Non-"Cutesy" Thank You Cards

Bryce gives the physicians he works with a thank you card at the end of each of his rotations. Of course, I have plenty of cards and am happy to make more. But, he wanted to buy a few at the store and this puzzled me. So he told me that I could make them for him if I made them less "cutesy." I guess my cards aren't manly enough for him to give to the doctors. So, I attempted a few times before I came up with these, and he seems pretty pleased. Believe me it took some effort not to embellish these with ribbons, bows, and glitter. They are also totally devoid of all color. How more manly can you get.

Card Exchange Cards

My Mother likes to be posted on the crafts I do. She is always a good voice of encouragement and support. In short, she is a wonderful morale booster! Thanks Mom. This post is for you.

I am in a card exchange group. Every month we choose a theme and create 8 cards exactly the same for that theme. Then we get together and swap them. So I come home with 8 different cards, rather than 8 of the same old thing. I get great new ideas from master card makers and I get to enjoy a good amount of girl time.

These are a few of the cards that I made in the past few months for the exchange. A few of them I didn't make enough of so I didn't come home with one of my own. I do regret that, because now I forget what I did. Here they are Mom. Love YA!

Just To Write . . .

I just need a little outlet, and writing has always been a very effective way for me to let off some steam. I have been a little down lately, so I wanted to sit down and list off my blessings. The things in my life that make me happy and bring me joy. There are so many. Once I start listing them I can never find a place to stop. I hope there is never I time that I only have a few things to write. Then I will know I'm not doing what I should be doing.

Natali's Blessings:

-The perfect husband (he is the complete package. I couldn't ask for more in a spouse. And I get to be with him FOREVER. Wow. I LOVE YOU BRYCE)
-A loving family (my siblings and my parents are my best friends. I can't ever say enough how much I love them)
-A place to live (because the weathers stinks around here and I am happy to have a roof over my head)
-A job (I guess a couple of jobs. And no matter how much I complain about them, they are a blessing. I wish I could see them as that all the time)
-Really cute kids in that I teach in sunbeams (especially this week. They were so good and listened so well. I didn't even think it was the same class)
-A car that runs (most of the time. Sometimes I just want to throw it in the garbage and get a new one. But, at least it gets me from here to there right)
-A healthy body (I do get sick often lately, but I am able to walk, run, jump, sing, play, and laugh)
-A beautiful guitar (my Dad made my guitar for me and it is one of my prized possessions. It brings me hours upon hours of joy)
-A bookcase full of good books (one of my loves is for reading. I love a good fantasy and I can't resist Jane Austen any chance I get)
-Food (oh I wish I loved food a little less. But it does bring me a lot of joy and comfort. I especially love to bake delicious goodies. No wonder my waistline is constantly expanding)
-A soft bed (I think sleeping and napping are one of my guilty pleasures. There is nothing in this world I enjoy more than a bit of shut-eye)
-Musicals and girlie movies (when I get down, nothing boosts my spirit like a Rogers and Hammerstein musical or Little Women again for the 800th time)
-Paper to make things (my mother in law is the supplies for my favorite hobby. Paper creating. I love to make a cute card from just bits of paper. FUN)
-Animals (I have MORE than a soft spot in my heart for animals. I get sad even when I see a stinky skunk hit on the road. I just can't ever forget that -not a bird falls without heavenly father taking notice-)
-Nature (my favorite color is green. I love it because it is the color of nature. Ah, spring will be glorious won't it)
-Make-up (isn't it funny that females and not males get to put on make-up. I wonder who decided that. We must just be the more vain of the sexes. I am grateful though. What a sight it would be if we didn't get to touch ourselves up.)
-Warm socks (if my feet are cold, I feel cold all over. I have several pairs of warm fuzzy socks and they get their wear out of them. Every Christmas all I want is a new pair of fuzzy socks)
-Music (I could go on forever. Music touches me to my soul. I especially love to create music with my family)
-Smiles (my Mom always has a smile on her face. I wish I could be like that. It makes me happy to see a smile. My friend Erin Pitcher is also a really good smiler)
-Silliness (today at work, Jack just started squeezing his quesadilla in his hands and his face got all red. I laughed and laughed and he laughed so hard he almost fell off his chair. That felt good. There are so many times that my Mom or sisters and I get laughing so hard that we can't stop. Oh, that is such a wonderful feeling)
-Technology (I keep in contact with so many family and friends using the internet. I feel like I am a part of their lives when I see pictures and read about them. How cool)
-Safety (seeing all the "wars and rumors of wars" on the news makes me so grateful that I am safe in America. It seems that there is a lot of complaining about government and the falling economy. I hope we remember that we are all safe and living in the most affluent country in the world)
-Sunshine (we haven't seen it in a few days here in Iowa, but I know it's up there waiting to warm us all up. I am waiting impatiently for it to come)
-My life (We watched a movie the other night called Awakenings. It make me cry for about 2 hours straight. But the message was wonderful. We don't take advantage of the life we have. We should always live the fullest we can)
-My testimony (I have always known that Jesus is my Savior and that my Heavenly Father loves me. I have never questioned those things. I owe a lot to my parents for teaching me how to live right and follow the Lord since I was a girl. I continue to learn and build faith everyday)

I am going to end there. I could go on forever, but my bum is a little sore from sitting too long at the computer. I am also starting to go a little cross-eyed. Wow, that is a long list. I am a pretty fortunate lady. Good Night Everyone!

Mini Minneapolis Minnesota Vacation

Of course we took a stop @ the Mall of America and my favorite store was he American Girl Doll Store. Here is a display of Felicity in all her little outfits. My little sister Whitney has this doll and I took this picture for her.

There is a little Salon for the dolls. Girls bring their dolls in and the ladies sit them in this little chair, put them in a little cape, and give a little hairstyle.

200 miles to Lego Land!! Or just downstairs is the Lego store. Dinosaurs, a huge grandfather clock, and a pirate ship were among a few of the displays made completely out of Legos. Two thumbs up.

An indoor amusement park. 5 roller coasters, a ferris wheel, and many little carnival rides. It was cool.

Rainforest Cafe! Here is one of the big fish tanks. Bryce gives this one thumb up. Not as cool as Lego Land I suppose.

LOOK OUT BEHIND YOU BRYCE, THERE IS A SHARK!!! Oh wait, its just an advertisement for Underwater Adventures. But, it is a big picture of a shark.

We're here. Let's see what this Mall of America, the largest mall in America, is all about.

Minneapolis . . . make way for the Jolleys! This is the view out of the window and our hotel room. It was right downtown. We stayed in that night and got pizza. We went swimming and watched tv. It was a REALLY good night. Thank you Bryce for indulging me on this trip. I have been wanting to go for a long time. Bryce isn't too fond of Malls in the first place, let alone a giant one. THANK YOU, it was such a wonderful retreat. I have a really wonderful husband.

Homemade Crispy Creamy Donuts

I've been craving donuts for so long. I have been wanting to try homemade donuts and Bryce always said it wasn't such a good idea. Who needs several dozen deep fried treats in their house? No one, except me I guess. I got a great recipe online and followed it to a T. The result was miraculous. They really did taste a lot like Krispy Kreme donuts. Especially when they were hot. I only made half a batch so we had less on hand. I also shared a bunch with our neighbors.

The browner ones aren't burned, they are covered in chocolate glaze. I like the regular glaze personally, but the chocolate was delicious too. Bryce likes the chocolate.

See I didn't make too many. And we shared more than half of these, so it was a fine treat to make! YUM!

Iowa Chops Hockey

AHL! LETS GO CHOPS! Who are the chops you ask. PIGS, of course. They are the Amatuer Hockey league here in Des Moines. Bryce and I have become hockey fans this year. It is quite an entertaining event and there are two hockey teams right here in Des Moines. Saturday we went to our third hockey game this year and it was awesome. It is the first game we went to that Iowa actually won. We were very proud fans.

The pink rink was in honor of John Stoddard Cancer Association. The players had their hair pink as well and the program was pink. I think the pink ice looks really cool. The two little girls you see in the right of this picture were a little annoying. They were up and down and up and down and never sat in their seats. They had a good time though and I think that I would have been the same way s a 11 year old girl.

Bryce paying close attention to the game. What a handsome husband I have.

I couldn't get Bryce to cooperate for this picture. He really was in good spirits that night, he only looks scary and intimidating. Maybe he was setting an example for the players.

This is Bryce's favorite part of hockey. (and everyone else in the audience) THE FIGHTS. In amateur league they let the players go at eachother if they take off their gloves. (I think that is what the stipulation is, I don't know) Anyway, as soon as you see gloves flying and helmets crashing to the ice you know that a throw down is happening. The crowd all gets to their feet and start just yelling and clapping. It is quite the event. My camera couldn't get close enough to see the fight, but the Jumbotron showed a really good picture of the fights.

The first time this happened I have to admit I was cringing and closing my eyes. I thought that it was such poor sportsmanship and very violent. Once, we watched a fight that ened in a lot of blodd and that one was really hard for me to watch. I still don't enjoy it a lot, but I do enjoy how excited everyone gets when the fighting happens. They cheer and cheer the players as they saunter off to the penalty box after a fight. I have learned that it is more a part of the game than poor sportsmanship. They actually have players that are designated to get in fights. I guess they use it to try to take more valuable players out of the game for a time.