The One with the Las Vegas Temple

Sunday, April 21, 2013

After visiting the pawn shop, Grandma and Grandpa (or, to me, Malm and Dald) took Fox and Jane and went exploring while Chris and I did a session through the Las Vegas Temple!

I love trees, really, I do I do I do, but I think they should move these ones blocking the pretty view of the front of the temple and plant them somewhere else :)

They have sessions going every 30 minutes so we got right on in.

This makes temple #12 for me! We want to go to as many as possible in our lifetime. 12 down, 130 to go! (And then some cuz they're always building new ones!)

We had a lovely time and then were reunited with Fox and Jane - they had lots of fun with Grandma and Grandpa!

The One with the Pawn Stars Pawn Shop

Saturday, April 20, 2013

One show that Chris and I enjoy watching together is Pawn Stars on the History Channel.

We drove to Las Vegas for Allie's wedding reception and met up with my parents outside this famous pawn shop to see all that there is to see!

You have to line up and wait to enter - unless you're a resident of Nevada then you can go right ahead on in!

We only waited for like 5 minutes though so it was all good! It looks just like it does on TV - imagine that :)

Lots of Chumlee paraphernalia for purchase everywhere!

Other fun things.

As fate would have it, Rebecca Romney (Manager, Bauman Rare Books, Las Vegas), the expert of rare and antiquarian books and documents, was at the shop signing autographs and saying hello!

She was super nice and friendly and asked how far we came, what we were doing there, etc.

And we got her autograph! Fun!

I'm a sucker for seeing and going to places like this.

The One with the Disneyland Date

Back in August we babysat our friend's kids for 8 hours while just the two of them went to Disneyland. Tonight we got to go to Disneyland for 8 hours while they watched our kids! Talk about a fun trade-off! I honestly can't remember the last time just Chris and I went to Disneyland - it's been over two years. I didn't want to take ANYTHING except my phone and Disneyland pass, so the following photos were documented through my trusty phone.

On the tram! Apparently I need to learn to look at the camera part instead of the screen, lol.

Our plan of attack was to go to Disney's California Adventure first to go on Radiator Springs Racers - last time we went to DCA the line just to get a fast pass warranted a fast pass line... We saw that the wait was 90 minutes for Tower of Terror and Radiator Springs Racers was about 60 minutes, so we went and got fast passes for Tower of Terror first then headed over to Radiator Springs Racers.

The Single Rider line at Radiator Springs Racers was only 20 minutes so we went with that option. SO WORTH THE SHORTER WAIT!

We ended up in the same car so it was all good.

And the ride? AWESOME! Two hours waiting in line awesome? I don't know about that, I don't know if anything that is 2 minutes long is worth waiting 2 hours for. But anyway, super fun, I'm so glad we got to go on it before we move!

As we were walking out the ride shut down! Sad! Thanking my lucky stars we got to go on it and complete the ride before it broke down. Poor people who had been waiting so long in line...
Then we went over to California Screamin' - my favorite roller coaster at Disneyland! It goes upside down! It said the wait was 25 minutes - not too shabby. 45 minutes later... We definitely should have done the Single Rider option again, those people were in-n-out in no time! The picture that the ride captures of us was totally blown out from the sun. I should have snapped it anyway, just for memories' sake, but alas, I did not.
At this point it was 5pm and we were famished! I wanted to eat at The Blue Bayou inside Pirates of the Caribbean, but you have to make reservations three months in advance, and it's very expensive. We've been to our favorite places many times and I wanted to try something new, and most importantly, be waited upon so it felt more like a real date. I remember reading about Storytellers Cafe on Marlene's blog and how it's a secret gem inside Disney's Grand Californian Hotel & Spa, so we went there for dinner.

Oh. My. Goodness. It was sooooo good! The cornbread rolls were delicious. My chicken sandwich on garlic bread with caramelized onions and tomatoes was divine. And the french fries were top notch. I highly recommend Storytellers Cafe!
After dinner we ran over to Disneyland!

We got a fast pass for Indiana Jones, saw that Big Thunder Mountain Railroad was closed, so was Space Mountain (double bummer!) so we waited in line for the Matterhorn. Chris is excited to see the real Matterhorn with his own two eyes hopefully soon!

These wooden railings were painted INSIDE the shapes! That's intense! And so pretty!

At last our passes for Indiana Jones were valid so we booked it over there. We were about 20 people away from getting on when it broke down! Nooooo! So close yet so far! BUT, good things come to those who wait because it was only closed for about 15 minutes and then it opened up and we got to go on the ride. It's one of, if not my most, favorite ride at Disneyland.

Baby duck crossing! We saw at least three different flocks. So cute. And the pinkest tree I've ever seen!

Our fast passes for Tower of Terror had just expired, but we hoped they'd still let us on, so we said goodbye to Disneyland and once again walked into Disney's California Adventure.

I don't know why I go on this ride, the feeling of falling is sooooo scary, but I love it so! It's a conundrum.

After Tower of Terror we wanted to go on one final ride - Goofy's Flight School. It's the first time we've been able to go on it since it's been remodeled and since we've had kids and it was FUN!! Such a great way to end the night.

Just a few more weeks to pack in as many trips to Disneyland as possible!

The One with Scrap Your Stash #4

Thursday, April 18, 2013

My fourth Scrap Your Stash layout and accompanying video is up at twopeasinabucket.com today!

I LOVE, I LOVE, I LOVE YOU.

Description: Backing die cut shapes with patterned paper is such a hot trend right now - I thought it'd be fun to change things up and back my title with ribbon! Goodness knows I have enough ribbon in my stash to last a lifetime - time to scrap my ribbon stash! With a black and white photo and a rainbow of ribbon scraps as well as spray mist in hand, I created this layout with a title from a quote by Mr. Darcy in Pride and Prejudice. I find it very romantic and thought it'd be appropriate to use with a layout of me and my husband. Clusters of different borders punched from a rainbow of patterned papers ties in all the colors. With the help of some embellishments like brads, buttons, and acrylic shapes, some dimension is created and helps keep things interesting and dynamic!

Journaling says: We sat on the Friends couch. 'Nuf said.

How to: The video shows how to create the layout from start to finish. Here it is written: Die cut a title from white cardstock with a gap between the last lines for a photo. Back the letters with a rainbow of colors of ribbon in different styles and textures. Drop a rainbow of spray mist over the title and let it dry. Add embellishments in the large "open" letters (like "O" and "D"). Punch borders from patterned papers and adhere them next to the photo. Add die cut feathers, flowers, a sentiment, and label over the punched borders. Stamp the date and write journaling on the label. Add colored photo corner die cuts to the photo and tuck a journaling spot cut in half under the photo edges.

Supplies: Cardstock, buttons, brads, date stamp, pen, adhesive: American Crafts; Patterned paper, die cuts (feathers, flowers, journaling spot, label, photo corners, sentiment), spray mist: Studio Calico; Ink: StazOn; Border punches: American Crafts, Fiskars; Die cut machine: Silhouette Cameo

Challenge: Back die cut letters or shapes with ribbon or patterned paper or whatever strikes your fancy! Every month a winner from all the SCRAP YOUR STASH entries will be drawn and rewarded with a $10 gift certificate. Winner will be announced on the 2Peas blog!

Here is the accompanying video so you can see how this layout was made start to finish:

Here are a few more layouts I made with the technique of backing die cut letters/shapes:

Hmmmm.... what should be scrapped from my stash for my 5th video???? I'm open to suggestions :)

The One with I'm Off Candy

Wednesday, April 17, 2013

Ya'll.
I've had a sweet tooth my entire life.

There's a reason Halloween is my favorite holiday.

Ever since I can remember I've had a bowl full of candy in my house, always within arm's reach.

Candy + me = ♡

That is, until March 28th, 2013.

That's the last day I ate a piece of candy.

I did not have even a single piece on Easter.

Whoa.

What is going on?

Who am I and what did I do with Paige?

Well, on March 29th, 2013 I woke up and decided to not eat candy anymore.

Cold turkey.

Just like that.

My friend V goes without candy for Lent - she's my inspiration.

So are the seemingly dozens of other scrappers and friends that are on Weight Watchers and running marathons and doing Cross Fit and P90X and Insanity, etc. You guys are amazing!

I also said I wasn't going to have any sort of dessert until my birthday on May 28th, but I blew it at Allie's wedding lunch...

And you know what?

I don't even miss it.

It's been nearly 3 weeks and every day it gets easier!

It definitely helps that we threw out the bowl full of candy so there aren't any temptations sitting around begging to be eaten.

Although I cringed a little inside watching the full bag of Cadbury Eggs surrender to the wastebasket...
But I feel so much healthier already!
And I've lost 5 pounds :)

The One with Allie and Tate's Wedding

Tuesday, April 16, 2013

We've just spent the past 5 days in Washington for my little sister's wedding!
The big day was Saturday April 13th 2013.
We woke up to a dash of snow on the ground!

Me-n-my-mini-me before she headed to the temple with Malm.

The original Taylor girls.

The sealing was beautiful; I don't think there was a dry eye in the room at the end. Allie and Tate walked out of the temple, hand-in-hand, married for time and all eternity!

You may kiss the bride! | The Seattle Temple (which technically isn't even in Seattle, it's in Bellevue - technicalities).

Eric and Jane have formed a lasting bond. Keep reading.

Allie and her in-laws, the Litchfields.

More snapshots from the day taken from family's instagram with hashtag #litchfieldlove13

After the sealing there was a wedding lunch at Maggiano's. Poor Jane was a tired little girl.

Uncle Eric to the rescue! He ASKED to hold Jane (which is a big deal in and of itself!) and then he caressed her forehead until she magically fell asleep. It was probably the sweetest thing in the world - aside from Allie and Tate's wedding of course!

I got a little bit of it on camera:

Fox had had enough too and fell asleep in Chris's arms.

As if the sealing and lunch weren't enough... :) the reception took place at Happy Valley Grange, just down the hill from our home. It's an old building in the middle of lush, green land that looks like it's straight out of a European pasture. So gorgeous. And yes there were ponies to boot!

The day before a bunch of us decorated this place top to bottom. I thought it was going to take alllll day long - but it only took 4 hours! Sweet beans! Seriously, couldn't this be in a magazine? Good job envisioning everything Allie, and Malm for making all the tassels and succulents, and Dald for forking over all the cash and making the giant LOVE letters that were the hit of the party.

These giant LOVE letters my dad made were the focal point at the front of the reception. The most popular question was what is he gonna do with them now? Hopefully try and rent them out!

The wedding sign-in book that I made for Allie was a success! People got their photo taken with an instax camera, they washi taped them inside, and wrote a little note to the bride and groom.