Pickles

I love pickles.

and by "love",
I mean I really, really adore them.
not just any pickle though...
definitely not sweet pickles.

No, for me it is all about the kosher dill.
and more specifically?
Claussen brand kosher dills.

and if I get my preference
I like the baby dills.

Claussen pickles are cold packed.
They always have to stay refrigerated,
and have a much shorter shelf life than your traditional pickle.
But,
this "cold pack" process?
makes them really crisp.
Also, they are all always
awesome, good quality, beautiful pickles.

Today,
I was really wishing I had some pickles.
but, being Sunday?
No pickles for me.

Oh well....

I guess, in the end,
I prefer to honor the Sabbath day,
and eat my pickles tomorrow.

A winner!

Congratulations to Liz!

She successfully guessed the correct restaurant location...

Los Hermanos
(in their new location - the old Ottavio's space on Center Street)

If you haven't been there yet,
you should definitely check it out.

The food is (of course)
as good as ever,
even if some of the decor is funny...

Liz, I will email your prize to you!

Some Provo Fun, and a GIVEAWAY!

I don't know about you,
but something about January
makes me want to work on my house.

And by "work on my house",
I mean, buy furniture.

Ever since I moved in,
I have been slowly acquiring furniture.
(really slowly)
I'm kind-of picky,
and have a really hard time finding exactly what I like.

I love browsing online to help narrow down the choices.
(it requires SO much less time than driving from store to store)

One of my favorite places to look?
CSN stores.
I've spent a LOT of time shopping
on their sites,
and I REALLY like their stores.
I think they have pretty much everything I could ever want.

Bedroom sets, occasional tables, sofas, entertainment centers
and even corner TV stands.

See what I mean?

really nice ones!

Of course, they also have tons of other things,
cooking pans, lighting, bedding, kids toys, awesome purses, etc.

So.....
Today I am having a giveaway,
Sponsored by CSN stores,
a $35 gift certificate
(good toward any CSN store)

You can use it toward a furniture purchase,
or anything else your heart desires!

I thought I would make this giveaway a little fun.
So, I'm making it into a bit of a contest,
involving some local Provo fun.

To win,
be the first to identify this Provo, UT restaurant location:

The decor here just made me laugh out LOUD,
but the food is really good,
and it is a Provo CLASSIC establishment.

Good Luck!

Designing Restrooms

I've spent a fair amount of my time
(in my professional life as an Interior Designer)
designing restrooms.

as a side note:
One of my college professors used to
INSIST
that we call them "restrooms"
and not "bathrooms"
(because you don't bathe in a public restroom!)

anywhoo...

I think it is kind-of funny how much
thought and time
can sometimes go in to planning a public restroom.
(I've spent a lot of time myself thinking about them!)
and let me just be honest,
I hate selecting toilet partitions.
You know,
the "stalls" that surround you.
The budget NEVER allows for something nice
(And, of course, "nice" is a relative term here.)

At any rate,
whenever I visit a public restroom,
I tend to observe the details.
Just out of curiosity - you know?

So, the other day when I was visiting a public restroom,
This toilet partition hardware
(see photo below)
made me laugh out loud.

Seriously?
Someone thought THAT was a good idea for a company name?

A Color Trend addendum

So, while Pantone is predicting "Honeysuckle" as the color of 2011,
the Color Marketing Group is predicting "Honey Moon"
(see photos above)

according to the CMG,
"Frivolous is out. Upbeat and realistic is in. Inspirations come from hardworking honeybees, a move away from glitzier golds, toward a remembrance of things past. Honey Moon is patinated and reminiscent of warm worn leather.

Honey Moon offers a fresh face on yellow and blends the sensual stimulations of color and taste. Take the sweet earthiness of honey and combine it with the romance of a harvest moon to uncover this blended yellow.

Although Honey Moon will be predominant, we can see it playing out in combination with the colors of fantasy brights, whites, and comforting, subdued hues.

From interior home to exterior accents, from tabletop to fashion flourishes, Honey Moon has just begun."

In my experience?

The Color Marketing Group tends to get it right.

But in any case?

I like "Honey Moon"...

(besides, it matches my blog template!)

Honeysuckle?

Have you heard anything about this?

The color of the year for 2011....
Honeysuckle
(pink)

hmmmmm....
really?

I guess I can see that for fashion,
I could imagine a really cute purse in this shade.
or even a dress, skirt or shoes...
yes, definitely shoes!

But try, though I might?
I just can't imagine carpet in this color.

I'm withholding judgement for now.
But, I don't imagine this in my office anytime soon.

Home design, maybe
commercial design......no.

What about you?
What do you think?

Value

My friend sent me a text yesterday,
"I saw your blog...are you still sad?"

I had to think for a minute.
yes, I am still sad.
not all-consuming sad,
and it's not taking up my thoughts all day,
but,
still.....
I am sad my friend is struggling,
I am sad that she does not know her infinite VALUE.
for now, I will be keeping her in my prayers.

Thinking about it reminded me of an analogy
I heard a few years ago,
when I was serving in my ward YW's.

We, as mortal beings,
tend to think of ourselves as having "value"
in some kind of crazy ranking system that the world places on us.
That person is "better" than me because she is beautiful,
This person is "better" than me because she is so smart,
I am less valuable because I have made mistakes....
etc.
These are the thoughts that we play in our head,
and we give it a name -
"self esteem".

But the reality of it is,
we ALL have INFINITE VALUE.
Nothing
and I mean absolutely NOTHING
we can do or say
will change that value.
Our Heavenly Father loves us and VALUES us all the same.

It's like a $100 bill.
A crisp, clean perfect bill from the bank is worth $100
and yet a crumpled, dirty, spit-upon bill -
also worth $100.

It's no different with us.
We may require some "cleaning up"
if we want to be "shiny"
but nothing we can do or say
can change our VALUE.
Being clean and perfect doesn't make us more valuable
than the person who has a crumpled spirit.

Anyway, that's my thought for today.

I'm Sad.

My heart is sad today.
Nothing huge....
just sad for someone else.

It's hard watching someone else struggle.
Hard that there is nothing I can do to help.

When I thought about what I wanted to
write about today,
I just couldn't get past the sad.

anyway,
while there is really nothing to be done about it,
I just wanted to share.

In the meantime,
Did you have a nice weekend?
I saw someone refer to Martin Luther King day as
"I have a Dream Day"
I like that.

I think it is good to have a dream...

Forever Lazy....Seriously?

This. is. crazy.

certifiably.

and I thought snuggies were funny...

So Funny!

One of my good friends has a son-in-law who
(along with his friends)
makes these hilarious videos.

Here is "episode 1"

I think this one is my favorite...
"episode 2"!



and the latest...
"episode 3"

Something I will swear by: The Neti Pot

Have you ever heard of the neti pot?

I'm sure my obsession of late
is definitely related to the sinus infection
that I am STILL battling...

(Thanks for the antibiotics Dr. Craig!)

But I am truly loving my neti pot.
It's like a little tea pot,
that you fill with a saline solution
and pour into your nose.

It flushes out all the yuck.

This, my friends, is a neti pot.

awesome, no?

well, okay, I concede...
it IS kind-of gross.
but so is blowing your nose,
and when you have sinus congestion?
gross is inevitable.

Just know that I am addicted
(positively ADDICTED)
to the clean, awesome feeling
(which granted, lately only lasts for 10 minutes)
that I have AFTER using my neti pot.

Too much information?
sorry....

but I DO love it.

Apologies...

I've been sort-of absent from the blog...

In all fairness, I had a GREAT holiday vacation.
tons of time off of work
(much needed)
and lots of fun.

Then, around New Years...

I came down with a horrible cold.

It began with a cough
a wheezing, chest hurting, terrible cough
then it moved to my sinuses
(painful, throbbing sinuses)
cured only by Dr Craig's
ridiculously painful remedy
(think bulb syringe and salty water)
and a LOT of medication.

Now, I'm down to just sneezing
and going through kleenex like it is oxygen.

at any rate?
I'm so happy to be feeling better!

Sorry for the absence.
but I am back!
:)