Girly Girl

Kalianna has never been much of a girly girl. She is very rough and tumble! But lately she has decided she likes girl things. It's very cute! Every day this week, she has insisted on wearing a dress. No pants. She loves necklaces or her "necks" and I gave her some old lip gloss and a makeup brush. Her ensemble is not complete for the day until she has put on her "make". And she loves wearing her boots. This little girl cracks me up! She is still the same rough and tumble personality, she is just dolled up a bit now. I think she is the perfect combination! Not super prissy and girly, but she still likes to look nice.

Cricut!

My mom recently got a Cricut and I've been able to play with it a lot lately. I love this thing! It is so much fun! And it makes my projects turn out super cute! Here are the cute cards I made for card group this last week. It would have taken me forever to make these without the Cricut!

I've also been using it to make a calendar to hang in our kitchen. Isn't it cute? I only have the first three months done so far, but I figure as long as I get the rest of them done before the actual month, it will all be good. This is definitely my new favorite toy!

For Grandma & Grandpa Carroll

They gave Kalianna this cute kitchen set for Christmas, and I've been meaning to post pictures of her playing with it so they could see. It's right at the bottom of our stairs, so this is a sight I often see when I look down:

She likes to play with it when I'm in the kitchen cooking dinner. Notice her food is spread out all over the place. She's not quite sure what to do with the food yet, but she loves taking out all the dishes and putting them back again.

Taking a break, resting on the bottom step. Playing is hard work!

Cousins!

This is Kalianna and her second cousin, Malia. Every month the Howell family gets together for a Sunday dinner, and last Sunday was it. Malia is my cousin, Steve's daughter and they are only two months apart. They were so cute together! Kalianna has played with other kids before, but she has never clicked with anyone like she did with Malia. They jumped together, played the piano together, tossed balls back and forth, etc. Not once did they fight over a toy or cry or anything. They followed each other around all night, playing the same games. I just wished they lived closer, so the girls could play more often! It was so fun, now that Kalianna is getting older, to watch her interact with Malia. She is finally getting to the age where she actually plays with other kids instead of playing next to them.

Making Room

I know, I know, I know. I hate when people use their family's blog to sell stuff too. But here's the deal. Matt and I need to get rid of a few things to make more room for the new baby. I have everything listed on KSL as well, but thought if anyone was interested, or knew anyone who was interested, we could help each other out. We are very flexible on the prices, mostly we just want this stuff gone. So, have a look see and let me know if you want anything, or know anyone who could use anything.

5 Piece California King Bedroom Set - $200

My dad bought me this set back when I was in high school to have when I got married someday. But Matt and I don't take up that much room and we really don't need a bed this big! We actually bought a queen set last night, so we want this one gone. It's a really big set! California king size bed (it's a waterbed frame with a mattress in it), the bed had drawers under it and a big headboard with shelves. Set also includes two, two drawer nightstands, a dresser with nine drawers, and a big mirror to go above dresser. The set is well-loved, but still very sturdy. I also have two sets of bed sheets, that I obviously don't need anymore either.

Big, Comfy Desk Chair - $30

TV Stand - $50

Very sturdy, black corner TV stand on wheels. Has a shelf for DVD/Bluray player and smaller shelves for holding DVDs.

Casio Keyboard - $50

It needs a new electrical plug and it's ready to go.

New Style

Yesterday Kalianna came running into my bedroom, just giggling like crazy. I looked to see what had her laughing so hard, and this is what I saw:

Yup. She is wearing her swim bottoms on her head. Look out world! I think swimsuit head-wear is the new look this season.

Book Events

A couple months ago I got to participate in my very first book signing for a small book store in Eagle Mountain. It was such a good experience! I met great contacts, sold my book to several people who normally would never have heard of it, and just had fun! With December and Christmas time, things slowed down for a little while. But now I have another exciting month ahead of me!

Those of you who have read my book know it takes place in Layton and the main characters all attend Layton High. A few weeks ago I e-mailed the teacher at Layton High who is over the school newspaper. I told her about my book and that it takes place at their school. She thought that was pretty cool! First she just wanted to have one of the students interview me, but then she decided to have me come speak to her whole class instead! She went out and bought my book and has been reading it to her writing class. Tomorrow, I get to go visit the class and talk to the students about writing and my book. I am so excited! I think this will be so fun!

When the ladies in my ward heard that I'd written a book, the book club in my neighborhood all went out and purchased it for their January reading. Then they asked if I would come to their book club meeting at the end of the month. Again, so excited! It will be fun to get to answer questions and talk about my book with a group of ladies who are all avid readers. And maybe even get some suggestions of what they'd like to see in the sequel.

The owner of Ecko House Publishing (my publisher) does an internet radio show every Thursday at 4:00pm. I've been asked to talk on the show and be interviewed for my book February 3rd. It may just be internet radio, but one step at a time, right?

One of the hardest things about this process is putting myself out there. I'm not a super extroverted, outgoing person. But I know I have to do it if I want anything to ever come of this book. And you know what? I've been having a ball! Thanks so much to everyone who has recommended my book to someone else! The only way people will ever know about it is word of mouth! So please continue to help me spread the word! And if you know any teachers, book clubs, radio dj's, store owners, or other groups I can come visit please have people contact me!