october continued

for family night last week, i tried to get the boys in the spirit.

we went to a pumpkin place that has the best variety of unique and fun pumpkins, squash, and fall stuff.

we enjoyed the teeter-totter.

maybe a little too much, it probably shouldn't bend that way...

we also tried to get into character.

they had red wagons to put your finds in!

i dug out his guts and caleb carved him in record time.

spencer murdered his.

i also got some squash, a fun green and orange pumpkin, and a white pumpkin.

i did this instead of carving:

we've also been playing tennis pretty regularly. though not as much as it starts to get colder.

i'm still not very good, but improving. it's been fun exercise and good times together.

the most wonderful time of the year

it's my favorite time of year at last!

crisp fresh air, vibrant leaves, comforting smells, layering clothes, pumpkin treats in their many forms, and all things harvesty.

yay for autumn!

we don't go too crazy over holidays, but i definitely like harvest and halloween season best of all.

even better than christmas.

it's a wonderful time to remember blessings, spend time with loved ones, and eat candy.

and all without the stresses christmas season often brings.

so, to get into the mood,

(and occupy myself while caleb is away every weekend this month),

i created some projects.

budget bookshelf montage:

there are so many fun ways to take on halloween.

i tried to go with a little creepy but modern look.

i wanted to do colors that weren't the norm. and i wanted to use my crackle medium.

crackle seems to be an automatic qualifier for shabby chic.

dollar store pumpkins were cheap, but because they were already glazed, my crackle and acrylic paint didn't do too good.

but like i said, they were cheap.

so were my vases and crows.

caleb finds the staring crows a little creepy.

i love birds in any form.

i sprayed the branches and painted some spider rings.

the bird house was 40 cents.

the splurge was on that gorgeous chandelier.

i don't usually like things with hanging jewels, but i fell in love.

and it can be versatile.

(that's what i told caleb) 

and i had a coupon, so really, it wasn't bad.

next project,

fall wreath and banner:

again, on a budget, dollar store leaves and cheap fabric.

to create an easy inexpensive wreath with no sewing or icky plastic stuff, try wrapping fabric or yarn over a straw wreath.

i used burlap, because it screams fall, is fun, and there are lots of burlap project ideas floating in the blogging world.

i created some rosettes using more burlap and some cheap burnt orange material i found on clearance at walmart.

previously, i'd made about 30 rosettes using random fabric i had, but never could decide what to do with them. they are just fun to make.

the banner is more burlap, jute, and fabric. my cricket machine came in handy for freezer paper stencils.

i really wanted something more like "autumn blessings", but that was just way too many letters.

again, so cheap, easy, and fun. just how i like it.

so, what are your plans for fall? any projects, parties, or costume ideas?

sending autumn blessings your way! 

 

craft corner: apron

we all know i don't have sewing skills.

my grandma was a master seamstress and many women of my family sew.

but not me. part of it is i wasn't really taught.

and the few experiences were frustrating for both me and the teacher.

a big part of it is i just never enjoyed it.

so i just didn't try to learn again.

i'm starting to get to the point where i want to learn some of these skills just for the sake of being able to do it. even if i hate it.

so i took advantage of the opportunity to participate in our relief society apron making activity.

i struggle but i can make it through when i have someone giving me one-on-one help.

part of the purpose for this rs activity was to enter the aprons into a provident living fair our ward put together.

the fair also involved milking a goat, making fresh butter, demos on self-made home products, gardening, and baking contests.

i tied for 2nd place! 

(yes that's a hand-done bird on the middle pocket.

i can't help myself these days.)

i still don't love sewing, but i'm thinking about taking some sewing classes in the future.

just to be self-sufficient.

for those of you who don't sew, what other crafty things do you enjoy?

bon iver concert!

we drove more than 3 hours each way for the chance to be in the same room as this man:

and his band, bon iver.

one of my top faves, and it didn't disappoint!

they were great in person, with a total of nine members on stage and awesome combo of instruments: two drummers, base sax, several guitars, another percussionist (who beat boxed several times), violins, and other wind instruments.

their first full length album is more acoustic, which i typically love. but he's really developed his sound and this is the sold-out tour with his second major release. he went in a really bold direction, but it works.

and it made a great live concert experience.

part of what i enjoy about the concert experience is people watching. all the cool indie kids were there, dressed all hip and vintage chic.

but what i love is the occasional odd ball, like the old guy or the business-like middle aged couple.

good music brings you together.

if you're looking for some new music, check it out:

http://boniver.org

end of a season

summer is almost over.

we've kept busy, so it doesn't really feel like summer was here much at all.

except for the heat and humidity. we felt that.

caleb spent most of his summer being an awesome scout master and doing school stuff.

i spent my summer working and reaching my breaking point with my job. so when i got another offer at a new facility, i took it.

i've been there a few weeks, and it's good overall. 

but i really want a real therapeutic recreation job. not just "activities".

here are some other summer highlights...

fourth of july:

we enjoyed a true small town america experience, complete with pickles on a stick.

later, we came to know the fried pickle...

other food we've tried here include local goats milk, catfish, macaroni and tomatoes, fried okra, fried mushrooms, and almost anything else you can think of in fried form.

our anniversary:

august 16th marked three wonderful years of marriage!

we celebrated by going to a smaller town west of us, where a large amish community is located. we stayed at a country b&b and enjoyed a lazy weekend.

we tried to mingle with the amish folk.

we shopped at their country store, where we bought a cookbook and root bear extract. we went to the buggy shop and learned alot. i had to drag caleb away from the carpenter's shop. he loves tools and wood working, so he especially appreciated all they can do without electricity. he really wants a well-made, real wood, amish peice of furniture. so we may go back.

we also went to the laura ingalls wilder museum/houses.

this is where she wrote the little house on the prairie books and lived most of her life with almanzo and their daughter rose.

the museum and her houses had so many authentic pieces and interesting parts of her history.

did you know laura was only 4'11" and almanzo 5'3"?

not quite how the show portrays.

this is the nice, victorian cottage rose built for them when they were older.

it was way modern for its time, with many conveniences and very pricey. rose could afford it because she was the second highest paid author/war correspondent for the company she worked for. she was very forward thinking, especially for a woman at that period.

yes, i am a book nerd, but it was really fun to see the connections between the books and her real life.

now, caleb is about to start the fall semester.

we have some new goals we're trying to implement.

one of them involves losing weight.

we've been playing tennis, and i'm going to start running again.

life is going forward in missouri.

we're glad we chose to come here. it's been a great place to live and a good time for growth.

what i'm listening to

when people ask me what kind of music i like, i never know quite how to explain my style.

you could use the words "indie" or "alternative" or "folk".

and people usually don't understand what that means.

i've never liked "mainstream" music.

in junior high when everyone was listening to pop and boy bands, i loved the 80's and alternative rock.

in high school when rap and top billboard hits were big, i liked punk and acoustic.

now, mainstream has really expanded and there are is so much more interesting music available.

"underground" still exists, but it's much easier to find music to really connect with.

so, let me indulge myself here.

this is a small collection of music i've been listening to the last couple of years. if you're open for it, take a listen.

you don't have to love it.

but i do.

bon iver:
from one of my very favorite albums for emma, for ever ago.
very raw and down to earth, just how i like it.

the middle east:
from australia. very thoughtful lyrics, i love their instruments, lyrics and feel.



edward sharpe and the magnetic zeros:
this speaks to my hippie wannabe side. serious dirty hippie music. i really love several of their songs. this one is fun and has so much joy.


band of horses:
i love all of their albums. they do mellow and joy so well.


the swell season:
from ireland. i love his voice, lyrics, and sound. this is a live version filmed in seattle. (by the way, lots of great music comes out of seattle.)



i could put on so much more. different songs or bands for different reasons.
but that's a feel for me and what's on repeat on my ipod.
i love music. i love listening to a song that totally speaks to me and who i am.
what are some of your faves?

 

us lately.

we've been pretty busy lately.

spending lots of time doing work, school, callings, and trips.

caleb's parents, mike and velvet, came to town a couple of weeks ago.

we drove up to st. louis to pick them up.

first, we spent some time at the arch:

we took the tiny, rocky elevators to the top.

not recommended for the claustrophobic.

it was windy that day.

did you know the arch swings when it's windy?

not recommended for acrophobic.

the view was sure nice.

after st. louis, we drove up to illinois and enjoyed the church history sites.

we went to carthage jail and nauvoo.

the temple in nauvoo is beautiful and i really love the classic style.

nauvoo had so much to see, and we only had a few hours.

we went to a few demos to see how the early saints lived.

during the week we tried to show them what springfield area has to offer.

we went to branson and enjoyed a dinner/show on the showboat:

 

i had to work, but we stayed busy during the week. then we drove them up to kansas city to catch the plane home.

on the way, we stopped at more church history sites, independence and liberty jail. caleb and i had seen them before, but they always make a good visit.

mike and velvet enjoyed their time in our part of the world. and really enjoyed andy's frozen custard. :)

the tornado that hit joplin a couple of weeks ago was devastating. joplin is only 45 minutes from us and we feel very lucky. we've been really impressed how everyone has pulled together and given of themselves to help out the community. there are so many terrible stories of death and destruction, but also many inspiring examples and miracles.

springfield has been hit in the past, but tornadoes tend to go around us. hopefully we remain lucky, especially because we don't have a good place to go if one hits us.

other random happenings:

caleb's brother, spencer, moved to area. he's living with us until he finds his own place.

caleb has been super busy with his young men/scout master calling. next week is scout camp. i just hope he doesn't come back smelling like scout camp. :)

i have a new calling teaching sunday school to the 14/15 year olds. it's intense. but it's a good learning experience for me too, and it makes me more excited about the scriptures.

work is busy and crazy as ever. we started softball and i'm the coach. haha.

well, that's some of our life lately.

hope yours is good!

Mrs. Navarre's Book & Movie Club: The Hunger Games

Today we will discuss the best series that has been written in a very long time: The Hunger Games.

For the few of you left who have not yet read it, you need to change that immediately. Or not so immediately if you are unable to stop everything you're doing to become sucked into the world of Panem.

I've always been a big book worm.

And when I first read these almost two years ago, they were the best books I'd read in a long time. That record holds.

They are filled with fast-paced action, romance, character development, and deeper social commentary. They suck you into another reality, yet are very realistic.

I absolutely love "coming of age" stories. I really feel the Young Adult market has surpassed most literature written today. Mostly because everyone can relate to the coming-to-know-yourself struggle that is so magnified during this period.

Now my hunger for Hunger Games has only increased because of the upcoming movie.

I know movie to screen adaptions often fall short of reader expectations. But I can't help my excitement. I've become one of those fans, checking updates most days on websites like thehoborg.blogspot.com.

So far I'm really happy about the casting.

I know it wont be the same as reading the books, but that's okay.

What about you? Any thoughts on the series?

March 23 2012

is a long way off. 

we're still alive here...

though we might not be soon.

cause: post-easter chocolate coma.

i love these. and amazing post-easter sales make it too hard to say no. i bought 73 of these lovelies.

and a case of 37 peanut butter cup eggs.the best form of pb cups.

don't even ask how much we ate before easter.

anyways, i know i'm a slacker. i was reluctant to start a blog for this reason. life is busy, but i'm not so sure it's that interesting to everyone outside our little world here.

update:

caleb is almost done with this semester, hooray! he'll be taking a couple of classes this summer, working on his thesis, and grad assistant job stuff. he's serving in the young men's presidency, and that'll keep him very busy this summer.

i'm keeping busy with my work at the residential mental health facility. it's always an adventure. i've had my moments of

"i am so done with this!"

 but it's been a good learning experience for many reasons. it's helped me become more assertive in some ways, exposed me to lots of different people, given me opportunities to share the gospel, and hopefully i'm helping to better people's life.

i even got my cdl licence to drive the huge bus. (don't be scared, i've only hit a few curbs so far)

most importantly, it's strengthened my testimony and increased my gratitude of the gospel.

i'll try to be better about sharing our exciting life,

but no promises here!

holidays

december went by way too fast.

we spent it finishing up school, getting ready for christmas at work, and then going to washington for a much needed break.

washington was a wonderful whirl of family, friends, and food. the best things in life.

some of our highlights include:

3 days in the mountains with navarre family.

we stayed in cabins, went snow mobileing, hurt our rears sledding, played games, and enjoyed the beauty of washington mountains in the winter.

eskimo kisses keep you warm.

crazy family with our crazy hats.

playing in the snow.

time in the cabins.

we spent christmas going back and forth between our families.

it was great to see nieces and nephews and family. we miss alot being away.

like them growing up!

sisterly love. 

it was also wonderful spending time with close friends who live not so close now.

caleb was very patient while i enjoyed lots of girl time.

my forever love, elaina!

we loved going to washington and can't wait until we're near family again.

but missouri is good for now.

we have some great goals. not to be confused with new year's resolutions, which are easily broken.

so welcome 2011!