I think these are pretty neat.

 {Cake Olive Oil Word Soap by Savor.} 

If there's one thing that's better than cake, it's being able to wash yourself with cake. 

{Another Lissa pic.}

Sorry. I just can't help myself. 

{Caitlin made a monster!}

Allow me to introduce you to Caitlin's monster, Gregory. 

Everyone, Gregory. Gregory, everyone. 

I think he looks like a pretty nice guy deep down. 

{Tiny bows by Cajsita.}

Love this fun variation on hoops. 

This rug at my parent's house. And probably just my parent's house in general. 

{HOLLA recycled wood sign by WilliamDohman}

This one pretty much speaks for itself. 

The end. 

Get excited...

Remember how I told you that Lissa took some pictures of us last weekend? 

I can't wait, I can't wait, I can't wait to see them! I feel like a little kid counting down the days until Christmas. Weird/embarrassing? A little. But let's be honest- you know you've felt the same way after getting pictures taken professionally.

I emailed Lissa, confessed how I'm dying to see them, and might have been a bit dramatic about the whole situation. So she sent me this little sneak peek pic to help calm the bones. 

So get excited about upcoming legit city pics, friends. Because we all know I am. :)

Touchdown!

A few months ago, Chas went down to Arizona for work...



His work was to film this. Pretty great, huh?  

urban bloom

Lookee see what I found tonight on our way into the grocery store.

Chas: "Hey look, babe! These flowers are super cheap! Should we get some?!" 
I love that man.

Unfortunately, we remembered how we live in a basement. These pretties probably wouldn't last long in our little underground cave of love. That's alright. Mostly, I just wanted to snap a few pics of evidence of spring.

And hey, thanks so much for your sweet, encouraging comments about the lack-of-a-DSLR issue. I'm feeling much better about my cheapy pics thanks to you.

Cheers. 

Giveaway oh Giveaway!

Did you enter my giveaway a little while ago and were so, so sad when you didn't win? Well never fear because another giveaway is here! Just hop on over to Love & Photographs to enter for a free print of your choice!
CLICK HERE TO ENTER

Just my print framed and hung in super hip, super design savvy Stacey's house. No big deal.

The time we made monsters

Chas and I do this thing every Monday night called Family Night. We start with a prayer, sing a song, share a lesson (which usually consists of reading a spiritual message), have an activity, and then end with a treat. We love Family Night. It helps make Monday a little more tolerable. 

Tonight, I was in charge of our activity. 

First, we watched this awesome little mini-doc about the artist behind Daily Monster. Daily Monsters are created by blowing ink on paper and using the resulting random blot as a starting point for bringing monsters to life. Totally awesome. 

Of course we had to draw our very own Sam & Chas monsters afterwards.

In order to be true to the Daily Monster form, I felt like we needed a certain lack of control to play with in creating our monsters. And since we don't have ink to blow across our papers, we made big, random squiggles. I did a squiggle for Chas, he did one for me, and our monsters took shape from there!

So hey-

Make a crazy monster of your own, send your monster to me in an email, and I'll post the scary goodness for all to see! 

Email monsters to: cuposammyjo [at] aol [dot] com

a sweater & and a letter

Check out this sweater my mom was gonna throw away because she accidentally shrunk it. Good thing I was there to save it from an untimely demise. It's so warm and soffy (soft). Being able to bundle up with mustard yellow almost makes me feel ok about the snow falling today. Almost.

(Annnnnd we're back to the computer's camera.)

Side note: Sometimes I feel like, in the blogging world, if you don't have a crazy nice camera and take super beautiful pictures, then you kinda feel like...a loser. Am I right or am I right? 

Well, maybe not a total loser. Just more like the socially awkward kid at school who you say hi to in the hallway mostly because you feel sad for them. 

Yup, that's me. :)

Dear readers, 

I'm sorry this blog is a slave to iPhone and/or computer pictures. I wish they were better, too. I really do. Until then, just know that you're awesome for putting up with the nonsense that sometimes goes on around here. 

It is what it is. 

Love, Sam

In which we learn that Saturday is our favorite day & you can't be good at everything.

Today was a good, good Saturday. 

For all the talk of baby-wishing that goes on around here, I'd just like to take this moment to say that I was very, very ok being without child today. 

We slept in this morning nice and late, getting out of bed just in time for lunch. Reheated pizza, please- which, might I add is perfect when warmed in the toaster. Then we picked out coordinating casual and fancy outfits. You may be shocked to know that today, our matching outfit selection actually had a valid purpose behind it. Lissa Clair offered to take pics of us! So we headed downtown, met cute Lissa, and had ourselves a little Sam & Chas photo shoot. Lissa soon had the privilege of becoming officially acquainted with Chas' killer smolder.

Exhibit A:

Towards the end, Lissa asked me, "So can you do a smolder like Chas for the next picture, Sam?" I think we all found out the answer to that question very quickly. 

........................

...Back to our day.

After the photo shoot, we had to make the very difficult decision of whether to eat dinner at Hire's or Zupas. These are the burning questions of our lives, my friends. (We chose Zupas, btw.)

Then we came home, got some good couch snugging in, and tried to work on writing our talks for church tomorrow. For the record, mine is finished. That might have something to do with the fact that Chas let me write mine on the computer while he got stuck with slow-goin paper and pen. 

That Charles. He's always thinking of me. 

Night night. 

Let's start at the very beginning, a very good place to start.

We finished watching The Sound of Music last night. And yes, those songs will probably be stuck in my head for at least 7 more days...one day for each of the 7 VonTrapp children. 

Today I did some sketches for future paintings that I thought I'd show you. My drawings are done very quickly and are very rough. And yes, my sketchbook is super cheap lined paper so no makin' fun. They're simply vague ideas- the very beginnings and a very good place to start. (Ok, that's enough, Sam.)

I'm particularly excited about the possibilities for the first one. Maybe I'll get started on it tomorrow!

Ta-ta!

FYI

See that little poll on the right there? I made that. You should probably pick an answer (or two or three) so I can give the people what they want and make everyone happy. 

(I may or may not have acceptance issues.) 

What? 

Also. 

Our darling BYU cougars are playing a very important game. We'll be mooching off of Nan's (Chas' grandma's) cable tonight for sure. I'm making an alfredo and mushroom pasta and salad to bring so we're actually contributing something and don't have to feel like bad people. Plus, we love Nan. 

But back to the game. I'm cool and rockin the blue and white today. Only for you, BYU.

You're jealous of my grainy-weird pics and amazing wannabe photoshop* skillzzz. 

I know. I know. 

*I made this pic/text in powerpoint. Shhhhh...

These are a few of my favorite things

I was at my parent's house yesterday and snapped this picture before I left. Pretty stylin' awesome, huh? That's my mom for ya. No big deal.

Last night, after finishing dinner at 10:30pm, Chas excitedly suggests, "Hey! Wanna watch an hour of The Sound of Music now?" True story, folks. I couldn't make up that kind of material even if I wanted to.

I'm in the process of looking into something new and rather exciting. Well, exciting for me, at least. Some people don't find school exciting, I suppose, but I've always been a nerd. (Hint hint.) 

I'll probably be telling you more about all that very soon...

Chas is a filmmaker. So is the entirety of his family (9 siblings). 

His little sister, Tess, made this promo music video and I can't get over the wonderfulness of this song.


Book on Tape Worm - Kickstarter Promo from Tess Kelly on Vimeo.

I like to watch it three times in a row.

Oh yeah. And this morning I got to sleep in until 11am.

Don't judge me.

I have a cold and needed the extra rest.

If there's one thing this blog has taught us it's that Chas is very, very good at photo shoots.

Last night, my mom surprised us with a new jacket for Chas.

And what's the first thing we do when my husband gets any new article of clothing??? Chas photo shoot, of course!

Come on, you should know that by now. ;)

 

(Please keep in mind, I do very little pose prompting/direction. This one, in particular was 100% razzle dazzle Chazzle.)

Super cool, huh? My mom got it to replace the one stolen in the epic robbery. Coincidentally, that stolen jacket -RIP- was also purchased by my mom. Apparently she's really good at finding killer men's coats.

Chas told my mom that this jacket will look especially hip while he's riding scootie. I completely agree. 

Speaking of which, getting a new key for our little scooter is basically the last major thing left to replace after being robbed. Ahhh yes...the end is in sight.

Boo ya.

Sunday din dins

For my parent's Christmas present, we gave them 5 dinners made by us, hot and ready. They get to come eat yummy food and enjoy our amazing company. Win win. 

My cute dad, mom, and little sis, Liz.

Tonight was dinner #3. Chas and I made apple stuffed pork loin roast with potato gorgonzola gratin on the side. If it sounds totally legit, that's because it was. We don't mess around. 

Side note: We live in a basement but check out that window in the background. Makes it look like we live under the sea. Cool.

In exchange for the beautiful spinach salad with avocado my mom brought, we introduced my dad to the wonderful world of Angry Birds after a dessert of vanilla and/or mint chocolate chip ice cream. 

Another side note: See my 1950's magnolia flower dinner plates? Totally spotted those exact same plates used in An Education. The movie was dumb but seeing your vintage dinnerware used in a period film was...not dumb. It almost made watching the movie worth it. (Chas would probably disagree.)

Reason #8673 why I want a baby

So we can frame and hang this sweet Kershisnik poster print.

 Also so we can hang this birdie mobile I made in grad school.
(Sorry the birdies are kinda blurry. You see, birdies don't like holding still for pictures.)

I convinced Chas to take a March Madness break this afternoon and help me clean out the yellow room- the room also known as our unborn child's room. But that sounds creepy/gross so, for now, we'll just stick with "yellow room." I wish we had another, more special reason to clean out that room other than just because it was getting dirty and I wanted to throw stuff away. Throwing things away is always a good time. Throwing things away to make room for baby Sam & Chas would probably be an even better time. Probably. 

lost & found & love

Do you ever come across something hidden in your closet that you forgot you had? And then you wear it and remember how much you love it? And then it's like you just went shopping and got something brand new...all without leaving your closet? 

That's the story behind this little Nine West long cardi. Finding it and wearing it made me very happy yesterday. So happy in fact, that I might have briefly entertained the thought of purposely hiding a shirt or something just so I could find it in the future and be so...happy again. I'm weird.

Anyways, I came home from work and Chas, with wide eyes and arms outstretched exclaimed, "Babe! Look at that outfit! It's sooooo cute!" He says things like that solely because he knows it'll make me blush a little and giggle with delight. And then he makes us eggs florentine with sausage and avocado for dinner. And then, as I go to take the first bite he tells me to wait so he can dim the lights, bring out some candles, and light them. 

Mine is the best husband.

Hey hey, good lookin'!

Oh hey.

Welcome to our totally KILLER new blog digs! You love it, right??!

(If you don't, I'm sad/worried for you.)

Lula is the genius mastermind behind all this awesomeness. I just can't say enough about what it was like to work with her. She is an absolute doll and oh-so patient with my requests. So first she spends hours and hours creating this layout and then she writes the most detailed, user-friendly tutorial for me so I can put all the coded pieces together. Have you ever been so happy with something a friend has done for you that you find yourself frantically trying to think of some adequate way to repay them? Thoughts like, "Hmmm...Lula Kelly. That be cute for our first born child..." are coming to mind right about now. I mean, I thought it would look great...but not this great. Get real.

Am I gushing? Yes, yes I am.

P.S. Make sure you check out the "about us" and "contact" pages to the right!
Just when you thought things couldn't get any better...

under construction

Sorry if things look wonky right now...they won't for long... 

:)

Insta Tuesday night

Here's what our Tuesday night looked like.

(Did you notice the heart in the foam on top!?)

Yes, I was there too. (Pictures of Chas are just always so much cuter than pics of me.)

We didn't get home last night until 10pm. 

I taught my Stress Management night class at UVU. Sometimes I really love teaching that class and feel lucky that I get paid to do so...even for the classes that I don't actually teach. Like last night's class. First, we had a financial planner guest speaker. Then, a student presented a "stress soother" to the class. She talked about how being touched and hugged helps her when she's stressed. She gave the class yummy lotion for hand massages and lip-shaped suckers. Next up was a student group presentation on Progressive Muscle Relaxation. Then, because it was the last class before spring break and because I'm a really nice teacher, I let them out early. Driving home I thought, I can't believe I just got paid good money for that! Pretty standard. 

I drove back to Salt Lake and hung out at Chas' work for a little over an hour while he worked on finishing up a free-lance film gig. I love me some cute Chas hard at work editing. 

He finished at 9pm and neither of us had had dinner yet. Starvin Marvins. Then we realized it had been well over a week...cough...8 days...cough cough...since we'd been to Hires. Plus, we both had had long days (mostly Chas), so we (Chas) deserved it. Ahhh...that cheeseburger, onion rings, fry sauce, and frosty mug of root beer. This, my friends, is what we live for. 

Charles

I didn't mean to paint Chas this afternoon but it kinda just happened.

P.S. I wish the scanned version of this painting could look more like the original. So much more depth and vibrancy in the color. Oh well. Close enough, I suppose.

don't ya just love it when...

You accidentally match perfectly with your love dove?

...also with your home furnishings?

Yup. We're cool. 

get ready...

This cute girl has been working long and hard for me.

You'll see what *it is soon...

*hint: it's ah-mazing. 

Also. 

We got our insurance check in the mail over the weekend. iPhones are coming back into our lives...tonight.

And one more thing. 

I've been asked to do a guest post about fashion here. 

Still trying to figure out what I have to say about the clothes I wear...hmmm...that's a toughie.

I like a challenge :)

so sew

So I'm not super good at sewing. I don't even like it, really. Too much math involved (exact measurements, rulers??...yikes). But there have been a few things I've sewn that I've actually been sorta kinda proud of. Like my hand-made hobo bag with appliqued vintage radio patch- aka the bag that was stolen. RIP.

This week I did a little sumthin sumthin. It did involve a sewing machine, a pen, and a few pins. It did not, however, involve any rulers of any kind. And that's the way, uh huh uh huh, I like it.

(I don't know why this picture ended up being so blown out-looking but it's kinda rad, dontcha think?)

You're probably wondering what it is I actually made in these pics. I'll tell you. 

First, you should know that I bought these tan corduroys for $4 at the local thrift store. Win. They used to have big, flared bottoms. Did you catch that?...used to. Now they're skinnies! Took just a few minutes and they're SO much more wearable. Double win. I've heard large bell bottoms are coming back in but whatever, these are cuter.

don't ya just hate it when...

...you remember you own a very ideal winter accessory just as it's starting to get warm outside?

Poofy ball, Newsies brim, and mustard yellow. Like I said- ideal.
(Side note: Are you sick of this view yet?? I'm pretty sure this unadulterated use of Photo Booth is the direct result of not having my iPhone camera. It's embarrassing.) 

Moving on.

And don't ya just hate it when...

...your 14 year-old little sis can school you in coolness? She's playing Liesel in her middle school's production of The Sound of Music this week. We're talking about a legitsville actress, folks.

...when you try to be healthy and eat a salad? But then the salad turns into a pepperoni pizza?

(Are you seeing this, Linds???)

And lastly, don't ya just hate it when you're a student at BYU...5 years ago? Where was my Jimmer show mania experience? Huh? Huh? No fair.

a 12:30pm convo

Do you ever experience something cute/fun/interesting/challenging/special and catch yourself automatically thinking, "that's gonna be a blog post!" Do you ever feel embarrassed for yourself when that happens? Yeah, me too. 

Then I remind myself that it's important to me to document life in this way. And I'm glad I do because this blog keeps track of all the little things I want to remember but probably wouldn't otherwise. Take last night, for example. 

(I know I've posted this picture before but I'm kinda obsessed with it. Can you blame me?)

It's 12:30pm and I'm wide awake in bed. I mumble/groan, "I can't sleep," waking up Chas from his sleep. Without hesitation, this is how he responds:

Chas: "I'm sorry, babe. Why can't you sleep?"

Me: "I'm just thinking about too much stuff."

Chas: "Well what kind of stuff? Do you want to talk about it?"

Me: "No. It's just dumb, silly stuff."

Chas: "Ok. Well, do you want a back tickle/massage then?"

Me: ......

Chas: "Do you want me to sing you a song?"

Me: ......

Chas: "Do you want me to sing you Winnie the Pooh?"

Me: "mmm...Yes, please."

At that moment I thought to myself, I hope I never ever ever take for granted this kind of selfless love and service that Chas offers to me at any place, any time. Even if it's past midnight and he's been woken up. I'm a lucky duck.

check it!

Whatever you're doing right now, you need to stop. Oh wait- you're reading this blog. Duh. Ok, so don't actually stop that. Just pause temporarily and check out this awesomeness.

Ummm...hi, only the most legit post ever, right? 

Maybe someday we'll be that cool. Maybe.

that evening, she decided to wear the dress made of stars

Yes this is my third post today. (Don't judge me.) 

I kinda wanted to document that I said I was going to do something and then I did it. Hooray! 

Just a little 1-hour painting done on regular old paper. I was thinking of my mother-in-law at the time. She loves a good meteor shower. 

Also, me and Chas had our first kiss underneath a meteor shower. So, bonus points for that one.