You know how sometimes you feel like you are running around like a chicken with your head cut off? That's me these days. For the last few weeks I just feel like I can't get ahead, and at least once a day I catch myself trying to catch a breath because I've just been going nonstop. On top of the daily must-do responsibilities, I've had a growing pile of projects that I've been itching to start and finish. Last night I finally crossed one more thing off the list! My roman shade for the kitchen window! Hooray!

When we first moved in, we put blinds on all the other windows in the house except this one. This window gives you the perfect glimpse to our view of the river and mountains, so I was hesitant to slap some wood blinds up there especially since we don't have any backyard neighbors. But then we started realizing that at nighttime it is kind of creepy because if there is someone walking on the trail along the river they can see us... but we can't see them! Hmm... not ok. I wanted something functional yet decorative, and most of all I didn't want to spend a lot of money.  I found this tutorial (thanks to Pinterest, of course), and knew I wanted to try my own roman shade. 

But the fabric! Oh the fabric. Why was this such a hard decision??? I knew the general look I wanted, but I was tormented on if I wanted a bright color, neutrals, pattern, solid, etc. The fact that my wallpaper is also in the kitchen made me hesitant to bring in more crazy patterns. Finally I found the chosen fabric. It is interesting yet still subtle enough not to distract from everything else in the kitchen. I had been eyeing the Imperial Trellis print for ages now and finally found an affordable option on Etsy.

All in all, I'm completely happy with the results -- it's definitely not perfect or anything, but it works for me. Best part? It was totally affordable. The whole project only cost me about $40 in supplies, including the fabric, mini blinds, and a few other supplies. Bonus!

Life Lately, via Instagram

I'm a new-ish member of Instagram. Hooray! (If you have Instagram, find me! My username is camille_elise). Anyway, life lately has been super crazy and hectic, so if it weren't for camera phones I would have no documentation! I love real pictures, but luckily the phone is always there for spur of the moment shots, which are sometimes my favorite.

Here's a rundown of a few things I've been up to lately --

Cooking! I've been a on a cooking kick lately and have spent lots of time in the kitchen with new recipes (which I love!) Two recipes I highly suggest trying -- Puffed pancakes and Martha Stewart's apple crisp (served with vanilla bean ice cream, of course).

Running... a lot. As they say, running is quality time with me and the road. I'm not signed up for any particular race yet, but there are like a bajillion half marathons coming up in the area, so only time will tell what I do.

Spending lots of time at the piano, both with pieces I am working on as well as teaching students. I am now up to 5 students! They are adorable, and I am loving teaching.

Heavily perusing pretty fabrics, both online and in some local fabric shops. There are way too many projects brewin' up in my mind, so hopefully some will come to fruition soon. Don't worry, I'll keep you posted.

Today was a day.

We all have 'em. Some days are filled with happy moments of sunshine. And then there are days where those moments are nowhere to be seen. It sounds a bit depressing, but I guess it's just realistic. Family and friends help me find that sunshine, but sometimes I also think we're allowed to have "those days." Everyone has trials and everyone's pain is real, no matter what it may be for.

I absolutely love Mumford & Sons album "Sigh No More." One of my happiest moments was last summer with my family on a houseboat in California. While there we celebrated my sister's birthday. My brother gave her this album and we all danced around the houseboat listening to the album. During one particular upbeat song Brittney even danced an Irish jig. If you know my sister you would understand how uncharacteristic that is of her. We all laughed and totally got into the moment. I love thinking back on that glimpse of time. It was carefree. Happy. Full of sunshine.

But today the album spoke to me on a totally different level.

I've been dealing with some "stuff" lately. Some days it hurts a little more than other days. I got home from work a little early and was sitting on my couch feeling sorry for myself. "Forget this," I thought. I got in my car and drove to Target (why not?). On my way there, the song "After the Storm" by Mumford & Sons came on, and it literally brought me to tears. The melody and message was exactly what I needed to hear.

And after the storm,

I run and run as the rains come

And I look up, I look up,

on my knees and out of luck,

I look up.

Night has always pushed up day

You must know life to see decay

But I won't rot, I won't rot

Not this mind and not this heart,

I won't rot.

And I took you by the hand

And we stood tall,

And remembered our own land,

What we lived for.

And there will come a time, 

you'll see, with no more tears.

And love will not break your heart, 

but dismiss your fears.

Get over your hill and see 

what you find there,

With grace in your heart 

and flowers in your hair. 

The Best Banana Muffins Ever

These may be my most favorite muffins to date. Yup, I said it. They are sweet without being overly so, and can act as your breakfast, mid-morning/afternoon snack, or even your dessert. Needless to say, these little guys don't last very long in the Lewis household. This was my second time making them, and I fell more in love with them than before. Point is -- TRY THEM OUT. You probably have everything you need in your kitchen. Those are my favorite things to make.

For the muffins:
3/4 cup all-purpose flour
3/4 cup white whole wheat flour
1 tsp. baking soda
1 tsp. baking powder
1/2 tsp. salt
3-4 ripe bananas, mashed
3/4 cup white sugar
1 egg, lightly beaten (simply crack the egg in a small bowl and mix the yolk and egg white together first before combing with the rest of the ingredients)
1 tsp. vanilla
1/3 cup canola or vegetable oil
1 cup semi-sweet chocolate chips

For the crumb topping:
1/3 cup packed brown sugar
2 Tbsp. all-purpose flour
1/4 tsp. ground cinnamon
2 Tbsp. butter

Directions:

1. Preheat oven to 375 F. Lightly grease a muffin tin.

2. In a large bowl, mix together 1 1/2 cups flour (the all-purpose and whole wheat flour), baking soda, baking powder and salt. In another bowl, beat together mashed bananas, sugar, egg, vanilla and canola/vegetable oil. Stir the banana mixture into the flour mixture just until moistened. Stir in the chocolate chips. Spoon batter into prepared muffin tin. (I have found this recipe makes 11 perfectly-sized muffins :)

3. In a small bowl, mix together brown sugar, 2 Tbsp. flour and cinnamon. Cut in 2 Tbsp butter until mixture resembles course cornmeal. (I used my hands to thoroughly integrate the butter into the sugar/flour mixture)

Sprinkle topping over muffins.

4. Bake in preheated oven for 18-20 minutes, or until a toothpick inserted into the center of a muffin comes out clean.

*Adapted from A Hint of Honey

A Yellow Shelf & New Kitchen Paint

Last summer I bought 2 shelves from KSL (an online classifieds thing here in Utah... similar to Craigslist) with the intention to repaint them. 

It is now March. And I just finished one. Go me!

I fell in love with these shelves when I saw them online. They had a lot of character with the crown molding and planked wood in the back. And they were even REAL wood! Hooray! The set came with this one you see and a horizontal shelf that is upstairs in the office... still unfinished. One step at a time people. Part of me was hesitant to repaint over the beautiful wood grain, but there were some minor scratches (as you can see below) that I wanted to disguise. 

I used Kilz to prime the shelf. I love this stuff because you don't even need to sand! Now if that isn't music to my ears I don't know what is. I loathe sanding. I ended up applying almost 3 coats, however, because the primer just kept getting soaked up into the wood. But once it was sufficiently primed, I only needed to do 1 generous coat of color.

My original intention was to paint this guy a turquoise/robin's egg blue color, and then with advice from my Mom and Russ who both thought there would be way too much of that color in the kitchen/living area especially due to my wallpaper, I went with my next favorite color -- yellow! The color is "Bees Wax" by Sherwin Williams. It's a really pretty buttery yellow. I had originally bought a color called "June Day" that was a punchier yellow (aka WAY TOO BRIGHT), and because Sherwin Williams is the best paint store ever, they gave me a new gallon with the "Bees Wax" color that turned out to be perfect.

Oh yeah, and I also painted the kitchen last Friday evening (nothing like a hot date, right?). I wanted the subway tile back-splash and the molding to stand out a little more, but still wanted to keep the kitchen light and bright. The living room is painted "Cobblestone" by Martha Stewart, which is the perfect "greige." I  wanted the kitchen to be in the same color family as the living room since they are practically one room. One thing I need to work on is my paint-picking skills. I'm terrible at picking paint. But after almost picking another color, I ended up going with "Crushed Ice" by Sherwin Williams (at 75% strength). I couldn't be more happy with my choice! {queue sigh of relief}

I think this little corner is one of my new favorite areas in my house. I am slowly accumulating fun serving dishes, bowls (such as the West Elm modernist bowls I purchased a while ago), and cake platters to display. They just make me happy. Not to mention that letterpress calendar by Snow & Graham. It really is the little things in life, right?

Finally, here is a view of the corner from the fridge area of my kitchen. And yes, I still have my Valentine's hearts up in the window. Don't judge.

So how about you? Have you worked on any refinishing projects? They are always pretty time consuming, but oh-so-worth it! 

We Love Them Utah Mountains!

Last fall we bought a bunch of 2-for-1 tickets to Snowbird, our very favorite ski resort. We've been holding out for a big snowstorm when we could experience the true beauty of Utah snow. It looks like our wait was worth it, because yesterday we had such a perfect day on the mountain. Our patience was tested even further when we were driving up and had to wait almost an hour to get in the canyon due to an avalanche. I'm so glad we didn't turn around (like so many other cars), because screaming down the mountain in 2 feet of light, fluffy powder may be one of my favorite things to do. Ever.

And doing it with Russ by my side just completes the experience. 

From left to right: 

On the lift with Russ -- do you think he is having a fun time? 

Waiting at the mouth of the canyon, antsy as can be!

Feeling like sardines in a can while we took the tram to the top. 

Russ wiped out. I found him like this. I had to capture it.

Arizona Adventures

A few weekends ago we hopped in the car and drove to sunny Arizona. It was a very welcome get-away. Our main purpose in going was to spend a few days with our good friends from Texas, Morgan and Karen and their cute little 1-year-old Carter. Karen threw the cutest little birthday party. We sure do wish we lived closer, but I'm so glad we are close enough to see each other a few times a year. Other highlights of our weekend include:

Riding beach cruisers on a perfect Arizona evening

Russ seeing the Hoover Dam for the first time -- and loving it

Eating an orange straight from a tree! 

Playing Buck Hunter with Morgan and Karen. Brought back old times.

Scoping out the highly anticipated store, Last Chance, and all of it's crazy glory. I have to admit, I was slightly disappointed. 

Hitting the craziest snow storm EVER on our way home. Russ's Prizm is a champ.

Last, but definitely not least, sneaking into the Grand Canyon.

...

Ok, let me explain real quick.

I have never seen the Grand Canyon. I feel like living within driving distance doesn't give me much of an excuse to have never seen one of the 7 natural wonders of the world! So on our way home we planned to drive through. As we are getting closer it is literally SNOWING. Are you for real?!? When we get to the pay station the lady tells us it is $25, even just to drive through. As we see the sign that says "poor visibility," we decide to save the cash and come back another time. 

And then we realize in order to get to the highway we have to drive through the Grand Canyon, that is if we didn't want to backtrack a few hours. Dang. We decide to ask a Park Ranger if there is any other way that will get us back to the highway besides going south again. After Russ smooth-talked him for 5 or 10 minutes, our most favoritest (yes, that's a word) Park Ranger then proceeds to say "Well, technically you don't HAVE to pay to get in the Grand Canyon. They don't want me to tell people about it, but I figure you guys are just driving through anyway." After telling us the side road that sneaks us in, we go on our merry, happy way. After a 20 or so minute off-roading experience in Russ's prizm (note to self -- we need a bigger car), we pull into the back of the Grand Canyon. Miraculously it had even stopped snowing and the fog had cleared. I'm so glad it all worked out. That sure was a GRAND canyon! :)

Results of Craft Night

I got together with some of my favorite girls for a craft night last week and we started these fun little "fully lined zippered pouches" using a tutorial found HERE. Because things always take a bit longer than planned, I finally finished it up yesterday afternoon. I think this is one of my favorite crafts I've ever done. I absolutely love this little bag!!

Picking the fabric was a lot of fun. Of course  you can never go wrong with stripes (in my book). And those turquoise pulls make me happier than they probably should. But my favorite part? Opening the zipper to find another fun fabric! Little surprises are the best.

My makeup now has a new home and my old nasty, dirty makeup bag from high school can finally retire! If you are wanting a fun sewing project, give this a try! Trust me, if I can sew it you can too. :) I'm definitely a novice in sewing land.

{Again, click HERE for the awesome tutorial. }

"Oh Hey Valentine"

That's how Russ answered the phone when I called him on the morn of February 14th. It made me smile. "I'm someone's Valentine!"  I know I'm a few days late on posting about Valentine's Day, but no need to fear, we had a fantastic day. 

Random thought: I love when you make a spontaneous decoration one year, and then you reap the benefits for years to come. That is the case with these little lovely hearts I made last year. They make me happy every time I walk by them.

We had spent the weekend out of town (more on that later) and pulled in late Monday night, so we spent Valentines "in". It was just what the doctor ordered. We enjoyed a lovely dinner (if I do say so myself). The menu consisted of:

Roasted Pork Tenderloin with Chimichirri

Green salad with apple, pecan, and bleu cheese, topped with blush wine vinaigrette dressing

Sourdough baguette

Peach Sparkling Cider

Peach Crunch Cake with French Vanilla ice cream on top (of course), while settling in to one of my favorite movies -- You've Got Mail, which believe it or not, Russ had never seen. (gasp!)

We also received a little surprise from some of the cutest girls in our neighborhood. They are some of my cute and eager piano students. They are also in our Primary class at Church. The note cracked us up. Let me make sure it is documented correctly:

"The 1 on top is for both of U, The 1 that says "2 hot" in the middle is Bro. Louis's & other is Sis. Louis's." 

Haha! Gotta love cute, little 9 year old girls :)

For My Music Lovin' Peeps

Oh how I enjoy falling in love with new music. Finding a new favorite album or artist is like Christmas morning. All three of these albums have been on repeat for a good while now. 

I do have to say the National // High Violet is probably my reigning favorite. I cannot get enough of that album. I gave it to Russ for our anniversary last July. We blasted the album as we drove from Sundance through the American Fork canyon (nothing like taking the long way home) and oooh-ed and awww-ed over the stormy summer clouds and reigning peaks of Mt. Timpanogos. It was slightly magical. That album has been my go-to ever since that night.

Have you heard of Spotify yet? If not you may be living under a rock. It's the best. Sign up (for free!) and listen to a few of these tracks before making any purchases. Other tracks that have been my recent favs:

* Radical Face - Welcome Home Son
* Ryan Adams - Dirty Rain
* The National - Exile Vilify, About Today, and Cherry Tree (like I said, slightly obsessed)
* Wilco - One Sunday Morning
* Bon Iver - Calgary (actually the whole Bon Iver album...)
* The Moon Song - Gregory Alan Isakov
* Lykke Li - I Follow Rivers
* Florence + The Machine - Shake It Out
* Gabe Dixon Band - All Will Be Well
* Radiohead - The Daily Mail
* The Black Keys - Howlin' For You
* Geographer - Night Winds
* Cold War Kids - Hang Me Up to Dry
* Jonsi - Tornado

Sorry for the music overload, but hopefully you find a few new songs that will make your Tuesday that much better. :)

The Gallery Wall

I finally finished the gallery wall in our living room! Hooray! I took my time slowly accumulating art, pictures and frames, and then arranged and re-arranged the frames on the floor until it finally made sense. One day I was home sick from work and just started hanging frames. I'm really happy with how it turned out.

That Robert Abbey lamp is another new addition. I sold our hand-me-down floor lamp a while ago on Craigslist, so I've kept my eye open for a lamp. It was hard, however, because I felt that corner needed something slightly larger than most lamps I was finding. And then I saw my amazingly cute and talented friend Candace's house, and knew that lamp was exactly what I was looking for. Candace was even nice enough to tell me where she got it, so I wasn't completely an annoying friend -- at least she knew I was copying her. :) Hey, it's all a form of flattery, right??



I wanted the pictures to mean something. Explaining some of the art, starting clockwise from the top left picture:

* "The learning print," by Caitlin of Hue and Hum
* The blue L for Lewis! I bought the letter at JoAnn's and painted it a light blue (I just had a sample here in the house, so I thought I would use it)
* "It's Better Tandem," by Fifth & Hazel. I gave this to Russ for Christmas; it's especially meaningful for us, not just because Russ loves to bike, but because Russ proposed to me while we were on a tandem bike ride.
* Canvas photo of us by the lovely Sada Lewis.
* Watercolor print of the Salt Lake City LDS Temple by Birds of Ashmae
* Print of Cadaques, Spain by Salvador Dali. We picked this print up when we visited Cadaques a few years ago. I love that we have stood in that exact point of view.

So there ya go. Our gallery wall is done, and the room is one more step to being "complete." But the funny thing is I don't know when it will ever be fully complete. Does anyone else feel this way?! Making a house a home is definitely a slow process, but every step of the way feels like a huge accomplishment.

Over and out!

Reminiscing in Idaho

I spent the weekend by making a quick jaunt up to Idaho to see some of my favorite people -- Lindsay and Sheri (who is valiantly fighting an aggressive form of brain cancer -- click on the link for her story). Lucky for me, my mom was there as well. While she took Sheri to her chemo treatment, Lindsay and I spent the day playing with her little baby Sam and being as lazy as humanly possible. It was exactly what we needed.

We reminisced back from days as little dumb tweens, high schoolers, college roommates, and now as married women with husbands and families of our own. We laughed. We ate. We caught up -- on everything.  Life sure is crazy and unpredictable, but you can always count on "those friends" that will never change. Thank goodness for that.

Thanks again for a fun weekend Sheri, Lindsay, Sam and France!

Winter Running

Since we moved to Utah from Texas last year, this is my first winter in a while where I have had to get used to winter running. But luckily, I love it!! I love the feeling of the crisp, cold air against your face as your body is nice and warm (as long as you are dressed accordingly, of course :). I also love that I don't get hot when I run. It makes me feel like I can run so much longer... as long as I'm watching where I'm going and don't wipe out on some ice!

I got a few new running toys for Christmas. Other runners out there can understand how exciting running toys are. Russ gave me a heart rate monitor. I feel so official now! You wear a strap on your chest that accurately tracks your heart rate, which is displayed on a watch. So far it has really helped me to know when I can "step it up" if my heart rate just isn't as high as it could/should be while running. I probably should have taken a picture when I was actually running. According to the heart rate below, I am dead. 

{And yes... winter running means you layer up. 2 to 3 long sleeve shirts/fleeces, gloves, ear warmers, you name it!}

I also got a new pair of Nike Frees! I have a bad habit of running way too long on the same pair of running shoes. I was still running on my Nike Frees I got early last year (that I loved!). These have been my favorite running shoes to date. No blisters = happy Camille. As you can see I went with the bright orange and grey, cause why the heck not?

And finally, somehow I managed to convince this guy below to run with me. Ever since reading THIS POST, I'm a bit spooked to go running by myself outside. But ironically, I've never been a fan of a "running buddy." I've thought long and hard about this, and I think it's for a few reasons. 1) I hate feeling like I'm slowing someone down or they are slowing me down, and 2) I am not very good at being set to run at a certain time and place. For instance, I had full intentions of getting up and running yesterday before work, but as soon as I woke up I knew that was NOT going to happen. But sure enough, all I could think about at work all afternoon was going for a run. I've found, with myself at least, I enjoy running so much more when I don't force a run in just because it's scheduled. (Obviously sometimes I just have to go for that run when I have the window of time, but you get the gist).  

But in case you were wondering, Russ is a good guy to have by my side, even when running. :)

A Blog About Love

Have you ever stumbled upon a blog/website/book/show that you just could not stop thinking about? When that happens you just want to tell everyone you know about it. Well that's how I feel about my most recent stumble, A Blog about Love. Their blog really is all about love -- how to love, what to do when you don't feel loved, how to be a better spouse, family member, friend, and so much more.

One night last week I just could not sleep. I was upset, angry, sad, frustrated, among other things. Basically, I had a lot on my mind. So I sat in my bed and started reading their blog from the beginning. I woke up the next morning and already felt like a different person. Without sounding too corny, I really feel like this blog came into my life for a reason. I am 100% inspired by these two people, and within the 5 days I have devoured everything on their blog, I truly feel like I'm one step closer to the person I want to be. I'm happier. Less things "bug" me. I'm choosing to be happy, because let's be honest, who wants to choose the opposite?

These two have definitely been handed their fair share of trials. Long story short, Mara's husband of 7 years left her (after years of going back and forth between telling her he didn't "really" love her or wasn't attracted to her), all the while dealing with infertility for nearly 5 years. After she was divorced, her friend introduced her to Danny Kofoed by a friend (who's wife of 4 years had also left him). They lived in different cities so their relationship basically started out via email. They fell in love quickly. They were both so excited to be in love once again. Their outlook on life was incredibly positive, and continues to be that way, even after dealing with infertility once again. Like I said, lots of trials.

Some of the posts that have been my go-to for inspiration as of late include:

+ How to keep a marriage glued
+ Choosing to not be offended by silly things people say
+ Best Beauty Secret in the world
+ AMAZING marriage tips
+ Feeling Spirituality in your life
+ The "Little" trials of life -- we've all got 'em
+ Working on being the best {future} mother I can
+ Being grateful for what I DO have, not dwelling on what I don't
+ Learning how to not react in a negative way

... And so much more. Seriously, I kind of want to be her BFF. Her writing is so genuine, kind, and honest. And come on, she's got rockin' style. Just give the blog a try, won't you? I hope you enjoy as much as I do. :)

Surprise Party!

Russ had a birthday, shout hooray!!

When I asked Russ what he wanted to do this year for his birthday, he shrugged his shoulders and said "oh, we don't need to do anything. I had a party last year." .... hem hem .... queue awesome wife duties and plan a surprise party! I do have to say that Russ is so much fun to plan a surprise party for because first off, he's totally oblivious to the quiet planning and running around I was doing all week to get everything together. He was legitimately surprised. For example, I completely ran out of time by Friday night, but I still had to make my little "poof ball" decorations. The problem was that Russ was home all night with me and I made them in front of him. When he asked what I was doing I just told him I was making them to put in the guest room. He just looked at them, a bit confused, and said "ok." Really Russ?? Paper poof balls in the guest room? I just let out a sigh of relief that he never pries and totally trusts my design decisions. :) Second off, he loves parties. He had a perma-grin the whole time. It's the best.

The party was so much fun. Thank you to everyone who came and helped surprise Russ. He loved every minute of his 28th birthday party. We are so grateful for our amazing family and friends.

(Seriously Natalie, I couldn't have pulled this party off without you!)

Happy Birthday Russ! I sure do love you!

Our Musical Addition

I'm sorry I left you all on a bit of a cliff hanger last week with our "new addition." That was probably annoying, and perhaps even more annoying if it is a bit anti-climatic to you. But to us this addition was a huge deal. We shopped around for months. We researched. We hunted the classifieds. We saved and saved. And finally, we brought home our new musical addition:

Please meet our lovely new piano. It is a Kawai US-50 upright grand piano. We think she is bea-u-tiful.

I am seriously in love. Growing up I played a lot of piano. Call it a bit dorky, but I would say it was my "sport" in high school. I spent lots and lots of hours with this instrument. So needless to say, I am a bit picky when it comes to playing on some pianos, let alone spending my own money on one. Some think we are crazy for buying a new piano, and that we should have just settled with a used one from Craigslist. Believe me, we tried some out, but none of them were "the one." We finally found this beauty at a little piano shop (which we would highly recommend!) that was selling this piano for more than 1/2 the price of the "big box" Kawai store. From the first song I played while testing it out, I knew it would be ours. 

I love that I can make music in our home once again. I have missed my time at the piano. Any emotion that I am feeling can be expressed on those keys. The guy who owned the shop we bought it from was telling me how a half an hour at the piano is worth more than an hour at the therapist. 

I couldn't agree more.

Oh hey world

We are alive! We are kickin'! Things have been a bit busy around here lately (hey, what's new?). I know you've been worried. Here's a glimpse of what we've been up to:

// Watching Fictionist rock it, once again, at a sold-out show at Velour. A couple even got engaged on stage! How cool is that? Caitlin at Hue and Hum has a great rundown here.

// Getting sick, and recovering. I spent a good few days this last week/weekend pretty much out of commission. Blech.

// Organizing, organizing, organizing!! Like the majority of the world, I started 2012 with a huge determination to organize everything. Russ has been a good sport and has helped me along the way. I have mostly been focusing on closets. I felt like nothing in the house "had a place." Well not anymore! One closet in particular was this funny little guy in our loft that was impossible to keep organized... until now!

Seriously... nothing like organized bliss. {ooooo ahhhhhhhh}

// Continuing to actually hang some frames on the wall (go figure!). These frames that have been propped against the wall are now a part of a lovely picture gallery. Pictures soon to come, don't worry.

// And last, but not least, acquiring a new addition to our family. No, it's probably not what you think. But... it's getting late (10:35... yes, I'm lame) and honestly, I don't have a picture, so I'm going to leave you hanging on the edge of your seat. :) Stay tuned!

Framing Time

Since the day we moved into our home I think I have hung up approximately 2 frames. For some reason hanging frames is so scary! It's like super permanent or something. Really that makes no sense, because I didn't pause 2 seconds to put up bright floral wallpaper (something that is way more permanent than frames), but then frames are the scariest thing ever. Maybe it's because when I hang up art or pictures I want them to mean something. To be significant to us. 

Over Christmas I was given a couple really beautiful prints and art pieces. It's like my family knows me well or something!! Our walls are finally looking a little less bare. Thank goodness! 

Russell gave me this beautiful print from evajuliet, an Etsy shop I have not-so-subtly hinted to him about for months. She is French, and most of her prints come in French and English. My beautiful Grandma is French, my first and middle name is French (Camille Elise), I love France, and everything sounds more beautiful in French. The print translates to "Choose Joy," a phrase I think everyone could be reminded of more often. Life is insane -- sometimes we can choose to freak out or just choose to have joy. I'm trying to choose joy.

The next piece of art that makes me so happy is by the amazingly talented Minvera Teichart given to me by my lovely mother. Opening this piece of art on Christmas made me so happy. I love this picture of Christ. It is so powerful and majestic, yet shows how loving and caring He his at the same time. This is exactly how I picture Him. Full of majesty and love. 

 It's amazing how art makes a house feel so much more like a home. It's really starting to come together.

Speaking of Christmas gifts, you see that amazing blanket hanging over the couch? Brittney gave me this blanket and I'm pretty much obsessed. It's a beautiful teal wool blanket with a subtle chevron print. I love how it's a pop of color yet it perfectly ties in the teal flowers on the Orla Kiely wallpaper. Thanks sis. In case you can't tell, I love it. :)

So anyway, I have 2 more frames up. So that's like 4 now. Next up is the gallery wall I have been procrastinating for way too long. It's framing time!

A Head of Hair

My husband has a very healthy head of hair. I'm not exaggerating one bit. Let's just hope our kids are blessed with his genes in this area. Lately he has let it grow longer than ever with a curly fro and mountain man beard. He was going in for a hair cut tonight, so I made sure to snap a picture last night as he was checking his head of hair out one last time. 

I sure do love this guy.

{I think the picture turned out really nice, don't you? ... hahaha... Napoleon Dynamite anyone?}

Canada & Snowmobiles

Over Christmas break we went to Washington (my home state). Oh how I love that place. A few days after Christmas we drove up to spend a few days in Canada. We were forewarned of how freeeeezing and winter wonderland-ish Canada is in the winter... so we came prepared of course. We loaded up the car with snowboards, skis, winter boots, thermals, hats, gloves, you name it. Weren't we a bit surprised when we pulled up to our resort in Fairmont to find grass?? Hmm, not what we were expecting. The irony of it all was that it was snowing in Spokane as we left. I guess that's life, right? {Side note: There was a bit more snow in Banff compared to Fairmont, but it was still very mild compared to the norm}

Also a surprise: Pulling up to Lake Louise (which we visited in the summer a few years back) expecting to oooh and awwwe over the crystal blue water only to realize that, duh, it's frozen and covered in snow! Way to go geniuses. :)

We still managed to have a good time, of course. Activities included the Fairmont hot springs, snowboarding, site-seeing, games, and food. The best.

Once we got back to Spokane my Dad made sure I got in my yearly snowmobile trip. Some people are surprised when I tell them that I grew up riding a snowmobile. From the age of about 10 years old my dad would plop me on my own machine and tell me to climb the mountain! "Whatever you say daddy!!" I've loved these times on the mountain with my dad. He becomes a little kid (again) and we get to see some amazing vistas together. Oh, and he ALWAYS encourages me to go out of my comfort zone and "push the limits a little." I've definitely had my fair share of accidents -- you know, getting stuck in waist-deep powder and even rolling the machine over my body once -- but I still love the feeling of the wind on your face as you pull that throttle. It was good to feel that once again.

{Me and Jace jumping for joy}

Auld Lang Syne // Times Long Past

It's New Years Eve and Russ and I are sitting on the couch doing everything in our power to not fall asleep. (We are so exciting!!) As we fight off yawns, we have been going through the photo archives reminiscing on memories from 2011. Wow. What a year. I don't think there will ever be a year when we say "gee, that year didn't go by fast." Time sure does fly. But luckily we have some really good times (mixed in with some hard times, of course) to look back on. Here are some highlights of our 2011:

Started the year skyping on a regular basis since we lived apart for a good 5 months. Rough.

Finally seeing Wicked! Best Valentines ever.

Good friends in Texas that helped us get through those rough times.

Russ getting a really great job offer from Adobe in Utah -- prayers are answered!

Quitting our jobs (tears!), leaving Texas, living in a temporary apartment, buying a house (eek!), and both starting new jobs. 

Being around family once again. Sigh of relief.

Camping. 

Putting in our own sprinkler system. Kill me now.

2 half marathons and a couple 10k's for Camille, lots of bike racing for Russ. Dirty Dashin' as a family.

Lots of lake trips -- McCall, Spokane, Trinity Lake.

Jace comes home from Japan!

Fishing in our backyard... literally.

Fabulous house guests (and life long friends!)

Rockin' Adobe holiday parties.

Family pictures.

Neighborhood parties -- we love our neighbors!

Christmastime in the Northwest and Canada.

Ending the year on top of a mountain. Best finale we could ask for.

Goodbye 2011. We are grateful for the year we had. We know we are so blessed, and we have both grown so much. We are feeling optimistic about the future and can only wait to see what 2012 has in store.