At home with the Wrights

Do you love bread? I mean, really, really, love bread? I have a true bread lover living in my household. Most days, she goes by the name "Aisling", but on days like today we call her bread girl. Why the difference today, you ask? Because fresh bread was baked today! With heavenly home-baked aromas wafting throughout the house, bread girl (a.k.a. Aisling) could hardly concentrate on anything else. So, in between math, grammar, Spanish, and penmanship, I was peppered with questions like, "Is it done yet?", "Is it done now ?", "How much longer?", "Are you sure it's not done yet?", and finally, "When will it really be done, then?!" Finally, the loaf came out of the oven, to the joy of all within the house. (Alas, I can hear her crunching joyfully on her 2nd or 3rd piece as I type, so I better type quickly before it's all gone!) This was my first attempt at any type of bread outside of a bread pan, and I'm thrille...

Okay. So I finished the bathroom. But I'm not posting full pictures of it, because of the following reasons: 1. In my haste and ambition to get it done, I never took "before" pictures. I didn't think anyone wanted to see the "painted dirt" patterns (who washes the walls before they paint? Hair, dirt, excess Spackle and mud...just paint over it! ), the paint splashed fixtures and hardware, the red-brown nicotine streaks from the bleeding walls, the mold blooms growing around the ceiling molding, etc. YUCK! Who really wants to remember or see that? In hindsight, having "before" pictures would have made me feel better about the finished product, no matter how it turned out. 2. Although mint green and cream seemed like a great idea to make my bathroom feel fresh and bright, I should have thought harder about what effects the paint finish and lighting would have on the color. Mint green would have been beautiful in a flat, eggshell, or even satin finish...

Okay...so I've been tagged several times on Facebook and I've been absent from the blogging world for almost a month. I'm really sorry. I'll play now, but I can't guarantee next week or even tomorrow. 1. When I'm feeling down, I hide-out in my home. No blogging, no talking to friends, very few calls to family, little to no socialization (only the most necessary interaction happens. i.e. church callings and/or when a very close friend realizes that I'm on a downward spiral and decides I need to get out of the house at all costs.) 2. While barricaded in my home, I tend to either read a lot of fiction (remember, I'm trying to "get away" from the real world) and/or start-continue-finish medium to big project(s) in an effort to boost my spirits. 3. For the last two to three weeks, I have taken apart the master bathroom, and now I'm attempting to put it back together. What does that entail? Removing the toilet, taking apart all of the cabinet d...

Yippee! Hooray! Woohoo! I feel like I won the lottery! (Can you tell I'm a little bit excited?!) Trampoline or KitchenAid? Which one should we buy for the family Christmas present? Trevor and I debated back and forth for months. He really felt that the KitchenAid would be more useful for our family, but I thought the trampoline would be more exciting for Aisling. In passing, I mentioned it to my mother one day in early November. And then Trevor lost his job. It looked like we didn't have the option of either one anymore. The week after, I found a great deal on a good-sized trampoline. My parents had told me earlier that they would like to send us some money in lieu of mailing presents this Christmas. We were more than happy to accept (and very grateful), and Aisling excitedly received her trampoline on Christmas morning. Now, to break up the monotony of school work, she practices her flips in between school subjects. Our family loves the trampoline, and Aisling has even intr...

I heard the alarm clock at 6:30am through two closed doors and a hallway. Shortly after it was turned off, small footsteps shuffled quietly through the hallway as "meows" grew louder and more insistent. The shuffling stopped, and the loud meowing turned into contented purrs as Aisling greeted Note with the customary morning petting. "Merry Christmas, my sweet kitty!" she whispered excitedly. She talked quietly and lovingly with Note for a few minutes, then poured the cat some breakfast. The back door opened and closed. Through my window I heard the clucking of our hens in the backyard (being let out of the coop), and Aisling greeting them with soft words of love as well as their morning chicken feed. A few minutes later, the back door opened and closed again, and small feet were quickly walking/skipping to our bedroom door. Armed with Note as an accomplice, Aisling burst through our bedroom door with a battle cry of "ATTACK!" and jumped onto our bed while...

Aisling created this beautiful gingerbread house this year, and I thought I should post pictures of it before it gets completely demolished (notice that the candy buttons are beginning to fall off...) She incorporated her love of nature (see the dragonfly roof design) with her all-around creativity. Wow!

A--Attached or Single: Very attached. B--Best friend: Only one? C--Cake or Pie: I really like both, but I mostly crave cake. D--Day of Choice: Wednesday by default. Monday and Friday have a "rushed and crazy" feeling connected with them (being the beginning and ending of the school and business week.) Tuesday and Thursday are the recovery from or beginning of the busy Monday and Friday. Saturday is spent hurriedly preparing for Sunday, and Sunday is not nearly as restful as it should be in Primary. E--Essential Item(s): A good computer, high-speed internet access, and a printer all working together in beautiful, high-tech harmony. F--Favorite Color: Blue (turquoise) G--Greatest Accomplishment: Staying married through the first five years and working through the problems instead of running away from them. H--Hometown: Hmmm...I grew up and spent most of my adult life in Utah, but now live in Louisiana. I consider anywhere my husband and daughter are as my hometown. I--Indulgen...