I've pretty much been lame at updating this, I can't keep up two blogs. So basically all I do is now at my other blog www.artatchinn.blogspot.com so go there for everything from now on....basically.

It was my birthday....

I know my birthday was a week ago...BUT it was so great I have to share. My dashing husband kept me in the dark about what would go down on my 25th birthday. I asked him SO many times..."what are we doing what are we doing?" But he played it off non-chalantly as if he were too busy and that I shouldn't expect much cause he had lots to do with school, work, etc. So I was ready for a chill day.

1st trick- David told me he had to work the morning of my birthday and he couldn'

t get it off. So I woke up expecting

to make myself a breakfast worthy of a 25 year old. However when I walked into the kitchen I saw a lovely plate of breakfast waiting for me on the table and my husband dressed handsomely sitting on our couch. That morning he had gotten dressed and kissed me goodbye while I was in bed so I thought he had left! Smooth.

2nd trick- When I asked for a napkin while eating my yummy breakfast, I found a CLUE inside! It started me on a fabulous scavenger hunt.

3rd trick-Well the 3rd trick was really all the clues he had hidden around town...and me trying to figure them out. One was in the library, on one my brother's door, but they weren't all that clear. One of them read "Ask the sister of your uncle, but not your aunt." I was a little confused for a few minutes there...honestly what would you think if you read that? Well if you don't know what that means I'll help you...call mom. He even got my mother in on it. Awesome.

4th trick- I thought the scavenger hunt was just for fun, but at the end of the rainbow of clues was a pot of gold that read..."at 4:30

pm go to massage envy for a 1 hour massage." Wahooo! I have only had one other professional massage in my life and it was heaven. So at 4:30 I got pampered and figured that was it.

5th trick- I had asked david to have people over for cake or something, but he said we'd do it another day cause finals were coming up, it was the end of school etc etc. I accepted that. However at 7pm my little sis and her hubby showed up. I thought they just felt like stoppin by to say happy birthday. But then Ryan says...are we late? Late? late for what? It didn't dawn on me until other people walked in our door that david had pulled off a surprise get together with my friends and family.

He seriously lied, I mean tricked, me all day long. It was an awesome birthday. Thank you dear husband for showin'em how it's done.

new website

I have wanted to start a website for my artwork for a long time. The whole idea was exciting but intimidating. I wasn't really sure how to start or what to do. My twin brother (and my mother too) got me started!! The best part is Todd has done all the stuff I didn't want to. My site is still under construction. I haven't been able to upload pictures to it from my computer and I can't figure it out!! Hopefully I'll fix it soon so my website will be officially in the works. Check it out =)

www.rachelchinnart.com

lists

What have I done with myself lately? Honestly I don't know. I don't know how today is Thursday. Or how tomorrow is Friday. I cannot stop the fact that I will be 25 next week (along with my twin Todd, sometimes I forget =) I have so many things on my to do list. It's actually more like my "want to do" list. It sometimes tends to take over my need to do list. There are lots of lists in my life. They help me make things happen!

I made a list last year for things I wanted to do while 24. I actually completed most of them except "take a cake decorating class." Still need that one. Big on my list was making art. Lately I haven't gotten to much art making. That is on my need and want to do list. But somehow when I come home after 3 classes with hormonal 14 year olds, I am pooped and tell myself..."self, later today after you chillax, you should do art." Then later comes and I instead think...what's for dinner? where's david? etc etc.

My life is a simple one to be honest because really those are my questions at night. I don't have kids, yet. That means that unlike my mother friends, I do not have to think..."where are the wipes? why won't they stop crying? and what the heck made their diaper smell like that?" So my days feel kind of selfish sometimes to be honest. I do what I want when I want pretty much. Surrounding me are young mothers walking their children, playing at the playground, watching their kids eat dirt. Cute. I remember writing in my journal in high school about my future plans and where I thought I'd be at 25. On the list was...go to byu. Check. I think following that was...have 2 kids. Well I'm fresh out of those! I am almost 25 and although I am not a mom, I am a wife. Check. That is high on my list. I love him. One day we'll be parents. Check.

We have a new couch and its name is Awesome!

So recently I just completely changed our living room. It's one of my new favorite hobbies to constantly change our house, I'm sure it's driving David nuts. I sold our old entertainment center, bookshelf, and our couches. We used that money to buy some new stuff and I am quite pleased. After much debate and online shopping, we decided to get this slammin' couch from IKEA (one of my favorite places on earth). It is a sofa bed AND the chaise has extra storage underneath that is full of blankets right now. It's SOO nice to be able to lay down on the couch! Our others were both basically love seats and I got tired of them really fast. Cheers to our new comfy couch! She is awesome. (here ya go mom!)

After a long weekend of sewing while sitting on a rock hard ottoman, david's quilt is finished and my butt is sore. The quilt turned out pretty dang huge, but that makes it all the more perfect to snuggle with. It took up my entire living room floor and somehow I mangaged to quilt it all together without a quilting square which means that it is not perfect and DEFINITELY homemade looking, but I'm glad that project is done! check off my list!

and other good news...new stuff on the art blog

got skills?

Jessi had given me this orange shirt that I wasn't sure what to do with. I wish I would have taken a before picture, but I got too excited to start working that I skipped that step as I often do. Anyway I cut these balloon sleeve type things off and cut off a few inches from the bottom, re-hemmed it and used the extra fabric to sew on a bunch of little flowers! I'm pretty siked with the transformation. Thanks jessi for the donation =) It's not perfect looking, but I like the whole handmadeness of it. Now I feel a little more empowered to make this stuff for our future little ones...hopefully girls so I can make lots of cute stuff!!!

Teacher time

I forgot to mention.... I have a real job! not subbing anymore. It was a tough situation cause I had already kind of committed to this sub thing, but I got a job offer at a junior high and I have been teaching there for one week now. I had to take it because of course the permanent sub thing was going to end and then I'd be out of a job again. I was blessed though to be offered this one. It's actually really perfect. I only teach half day so I'm done around 11:30, my classroom is huge and we have a HUGE budget, and I have an office! Also I had always heard horror stories about teaching junior high, but I love it. These kids are great so far. It's nice to finally have my own classroom. =) Ah how nice to have a job. Phew!

welcome 2011

It's 2011 already?! ! So far in 2011 I have...well? I have been looking for a job! It's weird to be jobless and have so much free time with no homework to worry about. I've tried to keep myself busy. I am now the proud owner of a "project runway" sewing machine (the whole project runway thing makes me feel cooler) and I did some sewing I've been dying to do! We now have pillows on our bed and I fixed our curtains, fixed a whole in my pants, and I have other big plans for my new slick machine. Thanks to mom and dad for the graduation money to help fund my projects =)

oh it's so beautiful! it works like a dream! I never knew I would get so excited over a sewing machine...what have I become.

It hasn't all been "summer" free time, I am going to be a permanent sub for a girl I know who is having a baby soon. It's teaching art at an elementary school and I might get her job next year, schwing. All about networking. And finally we went to go see my paintings at the Springville Museum...we went twice and it was closed. Oops. My fault.

And yay I have started to train for the marathon this summer. ahhhh I'm so excited.