I Gots Chickens!

I Gots Chickens
April 16, 2007

I have wanted chickens for so long!

There came a time, I’m not sure when, that I realized that you could just HAVE a chicken, that you didn’t really need a farm, per se, although animal rights probably help.

My friend and sister-of-the-heart, Brittany, had a chicken, sort of by accident, and it was a very cool chicken. It hung out, ate bugs, chased her toddler, and laid eggs. I have bugs, no toddler, and I like eggs. Perfect fit!

So I went to the local seed and feed, and procured me some chicks: fluffy, sweet, peeping chicks (and a farmer’s sense of grammar)! I took them home in a cardboard box with some shredded newspaper and made them a home I designed myself: a plastic drawer.

I researched chickens to get the ones I wanted. The ones I REALLY want don’t come to the local seed and feed.
They're called Dominiques.
Real farmers don’t have any use for fancy chickens or for chickens who don’t like to give up their eggs and those types of chickens tend to be one and the same: the prettier they are, the more temperamental. So I got me some Rhode Island Reds

and some Araucana’s.


But right now they look like this:



They are less than two weeks old and have feathers on their wings and are already testing their flight capabilities when they jump off anything they can climb onto.


The have not all been named yet. I am waiting for Mo and Dad to come down and do the honors for two of them. There is a Rhode Island Red named Rosie and an Araucana named Pansy. You see my chickens must have flower names. They just must.

And here is how they run.

Photo and video editing at www.OneTrueMedia.com

Omelets at my house!

Carmel

A month ago, I got to go to Carmel with my lovely ladies, Brittany & Wendy. Brittany's parents were generous to let us stay in their lovely home.

This is not a once or twice a year vacation home...it is a every other weekend vacation home. They keep clothes, make up, good food, etc here because they come here a lot. Can you blame them?

What did we do there?

We looked at photos (I brought a whole suitcase just of photo albums). Sometimes we could not stop laughing at the people we knew, the things we did, the boys we kissed, and the lack of supportive bras...



We brought music and danced (well I watched the dancing...I was feeling under the weather with the beginnings of a dumb sinus infection!):



Isn't that kitchen awesome? We ate some good grub in that there kitchen!

Aren't these girls great?


We brought good books and took long walks on the beach:




And of course we talked, and talked, and talked. We never ran out of things to talk about. I could talk to these ladies all day and all night.

Then we went shopping a little.

We went to Anthropologie and spent HOURS trying on beautiful clothes. I love being a girl (and I got a way cute skirt.)

Then we went to the beach some more...and talked some more.

And then it was time to say goodbye.

And we had to lock up the house and drive back to San Fran.

I love these ladies and we will always have fun being together.

Red Hearts and Red Rocks

Red Hearts and Red Rocks
Todd and I had a lovely Valentine’s Day with our dear friends, the Faulconers. We stayed in and made dinner rather than fight the crowds and be cranky. We had a lovely time. Hence the red hearts.

Then we got in the car and drove to St. George to visit Todd’s parents. Hence the red rocks. We have been having a good time. On Saturday, we started off by going for a bike ride up Snow Canyon.



Rosie took her first road trip and did exceptionally well. I smiled every time we were passed on the trail by a light, aluminum, thick-tread tired mountain bike. I just rang my bell *ding*ding*!



We biked in about 3 ½ miles and then out again. On the way in it was hilly enough to make me breath hard sometimes, but on the way back I hardly had to pedal. I just put my feet up on the handlebars and coasted (something you CANNOT do on a mountain bike!). I felt so happy to be there with Todd and his Mom and Dad.

This is my new favorite picture of Todd.



After the bike ride we went to some of the local homes featured in the Parade of Homes. I found my dream home. Surprisingly, I really dig the nouveau southwest style: natural colors, natural stone, homes that blend into the surroundings, horizontal lines, a-doh-beee.

We had a nice BBQ dinner at Famous Daves and then home to a warm fire and book reading. I love my life right now. We have just had a lovely Sunday and we are looking forward to a lovely Monday.

Here are some things I need to do some catch-up blogging on:

Jobs or the lack thereof
Fertility and the quest to conceive
Home projects
Sewing projects (I just made my first dress with a pattern I made from a dress I liked and bought and copied and returned…this could be my next adventure!)

I am very out of blogging practice. I will do it more that I get better and more entertaining. If there is a subject you would like me to research and blog for you (like I used to do) please let me know.

A Fond Adieu to the Big Red Star

After 14 months of good times, Macy’s and I will be parting ways. As part of the new restructuring, my store had to down-grade management, and as one of the younger managers there (longevity wise) I am out. This next week will be my last week.

I have had such a good experience with Macy’s. I will continue to be a loyal shopper (retaining my black “elite” card status), and might even consider part time employment in the future for fun money (and a discount!).

I really appreciate what Macy’s did for me personally and professionally but the timing could not be better. I have struggled with a “non-design” job for a little while, and I look forward to getting back to my artistic career (more about that when I know for sure!).

I will have the entire month of February off as I will be in between jobs, and I look forward to getting reacquainted with my blogging-buddies. One of the cons of retail is it’s irregular schedule leaves little room for anything else. I look forward to blogging, lunches, and home organization projects before it is back to the grindstone!

Let’s play!

Something Old...Something New

I miss you people. I am in the throes of holiday retail, and Todd is wrapping up finals.

Occasionally, I get the hankering for a bit of nostalgia and want to watch that old "Domestic Diva" video. Todd helped me out by posting it on Youtube for me. It is still the best cinematic work Todd and I have ever done. I wish all our home movies were this entertaining. Enjoy.

Lift Up Your Voice and Sing

Todd and I went to campus today to watch a conference broadcast, and something happened that could ONLY happen at BYU. The picture was fuzzy and the audio wasn’t working, but we could discern through the scrambled picture that the opening hymn was to be “Now Let Us Rejoice”.

Our eager student crowd did not miss a beat, literally. As soon as the squiggly conductor lifted his hand and opened his mouth our crowd was ready. I wasn’t surprised so much that people sang along to a silent, squiggly screen, I was surprised with the gusto, volume, and good quality of sound that burst forth…and in four-part harmony.

It gave me the giggles real bad. I wasn’t laughing because I was mocking their eagerness, I was laughing because I understand that some behavior is circumstantial; that BYU campus has this magical power to create obedient little participators. I was laughing because I’ve been to other churches before, and Mormons sing really well, especially BYU students.

I couldn’t get myself under control until the last verse, and it was then that I added my best shot at alto, because that’s what I had to offer.

Why I Hate the Republic of the Banana: or the Most Boring Come-back Blog of All Time

I love the idea of having a Banana Republic card, but the reality is oh so inconvenient. I have been a loyal customer since it's days of safari hats and jeeps crashing through contrived display windows, but having grown up with the yuppie clothier I feel that their approach to in-store credit is severely underdeveloped.

I opened an account last year because I started a new job as an executive where the expectation was perpetual business attire. Where else to build a work wardrobe but the Banana? I wasn't even seduced by the additional 10% by opening an account, it was the free alterations and reward points system (any in-store account that does not offer money or gift cards back for frequent shopping is not even worth considering) that attracted my patronage.

However, to my incredulity and dismay, you cannot pay your account at the store. You cannot even pay your bill over the phone without a $10 service charge. You can only pay your bill with a check (or is it spelled cheque...who knows...who uses those anymore?) or online.

Well, their website has been down for ages and I get a bill for my fabulous sapphire-cut "diamond" ring which only cost me $37 and the bill reads $69. So I call customer service and reach "Jerry" in India and ask him to remove my late-fee as a one-time courtesy. (Did you know you could do that folks? It's true, if you are a responsible credit user and you incur a late fee most companies will waive that late fee at least once if you call and just ask them to.) Jerry complied, but I am still left with waiting for the web-site construction to wrap up. I searched around for some paper money devices on which you can write in your desired amount, but to no avail.

I hate you Banana Republic.

Cards that are worth having:

Costco's American Express (1% cash back, 2% on travel and 3% on meals)
Macy's in-store card and visa (use your macy's visa anywhere and receive 1-3% back in store gift cards plus free alterations and gift wrap services depending on your spending per year...i love it)
Southwest visa (Todd and I got free tickets to go everywhere we needed to go for about two years...we even earned enough for a buddy pass one year)

Not that I endorse credit. We use credit when it is to our definite advantage. We bought a Dyson vacuum cleaner through our credit card perks. But we rarely have a balance. That'll kill you. Be wise people.

Oh, yeah, one other bit of unsolicited advice...if you happen to decide to open a credit line at a department store or with a 0% interest card, you need to know that you shouldn't open an account to get the extra 15% off and then expect to close it right away. If you close a new credit line within 6 months, it actually counts against your credit rating; it can take as many as 30 points off your score. Wait before you close an account. On the flip side, if you have a department store line of credit (one or two not ten), and you pay on time or use it and don't carry a balance your credit report looks good. Just be smart.