Baby girl is coming soon

It is only a matter of weeks and our little baby girl will be here and until this week we were not prepared at all. Nothing was ready. We had only a few clothes that were given to us by various people. However, this week has been nothing but getting ready. Trisha has been sewing every waking minute and my project was painting the nursery.

It started out months ago with some ideas: argyle, polka dots or plaid. Trisha really wanted argyle, so argyle it is. I bought all the paint and tape and started at it on Friday. I worked on it all day Friday, Saturday, a few hours Sunday, all day Wednesday and most of the day today. I am mostly done, just have a lot of touch-ups to do and pencil to wash off the walls. It has been quite the project and I think I will take a break from it for a few weeks. I knew it was going to be a huge undertaking, but I had no idea how much measuring and taping I would have to do. Oh, man.

Before pictures:

I didn't want to bore people with the million pictures I took of the process, so I did something different this time. I put together a little movie that compiles a hundred pictures in a few seconds. You can now enjoy the transformation in a short amount of time and still get the idea.

After pictures:

It turned out pretty sticking awesome if you ask me, but I may be biased. I'm glad it's mostly done. A few touch ups and it will look so cute for the little girl. We are going to add some more things, including her name (once we decide what it is) in vinyl letters across the yellow stripe on the wall. 

Trisha made all of the bedding, she recovered our bumpers, made the valence and is currently working on a throw blanket for the rocker and a pillow for it as well. She is still going to make a skirt for the crib, a cover for our changing pad and maybe some other things. Stay tuned to facebook, pinterest or her blog http://cheneybopper.blogspot.com/ for all of her projects.  

January Readings

One of my New Years resolutions was to read at least one book per month this year. I started reading "A Christmas Carol" in December and wasn't able to finish it until January, so I will count that as my first book of the year. I read it because I was looking for a book to read, it was close to Christmas, and I needed something on the shorter side since the month was close to over and I wanted to start a different book at the begining of January (that didn't work out). Overall, I liked reading the book okay. It is a classic so I'm glad that I read it. However, the language of the old day was not my favorite part of the book. I had a few quotes that I really liked from the book, but I have lost them somewhere. There were some parts of the book that were enlightening but overall, if someone were to ask me whether it was worth it to read the book, I would most likely tell them that they should just watch the play or the movie. I have seen those many times, in many adaptations. I don't think that the book had anything at all in it that is not portrayed in the thousands of plays and movies out there. Go rent it at Redbox and save yourself hours of reading.

Book number two in January was one that I got for Christmas, "I Am Number Four," written by Pittacus Lore. I had heard of the book when the movie came out last year. I didn't know much about it but it looked intriguing. While I was still reading "A Christmas Carol" Trisha picked up the book and later that day told me that she could not "get into it" because it was too "sci-fi" for her. That worried me a little because I am not the biggest fan of over the top sci-fi. I gave it a chance anyway. I started reading it and loved it from the very beginging. It is in the sci-fi category but it is not over the top. I got hooked on the book and several days after starting it, I was done with it. I loved it! I liked it because although the main character is an alien from a different planet, that is not really the focus of the book. I like the characters a lot. I liked the character development and the interpersonal relationships between them. I also really enjoyed the suspense of the story line. The plot was well developed and it reminded me a little bit of reading the first book in the Harry Potter series. Lots of background information and very little action until the very end. Partial closure by the end, but enough of a cliff to pique interest in the next book in the series. After I finished reading it, Trisha picked it up again because I liked it so much. Two days later she was done with. She loved it too. We went right out and rented the movie from Redbox. I liked the movie as well, but it was interesting to watch it while the book was fresh on my mind. There were many small differences in the movie that dissappointed me, although I still enjoyed it. I think that one of the biggest differences between the movie and the book was the action. I know that hollywood has to sell movies, and action is a good way to do that. That is one of the reasons that I was first interested in the book. However, I feel like the less dramatic book was much better written than the movie script. It still had action, it was still intense at times, but it was fitting of the story. One of my favorite characters and story lines in the book was that of Sam and his father. He is especially funny in the book and I really hope that the next book can resolve his story. What I really hope is that he finds his dad, but we shall see what happens. I would recommend this book to anyone who wants a good, clean, exciting read. It is a really good book! "The Power of Six" is now on my list.

My goal was to read 1 book each month, alternating between a church book or non-fiction book and fiction books. I chose "To The Rescue: The Biography of Thomas S. Monson." I realize that I only have a few more days to get it done but it has been rough for me to get into and keep interest in. I will finish it, so stayed tuned for my thoughts.

Ice Fishing

There is a lake, Matt Warner, about 40 minutes North of Vernal. I fished there last summer and the fishing was awesome. I have read many reviews and talked to some people that said the ice fishing there was also extraordinary. Usually the reservoir is only accessible by snow mobile because of all of the snow and snow drifts. This year however since we have had next to no snow at all, the lake is completely accessible with any vehicle. So, I convinced a friend of mine to head on up with me. We were both really excited for some great trout fishing. It did not disappoint.

We arrived at 8:00am, got all set up and put our lines in. It took about 20 minutes to get our first fish but after the first one, it was one after another for the next 2 hours.

Right when we got there

First catch of the day

The tent, so warm inside!

Justin

The holes. It is intriguing to look down the hole (when you have a tent) and see all the fish striking your bait.

Inside the fishes mouth...

 One of my female (and very full of eggs) friends

My 3 keepers

My biggest fish! >18 inches long

The ice

 The lake, it was really busy that day

At home just before this fish became a filet-o-fish

A delicious trout meal!!

In the end, we were at the lake for 5 hours and Justin caught 22 fish and I caught 8. Don't worry, lost about 8 fish right under the ice as I was reeling them in. They kept getting off the hook. I also lost 3 fish when they broke the line. So I may not have brought out as many fish, but it was still the best fishing trip that I have ever been on. I really hope it doesn't snow so that I can keep going up to Matt Warner. It is fantastic fishing!

Favorites

My favorite thing that Sam does lately.

1, 2, 3....

Actually he just says "two, tee..."

It's a new year

It's a new year and that means new goals for me.

Last year I made a much needed resolution to quite caffeine.  I knew that it was gonna be rough, but I also knew that the headaches and constant desire for caffeinated beverages was just as rough. So I made the resolution and I started to drink more water and caffeine-free drinks. Lucky for me I didn't have any withdrawal headaches at the begining, they didn't set in for a few weeks but by then I was committed. Most of the year went well, but there were times when I just really wanted to drink a Dew. It was one of the hardest things that I have ever done. I am proud to say that I only cheated 3 times in the whole year. I consider that an achievement of epic proportions. Now I am faced with a new dilema. I had my first Mountain Dew on New Years Eve and I have had a few drinks since. They taste good and I like drinking them but the cravings for them have already come back full force. So it makes me think that I just need to can them for the rest of my life. But I really want to drink them. What to do? I have no idea. I'll figure it out eventually.


I have set some new goals for 2012!

#1- I am going to stop picking/biting/chewing my fingernails and surrounding tissue. This is already proving to be very difficult, but it needs to be done. My dad has been trying to get me to quite for as long as I can remember. When I told Trisha, she said, "Oh, that is gonna be hard for you!" Indeed it will, but it is now public information so if you see me touching my fingernails, smack me upside the head, please.

#2- I want to read 1 book every month. I better hurry and finish the book that I started in December so that I can move onto "I am Number Four" for January. Any other reading suggestions will be greatly appreciated.

WELCOME 2012!!!

Meet Pinkey

Papa Cheney built Sam a rocking horse, Pinkey. He was shipped via Greyhound from Charlotte to Salt Lake.

Sam loves everything about Pinkey

Sam climbs all over Pinkey

Sam rides Pinkey

Thanks Papa Cheney!

Christmas was Merry

Christmas this year was spent with my family in Salt Lake. It was a short celebration, but it was fun. Santa brought us lots of great stuff!

Sam got lots of toys; cell phone, laptop, cars, etc... He loves them all.

He also got a couch and teddy bear which he continues to enjoy. He frequently sits down just like this and smiles.

Trisha got a Kindle. She's already read several books on it and loves to surf the web on it as well.

I got a new camera and Five Finger shoes. I've tried them a few times (Sam has worn them more than me) but not enough yet to make a solid opinion about them. I'm excited to keep using them and hope that they do me well!

Hope you all had a Merry Christmas as well!