It's Arrested Development

There is an incredible feeling of relief that comes when you are reminded of something unpleasant that you don't have to do anymore. For example, sometimes I feel said relief when I think about final exams. They are painful. They are stressful. They are something I don't have to do anymore. Ah, relief.

I saw some boxed valentines in the store the other day that reminded me of Valentine's Day in elementary school and the 8-year-old in me felt this relief. However, my ease did not last long as I was reminded of the countless 8-year-olds worldwide seeking respite from their secret affliction.

I remembered that those boxed valentines are 80% harmless but 20% hazardous. The 20% are the wretched 6 valentines that say horrible things like "Be Mine" or "You're cute." They induce great anguish for 8-year-olds as they agonize over which of their classmates they will have to give the 6 mushy valentines to and how they can minimize the destruction when the deed is done. Their only hope is that their moms don't buy conversation hearts to accompany the valentines or they're in for much more loss of sleep.

Therefore, to end the suffering of 8-year-olds worldwide, I present the ideal prepackaged valentine:

Happy Valentine's Day from us.

Best. Hubby. Ever.

Carrot Tree almond petit fours are the best welcome home.

Christmas Break 2011

We had a bona fide California Christmas this year at 84 degrees! We got to visit my family and everyone was able to make it. It was a blast! Here are some highlights.

The Getty.

Setting up the Cabbage Patch nativity display. (And becoming celebrities on the local Spanish news station for it. Please request all autographs through my assistant.)

Sitting by the fire pit.

Black tie present giving/receiving as a result of the aforementioned celebrity status...or maybe because of church, who's to say?

Playing Killer Bunnies all night, every night.
Seeing Wicked at the Pantages Theater!
And of course, meeting the new nephew!

Merry Christmas

A Gift to the World:

We hope you have a very Merry Christmas centered on the birth of our Savior, Jesus Christ.

Colonial Williamsburg Wreaths 2011

We love walking through Colonial Williamsburg at Christmastime, looking at the wreath displays and drinking hot chocolate. The wreaths all have to be made of materials that would have been available during colonial times and they are very pretty. I thought they were a little more creative last year but they were still pretty this year. Click here to see the wreaths from last year. Here's a few of our favorites from this year:

My favorite: burlap flowers

Bryan's favorite: oranges and orange flowers

Shield's Tavern hot chocolate and gingerbread cookies

Lemony

(re)finished!

I finished refinishing our dining room table and china hutch! It was hard work and lots of doing, undoing, and redoing, but it finally paid off! My dad walked me through how to do it at each step (including two wake-up calls...oops, sorry Dad!) Here are the before and after pictures and pictures of the process. I'm still deciding if I'm going to let anyone eat on it...or touch it...or look at it too hard.

BEFORE:

AFTER:

Step 1: Sanding. This was after I got wise and bought an orbital sander. Best purchase ever.

Step 2: Staining. This is where in despair, I bowed my head because the stain didn't go on evenly. I hadn't sanded evenly enough and had to start from the beginning and totally re-sand and re-stain it. Unfortunately I repeated this pattern on the other 3 chairs and table top.

Chair after re-sanding and re-staining:

Table after staining, re-sanding, and staining again:

Step 3: Polyurethane. This is the protective gloss layer that makes it all shiny.

Step 4: Wet sand. This is like a buffer and makes it extra smooth. I wet-sanded between each of the 3 coats of polyurethane. It looks dull after the wet sand (below) but when you put on the poly layer it is shiny again. This is a scary step. It is unsettling to purposely make it look worse temporarily.

Step 5: Paint, paint, paint. I painted for 12 hours yesterday with two 30 minute breaks. My hand is stuck in the painting position, but I'm done!!!

Step 6: Sit on my couch and stare/admire my work! :)

Things Sara Did in the Past 24 Hours

1. Made gingerbread cookies.
2. Made gingerbread ice cream.
3. Made awesome Sunday dinner featuring Lemon Chicken with Artichokes.
4. Refinished four chairs and a table (in progress, she's outside sanding our table for the third time.)

And those are just a few of the reasons I lucked out big time in marrying my wife.