A Very Merry Christmas! in absolutely no logical order.

This is the manliest way to open presents. Magnum or Blue Steel?
Sawyer was pleased with her "first computer" and has been playing with it non-stop.
The pink bathrobe also went over like gangbusters.Cute Brittany enjoying an unexpectedly fun Christmas with us here in Utah... in the snow... with the Mormons... otherwise all by herself. What a champ she is to put up with us.
Matt thought it would be funny to pretend I was a pirate & give me a treasure chest full of "gold dubloons" instead of my requested gift cards. Believe me, they don't spend the same.

Due to the drop in mortgage rates, Matt has been working like c.r.a.z.y., and we weren't able to go to Idaho for Christmas as planned, which worked out okay because we had lovely cabinet and countertop installers who wanted to do our basement on Christmas Eve & the day after. So yeah, it was fine. Plus, our cute friend Brittany kinda got ditched on Christmas & so we had her over for Christmas. Honestly that was the best part of the whole holiday, we didn't even know that her boyfriend had ditched her & flown home a few days earlier until Christmas eve afternoon, so we scrambled around for some gifts & stocking stuffers & made her sleep over and hang out with all of us crazies the next day. She really is awesome and has more faith & courage than I have ever even thought possible. We will see what happens but right now it looks like she might be the reason we've felt impressed to finish our basement faster than seems logical. I hope she takes us up on the offer..... we'll see.

go now.

We saw The Curious Case of Benjamin Button last night. It was Susie's birthday & all her kids & their spouses went to the Mandarin & had one the more enjoyable dinners ever. Then we went to this movie and oh my goodness.... is it bad of me to admit that of the two of us, my husband was the one who dissolved into a blubbering pile of goosh? That is not to say that I wasn't a bit weepy myself. This is without a doubt one of the most beautiful movies of all time. I will be reading the book asap. Cate Blanchett is amazing. Brad Pitt is amazing. Makeup artists are AMAZING & this movie made me really wish that I had followed through on my plan to move to LA & become one. Anyway, it is beautiful & touching & beautiful & amazing. And beautiful. Worth every bit of the 3 hours.

new year's resolutions

mostly they are a joke right? well, if yours include (like 90% of the world) losing weight, eating better or just trying some healthier habits, I think you'd really benefit from a fantastic article I just read in my Women's Health magazine. I completely HEART this mag. I love, love, love to work out, so technically, my body should be absolutely rocking, right? Well, it is not. It's healthy & strong & that's great & all, but there is a bit much in the padding department & it's is time for that to go. My friend Katie at my gym & I were talking a few weeks ago & she said that weight loss/maintenance is really 80% nutrition & only 20% exercising! I guess I really need to own up to my crappy habits. Plus, I hate how I feel when I am eating all unconciously & out of control-y. At this point, it isn't even about getting back into my True Religion jeans, I have had it up to HERE with my poor eating habits! By the way, those True Religions, along with 5 or 6 of my most lovely (pricey) jeans that I don't exactly fit into right now... my "skinny" jeans? Yeah, they just went to my friend Kierstin's house, to become her "fat" jeans after she had a baby. Nice, huh? Stupit skinny hooker. (just kidding.)
Anyway, the point of this post, is to share some things that are probably complete no-brainers for most people, (Kierstin) but for me & the other will-power challenged people out there, they might be complete revelations. Just thought I'd share.

#1 Ramp up your resolve

One reason most diets fail is that long-term goals can be deceptively difficult: When the plan is to watch what you eat for the next six months, chugging one caramel latte with whipped cream seems like a minor slip. To avoid that kind of thinking, commit to eating well for a fixed amount of time that you're 100 percent confident you can manage, even if it's just a few days. (I'll be going one day at a time myself.)
"Once you make it to your goal date, start over," says Mary Vernon, M.D., chair of the board of the American Society of Bariatric Physicians. "This establishes the notion that you can be successful and gives you a chance to notice that eating better makes you feel better, reinforcing your desire to continue."

#2 Find meaningful motivation

If the main purpose of your diet is cosmetic--i.e., to look amazing in boy shorts--you're unlikely to stick with it for the long haul.
The solution: "Arm yourself with additional motivators," says Jeff Volek, Ph.D., R.D., of the University of Connecticut. He suggests keeping a daily journal in which you monitor migraines, heartburn, acne, canker sores, and sleep quality in addition to body measurements and the number on the scale. (I'm totally doing that!)
"Discovering that your new diet improves the quality of your life and health is powerful motivation," Volek says.

#3 Move on after a mistake

OK, you overindulged. What's the next step? "Forget about it," says James Newman, a nutritionist at Tahlequah City Hospital, in Tahlequah, Oklahoma, who followed his own advice to shed 300 pounds. (That's right, three hundred.) "One meal doesn't define your diet, so don't assume that you've failed or fallen off the wagon," he says.
Institute a simple rule: Follow any "cheat" meal with at least five healthy meals and snacks. That ensures that you'll be eating right more than 80 percent of the time.

#4 Roll out of bed and into the kitchen

Sure, you've heard this advice before. But consider that if you sleep for six to eight hours and then skip breakfast, your body is essentially running on fumes by the time you get to work. And that sends you desperately seeking sugar, which is usually pretty easy to find. (This one, I actually don't struggle with, thanks Mom! I love breakfast & have no problem making good choices at this point.)
The most convenient foods are typically packed with sugar (doughnuts, lattes) or other quickly digested carbohydrates (McMuffins, cinnamon buns). Which brings us to our next strategy.

#5 Restock your shelves

How many times have you driven to the store in the middle of the night to satisfy a craving? Probably not nearly as often as you've raided the fridge. You're more likely to give in to a craving when the object you desire is close at hand. So make sure it's not: Toss the junk food and restock your cupboard and fridge with almonds and other nuts, cheese, fruit and vegetables, and canned tuna, chicken, and salmon. And do the same at work.
"By eliminating snacks that don't match your diet and providing plenty that do, you're far less likely to find yourself at the doughnut-shop drive-thru or the vending machine," says Christopher Mohr, Ph.D., R.D., president of Mohr Results, a fitness and nutrition consulting firm in Louisville, Kentucky. (Now if I could just stop baking crap to eat. I guess I just need to instantly give it away or something. Leave a comment to be placed on that list.)

#6 Think like a biochemist

Cookies made with organic cane juice might sound like something your yoga teacher would eat, but they won't help her fit into her Lycra pants. Junk food by any other name is still junk. Ditto for lots of "health foods" in the granola aisle. "Natural" sweeteners like honey raise blood sugar just like the white stuff.
"If you're going to eat cookies, accept that you're deviating from your plan, and then revert to your diet afterward," Berkowitz says. Kidding yourself will only get you into trouble. (I love that. I totally need to quit "kidding myself" about pretty much everything I put into my face.)

#7 Spot hunger impostors

Have a craving for sweets even though you ate just an hour ago? Imagine sitting down to a large, sizzling steak instead. "If you're truly hungry, the steak will sound good, and you should eat," says Richard Feinman, Ph.D., a professor of biochemistry at SUNY Downstate Medical Center in Brooklyn, New York. "If it doesn't sound good, your brain is playing tricks on you." (Genius! Dur! I love this idea.)
His advice: Change your environment, which can be as easy as stretching at your desk or turning your attention to a different task.

Anyway, I know it's not even Christmas yet, but I am way excited to make these changes & quit stressing about "dieting" and just create better lifetime habits. So yeah, there ya go, hope you learned something! Hopefully you'll see how well I'm doing soon! Kierst, I'm gonna need those jeans back! ;

Sawyer's new BFF is ballet class.

sorry these pictures all stink. photographer friends: how does one go about getting good picture with this equation: quick shutter speed necessary due to dancing toddler + spotlights that are too low or too hot depending on where she is standing + my complete and utter hatred for using my flash + my photography stupidity = crappy pictures. I know just enough about photography to know that I don't know anything. Just enough to know that after taking 3 actual-factual photography classes & inadvertently surrounding myself with AMAZING photographers, I really should understand these things by now.
grrrrr.
moving on.
Sawyer is delightful at ballet. LOVES her class. Adores her teacher (she should be sainted, seriously). The only day of the week that she give a fiddler's fart about is Thursday because she knows that it is ballet day. It is so fun to see her tell me to "go 'way, mom" when she arrives at class. If by fun I mean "simultaneously gut-wrenching yet ridiculously proud-making", then yes, so fun. I remember when I was little, waiting for my ride to ballet, sitting on this really funky ergonomically correct computer chair, envisioning myself kicking my teachers pounding stick out from under her feeble hand and watching her go down. Hard. You see, she had this cane kind of thing that she would pound on the floor to count out the beat for us, you know.... and a one and two and three... that kind of thing. It was absolutely menacing. Awful place. Dreadful woman. I am so glad that Costco came & destroyed the building that it was in. The only reason I stuck with it as long as I did (probably one whole year) was that I really liked the fancy costumes we wore for recitals. Actually, it just so happens that I have photographic evidence of their awesomeness right here! Check it out. I freaking LOVED that dress! The satin was sooo soft & the sparkles were very sparkle-y, a nice combination of textures, even at that tender age, I knew it. That thing was pure magic. I should really post more of those lovely pictures from the eighties. I have a feeling that I will be delving into that folder more frequently, so yeah, there's something to look forward to. To summarize
1) I suck at photography
2) My daughter is an amazing bundle of pure joy and thank goodness she is related to Grandma Miller in the dance department.
3) Why was I not allowed to dance in proper dancing shoes? Grandma Miller? What is up with the tight-foot? Surely I would have been a prima ballerina by now if I had been given the proper equipment.

tears. tears flowing down my face. laughing so hard.

You all know that I am a fan, but this is HILARIOUS!! It starts out a little dumb, but oh my goodness, the glitter and the stuttering and the running... ah ha ha ha hahahaha! I'm gonna go watch it again.

I'm sorry.... what?

True Religion jeans for under $100? Ferreal? My new favorite place in the entire internet-web-land. Which ones should I get, the Bobby's or the Gina's? I'm a denim-whore. Plus they have super cute tops & accessories & shoes & belts & jackets & dresses....
Santa can I have a shopping spree for Christmas?

MDC Christmas Party version 2000.8

(sorry, these pictures are all blurry.)
I cannot even express how lucky I am to have friends that I love this much. Sometimes I get into funks where I feel like people don't really "get" me, and with the exception of my husband this is probably true 90% of the time. Lately I've been thinking about how much more complex it is to have good friends once you are a couple and have kids & jobs & whatnot. You also have to get along with your friends' spouse and approve of their parenting style, have similar spending patterns, interests, hobbies and taste in food. At least it makes things easier if you do. There are just so many more factors that effect the friendship. It kinda stinks. I remember being in high school & thinking that when I was married, I'd have my friends over all the time & it would be one non-stop party. I guess it's the way it's supposed to be, but our families become our priority & sometimes that makes it hard to have close friendships like you did in high school. I've been feeling a bit out of place lately & adding that to some of the other straws on my camel's back, I've had a rough two days. (probably hormones, let's face it, but that doesn't make it any more fun.) To make a long story short, tonight was just what I needed. No drama, no insecurities, nobody putting on a show, (clearly)just laughing till my face hurts and feeling completely loved. Even though they know all the dumb things about me (that I call people "nasty ho" occasionally, that I snort when I laugh, that I have an affinity for shoes that are all together too tall for me, that I am ridiculously rude when woken up, that I flip dogs off, etc., etc., etc.) for some reason they still love me, make fun of me and remind me that I ran away crying the first time that we hung out. I literally feel like each of these girls was a complete God-send in my life, and collectively they have been my rock so many more times than they will ever know. Not only that, but they are amazing examples to me, and inspire me to be better in so many ways. And they make me laugh my brains out. So Trudy, Kierstin, Jolene, Jill, Becky, Kathryn & Kirsten, whether you read this blog or not, I hope you know that I love you and would do anything for you. (sorry I didn't get pictures of all of us together, I was too busy feeding my face chocolate fountain stuff.) Let's do better at staying in touch & get together more often. Kierst, you may now leave a smart-a*& comment about how sappy this is. And the boys who put up with us.... I kinda like them too.

fun new tag

pretty little preggers bird on the lawn had this on her blog today & I am blatantly stealing it. (click on it to enlargificate it.)
Post your top 25 played songs from itunes on your blog & comment to let me know you're participating. It's like virtually looking through your makeup bag or purse, and I think will be very telling. Take mine for example. I have developed a problem this weekend since downloading the Twilight soundtrack. I have listened to Never Think 14 times in 2 days. Yes, that is a bit much. AND that doesn't even count the times I've listened to it on YouTube. Another thing I've learned is that I need to listen to more Smashing Pumpkins. There is only one song of theirs that made the list & they are in my top two favorite bands. The other, obviously is Alkaline Trio. Mix that up with a bunch of hip-hoppy/pop songs & you have me. Nothing too cerebral or indie or fancy, but again, that's me. I love my music. What is yours like? Do share. (if you don't know how to do it & have a mac, read the bird's comment on my last post. if you don't have a mac, I dunno what to tell ya.)

Thanksgiving Day Summary in Pictures

Sawyer always has so much fun with her cousins! I so wish my sisters & brother lived closer! I am just so glad my in-laws are such fantastic people, friends & parents. After the feast we let the grandkids decorate the tree & had pie & perused the Black Friday ads & talked. I am so grateful for my families, we have so much fun together, and they have really taught me to not take myself so seriously.

Thanksgiving Bake Day!

I have a really hard time feeling like Christmas is coming until the first snowfall. And that really has to happen after Thanksgiving, because I'm pretty much a Nazi about celebrating holidays in their own time. No decorating for Christmas until AFTER Thanksgiving has had it's day in the sun. It's kind of rude if you think about it. Poor Turkey Day.
Anyway, it's been like 60 degrees lately, and I haven't felt very festive at all. That is until today. Sawyer & I baked and baked & baked today & I LOVED it! We made 2 pumpkin pies, 1 amazing apple pie, a banana cream pie & a huge amount of sweet potato casserole. Oh, and a really yummy punch. She was so funny today. I have decided to cut back on the TV & movies, but we kinda have to do it cold turkey, so I was anxious about having to bake all day & having a little girl underfoot. She helped me really well for an hour or so, then started just wandering around the house playing what looked to be the most wonderful pretend something game. She was talking & dancing & singing, under the table, behind the couch, on her bed, hiding in the laundry room, everywhere & she wouldn't let me play at all. It was so cute. It probably didn't hurt that she was wearing a very sparkly new dress that she loves. Anyway, we turned on FM 100 and rocked out to Christmas music all afternoon. I let her help peel the apples with our magical peeler/corer/slicer (the single greatest kitchen invention ever!)
It's kinda hard to do,
but she loves to help, and did all seven apples without complaint (that's saying a lot, she is, after all, her mother's daughter.)
This pie is awesome because it bakes in a paper bag. Don't ask me how that increases the awesomeness, but it does. "And that is a scientific fact!"Yes, she has Uggs on with her beautiful princessy dress. I thought that would lessen her ability to spin & tip-toe, but it didn't seem to.And yes, she really is this beautiful. Crazy huh?
Oh! and I found the true cause of the blood-splattered walls! It was really bad today & I haven't noticed Charlie's ears bugging her anymore, so I did a very through check and found a big scabby area on her poor little tail. I don't know if one of the dogs at Scott & Kim's took a nip out of it, or if it got caught in a car door or what, but it's not looking too good. So I shaved the hair off and bactine'd the crap out of it and slapped her with some bandaids. Hopefully she'll leave it alone and my house will stop looking like a slaughterhouse. But she's so pretty!Happy Thanksgiving, Ya'll! Be sure to do some giving of thanks! And THEN you can decorate for Christmas!

are ya kidding me?

I need a boy sooo bad! Check these out, and now go buy twelve hundred from her! Plus her son is reeediculously cute! I want him to marry Sawyer. His name is Jonas. Jonas. He could be a bump on a log with that name & I'd want to eat him alive.

2008 Utah Chocolate Show Wedding Cake Contest

Last Friday Sawyer & I had a girls day & went to the Utah Chocolate Show. I had planned on entering a cake in their contest, but I kinda overdosed on cakes in the last few months & am taking a little break until spring business starts back up. With the exception of a cake I donated to a charity auction for Karson's Kause, (which I am actually really excited to do) and a friend's cake this Saturday, I will not be taking on new cakes right now! Yeah for a little holiday break! Anyway, it was fun(-ish) to go look at the cakes & hang out with my girl a little bit. I say fun(-ish) because the cakes were pretty disappointing compared to last year. There weren't as many entries & I totally could have rocked their socks off if I'd have entered. Easy for me to say now, huh? Anyway here are some of my favorites.
Very elegant lace work.
Sawyer's favorite, pink of course.
Even more elegant brush work. Why did this cake not win? SOOOO much work!
See, look, they even made tiny little ballet slippers! Geez louise, this should have gotten way more than an honorable mention.

This was the grand champion. The gumpaste flowers were pretty amazing, but up close their piping was like some I'd do, so yeah, not too perfect.

and here goes all my pride, right out the window...

okay, so I'm going to go there. I'm going to drop all my pride & join the ranks of the 700 million other Mormon mom bloggers who are currently posting something about Twilight. Saw it today. And lets just get it out there right now- I freaking LOVED it. I sat there the entire time with a stupid "shish-eating" grin on my face because I was so in love with this movie. I would never, ever, in a billion, kagillion years ever dare to take on a project like this; one where so many people have such strong opinions about how it should be; where the hype becomes a huge monster waiting to eat you alive. Neverever. No one (short of Brad Pitt himself) could ever live up to the idea that people have of Edward. Robert Pattison is clearly not a photogenic person. Good thing he is not a model, huh? But he is an actor and a damn fine one at that, because he totally rocked this role. I went to the movie with a huge grain of salt in my pocket & was not at all invested in how it turned out, and it was lovely. Anyway, my point today is 3 fold:
1-Do NOT take infants to movie theaters. EVER. It is not the place. Wait until you are no longer attached at the boob, and then feel free to pay a babysitter (like I did, because I wanted to enjoy a movie) and please, by all means, join the rest of the movie goers at the theater. Sorry, its just one of those sacrifices that lives at the intersection of living in a civilized society & being a parent. Both are wonderful blessings that should be enjoyed on a mutually exclusive basis.
2-Twilighters, twilight moms, etc.: Please, please, please could you go about living your lives? Yes, they are lovely books & a nice escape from reality, but maybe not to the extent that we need to be picking teams & displaying our choice in t-shirt form for all the world to see.
3-If you happen to be a single guy looking to getcha some, a great plan would be to hang out around theaters showing Twilight right after it lets out. The 99% of women coming out of the theater at that time are going to be a little... how shall I put this gently... "randy," if you know what I mean. Timing is everything.
There it is, a random rant about my feelings on the subject of Twilight. I'm sorry, it won't happen again. The end.

Poladroid = Fun!

One of the benefits of being a mac user. Poladroid. Good times.

Warning: Probably gonna be TMI (mom, that means "too much information")

So today was house cleaning day. I seriously only do it once a week. An hour or two of good old elbow grease pretty much covers it for a week. (One of the benefits of having a house that can be vacuumed completely without moving the vacuum to another electrical outlet) Anyway, I'm down on my knees wiping up the grime on the baseboards in the hall & I notice that there are little spots of blood EVERYWHERE!!! All over the walls, the doors, the trim, even the floor. Everywhere. It's like someone went a little crazy with the splatter paint. Remember "tole painting" in the 90s? You know, those little kitschy decorations and you had to use watered down acrylic paint & an old toothbrush to get just the right amount of splattering on your little Christmas decorations? Like that, but with blood. Nice, huh? It looked like someone had been making animal sacrifices in my hallway. After ruling that possibility out, I checked us all for open wounds. Nope, no open wounds....oh, but wait.... the dog. Charlie, bless her heart, apparently has some kind of an infection in her ears & spent the weekend at uncle Scott's scratching the crap out of them and so now, when ever she shakes her head (which is frequently, what with the infection & all) she imparts that perfect little splatter pattern on the walls. In blood. Lovely. I've cleaned them off 4 times today.
Good thing I love her more than my left leg.How could you not?
Next time "tole painting" is popular though, I know who I'm going to for some great splatter work.

Vegas, baby, Vegas!

We went to St. George last weekend. Matt golfed all day Friday & part of Saturday & then we went to Vegas. Sawyer spent most of the ride down in a cheeto-induced coma, I wish I would have been able to get a picture of her pudgy little cheese-product stained fingers, it was classic.I was a little leary of taking a 3 year old to Las Vegas, what with the porn-hander-outers on every corner, but it actually was very good, they don't hand their stuff to you if you have a kid, it was like an invisible smut-sheild. Wonderful! Grandma Susie has recently bought a Toyota Solara convertible that she keeps down at the condo & let me just tell you, driving the strip in a convertible is the funnest thing ever! We showed her the lions at MGM, very cool, the M&M store, the fountains at Bellagio, but her favorite, by far was Excalibur. She has been talking about "my castle" ever since. I would never have thought I'd have such a princessy girl, not that I'm a jock or anything, but she wants to be a cheerleader for goodness sake!

We finally found her a dance class today. Actually I decided to go with the first one we checked out because she threw the BIGGEST tantrum when I told her we had to wait until Thursday to actually attend a class. So yeah, as of Thursday, Sawyer is starting a Pre-Ballet class at Creative Arts Academy. Is it normal for me to be so freaking excited/nervous for her real, not at home, life to begin?!

It's gonna be so much fun, Boom-Boom!!!!

I wanna help with you, mom!

Sawyer has always loved cooking with me. Actually, who am I kidding, I never really cook, I bake. There is a big difference. Like between a size 6 and size 12 big of a difference. So yeah, we bake. As soon as I don an apron and get out my measuring cups, Sawyer runs over and says "I wanna help with you mom!" She has an apron, but it's fugly, just plain red with no personality at all. Anyway, the point of the story is that on Sawyer's birthday, which just happened to be on a Sunday when my amazing sister-in-law Jennifer's family was in town, we had a bit of a family party & Jen's mom just whipped up the MOST ADORABLE apron for her! Such a sweetheart, I love them. I cannot even tell you how much she loves this thing. The fabric is ridiculous. Thanks so much, Nancy!

Prop 8

okay, I NEVER talk about politics or religion even very often, but reading my friend Laura's (incredibly well-written) blog recently, I have to link to it, so if you have a minute, here is how I feel about Prop 8.

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl

We had a little party at Susie's tonight to celebrate Sawyer's 3rd birthday, a 5 soup buffet & rolls & salads & magical disappearing grapes (ha ha, Susie!). As always WAYYYY too much food & tons of fun. Matt did some games with the kids, and got the title of "best uncle ever" from Grace. Then we had cake & ice cream & presents. It was very, very fun and just what Sawyer wanted. She also wanted a "Barbie & the Diamond Castle" cake, but that stinkin' diamond castle appears to be made out of glass and is extremely tall, so instead she got a "mom is way over scheduled this week" castle cake. But it was yummy, and she loved it anyway. I tell ya, there is nothing better than the way she says "WOW!" at everything that is even slightly exciting. I can't believe my baby is three years old already. I really meant to have a little sibling for her by now. Best laid plans, huh? I gotta tell ya, this week has been pretty overwhelming, we had our YW in Excellence on Wednesday & I had a lot of little things that had to be done for that, and honestly, that was my only focus for the first 3 days of the week. By the time it was done, I felt like a complete failure in every other aspect of my life; wife, mother, housekeeper, friend, dog-owner, daughter and sister. I have no idea how other people, people with more children, more demanding callings in church, jobs, etc. handle their lives, and manage to somehow make it look all nice & pulled together. No idea! When I get stressed out, not only does my house turn into a landfill, my waist expands two inches, my husband gets verbally abused, my daughter gets ignored or snapped at, and my hair gets permanent pony-tail bend. Oh, and my scriptures gather a thin layer of dust. How do you all stay balanced? How do you decide what to let slide & what to stick to? I feel like I'm just treading water sometimes. I've really got to learn to not let my stress level change how I treat my family. That is what I really need to be learning & working on when these crazy, overscheduled times strike. So yeah, how do you do it?

dank you grandma & grandpa

I had no idea that Sawyer would freak out as much as she did when I told her that she got mail. The birthday card from Grandma & Grandpa today was completely the highlight of her day. She still has last years card on her dresser, they always find these cute little pop-up bunny cards that are so very Asian-cool it's not even funny. It's a great start to her birthday week. I cannot imagine better absentee-grandparents. We are very excited to have you be the best non-absentee grandparents. See you in May!!!!! We love you guys!

Oh-Geeee!!!

So my personal favorite part of our trip to St. George was the time Matt called me & told me that Downeast Outfitters had my lusted after chair for the whopping price of not $1200 (like the Pottery Barn wants for it), not $800, like I was willing to pay for it when I misread a Pottery Barn Sale ad, but $400!!!! In perfect condition except for missing the little extraneous lumbar pillow! I now own the Pottery Barn Green Ogee Madison Chair! You have no idea how much joy this stupid chair brings me. I am in love with it and therefore even more in love with my cute husband who found it for me & was willing to spend much more than I'm sure he was comfortable with for a not completely necessary peice of furniture. Oh, and he also bought that big ginormous couch as well, so no matter what I spent in St. George, he had me beat! Good times all around.