Deck the Halls with...

Not to jump the gun, but October has glad tidings of great joy. That's about all I have for you today.

Forget Me Not

This past week not only was incredible for our physical bodies, but my spiritual self was really rejuvenated. A couple that went with us really impressed Blake and I. This family is all about each other. On a number of occasions, I would hear the husband praise his wife on how "awesome" she was and she wasn't even around to hear it. The kids LOVE their parents and have an incredible amount of respect for them and as I watched, it was because the parents respected the kids. As Blake and I drove home, we talked about the things we observed and the incredible life lessons that were learned. Sometimes I forget how much I need to be strengthened on the inside. So many experiences created a sense of renewal in my heart and soul. I missed the Relief Society Broadcast on Saturday so this week I am trying to get it in before conference. One talk has really been on my mind and this morning, I found it has been on some other friends minds as well, so I thought I would share my feelings. Elder Uchtdorf spoke on finding the majesty in the ordinary experiences of life. I think I tend to be one who forgets to rejoice in the bounty of life and I have set a goal to celebrate those moments more. I could be upset that I never get a full night's rest due to a sweet, but very hungry baby, but I am learning to cherish those quiet little moments as I watch him fall back asleep and I get to go back in and resnuggle Blake. Being more grateful, cheerful, and positive is hard, but once I do it, it feels really natural and instinctive. Not only am I trying to be positive about the tiny things, but also positive about myself and the person I am striving to become. I do get frustrated when my actions do not reflect the true feelings of my heart. I do get down on myself and have bad days. I am embarrassed when I lose my temper or say rude things. (yes, I do that. so dumb.) But, I am relieved to know that in my disparity, it is the knowledge that I am not forgotten by God and He is patient with my slow progression.  Some people don't think having a knowledge of God and His divine love for us, matters, but I can promise that it is all that matters to me. Not only am I trying to find the beauty in the little things, but I am in awe of the beauty that is within the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Heavenly Father has provided me a way of life that is exhilarating, inspiring, and motivating. I love my life, even with all it's difficulties. It is a new goal to rejoice in those difficulties and celebrate the small, but unique to me moments. Forget Not to be Happy Now friends. 

love jac

.our best trip yet.

well Powell this year was incredible to say the least. we seriously were so blessed to be in the company of such wonderful family in such a beautiful place. thanks to mike and deb for letting us join in on all the fun. the best thing was watching our sweet little man with all his cousins. he is going to be heart broken when he wakes up this morning to just the mom. boo. he had the time of his life.

lots of beach time with my baby. i mostly spent it making sure he didn't eat all the sand.

nikson with aunt debbie. deb rocked the air chair all week and made all the boys jealous.

 my studly man. it was good to be together all week. i really like him.

baby boy with his cousin Charley. she kept wanting to play pretend with nikson as her baby,

swimming while watching the cliff jumpers. nikson LOVES the water and splashes like a mad man. it is so fun to see him take to things.

Leighton and Nikson became good buds. who isn't good buds with leighton cartwright?

All the kids played on the tube. they are a bunch of wild hyenas.
(charley, claire, afton, emma, and wesley) Drake and Garrett were off hunting lizards.

aunt Stacey needed some good boy bonding time since she is adding one boy to her mix of six gals. nikson makes most people want a child. stace is six months pregnant and on our last night she decided to take advantage of the smooth water and wakeboarded. don't worry stace, i won't post a pic of it. she was concerned about her rump looking big. whatever. she looked great!

could he be any cuter? ahh! i just love him. he loved being on the boat and watching his dad do cool tricks and his mom stay safely inside the wake. most of the time he slept. that smooth lulling was just what we needed for some sweet nap time.

blake caught some massive air this trip. he looked so amazing out there. the little girls kept saying how good he is. i mostly just thought of how good looking he is.

see what i mean. the man is a looker.

the best part of the week was seeing my two guys together. they seriously just get each other and have so much fun. anytime blake was in the water nikson would bounce up and down and try to yell at him. they high- five each other which makes me laugh.

to add to the bounty of the trip, i had tons of great conversations with people i really admire.  blake and i learned a lot about how to be good, loving parents. being with everyone really motivated us to be better and to do better. it's not your to-do list that's important, it's your to be list, right leighton? everyone is so dedicated to their families. it is refreshing to know there are people who understand the principle of family. i think sometimes i get too wrapped up in the busy-ness of life to really take time for the important stuff. i am fortunate to have such great examples of love and patience in my life. here's to more experiences like this past week and a better me.

And as a side note...We are Finalists!

WE ARE FINALISTS!!
Please vote for Nikson's Nursery!!

Here's how you can help:

·        You can go to go to the blog link and vote!
·         Share the blog link on your facebook and twitter accounts
·         You can "Like" the Project Nursery facebook fan page so you can comment on the finalist post    about what they like most
·         Comment on PN facebook album titled "September Room Finalists"
·         Look for the Project of the Month tweets throughout the contest and “retweet” 

Chevron is not only a gas station.

Chevron has been a print that I have loved for years. Zig Zag Baby. I love it. It adds a little spice to your everyday stripes. I would have painted them in the nursery, but alas my love for the print is not as strong as the lack of talent I have for painting. Oh boy. And oh well. 

We are off for the WHOLE week to Lake Powell for some desperately needed down time, family time, and sun time. The opacity of my legs is quite frightening. I did not take full advantage of the golden days of summer unfortunately. So we are off, the boy, the man, and me. 


Have a great week. 

Guess who's baby is eight months this week? I know right? So big!

Scandinavia is pulling on my heart strings...

Todays post is simple...

Go look at this apartment!

A Little Time Away

It's one of those, "Need a Long, Quiet Bath" days. This bath would be perfect.

Utah State Fair

September is State Fair season especially for The Bishop Family. And when it's State Fair season you better believe we are there, much to my stomach's queasy dismay.

Brynlee and Levi. What can I say? These two do crazy well together.

 These looked fabulous.

Grandpa and Grandma had some bonding time while mom and dad rode the scary carni rides.

This was a "fun slide"

"Yzma, put your hands in the air."

We love baby piggies.

And we love this baby Nikson, who now loves lemonade. I know, I am a bad mother. Happy Fairing.

Fish Tacos

Just a fun recipe. Easy and Delicious.

Gluten Free Cod- in freezer section. follow instructions.
Warm corn tortillas and put on baked cod.
Layer Avocado, Tomato, Romaine, Rico's Mexican Rice, and Rico's Mango Salsa. The mango salsa does the trick I think. I could eat this meal for every meal. I LOVE tacos! Blake? Maybe once every other week!

So good.

Dream Home

When I was younger, I used to drive around with my Dad looking at houses. It was so fun. He would pick the ranch style home with acres for riding horses and I would pick the urban, yet vintage bungalow where I could ride my bike to the grocer and bring back a baguette and sip tea on my porch, while I read the latest of AD. We would grab flyers from the homes for sale and try to convince my mother it was time to move and get something else. She would always say no. 

Now that I am a little older, I guess I understand why she never wanted to leave. Her home was "her home" and I suppose she didn't want to lose that feeling. For a few years now, I have been drawing out my dream home, every few months changing a part of the layout or adding special features. I am trying to create a space that will give me "that feeling". It's nice because now I have Blake and his perspective to help design this place. We don't want a huge home, but we want a comfortable place for our family. Here are a few of the elements that we/I really want to incorporate.

Cozy Spaces

Homes should have secret places that are only known to those close to you. I loved how my bedroom growing up had a secret room behind my walk-in closet. Only my closest friends had ever even been in there. Attics shouldn't be scary or filled with Christmas boxes, they should look like this.

Exposed Brick

I don't know if it is because I am a romantic or if it's because I am old-fashioned, but exposed brick thrills me. Every time I see a home with exposed brick I start imagining myself living at Tara, and how I would love to still wear huge dresses and  host extravagant parties. I know. It makes me nuts. But every home should have exposed brick. 

Industrial Lighting

Lighting is a really big deal and I think it is important to have fixtures that create a story. I could say these lights were actually used in the mines during the Gold Rush, or they are antiques from the old underground subway system in New York. You would believe me, right?

Natural Light

Not only do I want industrial lighting, I also want an abundance of natural lighting. Whether we are in the dead heat of summer or the bleak of winter, natural light always presents it self in a light-hearted, positive way. It creates happiness for me. Light and airy happiness. (Too much?)  And as a side note, those floors are incredible.

Painted Doors

enough said.

Oceanfront View

Lets be honest, who doesn't want to see the ocean from time to time, or every time to sit down to eat? All in favor of eating pancakes while looking at the ocean, say I. 

Open Staircases

And it's not even for when our daughter comes down dressed for Prom.  It's more for Christmas morning when the babies come running down to see what Santa brought them. I am a very traditional girl and I am all about surprises. This type of stairway will help us see their faces.

Black Paned Windows.

I love white, don't get me wrong. White furniture, white decor, white, white, white. But I think it's because not many use white. Windows on the other hand, they are ALWAYS white so I need myself some bold black-paned pretties. They create a strong home to me and I like that. I also love this tufted chesterfield. What a beauty?! 

All these images and their sources can be found here at mi casa su casa.

Scandinavian Design

Ok- I have one simple question. Why is it that Scandinavian Design blogs are so irresistibly delightful? Seriously. I can't understand a word of it, but those images are like my own form of heroine. I seriously can not get enough.

For example. Have you ever visited Skonahem? You must. It's simply exquisite. It's like walking into Ikea and buying everything with the confidence that it won't break after a few uses and you don't have to put it together on your own. Someone will make it and bring it to you wrapped in a beautiful box with a shiny ribbon...sorry I get carried away. Regardless of my own infatuation, they really know the secret to making modern style comfortable and natural. It creates a rural rustic feel, but still remains ultra-modern, which i LOVE. They are not afraid or bright and open and it actually is more inviting to me. What do you think of this 1800- century farm gone modern? 

 I have a thing for antlers I suppose, or maybe it's that metallic fireplace that does it for me!

Blake, I promise I will always look presentable if we could remodel and put this bad boy in.

Can you imagine coming down that staircase Christmas morning? 

Sure, it's not the Walton's house, but it's amazing!

Two Years. I am a happy girl.

we are up in park city.
just getting a little r&r.
thanks chad and allie for our stay-cation hook-up.
have a great labor day weekend.

Pin it.

I am on Pinterest.
I really love it.
A lot.
Not just because I now have a virtual pin board of the beautiful things I love,
but I am actually doing a lot of what I see and I think that is important.
For example, I am about to make a desk station for myself similar to this beauty. I will keep you posted.

You can follow me here.

Or you can follow the darling people I do.