No Idea What We're Doing

The Pumpkin Patch and Halloween

2011-11-02T16:26:00.001-06:00

For preschool we got to go to the Pumpkin Patch in Farmington. I had never been there, but it was so much fun! It is definitely going to be a part of our family's Halloween traditions.

When you first get there the kids can run around in hay bail maze,

It is perfect for parents because you can see their little heads, and it's more fun than challenge.

There are also places you can poke your head through and take a picture.

But the best part is, of course, picking a pumpkin. We loaded all of the kids into these wagon/handcarts that they have there.

The kids loved it!

We went so far back into the pumpkin patch that we found and fed some horses.

Mae was ticked pink to feed the horses, while Henry was scared to death!

Then we came back and paid for our pumpkins and they were pretty cheap! Ours was only $2.50.

Fun and festive!

For Halloween Mae was a "Pirate Princess" because she wanted to be something a little scary but still girly, so it was perfect for her.

After we put all that makeup on her she said, "Wow Mom! Putting on makeup is sure fun!" (Should I be worried for her teen years?)

Henry was a skeleton. I knew he wouldn't sit still long enough for me to do any makeup on him, so I spiked his hair. He ended up looking like he was 12 years old...

Jordan took them trick-or-treating up the hill, and they ran into some of our neighbors. Fun!

At each house Mae would take two treats, on for her and one for Henry. She chose which one she wanted first and then slipped the other into his bag. Sweet!

To See the Little Mermaid

2011-10-26T01:39:00.001-06:00

When we heard that the Little Mermaid was coming to St. George to the Tuacahn theater we knew we knew we had to take Mae. Grandma and Grandpa Ammon kindly agreed to come with us to take care of Henry.

Mae loved the show! It was so fun, it was a combination of Broadway Music mixed with an outdoor amphitheater with a fully functional river, and a waterfall completely covering the stage that they projected onto.

We were so proud of Mae, she stayed awake durning the whole thing even though it ended after 11:00 pm. After the show ended we hurried out so she could meet Ariel. We found the waiting line right away because it was all roped off. And we were only the second ones in line.

Jordan and I thought, "This is PERFECT! We might be able to use this to bypass Disneyland for a few years!" We waited, and there she was!

And then it was Mae's turn...

But then something strange happened...

She didn't want go!?

So Jordan had to hold her up while I snapped a quick picture.

What's wrong? She must be tired, maybe she was feeling shy, maybe she didn't like Ariel...

It wasn't until the next morning when she woke up, that she was finally able to tell us.

She hated the prince's PONYTAIL!

(Boys should NOT have long hair!)

Mae has 11:30 PM & I hate boy's ponytails written all over her face. (But the Little Mermaid and the Prince were so so nice and kind, especially considering since they had been performing for three hours.)

Consignment Update!

2011-09-29T15:55:00.001-06:00

My toddler bike sold!

For $50!

(I bought it at a yard sale for $5!)

That means I get $25.

I brought some new things to Abode today as well.

My mom went through my grandma's attic

for her last yard sale,

And some great vintage things did not sell.

Today I consigned, The Game of Happiness,

an old school hot plate, and some 1950s movie lights

When I said they were from my grandma's attic,

it was like the secret password!

I also consigned some canisters

similar to these:

Which my grandma and grandpa got for their wedding.

I also threw in some things I found at the D.I. as well.

Since I was there, I had to browse around!

Here's what I bought:

A cool hook

To use in my downstairs bathroom as a hand towel holder.

And...

(It's so great!)

....

A gorgeous shelf!

It sits flat against the wall,

but the bottom decoration jets out about 6 inches.

I'm not sure where I will put it, but it will be great!

As I was paying, she asked if I wanted to use the $25 dollars in my account, instead of having them cut me a check.

YES!

So I only paid 1.63 for my two new treasures.

Consigning is addicting!!

Stop Chasing the Coveted Facebook “Like” Faux Follower

2011-09-22T17:27:00.001-06:00

A few months ago, when watching the news the night Osama Bin Laden was killed, the national news outlet I was viewing decided to pull up their Facebook Page on live TV to show what some of their viewers were saying about the big news.

Below is roughly how the exchange went….

“(News Anchor) Well, Amy Johnson says ‘God Bless America and God Bless our Troops’.“

(Keep in mind this is while they are showing their Facebook fan page live on screen)

Anchor searches for another politically correct viewer comment for a few seconds . . .

“And, Josh Hallowell says ‘The witch is DEAD’.”

(Again, keep in mind their Facebook page is live on the screen, the viewer can see exactly what he’s reading in addition to comments like ‘I hope all of his 72 virgins are men’, ‘Osama down, now off to find Waldo and Carmen San Diego!’, and some other vulgar commentary as well as cuss words.)

It seems that everyone is trying to plug their Facebook page lately. This is for obvious reasons. Despite recent changes to navigation within Facebook that have spurred user complaints, we’ve seen this story before and we’ll see the same result. People aren’t leaving. . . Facebook isn’t going away . . . and while Google + may disrupt Facebook or knock it slightly off course, it will not soon replace the behemoth.

Some have grown somewhat annoyed at corporation’s attempts to use Facebook to appear relevant. Increasingly, we hear across multiple news and media outlets and in television commercials, “Follow Us On Facebook!”

So, the question is, how do we successfully integrate Facebook into more comprehensive marketing and messaging plans for your business? We all understand the actual end goal . . . Increased exposure, additional opportunities for sponsorship/advertisers, etc. However, if you do not have something relevant or of value for the user to look at on your Facebook page, why promote it at all? This is the same content question that has plagued all marketers for 15+ years with the invention of the internet and websites.

Many brands and idea promoters want as many Facebook fans and Twitter followers as they possibly can, as soon as they can possibly get them. This is a repeated request we get from companies we work with, “How do we get more Facebook followers? We know we need to be doing social media, but we don’t know why or how.”

A lot of these fans and followers are not true followers. One thing to consider is how many of these fans and followers have hidden you in their news feeds. And, with recent Facebook changes, it may be even harder to market to an already existent pool of “followers”. Marketer Seth Godin calls these “Sunny Day Friends”. Users that “follow” in a fleeting moment of interest of attempt to take advantage of a one time offer. In an experiment Godin recently conducted on Facebook, 200,000 followers led to 25 clickthroughs. That’s a .01% CTR! Ouch!

In the chart above, the curves represent different ideas and different starting points.

Godin says, “If you start with 10,000 fans and have an idea that on average nets .8 new people per generation, that means that 10,000 people will pass it on to 8000 people, and then 6400 people, etc. That’s yellow on the graph. Pretty soon, it dies out.

On the other hand, if you start with 100 people (99% less!) and the idea is twice as good (1.5 net passalong) it doesn’t take long before you overtake the other plan. (the green). That’s not even including the compounding of new people getting you people.

But wait! If your idea is just a little more viral, a 1.7 passalong, wow, huge results. Infinity, here we come. That’s the purple (of course.)”

His point? Better ideas lead to better social media campaigns. More followers does not equal success. Less followers that are more engaged are better than more followers that are less engaged.

An example of a good use of a Facebook page to promote consumer loyalty: Corporate PR. Sponsor a contest to donate money to vote for the best charity, and donate money to the winning charity. Proper use of Facebook? Yes, you are promoting a social cause and getting good PR from it, all while doing positive viral marketing that is likely to spread. (Good marketing rule of thumb, the more emotional and personal a campaign, the better!)

Example of a bad use of Facebook page to promote consumer loyalty: “Follow us on Facebook and Twitter”. We hear this often on traditional media, but often one goes to a company’s Facebook page and there is nothing there. Nothing interactive. No call to action. No strategy. Why should I follow you? What’s in it for me?

Like I said, Facebook has its place and purpose, but too often it is promoted in an attempt to appear relevant and even REPLACE other crucially important marketing and messaging channels. The number of followers or friends you have says nothing to the actual experience or quality of the content you are discussing.

As Seth Godin puts it, “a slightly better idea defeats a much bigger but disconnected user base every time.

The lesson: spend your time coming up with better ideas, not with more (faux) followers.”

Happy Fourth of July

2011-07-08T12:27:00.013-06:00

Happy Fourth of July
Mae and Henry Style

It was such a sunny beautiful day!

Bless them!

Handsome Henry

On the fourth, we went for a hike, and played outside in our swimming pool.
Actually, it was just Jordan and the babies.

Fun!

They played out there for ages.

All Kinds of Fun

2011-07-01T22:52:00.009-06:00

We got a new sand box,
and I think it was a hit.

I think Henry likes the sand box the best!

What you can't see is the sand beard around his face.
He thought it tasted good, (but I'm having trouble getting him to eat bread...)

Then they had to clean each other off,
and take a drink.

Then Mae would spit water at Henry,
He would crack up,
And spit water back at her.Some good clean fun!

Great 5 Years

2011-06-15T14:34:00.003-06:00

To my lovely wife, It's been the best 5 years of my life and you are my best friend! Here's to 75 more!

Embarassing Moment

2011-05-17T21:36:00.002-06:00

Who has America's best burger? I'll tell you who. Well, first off Utah apparently has the 2nd best burgers in the COUNTRY according to this article!

I'm not trying to incite the old Crown Burger vs. Training Table vs. Hires or the 5 Guys vs. In-N-Out debate, as my brother had done at one time in this blog post (though my vote amongst these candidates would be 1. Crown Burger 2. Hires 3. In-N-Out 4. 5 Guys, and 5. Training Table).

In my opinion, if you want the world's greatest burger, you must go to Ruby Tuesday's and order their Triple Prime Cheddar burger. Topped with aged New York cheddar and Hollandaise sauce on a gourmet bun, this triple prime beef delicacy is a taste bud sensation.

Recently Kate and I headed to the Ruby Tuesdays in West Valley (No longer in business, which I will address later. The only Ruby Tuesdays in Utah now is in Park City). We had a 2 for 1 hamburger coupon for her birthday.

Well, we had an interesting experience. Our waiter not only got our order wrong, but also ignored us most the night. We were in a hurry because we had a babysitter. After we finally got our meal to-go, we asked the waiter to have the manager come over. The manager politely came over, and we told him how our waiter was rude and ignored us. The manager proceeded to tell us that he was truly sorry, but that all the employees had found out THAT DAY that they it was there last day and they were closing the locations door. He then gave us our order for free (Best Burger ever!).

For this, we felt HORRIBLE. If it were my last day and I were bitter against the company for firing me, I may have acted the exact same way as that waiter. But, needless to say due to how the manager handled the situation, we are still huge Ruby Tuesday fans. We'll just have to drive to an extra 15 minutes to enjoy it.

Fighting for Relevancy with Irrelevancy

2011-05-10T13:33:00.003-06:00

A few weeks ago, when watching the news the night Osama Bin Laden was killed, the local news outlet decided to pull up their Facebook page on live TV to show what some of their viewers were saying about the BIG NEWS.

Below is roughly how this went….

“(News Anchor) Well, Amy Johnson says ‘God Bless America and God Bless our Troops’.“

(Keep in mind this is while they are showing their Facebook fan page live on screen)

Anchor searches for another politically correct viewer comment for a few seconds . . .

“And, Josh Hallowell says ‘The witch is DEAD’.”

It seems that everyone is trying to plug their Facebook page lately. From Taco Bell, to Z Tejas, all the way to the D.I. I have grown somewhat annoyed at corporations attempts to use Facebook to appear relevant. Increasingly,I am hearing on the news “Go check out our Facebook page”. . . .

My question is, why do they feel this need to plug their Facebook page? I understand the actual end goal . . . Increased exposure, additional opportunities for sponsorship/advertisers, etc. However, if you do not have something relevant or of value for me to look at on your Facebook page, why tell me to do so.

Example of a good use of a Facebook page to promote consumer loyalty: Today my brother posted a link to vote for a cause on KSL Cares, to which KSL will donate money. Proper use of Facebook? Yes, they are promoting a social cause and getting good PR from it.

Example of a bad use of Facebook page to promote consumer loyalty: Previously mentioned showing of a stations Facebook page comments while on Live TV…. If I want to see a bunch of wacko’s comments, I’ll get online and follow you. Or, I’ll go to the Deseret News and read the crazies on their comment boards. Another example of a poor use is the frequent mentions by on-air personalities to follow their station or become their fan. Why? What’s in it for me? Just to have another friend?

Like I said, Facebook has its place and purpose, but too often it is promoted in an attempt to appear relevant. The number of followers or friends you have says nothing to the actual experience or quality of the content you are discussing.

By the way, if you’re not my friend on Facebook, you should TOTALLY add me! I’m at over 500 friends and I’m trying to get to 1,000 by the end of the world in 7 months!

Apprentice Wanted

2011-05-03T20:30:00.002-06:00

This sign was posted on the stop-sign near our house Friday night. You are correct in assuming that this is my phone number on the sign. While I am in search for an apprentice to teach my Wizarding ways, I am not the one to post the sign. I did receive 4 phone calls before being informed about the sign. I have filled the position, so please stop calling all of you that may be interested.

Ode to Geordi

2011-05-01T21:59:00.005-06:00

Here's to my first great African American role model, to whom I owe my name sake (or at least, what my brother's would call me while incessantly harassing me growing up), Geordi La Forge (alias Lavar Burton). Though his sexual preference was continuously in question, I know that Geordi is a man's man! Geordi was born blind, but managed to overcome his handicap using sheer Chuck Norris type resolve, as well as a little help from his VISOR (Visual Instrument and Sensory Organ Replacement). La Forge once impressed Captain Jean Luc Picard by staying up all night to fix a shuttle craft that Picard mentioned had a superficial problem. Perhaps it was their strong French heritage that brought the two together, or perhaps it was their amazing agents casting them both on what would prove to pigeon hole them into a category that would not allow either to ever break out of the sci-fi world again.

Not only was Geordi a great role model in the intergalactic world, but he also helped me to read. Geordi not only encouraged children to fly twice as high, but he also did just that via the Star Ship Enterprize (Accompanied by his true love, the one and only The View co-host Whoopi Goldberg). Between fighting Klingongs and space aliens, Lavar would take a break to come back to Earth (literally and figuratively) to encourage the youth of planet Awesome to take a look, and pick up a book.

If you don't agree that Lavar Burton/Geordi La Forge is a great American hero, don't take my word for it!

The Cutest Bunnies Ever

2011-04-28T22:52:00.000-06:00

These Vintage Bunnies Melted My Heart!

Don't you just love 'em!

We went to Hatch Family Chocolates

And I couldn't resist!

Neither could Henry and Mae!

Epic Easter Egg Hunt

2011-04-25T22:55:00.001-06:00

Don't you just love Easter Egg Hunts?

We had and Epic one at Wheeler Farm

Don't ya love when you say "SMILE" and
You don't know what face they will pull?

Adorable.

First we had a little picnic, and then the adventure began!

Luke, running as fast as he can to find more eggs.

Calder was thinking about his next move.

Walter's First Hunt! He found tons!

Heather and Jake helping Cami find lots of eggs.

Henry LOVEs Easter Eggs.

He sees them and says "ball".

Then he throws it and candy gets everywhere.

The Joys of Childhood.

Thrifty Finds

2011-03-30T23:15:00.000-06:00

It's Wednesday night...

I snuck away from home,

toting only one child with me.

I step into the Thrift Store and my eyes start darting around.

I'm on the prowl.

Then I see it!

A new bag. Bright and beautiful.

Then I narrow my eyes to see if anyone else saw it too.

To see if someone else is going to try to pull it out from my hands.

No one saw! Now act cool.

Then I see something else, another Telephone.

We don't need it, but I want it.

Then I wonder if I am a hoarder.

I think I am.

But I promise myself that I will give away 2 extra things.

I want one more thing, just one more.

So I keep looking

And I find two adorable books!

Great for displaying or consigning.

Aahh! Success. Now I can go home!

I'm Making Spring Come...

2011-03-29T20:00:00.000-06:00

Whether Mother Nature likes it our NOT!

I made this out of faux eggs and sheet moss

I only burned my fingers 7 times!

I had extra eggs (a lot of 'em)

So I put them in my old pasta jars

And in a little basket

(If anyone wants to have some of my extra eggs and moss

to make your own wreath, just let me know.)

Then you can burn your own fingers!

Mr. Goodwill Hunting

2011-03-27T23:05:00.001-06:00

**Update: Because I posted this on my blog,
Mr. Goodwill featured us on his blog!!

Did you see him on the Nate Show?

His name is Mr. Goodwill Hunting

Okay, that's not his real name, it's his Hollywood name

Well his speciality is going to Thrift Stores

and finding great things!

That's what ~~I love~~ I'm addicted to.

He said that most things in his house are bought at

Thrift Stores, or on clearance racks. (Me too!)

I wish we had a Goodwill nearby,

But atleast the people that work at D.I. know me by name.

And they hide things in the backroom

that they think I will like.

Not really! But wouldn't that rock!

(Now Kate, we found this end table that would look nice in your basement...and these chairs that would be divine in your living room...and this book you've been on the look out for...)

I probably went a little too far..

But I love Thrifting!

I actually dream about Thrift Stores and hand-me-downs and I wake up disapointed...

She's 3...What!?

2011-03-26T14:17:00.000-06:00

So I blinked...Now she's 3.

But I love it!

I love how she can put her own clothes on, how she can put her own plate in the sink, and close the car door.

But I REALLY LOVE

Her made up songs, her prayers about whatever she sees,

her giggle when her brother is being funny,

her hugs, her "your beautiful mommy!", her eating the snow, her choosing mismatched outfits....

I love her!

We had LOTS of Festivities for her. (I think Sunday Birthday's are the best-you party all weekend!)

Grandma and Grandpa came over Sunday morning

She had a GREAT time opening presents with G&G

We had a TANGLED party at my parents

Ash made the cutest Tangled Cake

She got so many presents we had to add on to our house!

Monday we had a few other 3 year olds over for a small birthday party

We took them to a bounce house and had a blast!

Love you Mae!

A Consigning We Will Go!

2011-03-25T15:01:00.007-06:00

I have been hunting around at thrift stores for things that I could buy cheaply and then consign at abode. I kind of have an eye for sifting through the junky items, and finding the gems. (A task that is way easier when you don't bring along a baby and a 3 year old!) So I packed up 3 of my best items and took them to Abode. I only chose 3 because I was a little scared of rejection and I didn't want to look like a crazy person pulling out 10 dusty items that no one wanted.

I brought a 1950s Taylor antique baby stroller/ walker, a vintage pack of 1950s envelopes still in the box and mostly unused, and the cutest silver breadbox with a key.

They took 2 of the 3 items to consign. Can you guess which they liked?

Love is in the Air

2011-02-15T22:39:00.004-07:00

Jordan is always finding ways to make any day a celebration.

One of our favorite things to do is to go to the Roof,
We will pay $50 a person, and really we only go for the Creme Brulee.
So Jordan looked up the official recipe for the Roof
and he bought all of the ingredients and made it for me!!
It was perfect! Really it was as good as the Roof's.
Love you Jordan!

I'm on the Look Out for an Ugly T.V. Stand

2011-02-07T21:43:00.008-07:00

I love when people are able to see the beauty in things that may seem a little dated. I found this makeover on-line of a T.V. stand. Now I am totally on the look out for one of these. I can't wait until garage selling season is back!! Sometimes the D.I. is too expensive (what can I say, I'm super cheap!) Wouldn't Mae fall in love with this little kitchen?

Thanks, Design Sponge!

Happy Birthday!

2011-01-31T22:07:00.008-07:00

Jordan took me out for the best birthday date of my life! Clark and Emma watched our babies ALL day while we played! We went to lunch at Zoopas and then he took me to Abode. Which is the cutest little consignment shop you have ever seen.

We went to the Jordan River Temple and then we headed to Francks. Jordan did lots of research on-line and found this gorgeous French Restaurant. The food was the most amazing food I have ever had in my life. {Seriously} Everyone was so nice too. I felt like we were at a friendly Applebee's and not a ritzy place. They even brought me out a divine chocolate mouse with a candle in it!

Next, we headed to the Gateway to see Harry Potter (super romantic right?) and it was great!

Sunday (my actual birthday) we had a perfect dinner at my parents. Complete with pork chops, yummy potatoes, and cupcakes! Merci everyone!!

My New Little Pretties

2011-01-31T21:30:00.008-07:00

For my birthday Jordan and I had a date extravaganza. (The best part was a fancy French Restaurant called Francks) The second best part was going to Abode consignment shop. We found a little cupboard that I fell in love with and Jordan bought it for me.

I have also recently found some great stuff at the D.I., but they were just sitting in their ugly stuff at my house. So this weekend I decided to pull out the paint and newspapers and get painting!

I found a bread box, painted it red (for my black white and red kitchen) and distressed it. And now it's perfect!

I found this clock and thought it would look perfect in Henry's "Race car" themed room. So I painted it red too and there you go.

More Henry

2010-06-30T21:03:00.006-06:00

Introducing

2010-06-23T15:43:00.002-06:00

Henry James Yospe
Born: June 23, 2010 at 9:43 am
9 lbs. 6 ounces 21 inches

Spring Has Sprung (Mostly)

2010-04-06T21:39:00.004-06:00

Before the blizzard hit I trimmed all of the daffodils so we could enjoy them inside. Mae was so excited to hold them and smell them and help me put them in a vase.
Luke, Max, and Mae had a great time searching for Easter Eggs at my parents. Luke was very generous to give Mae practically every egg he found, even though she was doing a great job finding them herself. My parent's have a big backyard where the deer like to hang out, so there were a lot of deer whoppers on the ground. Jordan told Luke they were chocolate, but luckily I was there to stop the boys before they did anything they'd regret. It was a bit chilly, but still a lot of fun! Mae ate way too much candy, and had way too much fun!