Heather stays until they get back from their honeymoon. On August 15^th, both Heather and Doug (who have actually slept fairly well) get up early. Heather drives to get her hair done and waits for her hairdresser who is 15 minutes late and takes a half-hour longer to do her hair! Frantically, she drives to Doug’s house to pick him up, and finds him relieved to know she hasn’t changed her mind, after all. They both race down the I-15 while Heather attempts to put on make-up, and decide they have a good excuse for speeding if they get pulled over. The room is filled with some close family members and they have a beautiful day.

After getting settled in, they truly enjoy a few months where life is simple. After an unsettling event in their apartment building, Heather announces her intention to buy a house and they both agree the time is right. They have a bit of a hectic time, and after they finally completely move in, they spend the next few months remodeling the interior. They also think it would be great to have an additional member of the family (other than their dog). At just about completion of the house (when they finally thought they could slow down for a bit), Doug’s work decides to move him to Logan. So, they finish and sell the house, live with Heather’s parents for a few months (while Heather is getting a bit bigger in the middle), and work with a builder to finish a home in Logan. From then up to the current time, time seems to fly by. In no particular order, Doug puts in a yard and landscaping, builds a deck, and Doug and Heather have two beautiful baby girls (whew!). Life continues to fly at warp speed but life is accompanied by ample joys of spending time as a family together.

Summer Happenings

2008-08-14T21:57:00.000-07:00

Some more random photos...
Bethany and Audrey visited the zoo with "Auntie Em" (my beautiful sister Emily) and Grandma while Doug was away for business.

Audrey is sweet to her sister.

Audrey also loves to ride her trike.

August 14th Posting (4th of July)

2008-08-14T19:17:00.000-07:00

Summer has gone by too fast. Here are a few photos from the 4th of July and a few pictures of fun with sparklers. We spent the morning of the 4th up Green Canyon (one of our favorite canyons) hiking and eating breakfast. Later that night we watched fireworks (Audrey: "wow, wow, wow") with some friends.

The Treehouse

2008-06-08T15:34:00.000-07:00

So… my sisters-&-mother-in-law and I (Heather) took all of our kids down to Ogden to the Treehouse museum last Thursday. I usually don’t give out many recommendations, but this was positively the best kids museum for a diverse crowd I’ve visited. Beside books and dress-ups in EVERY area, they had a 2-story tree (with accompanying slide down the trunk), art and music areas, stage, and so many other fun places for kids to explore. Audrey’s favorite places (determined by the fact she spent more than 20 seconds before running to something else) were in the baby hospital and the tea-party area (see photo of her eyeing the deserts), and she is ALWAYS happy to spend time with her cousins.

Paul Bob and Alliouitious's Memorial Day

2008-05-30T15:53:00.000-07:00

This memorial day found us in Vermillion, Utah, home of Doug's Grandpa, and general Bastian headquarters. Grandpa Bastian's 80th birthday was also being celebrated. Over 30 family members came to celebrate and enjoy time with Grandpa, one of Doug's greatest heroes. Everyone seemed to have a great time. We fried chicken, played games, visited Grandma Irelta Bastian's grave, played on the playground at Uncle Bevin's, defended Doug's bushy beard with great tenacity, but mostly talked and laughed and enjoyed everyone's company. Audrey ran around with great enthusiasm saying "hello cousins." She thoroughly enjoyed playing with her older cousins who were wonderfully patient and kind to her.

One of the highly entertaining parts of this trip started with Doug's cousin Shandie (hope I spelled that right) who approached Doug and said "you don't look like a Doug, you look like a Paul. From now I'm calling you Paul." Doug responded by saying "Whatever you say, Geneveve. " Soon fake names became all the rage, and not just first names. Many family members ended up with fake first middle and last names. We feel it is our moral obligation to document those names now for all posterity.

Doug became Paul Bob Islanbratti Islanzatti
Shandie became Geneveve Rotorooter Plumber
Katelyn became Alberta Canada America
Mckenna became Esmerelda Meliphicent Joel
Kelsey became Diana Moody Meedy
Teresa became Fransisca Fransisco Fransiscall
Steve became Fargo Fancy Feast
Eric became Versatile Lavatry Camilleon Barnibus Shofarnigus Bill (or Barnibus Shofarnigus Bill for short)
Julie Became Mayflocker Crunchy Ada Macintosh
Heather became Allioutious Delicious Nutritious

We would also like to take a moment to share a few Audrey stories. While attending church, we sang the Battle Hymn of the Republic. When we came home from church, Audrey started singing "Glory Glory Hallelujah" but this soon turned into "Glory Glory How are you-a." If that weren't enough she soon changed it around and started saying "How are you, glory glory."

Last night, we were putting her to bed. Doug had read her a story and was about to sing her a song and put her to bed, when she requested a second book. Doug replied that we were going to sing a song. At this point Audrey smiled a big smile and said "how bout little engine that could, Dad's FAVORITE." Doug couldn't help grinning at this comment, and of course, gave in and read The little engine that could. Audrey is now sleeping in a bed, and has a tendency of climbing out of her bed, coming to the door, and yelling, "Momma, Daddy, Open the Door" or "Momma Daddy, what are you doing?" We usually ignore this, in hopes that she will crawl in bed. Last night, however, it continued until almost 10:00. Doug decided to go put her back in bed, and try to calm her down. When he went in, the room was pitch black (we don't use a nightlight) and Audrey wasn't making a peep. Doug couldn't find Audrey, so he asked where she was, and he heard a noise back by the door. He went back to the door, but still couldn't find her, so he turned on the light. To his surprise, she was sitting in the top bunk (which is pretty much full of storage boxes and toys at this point) grinning from ear to ear. We have no idea how she got up there. There is no ladder, and so getting up was no easy task. There is also no way for her to get down, especially in the dark. She was stuck. Who knows how long she was yelling our names because she needed help. I guess we won't be ignoring her yelling as much in the future.

Well, sorry this post has been so random. Perhaps it reflects the crazy fun nature of our lives these days.

Open Mouth, Insert Foot (or Hand or whatever you can reach)

2008-05-16T20:04:00.000-07:00

I looked at the calendar yesterday and realized Bethany is now five months; boy, how time flies. She has started teething and soaks in minutes anything she is wearing. Watching her blow bubbles has been entertaining, too. I’d pledged I was going to try my best to take as many pictures of Bethany as I did of Audrey, but I’m far behind. You’d think I could just snap a few, but anyway… I’ve been looking for a bench for some time now for a photo prop and finally found the one. I decided it was due time I get into action and take a few before she grows up any more, and thought I’d show off my new bench as well (there are also a few more photos here one with different editing I’d love to hear your opinion on.).

Sing, Eat, & Be Happy

2008-04-30T09:59:00.000-07:00

We celebrated Audrey's 2nd birthday a few weekends ago with close family. We sang (Happy birthday, of course), we danced, and we ate cake- (what else?!) Audrey enjoyed opening her presents much more this year and is still talking about all of the fun. I can't believe how fast this last year has gone and how much she has changed. Thank you to everyone who came. Here are a few pictures, some from the video camera- so they're a bit pixel-y.

Too Old

2008-04-29T18:50:00.000-07:00

For the last month, a little voice has been shouting "Happy Birthday to you!" on an hourly basis. Audrey turned 2 on April 14th,it was so much fun. When asked how old she is, she responds by saying "two old"... hopefully no grandparents nearby get the wrong idea. She loves hats and rarely goes anywhere without one. Quite often she'll carry the bag of diapers over her shoulder and say "see ya later, goin' to work." Between the clothing and outfit changes that occur at regular intervals and dragging around Mom and Dad's shoes, it is inevitable you will find yourself tripping over stuff all day long. These days everything she wants begins with a question which she answers. for example, we will hear "Do you want to go the Park? Yes I do." Are you all done? Yes I am." etc, etc, etc, and at least one more etc. She is so sweet to her little sister. We often find extremely large toys balanced in Bethany's extremely small lap, all because of Audrey's desire to share. She often tilts her head to the side and says in the sweetest little voice "Bethany cute." She has become Quite daring of late with her trips to the park. She climbs everything in sight, goes down all the slides, and loves climbing the ladder. The other day, she slipped on the ladder. Dad caught her, and said, its okay. For the rest of the day every time she climbed the ladder, she would whisper over and over "its okay, its okay." We could go on and on about our little "sweetpea" as she likes to be called. the truth is, we are head over heels in love with her, and our so lucky to have her in our lives.

Better Late Than Never

2008-04-09T08:40:00.001-07:00

We have been having fun finger painting, playing dress-up, planting in our garden, and in between, trying to keep up with day-to-day life. So, here are a few of the pictures we took for Easter.

I Still Love Rock'n Roll

2008-03-30T21:06:00.000-07:00

As many of you may know, I (Doug) have been playing guitar and singing with a group of friends for 11 years now. About 3 years ago, we started a project that began with simple intentions, and then grew to be a major undertaking. Referred to as the "Sides Project," it is a 3 disc set of music that began because of a desire to "document" several years of songwriting, and the end (or what we thought was going to be the end) of playing music together. It turned into a project that we joked about naming "Pomposity," due to our arrogance at releasing a 3 disc set of music. The three discs consist of A sides, which represents, in our opinion, the strongest and most cohesive material that we worked on, B sides, which is material that was good, but didn't seem to fit on A sides, and then C sides, which is a combination of outtakes and earlier recordings that we felt like sharing with the world.

We have been threatening to release this music for sometime now, but finally got ourselves in gear, and have created a blog that is designed to share our music with THE WORLD. Everything is available for download. From the album artwork, to virtually every song we have recorded in our long and often overrated time together, is free for you! There are pictures, videos, and reflections on the songs of the sides project. I hope everyone will click the link below, or in the sidebar, and visit Asher Music and wander through the site. Please feel free to make comments, and to pass the link to friends. Keep in mind that ignoring Asher Music is a form of heresy and is a punishable offense. Enjoy.

P.S. For those of you of the Bastian Clan, Richard Robbins was the star drummer on the sides project.

Blessing Bethany

2008-02-20T21:16:00.000-08:00

At the beginning of February we started discussing Bethany’s blessing. Then we got caught up in our plans to travel to California (see post below). When we returned we realized that we were less than 2 weeks away from the blessing and had not told a soul. So, we are sorry for the short notice. We are blessing baby Bethany on March 2^nd in our home ward in Nibley. Sacrament meeting starts at 1:00 p.m. The address of the church is 1000 West 2840 South. After the meeting is over, we will be having a light lunch at our home. We would appreciate an e-mail or a call to let us know if you will be attending so we can make arrangements for food.

Sand May be Better than Snow

2008-02-20T19:55:00.001-08:00

There is nothing like a nice warm february day. 70 degrees, blue skies, green grass. Of course, to find such a day in northern Utah is nearly impossible. In fear of collective hypothermia setting in on his entire family, Steve Pierson, Heather's Dad, decided on a whim to get everyone out of the cold as quickly as possible. Flights were booked, hotel rooms arranged, cars were rented, well worded excuses to bosses were rehearsed and then delivered all within a week. Steve and Claudia even convinced Emily and Spencer (Heather's brother and sister) to drop everything and hang out with the family for an entire week in California. To add to the chaos, Doug had a training to teach in Northern California the day before the trip was scheduled. Due to the prices in airline tickets, Doug flew out Thursday afternoon, taught his class friday and flew back to Salt Lake, arriving at 11:00 p.m. (2 hours earlier than expected due to good fortune catching standby seats), only to prepare for a departure at the airport at 6:45 the following morning.

In the end, we all managed to board a plane, Audrey in Doug's lap and Bethany in Heather's lap. (Needless to say that before traveling, a great deal of research was done by Heather to confirm that her children would be safe, and to find the best ways for them to be comfortable on the flight.) Audrey found the whole thing very exciting. She kept wanting to see "nother plane," and when she would see one, she would point and say "plane riiiiiight there." She giggled during take off, had fun, looking out the window, coloring, and playing with her dad and Grandparents, and laughed out loud when the breaks were engaged upon landing. Audrey loved traveling by plane. Soon we were enjoying incredible weather and a great time.

The first stop for anyone with any sense when arriving in southern California should be the beach, and so it was with us, where Audrey continued to run towards the ocean and then away as the waves approached until her feet were so cold that her Dad refused to allow her to continue. Sea World was the next exciting stop where Shamu was exciting, dolphins jumping 16 feet in the air were fun, Polar Bears were "wowowowowowowowowow" but above all were the starfish that Audrey got to touch and where she would have spent the whole day had her parents allowed her. To keep the adults entertained, a trip to The "USS Midway," a retired aircraft carrier that is now docked in San Diego and serves as a museum, was really impressive. For Doug, it was somewhat sobering to stand in the captain's meeting room where life and death decisions were made during military conflicts over the last 60 years and to reflect on the heroism of our Military. The last big stop was at the Wild Animal Park, which is the breeding grounds for The San Diego Zoo. The most exciting part was definitly standing 2 inches from the mouth of a huge male lion while he licked and played with one of 6 cubs that were climbing all over Dad and two larger mother lions who lounged nearby.

All in all, we managed to de-thaw, relax and have a lot of fun. We have to give special thanks to Steven and Claudia for their generosity. It was a great time. The pictures below were taken at 6:00 a.m. on the harbor where Audrey and Dad walked every morning on a particularly foggy day.

The "14th" Club

2007-12-28T13:42:00.000-08:00

The Illustrious "14th Club" gained a new member December 14th, 2007. Bethany Nicole Moore was born with gusto, and joined sister Audrey Marie Moore (born April 14th, 2006) and Dad (born February 14th, 1978) in the exclusive club. Bethany certainly took an abnormal approach to joining the club. As you will see, she clearly did not want to be born too late.

Heather started having contractions around 5:00 a.m. We began to prepare for the big day by making sure that bags were packed and loaded into the car and that Audrey had people to watch her (Doug's mom in the morning and Heather's mom in the afternoon). Things progressed slowly. Heather's contractions were coming regularly but they were quite far apart and not too strong. As the day progressed, rather than getting stronger, they became weaker and further apart. At one point Heather thought about sending Doug back to work because she thought that she was having false labor.

Finally, things began to start moving. Heather had about 5 contractions in a row that were stronger and during these contractions, final preparations were made to go to the Hospital. Suddenly Heather's water broke. It was time to get going. Heather asked Doug to go get her some flip-flops to wear while she went to the bathroom and then we would go to the hopsital. By the time Doug got the flip-flops and got to the bathroom door, Heather shouted out "I think I am having the baby!" To this Doug asked "Can you feel it?" Heather Responded "Yes, Get In Here!" Doug immediately opened the door and found Heather holding the baby below her. Bethany was here! Doug ran in and grabbed her from Heather, checked to see if she was breathing (She was crying...ah, relief) and then checked to see if she really was "Bethany," and not "unkown male"(A Girl! Good work ultrasound lady).

Heather's mother was out in the hall with Audrey during all of this. Audrey looked a little surprised by all that was going on, but quickly found her toys more interesting than "the miracle of birth." As Doug gave the baby to Heather to breastfeed, Heather's Mom called 911. We were instructed to wrap her in a towel and wipe her mouth and nose clean. This was the easy part. The next instruction was to tie off the umbilical chord 6 inches from the baby. Doug went in search of a string, and soon remembered that his friend James Krause had a similar experience a couple of years ago, and used his shoelace. Doug whipped off a shoe lace, tied an overhand knot, and then after careful consideration determined to finish it off with a square knot.

About this time, the EMT's showed up. Dad was given the honors of cutting the umbilical chord (the EMT even let him keep the scissors). Heather was still in the bathroom, so we moved down the hall to the front door, and Heather and baby were loaded onto a gurney. As Heather was being wheeled out of the door, she looked up at Audrey, put on a big smile and said "I love you, Audrey." At this one of the EMT's said "Oh, that's it, this is the ultimate Mom." Dad had to agree.

Mom and baby arrived at the hospital in excellent health. Heather felt much better than she had during the previous delivery (She had only experienced about 5 hard contractions to deliver Bethany, and isn't really sure if she pushed or not, it happened so fast). Bethany was 6 lbs 15 oz. and 19.5 inches long, making her they exact measurements of Audrey.

Since delivery, both Mom and Baby are doing excellent. Baby has already gained about 2/3 lbs, and eats like a horse. This is a welcome change from a challenging feeding experience for the first few months with Audrey.

It has been an excellent Christmas. We are enjoying our new family member, and are so grateful that everything went so well. Below are several pictures of baby Bethany that Heather took. Enjoy.

Hallowe'en

2007-12-11T09:09:00.001-08:00

So, I was supposed to post this weeks, ago, but better late then never, right? right.

Halloween is a favorite holiday around the Moore house, and this year, was celebrated with style. With Heather's usual enthusiasm, we found our house decorated to the hilt, including home made spider webs made of hot glue, a pot full of tootsie rolls cooking in a fire on the bar, ghost and spider lanterns hanging across the kitchen, and a halloween tree on the front porch, complete with ghosts and bats hanging from barren branches. To further add to the fun, Heather decided to invite several friends over as a trial run for a future tradition. We are planning on having an open house every year that starts before people leave to trick or treat. This year we just invited 20 people to gauge how easily we could handle the load. It went great. Heather put out quite a spread, there was an Italian sausage chowder (similar to that served at Olive Garden) Taco Soup, and Carrot Soup, a family favorite. There was hot cider drink, there were "monster toes" (soft pretzels the shape of a toe with an almond sliver as a toe nail) There were no bake cookies, and three variety's of home made popcorn. We had people coming all night, it was a lot of fun. Next year, I think we will make it a full open house. Dressing up this year was also a lot of fun, Heather dressed as a Nun, (a pregnant nun at that), and I dressed as the Father. Audrey was a cute little black cat, and even Atlas wore his best red tie. Audrey really got a kick out of halloween. She sang halloween songs with Mom and Dad, and loved dressing up as a cat (she wore the pants and hats for days afterwords). It was a great halloween. Any pictures in the Blog can be double clicked on to see a larger view

Strumming, 60's style

2007-12-11T08:38:00.000-08:00

So, I got a call from Claudia, my mother-in-law who, through this story will obtain legendary status. She had seen an add in a newspaper about a guy who buys old Gibson Guitars, had contacted the guy, and found that he would be willing to pay $300 dollars for an old Gibson acoustic guitar in the basement. I was a little taken back. I had no recollection of any Gibson guitar sitting in her basement. I told her to hold off until the weekend when we would be staying with her for a few days.

When we got to Salt Lake, I immediately went into the basement in search of this guitar. As I found it and opened it up, I realized this guitar could be something special. It had ancient strings on it, and was obviously out of tune. I strummed lightly, and was impressed by the sound even with dull old strings (acoustic guitar strings start to sound bad within 3-4 weeks).

Rather than risk damaging the guitar by changing the strings and tuning it up, I talked to Claudia and she agreed to let me take it to Acoustic Music, a really good acoustic guitar shop in Salt Lake. When I took it there, we looked up the serial number, and determined that the guitar was a 1965 Gibson B25 Natural. I left the guitar with them for them to make sure that the truss rod (a rod that goes down through the neck) was still working, and to make adjustments if possible to obtain optimum playability. They called back a few hours later to report that the guitar was in near mint condition, that everything worked great, and it sounded great.

When I got the guitar home and began to play, I was so impressed with the sound. For those who don't know, acoustic guitars are like wine, they improve with age. The wood on an old guitar will vibrate with better clarity and sustain. This guitar certainly did that.

The estimated value of the guitar was much higher than the $300 dollars that Claudia had originally been quoted. I told her that she could sell it for much more. She asked me what I would do if it was mine. Of course if it was mine, I would keep it and play it, but if I was her, I would sell it because she wasn't going to play it, and I couldn't see it just sitting in the basement anymore. She responded that she didn't want to sell it to someone else, and asked if I would like it for Christmas. I responded as calmly as I could that I don't deserve such a nice gift. She asked, "well, would you want it?" I told her it wouldn't take much arm twisting to convince me to take it. And so with that, I received the second best Christmas present of this year, and perhaps my life time. The only Christmas present better than the guitar will come from my Wife and Heaven in the form of baby Bethany, who we can't wait to meet.

To conclude, I can't tell you how much I have enjoyed playing this guitar. It is amazing how a guitar can inspire you when it sounds so good. It is a joy to play. Thank You Claudia for an amazing gift.

I was helping heather work out some issues with her studio photography lights, and took this image of the guitar that I wanted to share.

Heather, the photographer

2007-10-05T10:13:00.000-07:00

We recently went on a trip to Southern California for several reasons:

1. To test my driving stamina
2. To taste of salty water
3. To eat fish that doesn't come from the frozen section of Costco
4. To take as many pictures as a 2 gig, 1 gig, and 512 mb flash card can hold.
5. To spend time with family
6. To re-test my driving stamina

The trip was a ton of fun, We drove through the night in both directions in order to make the trip easier on Audrey, who slept comfortably in her car seat most the trip. The trip included Museums at Balboa Park, Mexico, The San Diego Zoo, a lot of time at the beach, and some great food.

Before the trip, Heather spent hours devising the perfect photo sessions for the family and for Audrey. There were several shopping trips to find the perfect set of clothes for everyone (who knew that some Khaki's are more pink than others), and a search for the perfect balloon.

Now, I was not at home during much of the balloon shopping, but I can imagine it. I would guestimate that approximately 38 phone calls were made to various craft, hobby, and party shops. I feel quite certain that If I searched our home carefully, I would find a small piece of paper with extremely small writing on it that would describe the information gathered from these 38 phone calls. Information like: Sizes of balloons offered, roundness of balloons offered, colors available, thickness of balloon wall, elasticity of balloon material, cost of balloons, availability of balloons, likelyhood that the company would trade balloons for a photo session, and a few other things that I wouldn't be able to decipher if my heart depended on it. You see, my wife is the consummate master of due diligence. I guarantee the balloon that was taken to California for one of the photo sessions was the best balloon available in all the world, and likely cost us nothing. In fact, we will probably get a check in the mail soon from the source of the balloon, and a letter thanking us for using their balloon. This is all a hypothesis, yet in my mind, it smacks of truth.

The end result in my opinion was typical of my wife. She created something great. We now have a picture that is hanging on the wall (well, it will be when I find the motivation to extract myself from the couch and do the actual hanging) that brings back great memories, and is a joy to behold. And so, without further ado, I present---"Audrey at the Beach."

Being the husband of a photographer has many benefits, but it comes with one major concern. Wall space. I thought we would be fine with our current proportion of wall space, until we discovered that Heather was pregnant with our second. Somewhere in the vicinity of December, 25 (yes, that is Christmas) we will have a second little girl that will be photographed from all angles, and in all sorts of attire. But do not fear, I have a plan- ceiling mounted pictures. I'll keep you informed of the successfulness of the plan and many other exciting adventures as adventures Beyond Saran Wrap continue.

It doesn't take much peer pressure

2007-09-07T16:02:00.000-07:00

So, my buddy James starts a blog. I think "who is gonna read it." Than, I get the answer. I am. Then, I discover a link on his blog to....Ben and Mary Alice's blog. Wow. a whole new world. So exciting. So, I figure, why not?

As I decided to start a blog on a whim about 30 seconds ago, I really have no idea what this will become. I hope it will become a place for Heather and I to post little comments about what is going on in life, perhaps a few pictures, and maybe links to songs written by the band formerly known as Asher. Hopefully it becomes a place where friends can pop in and, well, keep up with our lives without having to actually talk to us. hmmmm.... maybe this isn't such a great idea after all. Well, we shall see.