April 20, 2012

"OOOOVALTINE???" If you heard that and can't help but hear Young Frankenstein in your head, welcome to my mind. Haha. Eric seldomly requests anything from the grocery store... so when he does, I'm sure to get it. He piped up and asked for some Ovaltine, his favorite, which we are now both addicted to. Best chocolate milk ever. I've never met someone that loves chocolate milk as much as Eric does.

April 19, 2012

The brilliant solution for Bailey the gate-jumping escape artist. Take that monkey dog!

April 18, 2012

After a solid NINE months, I FINALLY got a haircut. I didn't realize what a difference it makes until I had it cut. And now it looks so much nicer and cleaner and less scragely... I don't know if that's even a word. But I like it. All one length, getting rid of the layers. Bada bing!

April 17, 2012

Remember this poor little guy? Once upon a time it was a stuffed football. Bailey has diminished it to a pathetic little rag. The funny part it, even with no stuffing and no squeaker, it is STILL her favorite toy. She still whips it around and carries it around the house... and I don't have the heart to throw it away. Haha

April 16, 2012

I hardly ever paint my nails because the nail polish only lasts about a day and a half before it starts to look aweful. But I do like to have my toes painted in the summer... and summer is a comin!! This season we'll start off with.... purple!

April 15, 2012

One of the most amusing things I've ever seen is watching Bailey play with a waterbottle. She pounces on it, which sends it flying across the room, and then she chases after it and pounces on it again. She tries to bite at it, but her mouth isn't quite big enough to get a good grip around the middle, which makes it extra entertaining. She would play with it for hours but we have to take it away from her after she starts putting holes in it so that she doesn't cut her gums up. Eric would like to add that this is a Mountain Dew bottle and that makes it even funnier. Do the Dew Bailey.

April 14, 2012

Today is our 6 month-iversary! I can't believe Eric and I have been married for 6 months already. The time has flown. Man, life couldn't be better! We are so happy and we are better friends than ever. Living with my best friend and sharing my life with him is the greatest thing in the world! I love spending time with Eric, going on dates with him, staying up late talking, cooking together, saving together, and living together as self-proclaimed "poor people". Granted, it's not always easy; we've had misunderstandings and hurt feelings on occasion, but I'm so grateful to have a best friend that is so easy to talk to and to work side by side with. We've always been able to stop and talk about things and make things right with each other before it ever escalates into a fight. That's because Eric is the best. I know the Lord helps us immensely, but I think between the two of us it's like 90% Eric's awesomeness and 10% my attempt at awesomeness that makes up this unbeatable team. I have the most incredible husband in the world.
I decided today's picture would be my Irish Claddagh ring. I've had it for years and years, and I really love the symbolism and the heritage because I'm part Irish. The heart symbolizes love, the hands mean friendship, and the crown stands for loyalty. The heart is worn facing inward on your finger if your heart is taken. (You might have noticed, my heart happens to be taken. Haha) I didn't turn the ring around until Eric and I were married, and I'll never turn it out again. Eric has my heart today and always. 6 months going on eternity with my bestest bud!!!

April 13, 2012

I promised these ladies I wouldn't put these pictures on Facebook, which I haven't, and I won't. But since I'm kind of pushing it a little by putting this picture on my blog, these girls will remain anonymous; partly for their protection... but mostly for my protection from them. ;) Haha. Tonight I threw Macy a spa party/bridal shower, and it was a blast!! We had so much fun together as girls and it was pretty relaxing as well. This was the first time I've ever put cucumbers on my eyes. Haha. Great party. Macy has some fabulous friends. :)

April 12, 2012

Rainy day today. I think 9 times out of 10 I would take a rainy day over a sunny one. I love the rain, I love the look of rainclouds, and I LOVE thunder and lightning storms. I have a border-line creepy love for power outages too. Sigh. Glad I got that out of my system. To me the rain is beautiful and kind of... therapeutic or something. I love it.

April 11, 2012

My newest passion is a station I made on Pandora that plays mostly cello and piano pieces. It's classical and a little contemporary at the same time. I love it because it's relaxing and soft. There's so much noise around me all day every day. I love this music as a break from screaming photographers, loud music, and busy busy busy life. Ahhh. Peace at last. :)

April 10, 2012

This is kind of a before and after shot. You have to see the picture I posted of Bailey in the laundry basket back in February when she was barely poking out the top... and then compare it to this one. She now takes up the entire basket, and still loves sitting in the warm clothes just as much. Haha

April 9, 2012

Eric and I are working on booking a late honeymoon/1st anniversary cruise for this October. We went to St. George for a little honeymoon when we got married so that we could save up to go on a "real" honeymoon later. Originally we had planned to go on this cruise in June, but now Eric is going to take classes so we're moving it to October. We're sooooo excited and we've been saving our guts out for 6 months and counting. We have regular savings and travel savings so that we can go on vacations together. Traveling is something that both Eric and I love the very most. So we're both pretty eager and pretty great about saving up to go on adventures. We're just waiting for the ok from both of our bosses, and then we're booking this 12-night cruise to EUROPE!! I'm finally going to Italy! I've always wanted to go to Italy more than anywhere else in the world. I can't even tell you how excited I am!   

April 8, 2012

Eric and I cooking Easter dinner! Okay so I know I've mentioned how much I love cooking, but I don't know if I've mentioned how much MORE I love cooking with Eric! He is quite the chef you know and we make quite the chef team. :) It's hard to tell in this picture, but Eric can't cook at my parents' house without wearing what has become "his" trusty zebra rainbow apron. It takes a real man to wear a zebra rainbow apron, that's for sure. ;)

April 7, 2012

Hammond Family Easter Party! The Easter Bunny came while all of us kids went to pick up Kneaders. We got home and what a suprise we found! There were easter eggs everywhere and as is his tradition, the Easter Bunny left us clever rhyming clues as a treasure hunt to find our Easter baskets. We had a lot of fun figuring out the most clever riddles yet, and running around the house collecting eggs! I love this tradition!

April 6, 2012

Today I pulled out my DSLR camera and I was playing around with it in the backyard. That night Eric showed me how smart he is... cuz he can work a fancy DSLR too. Haha this is is picture... which I am putting up pretty reluctantly. He told me that he has counted how many pictures each of us are in on this blog, and that I've put up way more pictures of him than I have of me. (well duh, he IS the handsome one after all!) This is his revenge.

April 5, 2012

Eric has been reading the Hunger Games series. Haha! I've been trying to get him to read the books for over a year now... and now that the first movie came out he decided he is interested in the books after all. So he reads them at work during his night shifts. I think he finished all 3 books in a little over a week. He likes 'em. ;)

April 4, 2012

Tonight for our date night Eric and I dyed Easter eggs. They turned out pretty cute!

April 3, 2012

Bailey and I had a nice time playing outside today! We went for a long walk around the neighborhood and thoroughly enjoyed the warm spring weather. Then we played around in the yard for a while. This top picture makes me laugh because it looks so cute and playful... when really Bailey is just reaching to the furthest extent of her chain because I'm just out of her reach. Haha. She's a funny pup!

April 2, 2012

After 6 months, Eric and I decided again that our grocery budget is too low and it's not reasonable. Haha sure we've been saving all this money every month, but we always have an empty fridge by the third week in the month and we've been widdling away at the food in what was once a well-stocked pantry. So, we raised the grocery limit. And now our pantry is restocked, our tummies are happier, and we're still saving plenty of money each month. Yay for food all month-round!! ;)

April 1, 2012

Happy General Conference! We woke up and all had Sunday breakfast together before the morning session of conference started. It was a wonderful day with family and conference was great!

March 31, 2012

Girls Night! It's conference weekend so we sent the boys to Priesthood meeting and went out to dinner and a movie together! Tonight's movie was Mirror Mirror, a funny rendition of Snow White with Julia Roberts as a fabulous wicked queen. It was so fun to spend time with my mom and my sisters!

March 30, 2012

Lately I've been a little obsessed with this game on my I-touch called Draw Something. You log in through Facebook and you pick from a list of 3 things to attempt to draw for a friend. The friend has to guess what it is from a scrambled up list of letters and then draws something back for you to guess. And you get points! It's been pretty entertaining... although I think it will be a short-lived obsession. Lol.

March 29, 2012

Since Eric works nights now, Bailey has graduated from her kennel and she sleeps with me when Eric is gone. So I still have someone to cuddle with, and it keeps me from getting lonely. :) It's nice to have our landlord and his family upstairs too so that I feel safer when I'm home alone at night. Good thing I have Bailey to protect me!

March 28, 2012

Well, Eric has finished watching all of the Psych episodes, so he's moved on to a new Netflix TV show. This one is 'Saved by the Bell'.... does anyone remember that show? It was popular in the 80's. I guess Eric's older brother Michael watched it back in the day. Why he's deciding to watch them again now? I don't know. But it's pretty funny to watch the hairdos and clothing styles. It's also interesting to see how different this show is from TV now. The high school kids are all respectful to their parents and their teachers, none of the teenages are pregnant or sleeping with each other. No one does drugs or gets drunk. What a sad difference 30 years has made. It's good to have a nice wholesome TV show! :)

March 27, 2012

Eric would like everyone to see and appreciate his manly beard before he shaves it off for Macy's wedding in a few weeks. :) He pulls it off pretty nicely eh? I think after working at the Garden for so many years where they don't allow beards, then serving a mission, then going back to the Garden for a few more years he's just reveling in finally being allowed to grow a beard. He looks dang handsome either way. :)

March 26, 2012

Bailey LOVES to stick her head out the window when we ride in the car. One time I was driving to pick Eric up from the hospital and she kept pushing her nose against the window and looking at me like, 'Come on mom, please???' I laughed and rolled down the window a little. It was kind of chilly. But she got all excited so I rolled it down the rest of the way. For the rest of the ride to the hospital she hung out the window shivering... but she was having so much fun she wouldn't put her head back inside. Haha.

March 25, 2012

It's 2:51pm. Eric has been working night shifts for a few days now. He leaves the house at 6:15pm and gets home at 8:00 in the morning. Then he goes to bed and I try really hard to be quiet and to keep Bailey quiet so that he can sleep. I don't know how he does it. If he had to be completely nocturnal it would be one thing, but he only works 3 shifts of 12 hours per week, so 3 nights a week he's awake all night and then 4 nights a week he's supposed to sleep at night. If I tried to do that my body would totally freak out and my immune system would quit on me. Well good thing Eric is Superman and he's capable of all kinds of feats like that.

March 24, 2012

I have had Jack Johnson's banana pancake song stuck in my head for DAYS!! Unfortunately we were out of bananas, but I did make us some pancakes for breakfast this morning. :)

March 23, 2012

Happy Birthday Eric!! 24 today! Sadly, Eric had to work all day on his birthday, so I picked him up at from the hospital at 8:00 in the evening and when he got home we had a fancy dinner together. I also made him boston creme pie, which turned out pretty good! The sweet girls that live upstairs helped me hang crepe paper and balloons and it turned out to be a lovely little party for 2! I gave Eric a ClearPlay DVD player for his birthday (and for my birthday haha). We're pretty excited about it because now we can watch edited movies! The choices are limitless! :) So grateful to have such an incredible husband. Happy birthday my love!

March 22, 2012

I discovered when I got home from the grocery store today that Bailey can now jump over the baby gate that supposedly barricaded her in the kitchen. So instead of making it easy to clean up poop off of the linoleum, she jumped over the gate, decided she couldn't hold it until I got home from the store, and pooped on the carpet. Great. Well, I guess we'd better invent a new barricading contraption.

March 21, 2012

Okay, one more tribute to spring. The tulips blooming outside our house are GORGEOUS. Somehow I think I tend to be so much more grateful in the spring... even more than around Thanksgiving. There are just so many more beautiful things around to be grateful for! Makes me want to go for a walk and smell all the flowers along the way!

March 20, 2012

It's SPRINGTIME!!! I LOVE spring. It's starting to get warmer, the trees are all in bloom, and the weather has been gorgeous. Ahhhh.

March 19, 2012

Tonight my family took Eric and I out to dinner to celebrate Eric's upcoming 24th birthday! We went to Olive Garden, ratted him out, and all the waiters sang. :) Happy Birthday honey! (Eric and I have this running joke that I say Happy Birthday or Merry Christmas or Happy Valentine's Day to him about 400 times in a day... and on his birthday this extends through the whole week.)

March 18, 2012

One of my greatest weaknesses is chocolate chip cookies. Milk chocolate chips. Fresh baked. Warm. Right out of the oven. They might just be my downfall. When I make them I have to make only half a dozen so that I don't eat 12 cookies in one sitting. Even with 6 it takes a lot of will power to save some for Eric. Haha

March 17, 2012

Now that we have remotes for the TV, the VCR/DVD player, the XBOX, the Wii, AND our new ClearPlay DVD player... I understand why the Universal remote was invented. Haha. Fortunately with only 2 of us, we haven't lost a remote yet. lol

March 16, 2012

We're pretty proud of our little pup. The house-broken Bailey is teething now and she has not chewed up ANYTHING in the house. She goes to TOWN on her raw hide bones, and the rest of the house and all of the furniture and shoes are spared. I guess we were smart to get after her when she tried to knaw on things during her first few days here. She's learned only to chew on her toys and bones. Eric and I both agree that we'll happily buy her bottomless bags of raw hide bones to encourage her to keep it up! So you'll never find our house without plenty of bones on hand!

March 15, 2012

I love Willow Tree figurines. I gathered these from all over the house to take a picture. I've collected them over the years. I gave the one in the center to Eric when we were engaged. It's called 'Promise'. They're all pretty meaningful to me.

March 14, 2012

Today Eric dropped me off at work and then headed down to spend the day working with my dad. They work together occasionally and I'm pretty thrilled that they have such a fun time. Eric loves the manual labor for a change and they've had some pretty good conversations as well. This is them working over at the metal shop. Bailey got to come along and play in her very own playpen that my dad rigged up for her. :)

March 13, 2012

Tonight for date night we made Snickerdoodles in our pajamas. :) The only thing better than cooking with Michael Buble singing is cooking with Eric. It adds a lot of humor, some smooching, and good fun. I'm pretty sure we're laughing in this picture because Eric had just balled up the biggest Snickerdoodle I'd ever seen. Haha.

March 12, 2012

I LOVE cooking. I'm glad cooking didn't end up being my profession because I worried it would take the fun out of it. I have a minor in culinary arts and those were some of the funnest classes I ever took. There's something therapeutic to me about listening to some good music, putting on an apron, and getting lost in a recipe... or 3 recipes at once. I just love it.

March 11, 2012

I don't think I've ever mentioned this. In our ward Eric and I are sunday school teachers for the 16-18-year-olds. Crazy huh? It's pretty fun. Definitely has its challenges, but it's great. There's nothing more rewarding than to have a REAL discussion with those youth, watch them think instead of regurgitating primary answers, and then have them make honest comments and watch them start to really apply the gospel to their lives. It makes me really happy.

March 10, 2012

Confession: I am really not all that great at this photo journal thing. I had this goal to be the perfect photo journaler and take a picture every day for a year. Well let's be honest... I failed at that within the first 2 weeks of this project. I seem to be getting progressively worse at it... Here's a great example shown above. Sometimes I get so behind taking pictures I have to chart out the month, write out what days I have pictures for, and then figure out what to take pictures of for the missing days. So I'm not the dream photo journal blogger I hoped I would be... but I'm NOT giving up. This thing WILL last for a year... even if I have to cheat a little to make it happen. We're documenting our lives. I guess that's what matters. :)

March 9, 2012

One of our favorite wedding presents is our crock pot. (Thank you Sean and Melissa!!) I LOVE this thing! It's so stinkin easy and it makes the tastiest meals ever! Today's date night meal is Tortilla Soup... which turned out to be absolutely DELICIOUS! My favorite crock pot meal yet. Want the recipe?
4 boneless skinless chicken breasts
2 14-oz cans chicken broth
2 10-oz cans RoTel diced tomatoes with lime & cilantro (I used the kind with habanero instead for a little spiciness and then added fresh cilantro instead)
1 cup corn (frozen or canned)
4 garlic cloves, minced
1 Tbs. chili powder
1 tsp. cumin
1 tsp. Tabasco sauce (I don't really like Tabasco. I recommend Chalula or Sriracha hot sauce)
1 tsp. each salt and pepper
1 cup enchilada sauce
Combine all ingredients in slow cooker. I put the chicken in totally frozen and it's completely cooked through when it's done. Cook on high 3-4 hours or low 7-8 hours. Serve with broken tortilla chips and garnishes like shredded cheese, sour cream, guacamole, fresh chopped cilantro, sliced olives, diced tomatoes, and lime juice!! ENJOY!!

March 8, 2012

Eric is currently sort of... obsessed with this show called 'Psych'. It's a funny TV show about a REALLY observant guy who pretends to be a psychic so that the cops don't think he was an accomplice for all the crimes he kept calling in tips about. The police buy the phony psychich thing and hire him on case by case as a 'psychic detective'. Well, 5 seasons later he's still keeping up the gig and Eric is watching all the episodes on Netflix. I join him for some of them, and they're pretty funny and interesting. Kind of Sherlock Holmes-ish.

March 7, 2012

I got home from work today and Eric had cleaned the whole house! He vacuumed, swept, mopped, cleaned the bathroom, did the dishes, sanitized the kitchen... what a great husband. I think he did it mostly out of the goodness of his heart... and partially to sanitize the house of all the sick germs that I got everywhere. Lol.

March 6, 2012

One of me and Eric's goals for our marriage is to go on a date every week. It doesn't have to be extravagant or even cost anything, just spending quality alone time together on an official date. A lot of the time we make dinner and then watch a movie together. In fact, I got pretty lucky to marry someone who enjoys movies as much as I do. Whether it's Netflix, and old favorite, or a borrowed DVD, you can't go wrong with a good cuddly movie night date!

March 5, 2012

Made it back to work today... and oh what a memorable day!! There I was, chasing little kids around and taking pictures as usual. I sat down on the concrete steps trying to convince a toddler to come sit by me and play with Elmo when I noticed the steps felt unusually cold on my bum. I put my hand on my back pocket to find a big hole in my jeans right on my bum!! Oh no!! It wasn't anything I could really cover up with my shirt and no one had a jacket I could tie around my waist... so I got creative. I pulled out one of the thinner blankets we use for newborns, folded it in half and tied it around my waist. It looked like a really strange fashion statment. I asked Macy (who now works at FotoFly... surprise!) if it looked ridiculous. She said, "Well... it sort of looks like you're wearing a prayer shawl." Everyone laughed at me for the rest of the day. But you've gotta do what you've gotta do! Good times.

When I got home that night Eric thought it would be fun to "help me" retire the jeans. So he made the hole bigger, decided it was pretty fun, and soon the jeans were barely hanging on me. And that's when Bailey jumped in on the fun. Haha. Goodbye faithful jeans.

March 4, 2012

It's Sunday. Bailey and I barely got off the couch all day. I didn't make it to church because I'm still wiped out by whatever this freak monster cold is. I have felt a lot more justified though because now I've heard of a few other people that got the same thing I have. They didn't get out of bed for days either. Not your run-of-the-mill cold I tell you! This is a monster!! ...but it sure is nice to have Bailey as my couch buddy.