Last One!

 I know I've dragged this out too long (not as bad as I've dragged out posting about our wedding and honeymoon though!! Those are two events that are still on my list of things to write about. Sheesh, I procrastinate). But here are a few final pics of our Winter Beach Retreat. I'm pining for some warmth right now and looking at these photos are making me nostalgic for the sun!

The first photo you can see our sunburns in full force. Like rookies we both fell asleep without sunscreen. The very thing I said I wouldn't do. Now, a month later, I've finally stopped peeling. The beach shots give a good idea of the luxury of Serenity Beach. It was a little beach oasis!

 We had beautiful blue skies five out of six days. And even the sixth day when it rained, the sun was nice and hot between storm clouds.

I think next time we go the the DR, we'll try Punta Cana...doesn't this look appetizing??
It's on the Caribbean side, so the water is that clear blue. Paradise!

via

Bijou!!

If you are in Utah, you must go...even if just for me since I can't be there. Shop your little hearts out. You won't regret it!! (and say hello to my family, here and here, for me!)

Click here for a list of vendors.

Felt Yummies - Tutorial

Here they are! Instructions for the felt desserts I posted last week. I hope they make sense!! I think the best thing will be to look at the pictures while following the step-by-steps since I didn't take photos as I made them. 

A couple notes that apply to all of the desserts:

* I used a wool blend purchased from Sweet Emma Jean on Esty. You can use the synthetic felt from the craft store, but I prefer the wool blends. I love the way it feels in my fingers and I think it looks better, too.

** If you opt to use a sewing machine, substitute with matching thread.

***For tutorials on embroidery stitches, go here. These are the best videos I've found.  

Click on the button to download the patterns!

Click on the continue reading link for the full instructions...

Felt Yummies

When my coworker, Veronica, invited us to her little girl's 3rd birthday party, I started to think about what we should get her. It's not very often, being this far away from family and friends out west, that we are invited to such events (though now that I think of it, we've been invited to two other birthdays for tots in the next couple weeks...so fun!)

Sure, there's the always cute, fun go-to outfit from BabyGap or Old Navy, but on a student budget I just couldn't find the extra cash.

Then I remembered (though in all honesty my craft basket is never far from my mind) my felt stash left over from Christmastime. It has been dying to be created into something.

I started with the cookies, because I've made them before and they are super easy. The chocolate cake and berry pie were a little more complicated since I made them up as I went. The adults were much more impressed than the kids were, but I'm still hoping Marlowe with enjoy playing with her felt baked goods.

If anyone out there is interested, I'd be happy to post some patterns and instructions later.

Winter Beach Retreat - Bucket List

I promise to not drag out the posts about our recent vacation too long. There will only be one or two more after this. BUT this is the BIG one...

When I was a little girl I wanted to be a marine biologist when I grew up. After my first trip to SeaWorld, that changed to marine mammal handler. I have always loved the ocean and its wildlife, especially dolphins and whales. I used to want a Wyland-esque mural painted in my home and oogled the bronze statues in his galleries wherever I could find them. I don't quite know how to explain it, but I think any dolphin lover understands. There is something almost magical about them. I used to sit on the beach in Newport and watch the dorsal fins bisecting the waves up and down the beach for hours. Once, in between dives on a scuba boat where I was experiencing worse than normal sea sickness, a pod of spinner dolphins started playing in our wake and I immediately felt better just watching them. Glorious distraction.

Swimming with dolphins has been on my bucket list for-e-ver. So when we walked to Ocean World for our complimentary day of watching the marine life shows in Spanish and the Captain suggested that I do the dolphin swim, I was beyond ecstatic!

It started with an anxious wait and a really cold shower. Then we sat through a quick "where you can and cannot touch the dolphins" lecture and a long, round about walk to the tank where I met Chiquita and Cicero, two beautiful bottlenose dolphins. The Captain found a perch to take photos from while I had my first in-the-water dolphin experience. 

We clapped with them, danced with them, pet their backs and underbellies. We held onto their dorsals while the swam. They kissed us on the cheek and the lips! Those flirty dolphins. We fed them a fish after they swam it to us in their mouths.  They jumped over us from behind. Oh the tricks they can do. Thrilling!

I got to live out my fantasy of being a 'marine mammal handler' as they pushed me across the pool, each with one of my feet on their nose. It was truly a dream come true, as I am sure you can tell by my face. You can't fake that kind of pure joy!

Thanks hun, for helping me realize a dream! Oh, and my mom said to give you a hug from her for that,  too, so don't let me forget!