Wednesday, August 31, 2011

A Shih Tzu Party

Shih Tzus are the cutest and Shih Tzu parties are the coolest.

I think Shih Tzu parties are cool. Harper thinks Ariel is cool. Either I'm going to have to do more laundry or we are going to need to invest in more Ariel shirts. At this point, Harper won't wear anything but an Ariel shirt.

Want to know what else is cool? A sunflower field photo shoot. Harper and I are having one tomorrow night with Whitney. She is taking our photos and I'm taking hers. That's right. Our photographer asked me to take her photos. Am I totally intimidated? You bet. Am I excited? Oh yeah. 



Harper Last Night

I snuck in Harper's room late last night for a few more kisses. She was snuggled up with her blankets, her puppy, and a spatula.

Her face was buried in a pillow so I kissed her neck instead of her cheek.

She smelled like a mixture of baby sweat and Pureology. Delicious.

She was still wearing her Ariel shirt from yesterday morning (her choice, not mine).

Everything about sleepy/sweaty/snuggly Harper was perfect and I just wanted to eat her up.

I grabbed my camera and took a couple of photos instead...

Harper has an enormous stuffed animal collection (I actually just packed two bags away for later) and she really loves all of her fluffy friends. At the end of the day, however, Scout is always her favorite.


When your room (and your hair) is that messy, you know you had a good day.

48 Questions Before I Clean Behind the Fridge

I have to clean behind my fridge today (it's true, I deserve a gold star). Until I'm done, I will be unable to blog properly. Thus, I will leave you with a little survey (which I borrowed from another friend's blog). Later, when the space behind my fridge is sparkly and fresh, I will write something real for you, I promise. It's the last day of August and we need to talk about acceptance. 


1. What time did you get up this morning? 6:20 am
2. How do you like your steak? I'm a vegetarian. I don't eat steak. I do eat veggie burgers, however, and I like them with lots of fresh lettuce, tomatoes, and a big glob of ranch dressing. 
3. What was the last film you saw at the cinema? The Help (and it was really, really good).
4. What is your favorite TV show? 
True Blood, mainly because the cast is ridiculously beautiful. Seriously... 

5. If you could live anywhere in the world where would it be? Somewhere abroad, but only for a little while since I'd miss my family... Maybe Germany or southern France?
6. What did you have for breakfast? Raisin Bran and a cup of coffee
7.  What is your favorite food? Any type of black bean burrito
8. Foods you dislike? Meat, in every form
9. Favorite place to eat?
Red Butte Cafe, and here's why...


10. Favorite dressing? Ranch, preferably from Fat Jack's in Payson, UT or The Brick Oven
11. What kind of vehicle do you drive? 2009 Subaru Outback Sport
12. What are your favorite clothes? Jeans that fit really well, camisoles, cardigans, and summer dresses.. I also love pull-over hoodies.
13. Where would you visit if you have the chance? Alaska
14. Cup 1/2 empty or 1/2 full? The cup is ALWAYS half full
15. Where would you want to retire? Eww I don't even want to think of this, okay?
16. Favorite time of  day? The evening, when Harper and I can go adventuring
17. Where were you born?  Payson, UT
18. What is your favorite sport to watch? Colt watches enough sports for the both of us...
19. What is your favorite fragrance? Clean laundry 
20. What is your favorite face cream? Oil of Olay Total Effects
21. Favorite baby/kids products? Baby lotion, Baby Signing Time, Touch-and-Feel board books, socks from Baby Gap, CUTE BABY/TODDLER SHOES
22. People watcher? For sure
23. Are you a morning or night person? Night
24. Do you have any pets? Of course we do! If you don't know them, check out the About Us section.
25. Any exciting news you'd like to share? Harper is starting her fall gymnastics class tonight!
26. What did you want to be when you were little? A concert pianist 
27. What is your favorite memory? 
Meeting Harper for the first time- it was miraculous and magical and so much more than I ever imagined and absolutely nothing can ever compare to it.


28. Are you a cat or dog person? 
Dog person, but cats are nice too (and a lot of people say that shih tzus have catlike traits)

29. Are you married? Yes... and it's wonderful...


30. Always wear your seatbelt? Of course
31. Been in a car accident? Yes, but only one in which I was the driver
32.  Any pet peeves? Ignorant people, judgemental people, negative people, people who complain, people who call Nordstrom "Nordstroms"...
33. Favorite pizza topping? Margarita pizza is the best pizza, unless your Colt and you don't like tomatoes...
34. Favorite flower? 
Wildflowers- Harper likes them, too. She picked a sunflower at the park on Sunday...


35. Favorite ice cream? I don't eat ice cream but I do like berry-flavored gelato and any type of green smoothie
36. Favorite fast food restaurant? Eww. I generally avoid food that comes from a drive-through... Taco Time veggie burritos are the only exception
37. How many times did you fail your drivers test? None- I didn't miss one question!
38. From whom did you get your last email? A parent
39. Which store would you choose to max out your credit card? Um... Nordstrom, of course  

(See, there is no "S" at the end of Nordstrom... So, can we all just stop adding one? Thanks)




40. Do anything spontaneous lately? Sadly, no... unless you count the fact that I'm about to clean behind my fridge- that is a pretty spontaneous (and rare) occurrence at our house
41. Like your job? I love my job- I get to play with Harper (and several other darling little people), watch princess movies, blog, and study all day long. It's awesome. 
42. Broccoli? Broccoli is best when steamed
43. What was your favorite vacation? Japan Concert Tour 1999
44. Last person you went out to dinner with? Colty and friends
45. What are you listening to right now? Olivia- the one in which she takes ballet
46. What is your favorite color? Either mustard yellow or teal blue
47. How many tattoos do you have? None right now but I've been contemplating one...
48. Coffee drinker? Daily



















Tuesday, August 30, 2011

The Beauty Aisle: Convertible Hair and Travel Products

We took one of my mother-in-law's cars to Park City last Saturday. Colt didn't tell me that this was his plan until we arrived at their house. I was totally unprepared for a convertible ride through Parley's Canyon. When we pulled up to our hotel, my hair was a tangled mess. I didn't have time to comb it out so I just rocked convertible hair all night long. No big deal.


Luckily, I still had Harper's stuff in my bag (I didn't really unpack between St. George and Park City). I'm obsessed with her Suave Twirlin' Strawberry Detangler ( which is only $3, by the way). 

It smells delish and I use it on her everyday before I comb her hair. I often use it on my wet hair, too (I have my own detangler but hers smells way better). I have even used it on Hazelnut- it's perfect for getting the snarls out of her top knot and it makes her smell good in between baths. 

On Sunday morning, this stuff saved my life. I had no shampoo with me and only a few minutes to get ready before checking out. I sprayed this all over my hair (it's so cheap that I don't even worry about using too much) and combed out my convertible tangles with little effort. Thankfully, I was smart enough to keep an elastic with me for the ride home. 

Go ahead and judge me but I don't like convertibles. Maybe they are awesome and fancy for some people but for me, they are loud and windy (AND they tangle your hair). 

Anyway, here are a few of my favorite on-the-road products (I'm not really a light packer and have a hard time going without any of my favorites so I LOVE anything that comes in a travel size)...
Pureology comes in travel sizes. This is awesome because when I go to Vegas, I try to avoid checking a bag. These 2 oz. bottles meet carry-on regulations (if you don't already know, everything you carry on a plane has to be 3.4 ounces or less).

Hotel soap is yucky. Dove soap is not. 

Body splashes are perfect for freshening up after a long flight, drive, or day tour. I spray them all over my hair and clothes and it feels like I've had a mini shower. You can find a variety of travel size body sprays at Bath and Body Works ($5 each or 3 for $10). 

I'm really lazy about washing my face, especially when I'm on vacation. Hotel wash cloths feel like sandpaper and hotel water always seems to make my skin dry. Thus, I'm obsessed with Garnier's detoxifying wipes (around $5 for 25) because they take off mascara and make my face feel amazing. They are pre-moistened, so you don't even need to wait your turn for the sink in order to use them. 





Monday, August 29, 2011

A Weekend and a Winner

I'm home and I'm tired and unorganized. I need a day to rest and refresh. In the meantime, I'll leave you with some weekend photos...











Note: Harper wore her Ariel shirt to Tuachan. I bought her another one while we were waiting for the show to start. As soon as she saw it, she insisted (insisted = started taking her clothing off in front of everyone) on wearing it right away. What a girl, right? I absolutely love her.


I'm IN LOVE with this darling place. My nieces and I have officially named it our St. George breakfast spot. I think Harper liked it, too, mainly because she had a vanilla cupcake for breakfast.

This photo is a big part of my August focus word. Posting a photo of myself sans makeup and in yoga pants is a sure sign of acceptance. 





My dad treated my nieces and I each to a new purse (because he's a sweetie like that). I chose an Antonio Melani grandma bag (I know it's a grandma bag because a little old lady saw us buying it and said, "I was going to get that!" I'm pretty sure the little old lady in my soul was really proud.)




In summation, our weekend was awesome. 

Oh, and random.org gave me an 8, making Lilamore the winner! Congrats Brynn- I'll facebook you for your address. 

I'm off to get organized. I'll try to be super productive because I'm hoping to write the first Beauty Aisle post this afternoon. 



Sunday, August 28, 2011

Some Favorites, Part Three

Here are the last of my favorite posts. I'll be back tomorrow to tell you all about my weekend (and I know you can barely wait).

Did you know that I cried the first time I yelled at Harper. Read about it here

I was adopted when I was five (working on a post about my adoption story, I promise). I can't think too much about my birthparents without feeling frustrated. Read more about this here

When Harper was born, I became half hers. You can find out how I feel about that here

There was this one time that Harper's pumpkins made her feel like dancing and it was magical. Find out more here.

So now you've read some of my favorite posts. Or maybe you haven't? Either way, I hope that you've had a lovely weekend...

Now I'm excited to announce a new series. You may know that I had a beauty blog called Confessions of a Beauty Aisle Addict. I tried, and failed at, having two blogs. Still, I love beauty products, especially ones that I can buy at Target or the grocery store (Pureology aside, I don't like spending a lot on something that eventually just gets washed down the drain). Seriously, I'm a sucker for the beauty aisle.

It's not like I consider myself to be an expert in everything beauty... I'm just willing to try almost anything that comes in a bottle and promises to make me look prettier/younger/sexier/more amazing in every way.

A lot of people ask me for advice about makeup, skin care, and hair stuff (probably because I'm a beauty queen- or at least I was... about a decade ago) and I just love it when they do because I could talk about trying to be pretty all day long and my weekly trip to Target looks something like this...


I'm going to start a Beauty Aisle series on this blog. It's not going to be a regularly scheduled thing (because I don't do well with limitations). but I will write whenever I feel like I have something to say about new/favorite/yucky/totally awesome products.

If you want me to write about (or even try...) something specific, just ask. You can e-mail me at missabbya@gmail.com or find me on twitter (see side button). I'm hoping to put together some really solid Beauty Aisle guest posts as well (Whitney... I'm talking to you).


What do you think?

Saturday, August 27, 2011

Some Favorites, Part Two

It's Saturday. Today I'm driving home from St. George. I'm going to stop home, repack, regroup, and head to Park City for a night out with Colty and some great friends.

Speaking of Colty, did you know that we are newlyweds? We got married on January 14 and have had what could easily be the craziest first 8 months of marriage known to man. Newlywed life is different when you have a Harper and two dogs. It's different, but it's wonderful too.


  • Colt and I are still arguing over who had the best hair for our engagement photos (no, not really). You can go here to cast your vote. 



  • And some of our wedding day photos can be found here and here. We had a courthouse wedding and it was surprisingly not trashy. Actually, it was perfect. 

  • Harper was the cutest daughter of the bride. Proof of that can be found here



  • I love Colt and I love Harper. Being a mother was the most unexpected happiness I've ever experienced. I was surprised at how easy it was to become comfortable in motherhood. Read about that here. (This is probably one of my top ten favorite posts.)

Friday, August 26, 2011

Some Favorites, Part One

Hello and Happy Friday.

As you know, I'm off to St. George this morning. I'm going to have a great time.

I hope that you've got some exciting weekend plans as well.

Because really, weekends are for playing. I have a rule. I never clean on weekends. It's a good rule, don't you think?

This little blog has acquired a few new followers lately and I'd like to share some of my favorite past posts with them.

If you've been around a long time, bear with me... or just read the posts again because you know how super cool they are.

Anyway, each day this weekend, I'll spotlight a few of the posts that stick out most for me. They are most likely going to me my most emotional posts- posts about motherhood, adoption, and living with Diligent Joy.

Let's get started, shall we?


  • For Harper's first birthday, we made her a special box. It's called a wish box and it's sort of a time capsule. We filled it with letters, photos, and special items. We are saving it (and hopefully keeping it a secret) until her 18th birthday. You can read about and see the wish box here.



  • Wednesdays are always a bit long for me. Find out why here.



  • I love Harper... more about that here

  • Here is a list of some of the things I want to do before I die. Here is a better explanation of one of those things (and a favorite poem). 

Thursday, August 25, 2011

Tuacahn, Park City, and a Batiste Giveaway

The weekend is just about here and I'm oh! so excited because I'm going out of town not once, but twice, over the next few days.

Tomorrow, Harper and I are heading to St. George to meet up with my parents and nieces to see The Little Mermaid. For over a decade, the girls in my family have been making a yearly trip to Tuacahn and I'm so excited that Harper is joining us this year (my dad is also joining us for this show, which is further proof of just how much he loves Harper).

We've seen some really great shows, like South Pacific, Les Miserables, and Singing in the Rain. It's so fun to look back and think about how much we have all changed over the past ten years. Skye and Crystal (nieces) were just little texting-obsessed tweens when we started going. Now they are grown up college girls with jobs, babies (for one of them, at least), and boyfriends (some days, at least). Craziness. 

Here we are back in 2008, waiting to see The Sound of Music. 

I'll be home from St. George on Saturday, but not for long. Colt and I are heading to Park City for a night away with our friends. 

I'll be re-sharing some of my favorite posts during the days that I'm gone. 

I've had about a a dozen people ask me about dry shampoo. I use dry shampoo three or four times a week and I love it. The best advice I can give about it is that you shouldn't use too much. A little bit goes a really long way. Also, be sure that you don't hold the bottle too close to your head or else you're going to get too much product in one spot and it's going to look like your head is dusty. 

Most recently I've been using Dirty Little Secret from TIGI. It smells sort of funny but works really well. My favorite is Batiste. It comes in an old school green bottle and it's awesome. They have a pinkish bottle too, but I don't like the way it smells. You can find Batiste at Sally's, Ulta, or online.

For extra entries, you may tweet, blog, or facebook about the giveaway. Leave a separate comment for each along with a link back to your post. 

I hit the store last night to buy some more Batiste and thought it would be fun to do a giveaway. 

I'm giving away one bottle of Batiste. Leave a comment with your name, your e-mail address, and your favorite hair product.

You must be a Diligent Joy follower to enter.  

I'll use random.org to choose a winner on Monday at noon (MST). 





Wednesday, August 24, 2011

We Got a Camera and Went to Hogle Zoo without Expectations

One of the biggest parenting lessons that I have learned as a first-time mom is to avoid expectations (for both myself and Harper), mainly because they will never be fulfilled. For myself, I've learned to anticipate nothing when it comes to Harper's eating/sleeping patterns, her behavior, or her likes/dislikes, which change from day to day.

I can't expect Harper to NOT find and peel six bananas while I'm in the shower (true story, friends).

I can't expect Harper to leave all of her clothes on hangers (she just can't resist pulling them off and stuffing them in a drawer).

I can't expect Harper to behave just because we are in the library (she totally bitch-slapped me last time we went and it was so loud that people turned to stare...), a restaurant, or the store.

And just because Harper takes a two hour nap three days in a row doesn't mean I can expect one on day four any more than I can expect a "quick" trip to the store, a full night's sleep, or a stress-free photo session.

Harper had her photos with Rush Photography last night. I got her ready and headed to Hogle Zoo (great location, right? Animals, greenery, AND a carousel all in one location = perfect) and promised myself that I'd envisage nothing. I wasn't going to expect her to wear her bow the entire time or to leave the carousel without a tantrum and I certainly wasn't going to anticipate (I'd only hope, hope, hope) that she'd smile and be a willing participant in her two-year-old photos.

I'm happy (and oh, so proud of Harper!) to say that all of my hopes (not expectations... because remember... I didn't have any) were fulfilled with last night's shoot. Harper loves Hogle Zoo and therefore didn't cry once during our entire visit. She just marched around (Whitney and I did our best to keep up), looking at animals and having a good time. She rode the carousel twice and got off with no fight. She was a bit stubborn and didn't give us as many cheesy smiles as we asked (and made fools of ourselves) for but otherwise, she was perfect.

So was Whitney. The great thing about Whitney is that she pretty much never sleeps and so she went home last night and worked on sorting and editing Harper's photos. Lucky me woke up to a little sneak peek this morning. Thanks, Whit! I the photos so far and I love you (but you already knew that, I hope).



By the way... that navy dress wasn't always navy. It used to be a deliciously pretty, peachy color. Then it got a stain. I couldn't part with it so I dyed it navy. See, sometimes I'm sort of domestic...ish.
Me, circa 2008 (I think this was the day my dress got stained)

Tuesday, August 23, 2011

Like Mother, Like Daughter

Harper and I are together everyday and so it's to be assumed that she is constantly learning from me and my undeniable awesomeness. 

Obviously, I'm an excellent example because Harper has already learned how important it is to leave the house in style. To be more specific, she has learned...
  • To never leave the house without a purse full of junk you will probably not need (for me, band aids, an umbrella, and travel deodorant... for Harper, an Ariel doll, a book, and empty gift cards).
  • That a yummy drink makes for an excellent accessory (I nearly always have a drink of some sort). It works for the Olsen twins and their Starbucks cups (which, I think, might be glued to their hands) and it works for Harper and her sippy cup. 
  • That socks are completely uncomfortable and totally optional.
  • That cute shoes are an absolute necessity. Flip flops are not considered a proper form of footwear at our house (unless we are going to the pool). We prefer converse sneakers and ballet flats around here.
  • That, if you're cute enough, you can pair a t-shirt with a fancy skirt and pull it off. Harper  rocks the casual-girly look almost every day (a style that she totally ripped off from me, by the way). 

The One in Which I Answer My Own Questions

Someone asked if I would respond to the guest post questions myself. Here goes...

A Philosophy- WE ALWAYS HAVE A CHOICE. Nearly everything in life is a choice, especially when it comes to our own state of mind. We can choose to be happy or we can choose to be sad. We have the choice between a good day and a bad one. While we may not be able to control outside events, we always have a say in how we react to them. We can greet each day- each changing moment- with a smile or with a frown. It's up to us. Diligent Joy isn't easy but it's a choice worth making. It's nice to know that I have control over my emotional and physical state, regardless of outside people/circumstances.

A Heroine- Ellen Degeneres, because she is brave, funny, and unwilling to be anyone but herself. And even though she killed Hedwig, I love JK Rowling.

A Dream- To write for money. (Ad space on my blog doesn't count.)

A Commitment- My family- Colt, Harper, Hazel, Tucker... I'm committed to them, heart and soul. I saw a wall hanging (I'm not normally a quotes-on-the-wall kind of girl but I almost bought this one and might go back for it) at Kneader's the other day that sums up how I feel about my little family: "Find something that you'd die for and live for it." Right now, amidst the chaos of puppies, potty training, and being a newlywed, I'm living for these two.
Colt and Harper leaving Squatters last Sunday

A Love- Learning. Raphael said "To know is to equal." I truly love to learn. Some people craft. Some people cook. Some people play golf. I learn. I'm trying to cram as much information into my head as I can before I become old and senile.

A Quote- "Choosing doubt as a philosophy of life is akin to choosing immobility as a means of transportion" from The Life of Pi by Yann Martel (a favorite book of mine and one that I almost always suggest before anything else).

A Favorite- Liquid fabric softener (most preferably Lavender-Vanilla Downy): It can be more of a hassle than dryer sheets but it's worth it. I love the way it makes our laundry smell. I'm not a big perfume person. I like to smell clean, like soap, lotion, and fabric softener.

So there you have it.

It's going to be a good week around here as we try to soak up as much summer as we possibly can.

Harper is having her photos taken with Rush Photography tonight and I'm so excited about both her outfit and the location we chose (stay tuned for some serious cuteness). We've also got a trip to Tuacahn and another staycation in PC with our friends this week. There will be plenty of walks, swims, playground visits, and ice cream runs as well, I'm sure.

Could summer just never end?

Monday, August 22, 2011

Go Ahead Harper... Eat the Whole Bucket

Remember how I'm focusing on acceptance in August? No? Well you can catch up here.

Anyway, it's going really well. It's a struggle and was certainly a long time coming, but I'm trying. It's hard to break the awful cycle of food/weight/exercise obsession. I've been eating little meals every three or four hours and I can honestly say that my body feels amazing. I eat fresh produce, granola bars, raisin bran, peanut butter sandwiches, edamame, and I have half of a Naked juice almost every day. I feel energetic and content (for me, content is a really big deal when it comes to body image) and surprisingly, my body looks the same, if not better.

This might all sound a bit silly to you but for me, this is a monumental step forward. I've been dieting and stressing over food since I was a little girl. I've done terrible things to my body and I've let scale numbers rule the roost for far too long.

As it turns out, this is one of the best gifts I've ever received. It's made me so happy.

I'm so happy to be enjoying food with the people that I love (for a long time, I'd just watch while others ate... lame... I know).

I'm so happy to finally let go of ridiculously unrealistic expectations (I replaced all of those "old self" jeans with a nice pile of "awesome self" ones, just so you know).

I'm so happy to have the energy to practice yoga everyday.

I'm so happy to know that by taking this huge step, I've become a better example for Harper. I don't want her to grow up in a house where women measure their self-worth by size and weight. I want her to grow up in a house where delicious and healthy food is abundant and movement (yoga, dance partying, exercising) is a habit.

I also want her to know that it's totally okay to eat an entire bucket of popcorn at the movie theater, which is exactly what she did when I took her to her first movie yesterday afternoon.

(I would like for Harper to know that it's not okay to eat popcorn off the theater floor once your bucket is empty. We all have limits and floor popcorn is one of mine. I'm never going to accept floor popcorn.)

Harper and I went to see Winnie the Pooh and we both loved it (Harper may have loved the popcorn more than the actual movie, but that's understandable since movie popcorn is so yummy).

Harper thought that she was pretty fancy to be going to her first movie ever and wouldn't even sit on my lap. She tried the seats on either side of me. She tried the seats in front of us. She even tried the very front row. Yet she refused my lap. I guess that if you're old enough to go to a movie, you're too old for mommy's lap.

Obviously, Harper was excited about her first movie.

The best part about the new Pooh movie (well besides the pure cuteness of Harper laughing at it...)? Zooey Deschanel singing the theme song. I seriously love her and the minute I heard her voice during the opening credits, I wanted to stand up and clap. I didn't, however, because clapping in movies is always a no-no (that applies to Harry Potter movies as well, my friends. I was excited when Bellatrix got what she deserved too, but I didn't clap).
Girl crush? Yeah. I think so.

The good news is that if we aren't in public, Harper isn't too big for my lap. When we got home from the movie and an overdue trip to the market, we were exhausted and just wanted to enjoy the air conditioning (was yesterday hot or what?). We watched Snow White and we snuggled and it was wonderful.
I'm not always sleepy, I promise.
I just have "tired eyes" almost all the time.
I've tried a plethora of treatments/creams.
I'm drinking water and getting a lot of sleep.
I'm sleeping on a satin pillowcase.
I don't know what else to do.
If you have any suggestions for me, please leave a comment.
I'd really like for my "sleepy eyes" to take a hike.