And Done!

Back to where we once belonged!!!!

So we have moved out of the Town home in Herriman and are between places until we can get everything all situated. It should be an interesting week. We will be house sitting/dog sitting Thursday to Monday as Cam and Jeff will be living it up in Mexico. Their kids will be with Papa Dave flying solo as Gaye will be in Cedar City helping Stuke and Pink. He's getting his hip replaced (say a prayer for him whoever reads this please).

Don't worry Cam we'll be running interference for the "Swing Shift" so the Princess and the Three Musketeers don't tie dad up and stuff him in the pantry while they eat nothing but gummy bears.

The only ones that have it normal, if you can call any of us "normal" is the Gardner crew. This week isn't too crazy no big concerts no huge recordings just the regular teach lessons work hard and in the middle of it all raise two cute chicas.


So all in all its Jr. Platts with Sr. Platts till the dust settles and we find a new place. Here is the happy crew and to reference McCartney one more time it feels good to be back where we once belonged.



Posted by Micah!!

P.S. Thanks to Gaye and Dave Friday night for helping us pack, and Brit for helping us clean the townhome on Saturday!! You guys are the best! My dad said it was like he was helping all along because he let us use the truck and trailer...we'll have to ask Gaye, Dave, and Brit about that one ;) ha ha.

Tawni

Vinyl Calendar and Random

So I finally got to take pictures! Here's what we have been using for our home organization, it's worked great, but gets crowded!

I found this vinyl calendar, and fell in love! Just put it in a floating frame and voila!

Here's lil' miss Halle! She's just turned 3 and her parents are great friends of ours. They decided to let us watch her on wednesday, and yes she got spoiled :)

I especially love her smiles! She's such a "doodle-bopper"!

Here's the two hats I crocheted! Yes I can be domestic ;)

vinyl sayings

Warning: This is humorous to Micah and I, but some may find it offensive. But we thought this might be our next vinyl saying in our bedroom... ok ok maybe not. But we did get a few good laughs out of it!

We did get this great calendar, but I keep forgetting to take a picture of it! But we just bought a floating frame and put it in between the glass, and now we have an amazing 16x20 calendar that we can use dry erase markers!

•Getting Domestic•

Visiting my nieces and nephews yesterday night, one of them asked what I did for work. I paused and explained simple receptionist duties; answer the phone, answer simple questions, do the mailing, quote potential customers with auto-owners (micah's work), and of course tease everyone I can there.

But anyone who has been a receptionist knows that there is sometimes "down-time" between calls, and quotes. So I have had to fill in some of the void with a talent my Aunt Karla has taught me this past summer...CROCHETING!

I love how you can just pick up yarn and a hook and take it anywhere with you. I've been trying to find some crocheting patterns and here's the ones I'm working on:

I've finished this one and it's up with Kairie now, I have to get a picture of it on her still. It's brown with a cream flower.
I'm finishing this one up today, Micah had a great idea of putting a tiny flower on the ears, or ribbon.

And my latest find?!? I'm so excited about this one...Baby boots. Adorable.

Ha ha poor Kairie, she's going to be all crocheted out when I'm done. Ha ha. Atleast there adorable ;)

•1 Bed 1 Bath•

Sorry not a very good pic of our new place! After much searching we have a winner, a 1 bedroom 1 bath apartment. We found it while we were driving around Micah's work. We were getting really frustrated because all the nice and new places were income restricted. Which gets me mad because we're either stuck with a $1000 apartment that's new, or a $500 that is just crappy, and we might get a disease from living in it.

We're really happy with this place, it's in a great location (11400 S State Street) near the SouthTowne Mall, theatres, Nordstrom Rack, Micah's work, close to the freeway. They also have a racquetball room, and basketball room in the clubhouse.

But I am sacrificing storage. Remember our place now? If not let me remind you, I had soooo much storage I had 3 junk drawers (which I condensed down to 1 1/2) a pantry, a big hallway closet, a big laundry room with shelves, a guest bedroom closet, a walk-in master closet, tons of kitchen cabinets, and an attached garage.

Here's the master closet we have now (to the right is Micah's side that you can walk to):

This isn't the exact picture of the closet at the apartments. This is what it looks like...minus the bottom rod... and the walk-in part.

Now most of you (especially Shaughnessy right now) know me and clothes, and shoes, and purses, I need lots of closet space. This is a sacrifice I am willing to make to save $300 a month, and even more considering our utilities. Will I make it?! I don't have that answer right now. My head is spinning with the lack of storage in the apartment, and where all of our stuff is going to fit. But we'll make it! It may not look like a nice, clean, modern house with everything in its place, but I'm totally ok with that!!

But I may need some words of encouragement... ha ha.

• Hit or Miss •

We've been trying some new things lately (we're adventurous) and here's our review on them:

MISS: Aquafresh Foaming Toothpaste.

Since it's foaming it kept leaking out some after we were done (like hair mousse) leaving a mess in my drawer! It also didn't last too long since I couldn't squeeze more out of it, like a regular toothpaste tube.

#2: HIT: Member's Mark Laundry Detergent

Cost us $13 instead of the regular laundry detergent we usually get which is Gain for $18. Plus we are loving the smell, and we're going "green" with it being EcoResponsible!

#3: MISS: Bounce Dryer Bar

Great idea, because I sometimes forget to throw in the dryer sheets. But the only problem was there was static! I got tired of shocking Micah every time I went to go touch him! Back to dryer sheets :)

#4: HIT: Trident Layers Gum

Soo yummy, it's Bubbalicious for adults! Taste lasts forever, and I love the commercial :)

Has anyone tried any of these things?! Or what's a hit or miss that you've tried lately?!

cutting costs

Of course one our New Year's Resolutions this year was to pay off debts and save some $$$. So after some long discussions and sit down family budgeting we have come to the conclusion that we will move (sad face) to an apartment, and become a one car family (happy face).

We love love love where we're living right now, I love the open feeling, the storage, the attached garage, the neighbors that mind their own business, and ahhh...the kitchen :)

But I don't love the commute I have for work. I leave at 10:20 a.m. to get to work by 11:00, and that's a risk because I either hit all green (yeah! early to work) or all red (boo! cutting it close to being late for work). Then there's the additional gas money (yuck), HOA (again yuck), and the thermostat that is just retarded.

We knew when we were moving in this past Fall that it was a luxury, a luxury that we were ok with. We also didn't know where I was going to end up working, so couldn't plan distances between both our jobs. But after much family budgeting meetings (and I mean ALOT) we were looking at how much we were paying for something we didn't own, and how much we could be saving!!

Now I'm not totally excited about living in an apartment again...actually I'm still trying to wrap my head around this. Our very first place as a couple was an apartment and we had issues...mold to be exact. Then there was the walk up the flight of the stairs. But after looking at the numbers I have to set my feelings aside!! (I keep telling myself ha ha) and face the fact that we are still just starting out, and saving more money is definitely worth it!

Plus we will be a one car family, meaning a newer Nissan Altima maybe?! Ha ha just kidding! Our focus is on where we'll be living first!

30 Meals In One Day

We did an experiment today. Thankfully I have an AMAZING hubby who will help me with my random project, and thankfully I have great in-laws who will support and help us :)

This is a program/book called "30 Meal in One day". It's fabulous. I ended up buying both the CD software and the book. The book helps you with insider tips, and with first timers.
Another one of my New Year's Resolutions was cooking more for Micah. Since I work until 5 Monday-Friday I rarely get to have dinner ready for Micah, so this is an experiment to see if it will be worth it to do it again next month.

Seriously, great in-laws like Gaye and David is what every marriage needs!! I mean who would let you come over and turn there nice and neat home into this:

Even the messy Micah-man couldn't believe it!

So...I did help cook, but I was definitely not photogenic today. And I was stuck on clean up duty in between recipes. Here's Micah putting together the manicotti recipe.

Here's some of our finished recipes! Yeah!

We started at 11:3o a.m. and we completed 28 meals before 6 p.m. Wasn't even all that hard! Much easier than cooking each meal by itself on the day you eat it, not to mention the motivation to think of a recipe, go get the ingredients for that single meal, and cook it.

Here's some of the meals we have: Cheese Manicotti, BBQ beef and Biscuits, Brown Sugar Pork Ribs, Chicken Tortillini Soup, Simply Lasagna, Tuna Bowtie Pasta, Navajo Tacos, Mexican Lasagna, Cream Cheese Chicken, Oven Stew, Meat Loaf and Potatoes, Chicken Tortilla (with peas...oops).

We finished cleaning the kitchen and washing all the dishes at 6:50 p.m. and even Micah's mom was impressed as she has dealt with Micah's experiments! I'm a pretty good influence on him...if I do say so myself ;)

Et Voila!! Freezer full of 28 meals and ready to heat, eat, and go! Hardest problem is going to be letting Micah only eat one a day! Because they all taste so good, yes we sampled them all.

Oh and our budget: Book and CD: $39, groceries $78- but we did have help with Platt Food Pantry, so we guess that it would have cost us $150 if we couldn't shop in their food storage. Average cost of each meal, even with the CD and Book = $6.75 with atleast 2 servings per meal, some with up to 6 servings.

Pretty fun project. We'll let you know if this will be a re-occuring activity ;) Oh by the way, we are sick of chopping onions and cooking! So we ate fast food tonight!

One more post below...if interested!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Busy Week

I'm so tired. Really really tired. My back is sore, feet, mouth (the mouth is explained further down in this post), just exhausted. I have the organization of my house 3/4 completed, I cleaned out the pictures on my laptop this week, which took surprisingly a lot longer than I thought. I have excercised 3 times this week, but due to some set backs I have to take it a little easier... I have to remember not to just jump into running. I HATE that I can't, when I start up running again I want to do it a lot, but my right foot doesn't like it. I had a stress fracture last Spring due to aerobic kickboxing, and I started to feel the start of it again, so I stayed away from the running and it's feeling better.

Since this is a blog of our lives, and my random thoughts I had one on tuesday this week. I was waiting at a light, and since we live in Salt Lake area the lights take a little longer than little Logan, so I usually put my car in neutral and skim through my ipod songs. Well as I was sitting there the Chevy Tahoe that was in front of me just throws there ice cream wraper right outside there WINDOW!!! Can you believe that?! I was really angered by this. I was about to honk, and yell out my window and say some not so nice things, but then the light changed green.

Littering. Ugh. Can't even stand people who do this. I think people who litter are just lazy, dirty, and not responsible. The worst part is that I could see that this certain individual had children. So sad that this lady was teaching her children that they can just throw there trash out the window. Is there a number that I can call to report this?!?! Seriously, come on people!!

One of my New Year's Resolutions was to take better care of my body. This includes personal hygiene, I know I know you must be thinking I don't shower enough. No I shower everyday, I don't however floss everyday....Ok ok you caught me I don't floss nearly enough as I should....SO i've been starting to floss everyday, 1.04.2010 I was flossing when I must have hit something, and my bottom front tooth (2 away from the left canine) started to throb. I got a dentist appointment for thursday. I was thinking a cavity. Nope, my tooth has been dead for awhile, and when I was flossing I hit one of the nerves around it, and I had to get a root canal. Yuck. After 2 1/2 hours at Dr. Sanford Hamiltons (great dentist by the way) I had my first root canal.

The root canal really wasn't the horrible as everyone says. Well...ok, it still is very sensitive now (2 days later) and I hate the gas at dentists, I would have a shot anyday. They actually give you the gas to relax (which I don't relax with that stuff) and then numb your gums with some slimy stuff, then give you a shot. It should be just a shot, but my dead tooth was in such a random spot, they had to give me 5 shots because I kept feeling everything, a rare case he assured me. But I'm good to go now and my first (and hopefully last) root canal was a success.


Saturday night, after "30 meals in one day" Abby and Luke Christiansen invited us to the snowmobile expo. Ha ha, Luke was joking around with us and told us that the people there were quite interesting...as he said "It's like Nascar fans, but with snow". But it was mine and Abby's first time in a box seat, so it was worth the interesting fans ;) Good food, drinks, and it was warm!

Thanks Abby and Luke :)

Organizing!

My New Year's Resolutions are pretty simple, nothing too fancy. Micah makes fun of me because since it's the second day of the New Year I have pretty much done a lot on my list already, I think it's better get it over with and then I don't have to worry about it until next year!

BEFORE:

To start off my list: Vacuum under all the heavy furniture. Beds, dresser, couch. Micah decided the bed needed to be tightened too.

WARNING: This is disgusting. The container was empty before.

Meet my 2nd best friend: Dyson Absolute Animal. We've been through a lot together, and he continues to perform just the same as the first day.

AFTER: voila! clean of dust :)

This valet is amazing! If you have a husband who has to dress up in business attire, I suggest this gadget. It's a personal valet that hangs over your door, Micah has gotten into the habit of putting his clothes on the dining room table. Problem fixed.

I didn't take a before picture of the master bathroom. But the cabinet was a mess! I got to throw away a lot of things, and wipe down everything.

BEFORE: Master closet.

AFTER: Master closet.

I loves shoes. L-o-v-e them. So I have to remember to rotate them for the seasons. Micah was a sweetheart and got me this shelf that works as a shoe organizer.

I got some bins and a hamper from Bed Bath & Beyond, organized my clothes into groups, and cleaned all the surfaces.

BEFORE: Kitchen.

AFTER: Re-organize all the containers, wipe the cabinets, clean out fridge/freezer, wipe every inch of the counter, and on top of the cabinets.

I am now a "2 junk drawer" person. With so much storage space it was getting ridiculous of things accumulating anywhere they ended up. It was 3 1/2 drawers + one shelf in pantry of junk. Now it's just 2! Yeah!

Last thing of the day: Organizing the file bin.

I found a fire and water proof safe on KSL for sale, so we decided it was a good investment and bought it. Then came the chore of going through our file system of 2 1/2 years and throw out old useless things, and put our most important documents into the safe.

It was great to pull out our marriage certificate, and look at everything closely again.
Well...at least I thought so, Micah just rolled his eyes and was probably thinking "Uh, here she goes again with all the sentimental stuff" ;)

So there's the majority of my list of organizing so far. We still have the bookcases in the guest bedroom, scrapbook bin, organize photos, and the big one is putting our favorite images onto CD's and file them away.

HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

We had such an amazing New Year's Eve! Gaye and David were amazing yet again, and bought us Nutcracker tickets. Micah had sworn that he would never go again, but he's such a good husband and came with me! So as we were sitting there the announcement came on that it was "The Nutty Nutcracker" HILARIOUS! Where's Waldo was in the performance, afro wigs, a rubber chicken as a Christmas gift, rollerblading, and a disco ball! We LOVED it :)

Here's Grandma Gaysie and Aiden and Aspen.


Outside the Capital Theatre. This is Micah's right hand date for the afternoon: Brittany!

And his left-hand date for the afternoon: ME!

Here's his two brunettes with the Nutcracker!

YEAH! We're so excited to watch The Nutty Nutcracker!

We are so grateful to have such good friends that invite us to amazing events! Abby and Dewey invited us to go to a Brazilian restaurant with their funny family! Then afterwards Dewey/Luke's Dad works for Wasatch Management Group that owns the Wells Fargo building in downtown Salt Lake, so we got to go on top of the roof and watch the fireworks!!!

I have to admit, Abby and I were a little scared of h0w high up we were...It was HIGH!

Thanks Abby and Luke! We love little Dean too!

Happy New Year!