Home Decor Decisions

This really isn't that big of a decision, but I want opinions if you have any to offer. I am trying to decide upon 6 pictures from our 2006 summer Tour de Europe to blow up and hang on our walls. Our theme for the living room/kitchen is going to be 'travel' in a sense. I don't know, I'm not too good with themes. But I wanted to get an old world map print for the living area so I thought travel pics would be cool, too. So, if you have a second, please tell me which 6 are the best. I will number all of them so just comment on your six favorites. I would really appreciate it!

#1


#2


#3


#4


#5


#6


#7


#8


#9


#10


#11


#12


#13


So if there aren't even six you like just tell me the numbers of the ones that you do like. Thanks!

The Heavenly "Cloud"

We have FINALLY upgraded from a full size bed (sad, I know) to a Cal King! We have dubbed our bed the "cloud" because it's heavenly and often times hard to get up from. We are pleased with our purchase, to say the least.

Awesome Recipe

I just have to post this since I forgot to give the recipe to Mom Tobler while she was here visiting over Thanksgiving. So, I thought I would share it with ALL of you! It is such a tasty and delicious treat. My Mom always makes it for Thanksgiving and Christmas, hence the name of the recipe:

Mom's Thanksgiving Green Jello

ingredients:
1 15 oz can pears
1 small box lime jello
8 oz cream cheese- softened to room temp
cool whip

Heat the drained pear juice over low heat and dissolve the lime jello into it. Set pears aside to mash. Remove pear juice and jello from heat and add cream cheese beating it with an electric mixer (be careful of splattering). Let it cool. When the mixture has cooled down, fold in the cool whip and mashed pears. Chill to set.

Prep time: 10 min Serves 6 people

(Be sure to use the whole container of cool whip)

You should all try this. It is sooooo unbelievably easy! Enjoy!

Feeling Quite Blessed and Thankful!

I just want to start off this post by saying that Clark made me feel bad about the last post. He said I might have offended people and so if any of you belong to PETA, I apologize for wanting pigeons to die. But they don't pay my mortgage and I want my house to last and look nice and if it means shooting a couple of birds, so be it.


Well...Thanksgiving came and went much too quickly. But it was sooooooo WONDERFUL! Aside from having to work the night before Thanksgiving and Thanksgiving, it was so nice to catch up with family and share a warm, delicious meal with some of the most important people in my life. Mom and Dad Tobler drove down from Vegas. I had prepared some things the night before: Mom's Thanksgiving Green Jello and Pumpkin Cheesecake and I had purchased most of the major food staples in advance to make cooking on Thanksgiving day very simple. Since I had to rest my old bones in order to prepare for another night of work, Clark and Mom and Dad Tobler prepared the rest of the meal.

Thank you all so much! I loved every bite of everything that was prepared!

Clark prepared his famous mashed potatoes and the green bean casserole. Mom Tobler brought some pre-made homemade rolls, a pumpkin pie, and cooked the turkey to perfection. Then (and I think this was a joint effort) Clark and the parentals determined how to best cook the ham I bought. I'm sure I'm forgetting to mention what else we had but everything was so delicious!

At 8 am on Black Friday I came home from work and went directly to bed. While I was sleeping, Clark and the parentals started doing some much anticipated house work! Shrubs out front were pruned, knobs and pulls were added to cabinets in the kitchen and- since we're cheap and don't want to invest in a new oven yet- Dad Tobler painted our oven to match the rest of the appliances! And all I had to do was wake up in the afternoon and enjoy the work that I didn't have to do. Thanks for all your help Mom and Dad! And Clark, thank you for making sure the pulls were properly aligned. I love you!

Man, do I feel so blessed. I was out on a run Saturday afternoon just counting my blessings- literally. I was thinking how since Thanksgiving dinner I had not felt one once of hunger. Sure, I was still opening the fridge and eating but had I been hungry at all for food? Absolutely not. There was such an abundance I just kept eating. How lucky are we to live in such a prosperous country? Sure there may be a recession and times may not be as good as they were but do we every truly hurt for the essentials? Food, shelter, clothing? I am just so thankful for all of the blessings that Heavenly Father has bestowed upon me. Thankful to have been able to share the holiday with my husband and our parents. Thankful for helping hands and joyful memories. Thankful to be employed and able to provide for my family. Thankful for the free country in which we live.

Ok, that's my two cents. I'll post the pics now.

Everyone working hard. I am proud of myself for not running on Thanksgiving. One day off won't kill me, right?






Clark truly makes some mean mashed potatoes.



Clark bought a screen door...and tied it to the roof of the Lumina :)



Dad Tobler went to town on our shrubs and bushes. Thanks a bunch!





Oh my gosh. These ice scrapers and snow ball thrower are ridiculous. Especially here in AZ and especially if the person who buys one doesn't go up to the mountains.



This was the best copy I had. Mom and Dad Tobler, you better post a different one!



I can't believe how good knobs and pulls can make a kitchen look.



And our lovely now black oven.



I hope all you Toblers are getting serious about the talent show at Christmas. Clark and I plan on performing a mean rendition of....something. We'll think of it soon enough.

Dang Pigeons, We Really Hate You!

Get Those Birds GONE!!!






we invested in a BB gun to fix our pigeon problem. Clark took a shot at one on our roof and, though the bird flew away, there was a huge cloud of feathers. So we hope it died a horrible, painfully slow death.

We're Both Creepin' Up There!

So November 13th I turned a quarter of a century old! I worked the night before so I actually had to sleep most of the day BUT....when I woke up I went running, and then Clark got home from clinicals and took me to get a manicure! I was going to get a pedicure too but I didn't want him to wait too long. Then we went and walked around an outdoor shopping center 3 miles away from our house (which turned out to be way bigger than we thought)and I found the perfect black blouse! I have been on a hunt for a black button up blouse for a while now and found it at NY and Company. I used to underestimate that store. But it turns out I really like their apparel.

Then we went to dinner at Pita Jungle and we each got a gyro and split the amazing blue corn nachos! YUM!

Since Pita Jungle was right near a Kohl's we had to stop by and surf their clearance racks because they always have unbelievable clearances. Clark found two pair of linen-type pants for $5! And all clearance was actually 30% off so it was only like $3 per pair of pants! And then I found a little sun dress for the swimsuit season (since that is likely to start in April or so)for $2.70! I was so pumped.

Then we went home and celebrated with a homemade cake Clark had made. He is so resourceful. He used the leftover frosting from his birthday cake to write a message on my cake...



I just had to try on the little dress when I got home. and the cake is so cute. I love how he was too lazy to walk to the grocery store (which is literally a 5 min walk from our house) to get some more frosting.



Ahhhh, it is always so nice to get a manicure





Our baby girl. She looks terrified. But I promise she is starting to be really friendly.

Gretchen: Going To Town

"craaaaazy 8's"

Ohhhh sweet Janet. My beautiful sister-in-law Janet tagged me so here it goes...


8 Things I am obsessed about right now (in no particular order):

1. The Office (I will seriously be devastated if Pam and Jim break up)
2. Running, running and preparing myself to run 2 hours and 20 min this weekend
3. Spending time with my wonderful husband
4. getting new curtains and blinds for the home
5. Whole Milk (yum yum!)
6. Getting a manicure and pedicure on my birthday
7. Finding the perfect black, classy blouse (any suggestions on where to look???)
8. Finishing my current novel "The Perfect Mile"

8 Words or Phrases I use:

1. Claaaark
2. I love you!
3. stoked
4. sweet
5. really?
6. Hi my name is Rachel, I'll be your nurse tonight :)
7. whatever
9 Good night
8. ok

8 TV shows I love to watch:

1. The Office
2. Arrested Development seasons on DVD
3. There
4. are
5. no
6. other
7. shows I
8. watch!

8 Things I did yesterday:
1. worked and prepared yet another patient for a CABG
2. came home at 8 am and slept until 2:30
3. Ran
4. played with Gretchen and threw her kitty treats to win her love
5. walked to the store for some groceries and then called Clark to have him pick me up on his way home from the gym ;)
6. watched an episode of The Office (season 3, Benjamin Franklin)
7. looked at blogs
8. talked to my awesome coach Jenna Benna

8 Favorite Places to Eat:
1. Pita Jungle
2. In and Out
3. Thai Basil
4. Costco- can't ever go wrong with a sausage dog!
5. Mesa Frozen Yogurt
6. Quick Trip orange cream slushy
7. My Mom's kitchen when she makes lamb meatballs or taco casserole
8. Mom Tobler's kitchen (especially when she makes- or lets me help make- cinnamon rolls!)

I tag:

Mom Tobler (I'm with you on this one Janet!)
Amy (Again I back Janet up on this one!)
Whitina

Our 'Little' Girl

Gretchen doesn't like to pose. She seems to know when we are about to snap a picture and she turns her head or runs away. She is so frustrating! I think Clark and I are both back to feeling like we need to 'exchange' her...we'll give her another good week.

And She Shall be Called Gretchen

So we have officially decided to keep Gretchen the Birthday Kitty (Gretchen for short). We didn't think the name Josie fit her well.

Gretchen is warming up to us slowly. She doesn't hide all the time now- just some of the time. And she purrs a lot... so we know her "purr box" is intact, as my mother would eloquently put it. We will post pictures later when we get the new computer.

Happy 25th Birthday Clark!

Yesterday was a big day. Not only was it election day but it was also the day of Clark's birth!

So I had the incredible idea about a month or so ago to get Clark a cat for his birthday. I had it all planned out. We have been talking about getting a kitty for a while now (regardless of what Clark says, it comes up A LOT) since we don't foresee children anywhere in the near future. So I went ahead and drove down to the AZ Humane Society to check out some of the cats I viewed online. I played with about 4 of the cats: Carla, Josie, Katie and Mr. Handsome. Carla was too shy, Josie was fun, outgoing and liked to rub up against my leg and hand, Katie was also outgoing, and Mr. Handsome was way too spunky (so much so that he drew blood on the humane society worker). After viewing and playing with all four seperately, I asked to see Josie again. Once again, she was fun, curious and playful. I decided that she would be the lucky cat to go home with me. I went through all the paperwork and we shoved her in a complimentary cardboard carrying box and I took her out to my car for the 40 minute drive home.

Within the first minute of the drive Josie went NUTS.

She began meowing like crazy and shaking the box. She started batting at the holes in the cardboard and was able to tear her way out of the box! She climbed out and started climbing all over my car seats, sinking her claws into the cushions. I pulled over at my first opportunity. Not only was I worried about my car seats being torn to shreds (I'm sorry, but the car does take first priority over a $20 cat), I had no idea how to get her home safely without her pooping and peeing all over my car! I tried shoving her back into the torn-up cardboard carrier but that didn't work. I jumped back in my car and raced back to the humane society, praying I could purchase a plastic carrier there.

I ran inside the building and let one man who had helped me know the situation. The cat was still in the car, windows were cracked. He pointed me in the direction of the "Pet Emporium" where I could purchase a carrier. Only they were OUT OF CARRIERS! Come on! All they had left was a small cloth carrier which I knew would not suffice. One of the nice female workers who was trying to keep me calm down raced back to the warehouse to grab me a larger plastic carrier (apparently when people surrender their animals, they also surrender their carriers). we were able to get Josie into the carrier without any trouble and luckily my seats were still intact. On the way home she meowed a little but was way more calm than she was in the cardboard carrier.

At home I handed Clark a bag of cat food and said he needed to meet the newest member of the Tobler household. We went out to the garage, where I set up the food and litter box and we took Josie out of the carrier. She was terrified. We set her down and she raced under my car where we could not reach her for 6 hours.

And that is the story.

She is coming around....a little. She is still hiding under the car, though. She has used the litter box and eaten some food so we know she has left her safe haven from under the car occasionally throughout the night and day.

WHAT I LEARNED FROM THIS WHOLE EXPERIENCE:

I will never attempt to bring home a pet without Clark's approval. I just don't understand. Josie was SOOOO playful at the facility but here she is scared out of her little mind! I know there is an adjustment period, but if it doesn't get better, we may have to "exchange" her. I always imagined having a playful cat that wouldn't hide every time a new face came around. I think this cat may always be scared, even if she warms up to both Clark and myself. So she may be going back to the Humane Society if things don't get better by the weekend.

Other than that, I did make Clark a cat that wouldn't hide: A Kitty Cat Cake






And we got to enjoy an awesome birthday dinner of In and Out while watching the election coverage.


Clark and I still have to go shopping for his "real" presents: a computer and some shoes :)

I love my husband and I am so happy he was able to laugh about the situation with the cat. I made sure to tell him 25 reasons why I love him so much!

Politics are NOT ANY FUN!

VS

I have created this post because I noticed that family members were using blogs as outlets for promoting their personal political persuasions...so I felt the need to respond.

First of all, I am not excited about either Presidential candidate, which is very frustrating because it creates the enormous dilemma of deciding who to vote for. I have found myself during this election agreeing completely with a statement made by former Governor, Navy Seal, and Vietnam Veteran, Jesse Ventura. Jesse Ventura has suggested numerous times that all local, state, and national ballets should have a "None-of-the-above" option so voters can indicate that they are willing to participate in the voting process, but are lacking options (People can hear more from Jesse Ventura at: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ks14Kshyw5Q&feature=related ). I am also fed up if the talking point of "Who does the World want the Next American President to BE??" I don't care who Venezuela, France, Iran, China, Cambodia, Sweden, Canada, etc. thinks the next US President should be! If these countries Love and Support a particular candidate so much, then why dosen't that canidate move and become presiedent of one of those countries. We are voting for the President of the US not Europe, Iran, Central America, Asia, etc.

Second, Gerald Celentes economic strategist and publisher of the economic trend journal (here is the link to Mr. Celentes website http://www.trendsresearch.com/ ) has stated that regardless of who Americans vote for on November 4, 2008, the upcoming winter is going to be one of the worst winters since the Great Depression. Mr. Celentes said in a interview I was listening to that Americans are completely unprepared for the soon to come economic struggle and that Americans are going to be unable to heat their homes this winter! So regardless of what great and marvelous promises the presidential hopefuls give, America has some very rough days ahead.

In conclusion, I feel that both Obama and McCain represent larger Government and both represent the same strangle hold of repetitive ideals the Republican and Democrat parties have always represented. So without a "None-of-the-above" option on the November 2008 Presidential ballot, I have been forced to pick between two people that I don't agree with. Ultimately, I have decided to give my (reluctant) support to John McCain because as a Navy Seal he spent almost five years in a North Veitnam POW camp. John McCain was willing to die for his country.

Why I Love My Husband Oh So Much!

He does things like this:

Look closely at the left nare. Hehe!

HAPPY HALLOWEEN!!

BREASTIVAL

Today Clark's nursing group held a "Breastival" at the ASU East campus Student Union. In order to raise awareness about breast cancer, these wonderful students provided loads of valuable information to anyone who wanted to participate in fun games and walk through each booth. I just had to go and check it out and take some action shots!


Lisa copping a feel...

Some male students finding lumps in Clark's breasts.

I had to take advantage of Clark too...



I guess 750 m&m's fit into a DD bra! WOW



This is the booth Clark was in charge of... go figure :)

Mt. Charleston in the Fall

Last weekend we took a little trip to Vegas for Jakob's homecoming and to get away from the Valley for a couple of days. Last year we took a visit around the same time, and drove up Mt. Charleston while the foliage was in full force. Of course, Clark didn't have his camera on him at the time and I was left devastated because there were so many beautiful trees that I couldn't take pictures of....but this year, we drove up to Mt. Charleston not only to hike and enjoy the outdoors, but to take pictures of the beautiful foliage! We were able to make up for last year, however, this year was slim pickens. But hey, we got a few good shots in!








I just love the lone, yellow-leafed tree.




What a daunting trail, huh?