creative thursday - surprise edition

For Kristy's 40th birthday, we planned an extra special creative Thursday this week.

Karrie booked us tickets on a local TV talk show called Good Things Utah.

We headed out of our town early & told Kristy where we were going on the way!

She loves this show & watches it while running on her treadmill. We were super excited to get tickets & surprise her!

We got there a little early & the receptionist asked us to step outside to wait...? we got back in the car - nothing like good ol' fashioned hospitality? It was only around 35 degrees outside- so we got back in the car for 10 minutes.

It was really fun to see around the studio.
I knew they had a small live audience, but today there were only 10-12 of us.


The set was beautiful & everyone was super friendly.

the set was beautiful - it was so fun to see all the behind the scenes stuff going on.

the ladies who host the show were darling and could not have been nicer.

I couldn't get over their shoes. Look at these heals!? All of them had at least 6 inch heals. Holy cow--- it was like walking on stilts & looked so painful to me. I guess I'm an official old lady- cause I don't care how skinny or gorgeous people think they look- they seriously look like torture to me.

There was a segment on choosing the right sized bra (interesting), Kneaders Bakery was there giving a sugar cookie demonstration & gave all the audience members $10 gift cards!

One of the stars of Dancing With The Stars & his mom were there & gave a little dancing lesson. (Boy those heals were working over time)

Then the Seargent Steam company did a demonstration. Let me tell you I
seriously covet those things.

They were gracious & spotlighted Kristy at the end of the show so we were all on TV!!! Plus they let us come up & take pictures with them.

These guys were absolutely darling to Kristy about it being her birthday.

After the show we went to Zinn Bistro for lunch.

This place is amazing. It's where we went for lunch on my birthday last year. The food is fabulous & the bread- I'm not even a super bread lover- but it's worth eating there just for the bread basket!

We had a great time watching Kristy open presents.

It's so fun to go in together & buy something extra special.

It was a great day.

But we missed you janae-

janae is home taking care of her new baby boy Owen .

I'm not sure why I was so tired but I came home & crashed.

Like a seriously dead to the world nap. I couldn't get off the couch- zzzzzzz

what a great day

serious fun-

Thank you Kristy for having a birthday in January!

It has been a long long time - well since Karrie's birthday- that I have gone out at 1:00 AM to decorate some one's house with posters, balloons & streamers.

January is a great time to do something like this- you know... it's so darn cold & not much going on. Well not until your birthday! Between the decorating & planning your special surprise day- it's been a blast.

It's been since last creative days since I laughed so hard I nearly wet my pants.

happy birthday
Kristy!
You are easy to love, thoughtful & so much fun to be around
I'm sorry we woke up Kelly. It wasn't my fault. I wasn't the one who kept trying to throw crepe paper in your basket ball hoop & missing & i wasn't the one who almost slipped on the ice on your driveway then caught themselves & I wasn't the one shuffling slowly back to the car to prevent wetting her pants--

but I was laughing.
I couldn't help it.

Laughter is the best medicine- so they say... but I think it's laughing & friendship.

I'm glad I've got both

thanks

pioneer woman

Today has been a crazy day full of so much excitement!

For weeks now we have been planning on going to the book signing at the King's English of

the one & only

Ree Drummond

aka: Pioneer Woman!!!!

Wende, Kristy, Hailey & I left early from our town to wait in line.

Wende had preordered her book, but it wasn't in yet. I had read on a different blog that The Woman's book signing in Denver had been a crazy mad house... so this morning I got up & started scanning the web for copies just to make sure we would all have one for tonight. I drove all over the valley & got six books---- feewww!

Soon after the signing had started even The King's English had sold out! I swear people were coming in in hoards to buy the book.

Hailey is a huge fan & never misses a day of Pioneer life on the Pioneer Woman.

She even wants to marry a cowboy!

Wooo hOOO I hope she does too.

We left our town for downtown by 4:15 & got in line by 5:15. We were so lucky to get a great spot being there a couple hours early... the book store started handing out tickets & we were in the group of the second signing. 20 tickets for each letter of the alphabet, just to handle the crowd and to make sure those waiting the longest got to get into signing first- we got B tickets- not too shabby! We immediately started making friends with people around us & had a great time visiting. We talked for hours to a darling mother with two darling daughters behind us & the two ladies in front of us who had driven up from Vegas - the group in front of them had flown in from Oregon- wow.

Before the book signing she was going to speak to the packed audience.
We were so lucky to have seats in the fourth row.

Book sellers have been so surprised at the popularity of bloggers. Everywhere I have been today sellers have mentioned how surprisingly popular her book is. they have no idea how loyal bloggers are to their daily reads. Nor how amazing Ree Drummand's cooking is! I saw on a local TV show she was on today that the book has only been out a week & it is already in it's 5th printing!


Finally she came in - we had been there a good couple of hours by now... and she did NOT dissapoint. She was absolutely delightful & modest & beautiful & she brought her sister in law Missy with her & I loved it. She took questions & guess what- I got in the first one! I asked her what's the name of your beautiful children?- it was pretty great- heck, it was a thrill!

After the Q & A we waited again, this time the crowd was getting a little CRAzY ... hello- excuse me... what's your letter- you know... to get into the signing...? P's & Q's were standing at the front of the line- ummm No.

Don't worry
The King's English was great- even though they are a small store-- absolutely darling by the way-- they did a great job handling the crowd considering how small of an area we were in-and- finally

WE MaDE it!!!

I don't have photos of her with wende & kristy... I'm sure they will post them soon. There seriously wasn't enough room to get up there & get a shot. But here she is with Hailey- who was so excited & so nervous she was worried she would either puke or pee.

Luckily neither happened.

Next she signed a book for megan- I wish she could've been with us- but hey Ree, can I call you Ree? Megan is busy down in your neck of the woods with a new baby.

She signed a book to her & I showed her photos of Charlie, because hey- I'm a grandma now & I waited all night to have you sign my book & I am going to show you pictures of my grand baby- don't make me go postal. She, of course, thought he was cute & said that Charlie is her very favorite boy's name.

Next it was my turn.
Now Hailey & I are thinking we are gonna get all Julie & Julia & make every recipe in the book. I'll have to post about that if we do...

Let me tell you- this is one wonderful cookbook. It's done in true Pioneer Woman style- loads of pictures - step by step instructions- stories & photos mixed in. She's great her book is fabulous.

If you have not gotten your copy yet-

put it on your Christmas list!

You will be glad you did.

What a great night

thanks for going with me gals & making it so much fun, especially you hay! and thanks sweetie for coming home early from work, driving ballet, doing homework, making your own dinner...

I love you.

my kind of thrilling

These babies were delivered to my house Thursday while I was at the Y.

The are so beautiful- so beautiful. A couple of weeks ago my blogger mom friend Kristy bought a set just like them but red. She found this seriously fantastic deal on them. I knew our old ones were almost dead... I knew it. I told Brett, but hey- I just didn't want to spend that kind of money when we didn't need to. I mean ours were really really old- bought before Hailey arrived in our lives- but they still worked!

Then it happened.
After. the. sale.
We even talked to the salesman about honoring the- two week ago sale- possibly for us...
it just wasn't a possibility.
I was mad.
Mad at myself.
Mad that I didn't buy them when I had the chance for $900 off!!
Instead of celebrating our new purchase I chose to just be mad. Until they arrived.
Oh my
they are amazing
I washed EVERY SINGLE DIRTY TOWEL IN MY HOUSE AT ONE TIME!
Then- my really heavy queens sized duvet with sheets.
Next all the dog bedding- washed on the SANITIZE/STEAM cycle.

That is after I spent a good part of the day figuring them out.

all kinds of creative goodness going on

Yesterday for creative Thursday we met at Kristy's house.

I got there a little late - rough morning.

When I got there look what was waiting-This BEAUtiful Lunch!!

Pasta Fagioli- Homemade Breadsticks & Salad

Kristy is a FABulous cook -(these recipes will soon be on Blogger mom's cook.) The soup- so good- makes 9 quarts- so there was enough for us- her daughter & friends- then dinner later. Kristy is one smart gal! She made the bread sticks with her bread maker & I can't wait to get the recipe myself... they were Fantastic.

Oh ya- she even made LEMon BArs -that were out of this world- I love lemon bars. I can't make lemon bars. I can't. I've tried. I can make anything... but lemon bars. Every time I make them they don't turn out. It's a curse. I've quit trying.

This week I worked on some baby bibs & burp clothes of the humanitarian center. My R.S. has been doing this on going project- donating fabric & making these. I've been doing 3-6 for a couple of weeks now. So cute & easy.
Wende was working on her fantastic cupcake birthday cards.

ARe these so cute or what!?

There was a whole lot of creative goodness going on-
but better than that - great friendships.

I was thinking...
if you are local (you know who you are) would you like to join us?
In the future would anyone be interested in a big Creative Thursday?
Kristy's friend stopped by when she saw all our cars at her house & brought us a treat. WE tried to get her to stay, but she wouldn't. So if anyone is interesting- i will plan a big creative thursday.


*are you in?

happy birthday kristy!

*today is my dear friend Kristy's birthday*

For Creative Thursday this week we took her

(a surprise)

to a Japanese day spa for a massage!

-wow-
I know, I know... as we were driving her there I started to get a little nervous. Like, maybe she wouldn't want to be friends with us anymore after she found out our plans...?

You see Kristy is a giver- not a taker.

She gives & gives all the time to everyone she knows.

her family

(remember the great surprise party for her mom?)

the primary

(she's the president & she is always working on something amazing)

her friends

(she's a very loyal friend & knows everyone in town.

she grew up in our town & still has friends here-

that's sayin something!)

her work

(she works a night shift one night a week at a hospital)

volunteer

(we met volunteering at the elementary. she just went in last week & taught trent's class how to make Japanese food for the new year)

I could go on & on.....

I feel so lucky to call her my dear friend

***

we just wanted to give her a chance to be pampered

because we love her so much.

And guess what? She loved it!

Today is her real birthday

click on over & say...

HAPPY BIRTHDAY KRISTY

kristys mom's birthday party

Quite a while back, probably on a Thursday... the blogger mom's were together & Kristy mentioned she wanted to throw a big surprise party for her mom's birthday.

We (maybe it was me... I am bossy, I don't know, we can all be bossy at times?) jumped all over it & twisted her arm into letting us help- plus told her what to serve, how to decorate etc. etc.

Apparently we love planning parties?

Yesterday was the big day & it turned out perfect-

if I do say so myself!

Her mom was so surprised- loads of old friends & family came- the decorations were delightful - and the food!!!!

Just wait until you see what we made-

Kristy & family decorated all the tables with bright colors then put the cakes & cupcakes on the tables for decorative value & so that people could help themselves.

It was so cute & everything looked so yummy.

There's nothing like a bunch of friends to help you get through a big project.

I am so grateful to these guys not for just being my friends - but including me in their lives.

It was a beautiful party, fun day-

at one point one of her friends came up & introduced herself. She said she was our #1 lurker & reads our blogs daily. This just cracked me up. What a sweet heart- (I can't imagine why anyone would want to read this but family) she said she felt like she knew each of us personally. I feel the same way with blogs I read regularly & I was so touched.

I wish I would've taken a picture with us!

I did forgot to take one very important picture-

the one that would've been the best picture of the day!

One of Kristy & the birthday girl!!

darn it

I hope somebody got that one