Sisterly Spring Break

The last week of March, I made a trip out to Utah to bring back some of the large wedding decorations and backdrops. I spent a week visiting family and working hard to clean and organize the wedding shed and decide what needed to come back with us. I also lucked out and was able to attend Girl's Night with my best gal pals. We went to dinner and talked for hours.

Melissa, Annie, Lisa, Anna, Leia, Becky and Tanessa

My dad helped me score an awesome deal to buy an older, but still good, Chevy Blazer that would allow me to haul everything. With careful packing, I loaded up the truck and made just enough room for Denise and Melanie to squeeze in as well.

After Mom stuffed us full of pancakes and eggs, the three of us headed out on the road on March 30, for what ended up being a very long road-trip back to Missouri. Apparently we have a hard time being quick when we just want to play at all the rest stops. ;)

Ready to go!

Entering Colorado:

Playing at our favorite rest stop in Colorado:

Finally, we made it to Kansas!

Look Mom! The drinking fountain works with no hands!

It was a long drive.....

We made it home Sunday morning at 6:00am, just in time for a quick nap before church. After listening to the ward false prophet we came home to make Easter lunch.

For dessert we made Bunny Rolls!

Afterwards we visited the temple.

The rest of the few days that Melanie and Denise visited us were spent having adventures. We went to Loose Park and had a history lesson on the Battle of Westport. We also played on the little toadstools and chased geese (well, Denise chased geese..).

We visited Crown Center and enjoyed the candy store and played in the Crayola store:

We also discovered a little town!

 This really was the weather that day; sunny in Missouri and raining in Utah.

This hat was over $120 at Halls Department Store!

Here are some of our other adventures:

Going to Build a Bear and getting a teddy for Melanie.

 Visiting the US Toy Firetruck:

Making funny faces in the mirror:

Eating the best BBQ in town!

Overlooking Kansas City at the WWI Memorial:

Playing with Godiva (the pup doesn't look too thrilled though...)

Buying matching t-shirts at UMKC while Alexander was in class:

We had so much fun I almost cried when it came time for my sisters to leave. However, they had lives to get back to and they got to go on their very first plane ride. I was a very nervous mother hen at the airport, making sure they got through without any problems. I was so glad to hear that they made it back to Utah safely. 

Enjoying the plane ride:

I love having people come visit me. I always get to do so many fun things! Thanks for coming ladies!! :)

Irish Eyes Are Smiling

Having an annual St. Patrick's Day party is probably the most genius idea I've ever had. This year we celebrated our 2nd annual event and had such a blast! At the official count we had: 22 adults, 5 babies and 1 toddler cramped into our tiny apartment but everyone had a great time!

We celebrate in a more traditional and authentic way, playing Celtic music and serving up traditional Irish dishes. We joked about having an Irish jig competition but just had fun visiting with all our friends.

I've never worried about running out of food at one of my parties before, but this year it was a reality. People ate and ate until everything was gone. We served: Irish Country Stew; Soda Bread w/ Irish butter; Irish Cheddar & Dubliner Cheeses w/ Melba Toast; Scones (lemon ginger, raspberry white chocolate and blueberry); Eton Mess (meringue cookies in whipped cream with strawberries); Mini Toad in the Hole (sausage in Yorkshire pudding). To top it all off we served Mormon beer: Homemade Rootbeer carbonated with dry ice, which seriously stole the show! It was quite the feast!

Thanks so much for everyone who was able to attend! We had so much fun and look forward to hosting next year's big bash. Does March 15 sound good?

Our Friends (sadly, this isn't everyone):

     L to R: Sariah, Shaun, Michael, Julie, Jeremy, Jon, Denae

  Jon, Denae, Shani (Amelia & Antone) & Kathy  

Kelley, Joe & Marty

 Nathan & Martina

Leila, Chris & Jaime. 

Gotta love the photo-bombers, Jeff & Alexander.

Jeff & Gina

The Food!:

The Decor:

Alexander's warning, he was wearing his blue Scotland shirt

Real Shamrocks!

Hearts and Flowers

Some people feel that Valentine's day is a commercially created excuse for people to spend money. That may be true, but I also believe it is a genuine opportunity to tell those around you how much you love them. No, we shouldn't need a special day to show our love, we can do that every day, but a little extra emphasis doesn't hurt either.

Valentine's Day was fun this year. We never go all out, but we do like an excuse to celebrate. I created a little scavenger hunt for Alexander as an activity while I went to work. Apparently I need to find better hiding places because he said it was too easy.

These are the treats I hid for him:

When I got home, he had this cute little bear and chocolates waiting for me. Alexander is a sucker for a sappy-face stuffed animal ;).

He then had these gorgeous flowers delivered to me. They are from this awesome florist shop who specializes in eclectic arrangements. I have been following them ever since we moved here and this was the first time I've ever been a recipient of their handiwork. I was so elated!

We mad a really simple dinner. The pasta was heart-shaped, which was just too cute to pass up and I made the salad festive by cutting the cucumbers into hearts.

 I'm so lucky to have such a wonderful husband to be my special Valentine!

Lovely Valentine's Memories

I just love holidays. Really, I do. I guess that shouldn't come as a surprise if you have been reading my previous blog posts.

Valentine's Day holds so many precious memories for me. At midnight last night when I was supposed to be asleep, all I could think of were all those wonderful memories from years past. I love writing down memories, so allow me to share just a few of my favorites with you.

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When I was maybe 5 years old, I remember my sweet mother making a ginormous (to my little eyes) heart shaped cookie for my dad. It was as big as a cake! She let us "help" by letting us stand on chairs watching her handy work. Jen and I were SOOO excited! This had to be THE BEST present of all time! Dad was going to be SO excited! I still remember waiting inpatiently for Dad to come home from work. I had to keep checking on the cookie to make sure it still looked good. When Dad finally got home we could barely contain ourselves. Mom had reminded us to keep her secret, since this was her present for him. I think I had to cover my mouth with my hand, I was almost squealing.

Looking back on this event as an adult brings a sweet smile. My sweet parents, poor as dirt, only 25 years old with three tiny kids, teaching us important lessons in loving your spouse and crafting presents when there is no money to buy any. They set such a terrific example for me and how to treat my own husband.

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Besides the usual excitement from the school valentines, as a small child, Valentine's Day in my home consisted of creating beautiful, pink iced sugar cookies and door-bell ditching loved ones. It was almost as exciting as Christmas! We would argue over would be the runner at each house. Then, we would use our best sneaking to run to the door and run like lightening to the car. I'm sure we were caught several times, but nothing could beat that adrenaline! We would watch from the car wtih glee to see the expressions on Grandma's face (who I'm sure knew we were out there) as she found cookies on the mat. :)

Another wonderful lesson in service that lifts my soul. I am so excited to be a parent and share these experiences with my own children and help them discover the joy of serving others anonymously.

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Poor Jen. She honestly got the flu EVERY SINGLE YEAR on Valentine's Day. Without fail. My little heart broke for her. We would lovingly make these beautiful, lace covered boxes the night before and she would wake up with a fever or throwing up. It was inevitable. I would take her box to school with me and ask her teacher to pass out her Valentine's. At the end of the day I carried her full box and presented it to her, trying to make her feel like she hadn't missed anything special (even though everyone knows it was THE BEST day of school. Ever.)  I think this went on from Kindergarten to at least 7th grade for her. I'm not sure exactly when her first Valentine's at school was, but I remember we proclaimed that the curse was broken. 

Looking back, I STILL feel bad for Jen. She must have been so sad to be left at home. My little heart was learning so many lessons in sympathy and empathy. I am grateful for a mother who encouraged us to love and serve each other. My relationship with Jen is still a prized thing for me.

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My first Valentine's Day with a boyfriend was something all girls dream about. I was 22 and had been dating Alexander for 8 months already. I remember the day before Valentine's Day, I wasn't feeling too well. I was exhausted from student teaching and was trying not to get sick. I was lying on his couch after school and he left the room to go get something. Suddenly, from around the corner, this yellow thing came flying at me and landed with a loud "Meh!" I was startled and elated to find that my dear boyfriend had bought me a romantic "Kick the Cheat" stuffed animal from HomestarRunner. I remember thinking "he soo gets me!".  He also presented me with a lovely card and two dozen gorgeous red roses. I was in heaven! Serisouly, what every college girl dreams of. :)

Alexander still "gets me". He treats me constantly with kindnesses, trinkets and little treats filled with inside jokes. I am eternally blessed to have him in my life. There are times when I just sit there staring at him, trying to figure out how it was possible for me to get to be with this awesome guy forever (usually this is when he is doing something he is amazing at, like teaching Gospel Doctrine, or something).


So Happy Valentine's Day to everyone I love! My sweet husband, endearing family and life-long friends, I hope you all have a day that allows you to show how much your loved ones mean to you and that you see how much you are loved in return. :)

A Vintage Valentine's Day

I have a decorating disease. Since I'm not doing weddings anymore the only venue for my artistic sickness is my little home. I also don't like spending money on my "habit" so I try to make do with what I already have around the house. I got pretty lucky with this holiday. I had everything on hand, so in about an hour I whipped it all up.

I made little hand-cut hearts using the grade school method and in addition to the pics below, I also stuck them on picks and put them in my hallway flower arrangement and made a garland for the front door. Using a bit of twine, lace and some vintage looking material I stole from my mom ages ago, the house came together to look pretty cute :)

I like how these don't all match :)

 This vase above is filled with tissue paper pom-poms that I made for my vintage birthday party last summer

I also printed up this word -art and framed it in my word-art corner. Yes, I have a corner, the word-art changes every season/month. I know...I'm just special like that..... You can find this and print it for yourself at http://audzipandesign.blogspot.com/2012/01/valentines-day-subway-art-printable.html

Par-Tay!

2-4-13: I found this post unfinished from July......I decided to finish it now........
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July 17, 2012


So yesterday was my birthday and I turned old. To celebrate I threw myself a party (I know, I'm so thoughtful) ;). It was a semi-vintage theme. Here are some pictures for your viewing pleasure.

The Invite I created:

 The Table-scape:

We played Bingo! It was a blast! We had all sorts of prizes. We also ate cheese off a chalkboard tray, as you can see from the picture. The lovely bouquet was from Leila who seemed to instinctively know my favorite colors/flowers!!

This was the photo backdrop. Sadly, the lighting wasn't the best, but we had to make do.

Not everyone had their pics taken, but those that did looked awesome!

Sara and Steve:

Kelley:

Gina and Jeff:

The birthday cake didn't get made in time for the party, but I made it for the day. It is tradition after all.