team christopherson

Progress

2012-02-11T21:41:00.002-07:00

Today was good. We got up early and are just now sitting down to relax-9:45pm- it was a full day! The bedroom is painted, 2 coats, and looks great. The color isn't quite what I was going for but I like it. It feels relaxing which is lovely. We ran a few errands, we cleaned the house, and right as we were ready to relax, got a call from Em that she and Benji were coming up to visit. That was a nice surprise as always. So we decided to make last minute pizza's for dinner (they brought dessert) and the pizza's were super good. Not bad for never having made them and not following a recipe other then for crust, I was quite impressed. Fun conversation and endless laughing. It was a good day.
Tomorrow- the new light fixture goes up- can't wait to see it up!! It's coming together.

Pizza Crust Recipe:

1 cup warm water

2 1/4 teaspoons active dry yeast

1 tablespoon honey or sugar

2 teaspoons salt

2 tablespoons olive

2-3 cups bread flour

In a mixer combine yeast, sugar, and water. Stir and let sit for 10 minutes until foamy.Then add in salt, oil and 1 1/2 cups flour. Mix using dough hook.Once combined, add additional flour 1/2 cup at a time until slightly tacky, but does not stick to your hands.Turn on medium to knead for 6 minutes. Then side of the bowl should be clean and the dough should be smooth. Remove the dough from the bowl. Spray the bowl with non-stick spray. Add the dough back to the bowl and turn once to get both sides coated with the non-stick spray.Cover and let rise in a warm place for 1-2 hours.The dough is ready to use. Divide dough in half. Roll each half out into a rectangle. Top as desired.Transfer the dough to a baking sheet or pizza stone.Bake at 500 for 10 minutes.

Current Project

2012-02-09T21:35:00.004-07:00

Like I said a few blog entries ago, I need a project! I am bored during the winter and need to do something. Well... here it is.

Our master bedroom.

Could it be any uglier? We are in full swing of redecorating and it is going to be much improved. Furniture is now moved out of the room, paint samples are painted on the wall, the room is taped off ready for paint this weekend (WOO WOO!), new bedding ready to be slept in... it's going to be lovely. I think it would be nearly impossible to be any worse. I was almost too embarrassed to even post before pictures! Please don't judge :)

Viva Las Vegas

2012-02-09T21:12:00.003-07:00

Hot hubby and I are headed to Vegas in a few weeks and I.CANT.WAIT. We are in serious need of a vacation and I wish we were leaving today. Daydreaming of outlet mall shopping, cirque du soleil shows, delicious restaurants, the comfiest bed EVER, sleeping in, and being with hot hubby for a week away from life. So excited!

February to do:

2012-02-04T19:36:00.003-07:00

Make this
Sew these
Watch this
Read this
Go here

Weekend Wrap Up

2012-01-29T14:32:00.006-07:00

We have had a pretty good week/weekend. Check it out...

Taxes done and filed. Thought we would end up owing- ended up getting a decent refund. BLESSING!!!
Friday night we headed to dirty o town to see the fam. It was lovely. We laughed until 10:30pm. Had delish dinner from Cafe Pazon in dirty o town- if you haven't tried it you MUST!! So good! My attempt at describing it would be cafe rio feel but Italian. Sooooo good!
Spent a good part of the night thinking up baby names for when grandchildren actually enter the family. Some of the best (WORST!) were ZORG! and Harvald. At this rate my poor parents will never be grandparents!
Saturday morning hot hubby and I decided to be naughty and went up to Park City. It was lovely to be outside in the warm (40degree) weather. Went to dinner at Red Lobster after and it was delish. Laughed a lot and enjoyed hot hubby's company!!
Sunday spent the good part of the day spring cleaning (yes it's January still). This included cleaning furniture, cleaning stairs, sweeping, mopping, cleaning rugs, wiping down baseboards, organizing linen closet, scrubbing bathrooms, dusting, etc...
Made this lovely meal for lunches this week. LOVE this recipe. Super easy and super good. I make it with manacotti noodles, no broccoli, arugula/spinach mix, and of course, extra gaaaaaarlic. It's really good with chicken in it too. Yum!
And now we are both laying down with ibuprofen and heating pads on our lower backs.

Random January

2012-01-24T20:21:00.005-07:00

I feel a desire to post SOMETHING since it's been a month.... but life has been boring and slow. I hate that question of "what have you been up to?" Seriously nothing. I work, I come home, I go to bed. I truly feel like the most boring person during the winter. Coming home from work and watching TV only to do it again the next day. I swear what little creative juices I have completely freeze during the winter. No projects what so ever and I'm dying to do something creative and fun. Here is the extent of the excitement lately, try to contain your jealousy!

Hot hubby and I started watching ER seasons a few months back and are quite enjoying it. Since we are stuck inside during the winter (we are not winter people) this works quite well and with 16 seasons we might just make it to Spring. We are on season 12.
We are selling Bertha and going down to one car for a while. This is the first time in our marriage we'll be down to one car- wish us luck! We figure we can pay some bills off and since we commute each day together and have been for 4+ months now it's a good way to save some moola. Susie Ormond would be so proud!
This was dinner tonight (minus the banana, I need to do grocery shopping!) and it was quite delicious!
Who has a sandwich name after them?? That's right baby- I DO!! Enjoy THE BETSY at Wasatch Deli in Eagle Mountain. You should try it- it's delish. WOO WOO!
Who's watching Idol?? Did you hear this season premier had the lowest viewers in all of their seasons!! Not looking good, but i will forever be a fan.
D.Y.I.N.G for spring, fresh air, gorgeous weather, and garage sales. Sigh. Please come soon. I miss you!
Sprung for a hair cut and facial on Saturday, and it was divine. It's been a long time, and well worth the splurge. I am going to a new place to have my hair done and they are awesome. Before you even get started they give you a head massage with euceliptis oil, then wash your hair where they give you yet another awesome head massage... then the hair cut, then the style. I feel so pampered.

And there you have it. Told you you'd be jealous :)

Getting to know you- Holiday Style

2011-12-25T19:09:00.002-07:00

Eggnog or hot chocolate?
Can Wassail be an option? If not- hot chocolate!
Does Santa wrap presents or just sit them under the tree?
Santa fills the stockings- some are wrapped, some are not. But under the tree are from the fam. And on occasion other random people such as the mail man, or john wayne, or the bishop. We’re an odd family.
Colored lights on tree/house or white?
I have always loved the colored lights but I think this next year I may go with white lights if my husband lets me get away with it!
Do you hang mistletoe?
No, but not really sure why not. More kissing?? OK!!
When do you hang your decorations up?
Either right after thanksgiving or the first big snow storm
What is your favorite holiday dish (excluding dessert)?
Not sure. This year the brie en crout was a big hit and very yummy!
Favorite holiday memory as a child?
Waking up to a Christmas tree in our bedroom that Santa had left for us
What is on your Christmas wish list?
This year I had a lot of hair and beauty products, and perfume.
Do you open gifts on Christmas Eve?
Usually we open one each on Christmas Eve, but there are usually a few scrooges (em and benji!)
How do you decorate your Christmas tree?
Ours has been fairly simple. Colored lights and colored ornaments- teal/purple/hot pink/green…. Want to change it up next year.
Snow? Love it or dread it?
Not a fan. Wish it only snowed Christmas morning and never again.
Real tree or fake tree?
As a kid when it was mom and dad’s job- real tree all the way. Now that it’s my job- fake please!
Do you remember your favorite gift?
Not as a kid- but as an adult, my camera and the clock my dad made me
What’s the most important thing about Christmas for you?
Spending the day with the entire family!!
What is your favorite holiday dessert?
Hmmm… don’t know. Baklava maybe?
What is your favorite tradition?
Doing the Angel tree with my husband
What tops your tree?
A star type of thing
Do you prefer giving or receiving?
Giving!! I get sooooo excited about what I got people, I love seeing their reactions.
What is your favorite Christmas song?
Little Drummer boy- Robert’s version
Candy canes, yuck or yum?
Not a fan
Favorite Christmas movie?
Elf, home alone, or it’s a wonderful life
What do you leave for Santa?
Nothing now as an adult
Do you have a Christmas morning tradition?
Stockings first- then usually gifts after that and then yummy breakfast together
Do you prefer to shop on-line or at the mall?
Probably more at the stores, but I did more online stuff this year then I have in the past
Christmas letter or Christmas card?
Photo Christmas Cards all the way!
Traditions you want to start?
I have friends that put a gift under the tree with things they are giving to Jesus for the year such as being nicer to each other. I think that’s a great idea and helps to keep Christmas Christ centered.

Merry Christmas!

2011-12-25T14:00:00.011-07:00

Christmas is over and i'm exhausted! We ended up moving Christmas up a day at our house this year (and it was decided Thursday around midnight) so we did Christmas eve on Friday and Christmas on Saturday so now we're home today playing with toys and needing a nap. We had a lot of fun though!! It was a great Christmas at our house, once again! Here are some of the highlights:

Popeye (which is today's name but could very easily change to something else tomorrow) has joined the family and was a gift from mom to dad. A-DOR-ABLE! Mom was unsure how dad would feel about him, but it took all of 30 seconds for dad to fall in love.
The trip to and from picking up popeye with mom and michael, and seeing everyone's faces when they met him!
Christmas Dinner. We changed it up this year. Instead of the same meal as we just had at thanksgiving dinner which is usually what we do again for christmas dinner- we tried a bunch of new mis matched recipes and it was delightful!
Michael's face when he saw the FREE gift that I won in a raffle drawing at work. An ipad!!!
Scatagories/Tetris Builderman/Remote Control Helicopter competitions
Christmas Breakfast- delish!
Hand & Foot with new recruits
Audra's first christmas with the family
Dad has a boat

This is what mom and dad's house looked like the last few days....

From our family to yours...

2011-12-18T18:06:00.001-07:00

More beauties

2011-12-11T14:14:00.004-07:00

Hot hubby has been at it again with some beautiful results. Take a look:

Weekend Wrap Up!

2011-12-04T18:45:00.002-07:00

Longest week ever. Not only long, but stressful too. And this weekend was just not long enough.
After a long week, my sweet hubby and I did our angel tree shopping Friday night and it was lovely. A really good end to a really bad week. We do this every year and I love it more each year. The angel I picked is a new born baby boy and Michael picked an 8 year old boy.
I ended up going into work on Saturday morning (remember longest week ever?) worked about half a day and then ran some errands. I came home to my house decorated for Christmas by my sweet husband after having decided we would boycott Christmas decorations this year because it sounded like too much work. The tree was up, Christmas smelling candles were lit throughout the house and my sweet family greeted me as I walked inside. What a way to come home! And if that wasn't enough, laundry was done, grocery shopping was done, the house was clean. Isn't he the best? I'm a lucky girl.
The big day is 3 weeks away!! Are you ready??

weird

2011-11-27T14:50:00.003-07:00

Today feels weird. Errands are ran, the house is clean, meals are prepared for the next few days, laundry is finished, no projects in the works and I've been in pj's the entire day and have been surfing pinterest for the last few hours while watching the cooking channel. I feel like there is ALWAYS something that needs to be done so this is a very weird feeling to just sit and do nothing. I need more days like this!

Happy B Day Dad!

2011-11-26T21:35:00.003-07:00

Dads birthday was today and we celebrated at our house this morning with a family breakfast of dads famous waffles & breakfast casserole and we all dressed in pj's. It was a great way to start the day.

Happy Thanksgiving!!

2011-11-26T20:50:00.014-07:00

Thanksgiving was lovely this year. Dinner was at mom and dads again around 3:00 and it was delicious. The day consisted of yummy food, fun games, and lots of laughing.
Highlights:

Playing Quelf- mom singing "i want a hippopotamus for Christmas" in a mad scientist voice while folding a dinosaur in origami. Yes, you read that right.
Robert pouring ice down his pants until he was able to roll a 6 on the dice.
Mom building a fort in the furniture and having to sit in it until her next turn
Emily having to be my cheerleader the entire game (although she really should have stepped it up a bit!)
Robert and Gary sitting arm in arm while Gary wore Roberts stinky sock on his hand like a puppet for the remainder of the game
Robert doing the chicken dance while singing the chicken dance song

We also assigned auntie em to photographer for the day and had her take some nice pictures of me and hot hubby since we're usually the ones behind the camera. They turned out pretty good. Nice job auntie em.

Picts:

Todays thoughts...

2011-11-19T20:32:00.003-07:00

Today was a lot of fun. My sweet hubby and I headed out around 8:30 this morning to do some shopping and errands. We COMPLETELY finished out Christmas shopping and when we got home we finished wrapping everything also. Not only our shopping but the shopping we did for our grandma and stocking stuffers also. And, all before thanksgiving. WOO WOO!! We were gone all day and we laughed a lot and just really enjoyed being together. It was a fun day. We went to lunch at Macaroni Grill, and then checked out all of the new stores that opened at fashion place mall. Lots of shopping, lots of crowds, lots of bad drivers, lots accomplished, and I got to spend the whole day with hot hubby holding his hand. I would say that's a good day. And if that wasn't enough, there was 3-4 inches of snow out this morning and we still went to a garage sale!!

I am really looking forward to thanksgiving this week. I miss my family and we'll get to spend the entire day together and I can't wait. Good food and even better company, the perfect day.

Work is going well. I've been there about 1 month and a half now and I am enjoying it more and more each day. Very happy it has turned out to be such a good thing. (knock on wood!)

Is anyone else hooked on X-factor? Did not like it at all at first and now I'm hooked. The second it ends I am wanting it to be on again. Very entertaining. A little disappointed that my pick didn't even make the first cut, but now I'm a fan of Melanie Amaro. AMAZING

I have always decorated for Christmas the day after Halloween and sometimes even earlier, this year neither hot hubby or I are even remotely interested in the thought. Kind of sad!

Playing catch up

2011-10-25T20:01:00.003-06:00

Bullet time again, drum roll please:

I'm about 3 weeks into my new job. The first week was a little rough, I struggled getting into the routine again, but I am really enjoying it.
It was a sad, sad day Saturday. Garage sales, I believe, have officially come to an end. I guess since it is supposed to snow tomorrow it's about time. We woke up ready and raring to go this last weekend and nothin. I may have shed a few tears. What does one do on a Saturday morning??
Hot hubby and I decided to make some of the Christmas gifts this year for the family and we have been busy and are about half way done. I so badly want to post some pictures! Hopefully I remember to after Christmas!
I am growing my hair out (haven't had long hair since I was like 8 years old) kind of learning how to actually do long hair! LOVE this blog about hair & beauty. Just this weekend I splurged and picked up each of the products she swears by. Love them all.
Hot hubby is completely hooked on his lathe and I LOVE being the recipient of all of his beautiful projects. Can't say it enough, this kid has MAD SKILLS. I love seeing the joy that it brings him. So fun.
We need to get family pictures again soon. Does anyone have a photographer they love and isn't too too pricey?? My favorite gal lives out of state now and I'm so bummed! Any ideas??
I love my o-town family. I miss them when I don't see them for a week or two. I am a lucky girl to have them all so close.

Tonights menu

2011-10-25T19:51:00.002-06:00

I found this recipe on Pinterest awhile ago and have been wanting to try it since. Tonight was the night and it was divine! I changed it just a bit, here is what I did:
CILANTRO CREAM CHICKEN

4 boneless chicken breasts
2 tablespoons butter
2-3 teaspoons Montreal Chicken seasoning
4 ounces cream cheese, cubed
3/4 cup heavy cream
3-4 tablespoon lime juice
1 bunch cilantro, chopped

Melt butter in a large skillet, liberally season the chicken on both sides with the Montreal seasoning. Cook chicken in melted butter. Remove the chicken from the pan. Add the cream cheese and cream to the drippings in the skillet. Over low heat, whisk to blend well as the cream cheese melts. Whisk in the lime juice and stir in the cilantro. Serve chicken with side of sauce to dip. Served it with cooked carrots and garlic bread. Delish!

Delicious!

2011-10-06T20:20:00.002-06:00

I HAVE to share this recipe. Since I found it on pinterest only a few weeks ago I've made it 3 times already. SOOOOOOOOOO good!! This one is a must guys!!

Skool Lunch Peanut butter bars
Ingredients:
1 cup sugar
1 cup brown sugar, firmly packed
1 cup butter, softened
1 tsp vanilla
3 eggs
1 cup creamy peanut butter
2 cups oatmeal, not quick
2 cups flour
1 tsp baking soda
1/2 tsp salt
Directions
cream together first three ingredients using a mixer. then, add vanilla, eggs and peanut butter and combine. add the remaining ingredients and mix together. Spread the dough out on a greased cookie sheet cake pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 20 minutes, until golden brown. Once set, but still hot melt 1 1/2 cups of creamy peanut butter in the microwave and spread on top.cool completely and spread frosting on top of cooled peanut butter.
chocolate frosting
1/2 cup butter, softened
4 tbsps cocoa powder
1 tsp vanilla
6 tbsps milk
4-5 cups powdered sugar
Directions
cream together butter and cocoa powder. add vanilla and milk, then add powdered sugar 1 cup at a time until well blended.

D.E.L.I.S.H!!!

Finished coffee table

2011-10-06T19:41:00.007-06:00

I'm still working on putting our loft together.... one of the last rooms I have to do and it's coming along. Mom picked up this table for me last year during garage sales. I finished the table this week and it's by far the most "out there" color I've ever painted a piece of furniture and I love it. Definitely branching out from my white and black! This color is from behr called wild grass and I love it.
Before:
After:

(Hi Sophie!)

I roughed it up and went over it with a dark walnut stain. Pictures of the whole room hopefully soon to come, just a few more things. Then... the master bedroom. Any ideas?? I can't decide, hence why it hasn't been touched. Debating on going very neutral and cozy, or navy/gold/white with geometric patterns and such. Love them both.

BTW- day 4 of the new job today. Having a hard time adjusting back since it's been so long. But hopefully things will smooth out soon. Wish me luck!

Chairs

2011-09-30T13:13:00.006-06:00

We finally finished the chairs I posted previously. I still don't know why such a small job ended up taking so long but they did. But, they are done and they look lovely. We got these at a garage sale several weeks ago, they were black already but needed a nice new coat of fresh paint. They also had straw seats that needed to be recovered. And lastly one of the chairs was missing the finial on top- so hot hubby had to duplicate it with his mad lathe skills! I wanted these for the two ends of my kitchen table.
Take a look at the before:
And the after:

Seat Fabric

Cant even tell which finial was missing huh?? Good job hot hubby!

Back to work

2011-09-29T17:29:00.001-06:00

I was offered a new position on Tuesday and I start back to work Monday morning bright and early. Oh how I will miss my free days to get things done, but I am looking forward to a paycheck again! Wish me luck!!

Current Projects

2011-09-26T14:47:00.006-06:00

We got the chandelier I posted about earlier, sprayed and hung and it looks so pretty I like it so much better then the previous one. Take a look:

Before

After

And here is a peek at the things I'm working on now:

"Forget Me Not"

2011-09-26T14:28:00.007-06:00

Saturday night I got to go to the LDS Conference Center in Salt lake for the General Relief Society Broadcast. It was a lot of fun. I went with about 15 ladies from the ward and got to know them a little better. We left around 3 and stopped for lunch at paradise bakery then headed down town. We had awesome seats (row 9!) and parking next door! Awesome! It was also fun because several ladies from our ward were in the choir which was fun to see. My favorite talk was by President Uchtdorf that you can find here It was really good! Then we were off for some chocolate at the chocolate and then home around 10. It was a fun night- lots of laughing and good conversation.

Fun day!

2011-09-17T22:16:00.014-06:00

Today was a blastie-blast. We woke up bright and early for garage sales (of course). It wasn't a great day due to the rain last night and early this morning but we still made out OK. I got a couple of super cute milk glass cake stands, a few really cute chairs, Michael got a nice Nikon digital camera, a bunch of books, cute pitchers etc. So it was still a fairly good day for there not being a ton of garage sales going on. Since we ended earlier then normal we decided to head down to pick raspberries in Mapleton. I saw on a friends blog that her family went and I've been jealous ever since. We haven't been able to fit it into our schedule, but today was the day and I am so glad we did. The drive down through the small towns was lovely, the farm was beautiful and I felt like I could have stayed there forever eating raspberries and be happy as can be. It was so incredibly peaceful.

Find raspberries at : 1849 S. 2100 W. Mapleton Utah #801-367-0755

We met up with Auntie Em and Benji for lunch and decided they were going to come up to our house later that evening for dinner and bring up their sweet punkins to play with our sweet punkins. Michael and I decided to try a few new recipes and I must say dinner was A-MAZING! We made BBQ ribs in the crock pot, an awesome pasta salad that we all agreed was the highlight, garlic bread, roasted potatoes and Michael made a chocolate bundt cake for dessert. Delish!!

Ina Gartens Lemon Fusilli with Arugula
Ingredients:
1 tablespoon good olive oil
1 tablespoon minced garlic (2 cloves)
2 cups heavy cream
3 lemons
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 bunch broccoli (I left this out)
1 pound dried fusilli pasta
1/2 pound baby arugula (or 2 bunches of common arugula, leaves cut in thirds)
1/2 cup freshly grated Parmesan
1 pint grape or cherry tomatoes, halved

Directions:
Heat the olive oil in a medium saucepan over medium heat, add the garlic, and cook for 60 seconds. Add the cream, the zest from 2 lemons, the juice of 2 lemons, 2 teaspoons of salt, and 1 teaspoon of pepper. Bring to a boil, then lower the heat and simmer for 15 to 20 minutes, until it starts to thicken. Meanwhile, cut the broccoli in florets and discard the stem. Cook the florets in a pot of boiling salted water for 3 to 5 minutes, until tender but still firm. Drain the broccoli and run under cold water to stop the cooking. Set aside. Bring a large pot of water to a boil, add 1 tablespoon of salt and the pasta, and cook according to the directions on the package, about 12 minutes, stirring occasionally. Drain the pasta in a colander and place it back into the pot. Immediately add the cream mixture and cook it over medium-low heat for 3 minutes, until most of the sauce has been absorbed in the pasta. Pour the hot pasta into a large bowl, add the arugula, Parmesan, tomatoes, and cooked broccoli. Cut the last lemon in half lengthwise, slice it 1/4-inch thick crosswise, and add it to the pasta. Toss well, season to taste, and serve hot. Yummo!

Reception

2011-09-15T15:06:00.012-06:00

The reception was in the backyard of some friends of the bride. It was beautiful! Surrounded by trees, a beautiful view, and perfect weather! We were afraid it would either rain or be super hot and it could not have been more perfect. Audra had some really cute ideas for the reception and it all came together perfectly!
Picts:

Redford caught the bouquet

Super cute sign

Reception Treats

Centerpieces

Brides Brother

Wedding Cake

Hot mother of the groom

Cutting the Cake

Luncheon

2011-09-15T14:43:00.012-06:00

After pictures were finished at the temple those who were at the temple met up for lunch. We had it in the backyard of Audra's grandparents. Mom was in charge of the luncheon details. Dad and George picked flowers for tables. Emily prepared a cute decoration for the table that had 5 facts about the bride and 5 facts about the groom. Mom prepared cafe rio food and ordered BYU mint brownies. It was a beautiful day with the highs in the low 80's!
Picts:

Boutonniere's for the boys were billy balls

Beautiful backyard

Sunflower from the Brides Bouquet

Handsome Groom

Groom hugging Grandma Woodall

Grandma Woodall

Auntie Em

The Happy Couple

Centerpieces

Mom setting up the tables

Temple

2011-09-15T14:07:00.015-06:00

The happy couple was married in the Salt Lake Temple early Tuesday morning.
Picts:

SLC Temple

Aren't they cute?

Admiring his new bride

Parents of the Groom

Friends of the Groom

Friend Shot

Sisters of the Groom

Bride & Groom with Grandma Stoddard

Bride & Groom with Parents

Wasting no time!

Me and Hot Hubby

Auntie Em & Benji

We made it!

2011-09-15T14:02:00.003-06:00

It has been a crazy last few days but we all survived and the happy couple is off on their honeymoon! I went down to O-town Friday when Grandma Stoddard & George came into town. I came back down on Sunday to spend the afternoon with them again and Jared & his sweet girls also came into town to visit. We started to prepare food for the luncheon as well which my mom was in charge of. They decided on cafe rio mock salads. Then back down again on Monday to get all last minute items taken care of. We ran a few errands, cooked, arranged flowers for the luncheon decorations and called it good. We also ran over to see the reception details coming together. Then the festivities began Tuesday morning bright and early. Prepare yourself for picture overload!!

The best thing I ever did

2011-09-09T08:24:00.003-06:00

Was marry this handsome guy 6 years ago. Happy anniversary hot hubby!

Ho hum

2011-09-08T08:32:00.002-06:00

I was out running errands yesterday and got home around 4:00. When I was walking into the house I heard this really loud buzzing sound. Come to find out it was our freezer in the garage had stopped working and we ended up having to throw half of what was in it in the garbage. Blah. What a waste.

Current projects

2011-09-06T08:12:00.005-06:00

We picked up this dresser at a garage sale for $4 a few weeks ago. It needed some love for sure. It needed a couple of the drawers fixed, new hardware and a fresh coat of paint and looks much better. We sold it last night for a good profit. Love how it turned out.
Before:
After:

I also picked up this baby on Saturday and am so excited about it! I picked it up for $10 and have already sprayed a couple coats of spray paint on it- cant wait to finish it up and get it hung (this one is a keeper!). It is amazing the transformation a little paint made on this beauty.

3 day weekend baby!

2011-09-06T07:55:00.008-06:00

We had a lovely 3 day weekend, it was so nice having hot hubby home an extra day. Saturday we went to garage sales bright and early and got some things done around the house. Sunday we spent the day in O-town and played hand and foot with grandma and mom and then went back to moms house to play some tetris builder man. Then yesterday, we took care of a few things around the house and then headed out at noon for a nice drive. First stop was to pick up some snacks for the ride. Then we headed up american fork canyon which I had never been up there, it was gorgeous!! We made several stops to take pictures and had a really nice time just being together for the day. We went up by granite flats, then headed to cascade springs, and then came out of the canyon in heber where we stopped for dinner and then headed home. Here are some pictures of our adventure:

Audbert Family Cookbook

2011-09-01T11:36:00.008-06:00

I decided to make Audbert a family recipe cookbook for the shower last night that had some of the Packham/Booth/Christopherson standard recipes with room to add in some of Audra's family recipes as well. I found some super cute paper in her kitchen color and I love how it turned out.

Wedding Shower

2011-09-01T11:20:00.011-06:00

Last night was a family wedding shower for Aud. Just the girls. Her side of the family threw it and it was in the backyard of her grandma's house who lives a few houses down from my parents. It started at 6:30 and was beautiful outside. We sat on the back porch and watched Aud open her gifts, talked with her family, ate yummy food and enjoyed their beautiful backyard. It was a lovely evening.

FYI

2011-08-29T20:36:00.001-06:00

I didn't get the job :(

Bert & Em's B-Day Get Together

2011-08-29T20:14:00.012-06:00

Saturday night was the combined family birthday party for Robert & Em. It was a really fun night with the whole fam.
Highlights:

Tetris builderman competition
Delicious dinner
Taking the tetris builderman championship for all of 4 rounds (wahoo!)
Banana Splits
Playing psychiatrist until midnight with an amazing rain/thunder storm outside

Picts:

Tetris Competition

Aud & her banana split

Dad making his banana split

Mom playing tetris builderman (can you say hooked??)

Benji & his banana split

all the fixins

Yummo!

Audbert

Line Up- Furniture for Sale!

2011-08-23T20:46:00.010-06:00

Well it has been a busy couple of days at our house. We decided it's about time to finish up some of our furniture pieces taking up space in our basement and this time have decided to sell them! I thought I'd post them here in case anyone is interested and then take them to consignment in a few days if not. Here is the line up:

Square Coffee Table-White w/Black Glaze $75 **SOLD**

Measures 41Dx38Wx19H

Side Table- Painted Gray $35 **SOLD**
Measures 28Wx19Dx21H

Round Side Table w/Bear Claw Feet- Painted White w/Black Glaze $50 **SOLD**
Measures 24Dx21H

Child's Night Stand-Painted Blue (Left) $35
Measures 16Wx13Dx23H

Child's Table-Painted Blue (Right) $35 *SOLD*
Measures 15Wx15Dx21H

**Coming Soon**
Child's Rocking Chair
Coffee Table w/matching side table
5 drawer vertical dresser
square end table

PS. Sorry for the lack of variety in props :)

Garage Sale Finds/Audbert Moving Day

2011-08-14T16:50:00.007-06:00

Yesterday was a really fun day, we woke up to a really good day of garage sales. The car was packed completely full we HAD to call it quits because we had no more room in the car. Awesome!!
Best finds of the day:

Old School Surveyor tool $5

Pier 1 Desk $10

Then, we headed down to O town to move Robert into his and Audra's new apartment. He is officially moved in and Audra has some of her things moved in and will move in fully after the wedding (1 month from yesterday). It was a lot of fun, both Michael and I had a lot of memories of this same time in our own lives when we moved in to our first apartment. It was fun to see their new place, and fun to spend some time with some of Aud's family.

Then over to mom & dads to hang out. It was so much fun I didn't want to leave. But as midnight hit we decided we better.
Highlights:

Dancing in the rain with Em & Mom
4 of us "adults" waiting outside afraid to walk first into the house for fear the other "adults" behind us would pants us...
10:00 PM Chocolate Cake and Chocolate Ice cream
Laughing so hard and so much we are convinced we burned off all calories from chocolate cake and chocolate ice cream
Tassel/chicken dance, ole! Don't ask.

POHSLC2011

2011-08-14T16:39:00.003-06:00

Parade of Homes SLC was this week and so us four girls (Emily, Jen, Me & Christine) got together to go to them. We have since decided that POH day is just a reason for us to get together and be glutenous and see a few cute homes along the way. This year we started the day off at Noodles & Co. for lunch and to plan our route. Then headed to some homes, which by the way we were kind of disappointed in them this time. Next stop, frozen yogurt. Then we made a quick stop at Jens house to see her cute baby boy and her mom. A few more houses, and then a teppanyaki dinner. Lots of laughing, lots of decor talk, and lots of yummy food. It was a good day.
We only managed to take one picture the whole day and it was with Carl at the "UP" house in Herriman, that ended up being so much more enjoyable then I had imagined. It was actually very sweet. A great day, thanks ladies!

Third time's the charm

2011-08-12T22:18:00.001-06:00

FYI- Today I had my THIRD interview for the position I mentioned previously that I really, REALLY want. Looking good. Wish me luck!

Davinci Work Party

2011-08-12T22:02:00.007-06:00

Hot hubby's company does a work party every month and every couple of months the spouses and families are invited which is fun. This latest party was super fun! They had a BBQ at the sugarhouse park, a wing eating contest between some of the employees, and pie throwing and a dunking booth for the employees to take their frustrations out on management. Good times! Here are the results:

Rolling PinS

2011-08-12T21:50:00.006-06:00

My first honey do list for Michael and his new lathe hobby was that I wanted a handmade rolling pin made by my sweet hubby. Well in true Michael fashion he delivered not one but two, and they are BEAUTIFUL and made with love.

And to thank this sweet guy for them I promised I'd make him a pie of his choice (peach). I definitely got the better end of this deal. The pie was hideous, but tasted good. And, I got to use one of my new rolling pins to roll out the crust. Fun! Thank you sweets!

I need to do better!

2011-08-12T20:58:00.007-06:00

All right, I have been scolded by my hubby about my lack of blogging lately and told that I have "lost my following". My response was we need to be more exciting and do things worth blogging about. We are kind of lame. Anyway I will try to do better.
Right now I'm kind of working on finishing a couple of already started rooms in our house. The guest room is almost finished and looking super cute. Here are a few pictures:

I mentioned before that we had all of the furniture already for this room- it was our old bedroom set before we upgraded to a king bed, so that helped a lot to keep the cost down a bit! We got the fun yellow and white bedding at target. The chandelier I found on KSL for $20. It was a dark bronze color and so I gave it a few coats of gray spray paint and voila. The curtains are also from target. The throw pillows on the bed I made. The gray one is a pillow that went with our current bedding and we don't use so I decided to recover it to fit this color scheme and I am pretty happy with how it turned out. The white pillow isn't finished yet- I am going to copy the target pillow that is white with the yellow rosettes on it- just haven't done it yet. I could not bring myself to spend $25 on a pillow so I got the fabric for about $3 and had the pillow form already. The sunburst mirror has a $100 price tag on the back from Pier 1 and I paid $20 from a consignment store. And last but not least I tried to copy some typography signs with the you are my sunshine poem. I just typed them in the coordinating colors and a fun font in word and printed them out on my home printer. I found the frames at a garage sale, sprayed them with a black spray paint and there you have it. I have one more pillow to make to put on the chair, and the rosettes to make for the pillow on the bed and we're done. Total room cost approx $150.00. Not too bad.
A great way to make your own pillows on a budget are to get the forms at garage sales! I have started stocking up on them and they usually run about .50 each and you can just unzip or cut off the original cover and recover it yourself!!

Random Thoughts

2011-08-04T15:52:00.002-06:00

1. I had an interview on Tuesday and I am crossing everything I can and praying like crazy that I get it. It sounds right up there next to perfect. Wish me luck!
2. I am playing cupid and am setting up a super cute girl that works with Michael and one of Roberts super cute friends. The big date is tonight and I am nervous like it was my own blind date. I already told Robert that they have to name their first born after me, but no pressure ;)
3. Countdown for Audberts wedding is getting less and less. We are about a 5 weeks out. Crazy! I swear last time I checked he was 4 years old climbing the apple tree in our front yard yelling at all of us to "look at me" and now he's getting married.
4. Michael is having SUCH a blast working on the lathe. He has made 2 rolling pins that are beyond beautiful. I have a very talented (and hot) hubby. Separate post to come on those.
5. Anyone else addicted to Pintrest? I blame mom. The only warning she gave me was it's addicting- but just didn't say HOW addicting. Love you mom!
6. I am reading (I know I'm as surprised as you are) To Kill A Mockingbird right now. Mom told me she just read it and it made her laugh out loud so I had to read it again. LOVE IT! And she was right- I am laughing quite a bit. Such a great book. I'm anxious to finish it so I can start The Help which they are comparing to To Kill A Mockingbird, but at the same time I will be so sad when I finish it.
7. My latest project has been finishing up our guest room. Don't ask me why we're even doing a guest room when we never have guests, but it's looking so cute. A couple more finishing touches and I'll post some finished pictures.

Hot Hubby's Birthday

2011-07-25T13:06:00.005-06:00

Hot hubby turns 41 on Friday and we are so excited. He is feeling really burnt out right now from work and I am feeling really burnt out right now from taking care of things at home. We are both in serious need of a vacation (which we haven't had in several years!). We can't afford one right now but what we are doing is taking a break from life and just going to play. For him- that means a 4 day weekend- he gets his birthday off and he's taking a vacation day also that he's taking Thursday. 4 days no work- Wahoo! For me that means- I am not cooking/cleaning/or any sort of project at home. It can all wait until the following Monday! We are just going to play. What that means we don't know exactly. We might go up to park city and do some retail therapy, movies, swimming, joy ride up the canyon, picnic, who knows. All I know is I get 4 days with my hot hubby- stress free. Can't wait!

Yesterday we did the family celebration and combined all of the July Birthdays- Grandma, Audra, and Michael. It was fun- pretty low key just dinner and gifts. But it's always fun to be with the whole family.

Love this birthday boy!

Garage Sale Success!

2011-07-16T15:30:00.003-06:00

We just made a trip to DI to take everything that didn't sell at the garage sale and drop it off. Thankfully it wasn't very much. The garage sale was a HUGE success and was the best garage sale we've had to date. It was exhausting though, I tell you what. We woke up at 6 AM and have been going SUPER STRONG since. It is 3:00 and I am ready for bed. We got rid of a ton of stuff, and we now have our garage and basement back! Success!

Red Table After Shots

2011-07-14T15:38:00.009-06:00

This piece has been one of my absolute favorites so far. We picked it up about 3 weeks ago at a garage sale for $10.00. I sanded it (which I HATE to do) for only about 5 minutes. Took off all of the hardware, rolled on the paint which took all of 20 minutes to cover it completely. Let it dry a few hours and put on a second coat. Sanded up the corners a pit and threw some chains on and around it to rough it up a bit- then I took a cherry wood stain we had in the garage and wiped it all over really concentrating on the sanded edges and then wiped it off and put new hardware on from hobby lobby. Total investment about 20 bucks! The stain turned the sanded edges a really dark almost black color that makes it look really rustic which is what I was going for. I've never used the stain before and I loved it!! Super easy and super cute result. A little bit goes a long way with that stuff! I love love love how it turned out and it was so easy which always makes it so much more enjoyable!! Take a look:
Before:

After:

Garage Sale

2011-07-12T20:52:00.002-06:00

It's that time of year again where we need to have our own garage sale!! With all of the garage sales we go to ourselves we HAVE to do this yearly or we would out grow our house in no time. We have a lot of great things for sale so please feel free to stop by! This Saturday 8-noon at our house. If you need the address, leave a comment or shoot me an email and I'll send it to you. Hope to see you there!

More of Handsome Hubby & His New Hobby!

2011-07-12T13:52:00.007-06:00

This cute kid has been working quite a bit on his lathe and it just amazes me at how quickly he picked up this talent and it's so fun to watch him work on it and see what he makes. He picked up the wood for my rolling pin the other day and is just wanting to practice a bit more before he does it (even though I dont think he needs it!). I went out and took a few pictures of him working on 2 more mallets the other day. He's handsome and talented... what a catch! I am a lucky girl!

Hallelujia!!

2011-07-08T19:51:00.011-06:00

After about 2 months worth of work and I swear 75 coats of paint... she is done and she is LOVELY!! Here is a quick before shot to remind you how much love she needed! Originally it looked like a piece right out of the 70's.

And the after shots:

I couldn't find any hardware that would fit that wasn't $10/handle and since this piece needed 9 handles we decided to re-use some we had taken off previous pieces and just spray them all with the same oil rubbed bronze spray paint which worked perfect! We used the basic whitepaint by behr that is combined with primer (love that!) in an eggshell finish. And used a black glaze on the molding pieces and there you have it. So glad she's done and moved into the house. Then there was this quick project. I found this lamp at a garage sale the other day and yes the tag reads 50 cents!! Wahoo! So again with a quick spray of the oil rubbed bronze spray paint she went from this...

to this...
And here is a sneak peak at the project I've been working on most recently. It was SUCH a piece of cake after taking on the big hutch- it is already done and is drying as we speak. As soon as it's moved into the house I'll post some after pictures. Love how it turned out. Here is the before:
This table we also got at a garage sale recently for $10.00. And it's going on the landing part of the staircase. Can't wait to move it in all finished!!

Hot Hubby's New Hobby

2011-06-30T09:50:00.008-06:00

My hot hubby has picked up a new hobby recently. He went down a few weeks ago to work in the wood shop with my dad and they worked on the lathe. He instantly fell in love with it. He found a great deal on KSL and bought himself one about a week later. And, every day since he can be found out in the garage after work playing with it. He is really good at it and is sooooo enjoying it!! These are his completed projects so far:
One pen, two tops, and one mallett

And lucky me, his next project is making a rolling pin for his wifee!!

Can't wait! We're picking out the wood this weekend.

Sunday's Menu

2011-06-14T15:59:00.005-06:00

I tried a new recipe last Sunday that I found online somewhere.... it was fabulous!! Had to share. Enjoy!

Tomato Basil Pasta Cream Sauce with Kielbasa Sausage & Mushrooms
Ingredients:
4 Tablespoons Butter
½ whole Onion, finely chopped
16 ounces, weight Sliced Mushrooms
5 cloves Garlic, Pressed
1-½ pound Kielbasa Sausage, Sliced
1 cup Green Onions, Optional
2 teaspoons Salt
Cracked Pepper To Taste
1 Tablespoon Italian Seasoning
24 ounces, weight Classico Tomato Basil Spaghetti Sauce
2 cans 15 Oz. Size Tomato Sauce
4 whole Fresh Basil Leaves
1 sprig Rosemary, Snipped
½ cups Cold Water
4 Tablespoons Corn Starch
1 pound Whole Wheat Linguini Pasta Noodles
1 pint Heavy Cream

Instructions:
In a large pot, melt butter. Add white onion, mushrooms and pressed garlic. Add in the sliced sausage and cook until browned. Stir in green onions, if using (I have excess in my garden right now, so I put green onions in everything!). Stir in salt, seasonings and sauces. Slice basil in thin strips and stir in with the rosemary. Cook over medium heat, stirring occasionally.
Blend cold water and corn starch, then slowly stir into tomato sauce. Continue to stir as it heats and thickens (about 20 minutes). Cook pasta, rinse and drain while you wait. Whisk in the heavy cream, turn burner to medium-low heat. Simmer for 10 minutes. Serve over noodles and eat with crusty french bread. Yummo!

Sneak Peek

2011-06-07T16:15:00.003-06:00

This is the current project in process and it's kind of a big one, besides it's size, it's soaking up paint like crazy requiring lots of coats, plus we are replacing some molding and adding additional molding so it's a doozy! But, we have a couple coats of paint on the top piece and it is looking so good!! Very excited to get this beauty finished!!

Living Room/Guest Room

2011-06-07T15:46:00.008-06:00

I've been working more on the living room recently and am pretty happy with how it's turning out. It feels very peaceful. I just painted this piece and put it in the living room and love how it looks. My hot hubby also installed the new blinds which we got in a dark wood tone which I think makes it very "home-ey" along with the new rug. It's warming up quickly!

Before

After

Purchased table at a garage sale for $5.00, put on a couple coats of fresh white paint and

replaced the knobs at hobby lobby (50% off). Total investment under $10.00!

We also recently threw together our guest room trying to get it put together with as little money as possible but still make it look cute! Luckily we still had our old bed/nightstands/and lamps so we were almost there! We found some cute bedding at Target and the mirror I had purchased recently (tag on back was$100.00 from Pier 1- I scored on KSL for $20.00!!) Wahoo! I still want to make some fun curtains and pillows and bring in some more colors, but it's looking pretty good so far!!

Emotional Day

2011-06-03T17:52:00.004-06:00

Today was rough. Michael and I went to a funeral of a neighbor who passed away this week. I have been to several funerals, not many, but they have all been of people who had passed on from old age, and those are hard enough. This sweet boy just had his 10th birthday and 2 days before he passed away he was showing me his new shoes that he got for his birthday and seemed healthy as can be. 2 days later he is gone. It has been a really emotional week for those who know this family, and a HUGE wake up call to me that this could happen to anyone you know and love. One day here, and the next day gone. Give the people you love an extra hug today!!

Audbert is Official

2011-05-16T15:06:00.008-06:00

Audra and Robert are officially Engaged!

Robert proposed to Audra Friday Night (Friday the 13th!) which was their 5 month anniversary

The ring is stunning!!

Walking out the door to propose. He has a few nerves which explains the face he's making!!

The ring is finally on her finger and she said yes!

Cute Audbert!!

Living Room Progress

2011-05-16T14:34:00.006-06:00

My focus lately has been on redecorating our living room. I have gone over about 100 different ideas I wanted to do and finally decided on just making it a sitting room/library. However anything would be better then what it has been. It's the room right as you walk in the door and for a year now it has been a storage room. Lovely! I totally fell in love with some fabric I saw at hobby lobby that had some oranges, yellows, and browns- it was gorgeous and I had my heart set on them for curtains, but it was almost $24.00/yard- YIKES!! I couldn't bring myself to pay that so I went shopping with my mom and sister to home fabrics which is a discount fabric store and we found a new love for a MUCH better price (about 1/4th the cost)!!
Here is a picture of the new color pallet thus far:

The floral pattern is for the curtains- it has some chocolate browns, champagne, cream, blues, grays... it's lovely! Then the fabrics on top I've made pillows out of- love the brown and cream zebra!! By the way- I had never made a pillow before and my mom taught me last Sunday and I've since made 6!! They are sooooooo easy!!

I also painted this lovely coffee table to give it a bit of a face lift and to fit better in the room.

I also decided that I didn't want couches or love seats in there- just 4 chairs. We were lucky enough to find one we liked at Walmart of all places. It is a dark brown/black leather recliner with very clean lines. We were actually able to buy the floor models for three of them which helped us to save some money as well!
Still have a lot to do. We need a rug, blinds, and I need to finish the curtains (I have 2 panels hung, and then there will be another panel in the middle and they still need to be hemmed). We also want to build some built in bookshelves for the far wall, but that is a job for another day. It is coming along though and looks a million times better then the storage room it was a few days ago!!

Mothers Day/Birthday Celebration

2011-05-10T14:41:00.012-06:00

Sunday we got together at mom's house to celebrate mothers day and my birthday with the family this year. We had brunch together. Mom/Dad made their famous waffles, I made a breakfast casserole, and Em brought juice and fruit as well as the birthday cake she made.

After brunch we opened gifts and played a game in honor of mom. The game was a match game with many things we love about mom. I don't know anyone else that would have S&*% and the happiest place on earth be a match, but for our mom it's a match! One of the many reasons we love her!!
Mom's gifts from the family were a beautiful lime green scarf, a rug for her porch, sewing scissors and vinyl scrapers, and a peony plant. Fun fun!!
And for my birthday most of the family went in on a gift for me and I LOVE it. I got a new Cuisinart 14 cup food processor- it's awesome!! I also got a fun board game. And then my dear dear sister made the most selfless gift for me that no words can really explain. You must just see it for yourself. Here it is:

Yep. She made me a set of blessings blocks and ALL 8 BLOCKS are with her face on them. Best. Present. Ever. Gotta love that Em.

Yummy nothing bundt cake that my hot hubby got me. And please notice the candle that says "ageless". Love him!!

And on Saturday Michael took me up to Park City after garage sales and we had a lot of fun together and laughed a lot. It was wonderful just spending the day with my sweetie. It's been a really fun week! I love that "birthdays" turn into "birthweeks" around our house!!

They say it's my birthday...

2011-05-06T22:01:00.004-06:00

I turned 23 today, for the fifth year in a row. I tried to get away with turning 21 but my mom kindly pointed out that my wrinkles are giving that one away. Hmmm. Alright, 28 it is. I had a pretty good day. We are celebrating my birthday and mothers day on Sunday with the family and my handsome hubby had to work today so I was on my own. This is how I spent my day:

I headed to this fun store. I went there for the first time about 2 weeks ago and I've been there 3 times since. Mild obsession. If you haven't been before I recommend it. It's mix between pier 1 and pirate o's. I splurged and bought myself a birthday present which was this pretty gal.

Then I headed to Red Robin for lunch (sign up on their website for a free lunch on your birthday!)

Then went to see this new chick flick:Headed home about 3:00. My hot hubby surprised me with the best birthday cake EVER from here in red velvet, yum! And then out for Thai for dinner.

It was a fun day. And tomorrow, garage sales baby! Wahoo!!

1 year mark

2011-04-26T08:39:00.005-06:00

This time last year we were moving into our new home! It's been one year and we are LOVING every minute of it! I am completely obsessed right now with decorating it and go to sleep at night with visions of how I want to decorate different rooms dancing through my head. It is coming together for sure and every day we are grateful that we have this home! The current project: We're fencing our yard!! And by we I mean Michael.

@closing

Bullets

2011-04-20T18:31:00.008-06:00

Yesterday while I did pretty much next to nothing, my husband worked a full day, then ran errands which included picking me up flowers and bringing home dinner. Is he not the best??

Easter Dinner went ok, it wasn't one of our better meals. Michael thought the ham was a bit dry, the deviled eggs didn't work out, and we ended up eating an hour late so everything was cold. But, it was good company and good conversation none the less. We put these cute tins together with conversation cards in each of them. Each one had a different question on each side of the card and definitely made for some interesting conversations.

We also played a game at our Easter shindig called quelf. Super goofy game and super fun! Almost everyone was skeptical, and almost everyone had a lot of fun! One of the game challenges was to have two of the players draw a picture of a rhinoceros arm wrestling an elephant, and each had to draw it with their not prominent hand. Here are the results, good job babe and Audra!

I saw on a blog a few months ago of a lady who was doing a "40 in 40" in her home, where she basically was doing spring cleaning in 40 different areas of her home in 40 days. I thought that was a GREAT idea, and since I have some time off right now I thought I'd take advantage of it. We are preparing to have a garage sale anyway so this is the perfect time. Just a few of the areas I've cleaned out so far are under the bathroom sinks, the linen closet, the laundry room closets, my jewelry box, my closet, our food storage, our movies, kitchen cupboards and many others, but I still have a lot left to do!! Our garage sale pile is growing and the clutter is disappearing. Love it!

Easter Dinner Prep

2011-04-15T15:01:00.004-06:00

Today has been a nice day. We are having our Easter Dinner a week early this year (this Sunday) and we're doing it at our house, so today I started preparing some of the food. I baked blueberry pies, prepared potato casserole, and cooked the eggs for deviled eggs. I love days like this where I just get to spend the day cooking!

On the menu:

Lemonade, Ham, Artichokes, Potato Casserole, Deviled Eggs, Rolls, Fruit Tray & Blueberry Pie

Secretary & Sewing Table

2011-04-15T14:14:00.010-06:00

Here are our latest furniture projects and I am IN LOVE with them! They both turned out so great! This piece, Michael bought at a garage sale last summer for 5 dollars-all in quarters! He brought it home and I thought it was UGLY! Love how it turned out and absolutely loved how easy it was (for me anyway!) Michael did have to pretty much re-build one of the drawers but as far as sanding and painting it couldn't have gone smoother. Love it! We used a paint with primer in it from Lowe's and I believe the color was called song bird blue. We also got the handles from hobby lobby in their 50% off sale- all hardware for about 10 dollars! Then there is this lovely lady that's I've posted about before. We also got her last summer at a garage sale. Michael talked the seller down from $45.00 to $20.00. This was much more of a challenge! This was the first time I experienced the "dreaded red stain" that bled through the paint with every layer. I think I ended up doing about 8 coats of paint on this baby. So it was a pain in my side but turned out beautifully!

On this piece I just used the leftover white paint from the board and batten molding we did a few weeks ago. I also did a few coats with krylon white spray paint to see if that would help cover the red stain, which it did.

Friday Date Night

2011-04-05T12:44:00.003-06:00

My sweet hubby took me on a date last Friday and it was wonderful. He first took me to dinner at tepanyaki *YUMMO* and then to jack and jills to go bowling. We used to go bowling all the time when we were first dating and now haven't been in years. Of course I left the camera at home, but it was a lot of fun!! I love this guy!

Score!

2011-04-01T17:19:00.003-06:00

OK so here is the story on the two bulletin boards. The plan I had was to get a couple magnet boards that were square, the ones that Roberts has. I was thinking of getting three, but em decided I needed to go bigger. She said I should do one bulletin and one magnet board. She had a really big bulletin board so all I would need is a big magnet board. So, I took hers and when I left her house I headed to pebbles in my pocket, an awesome scrapbook store in Orem that a friend of ours owns. She had casually asked if I needed a filing cabinet, I guess she had a couple she was looking to get rid of. I said no, but I am looking for a really big (matching) bulletin board. Well, she just happened to have one that she was going to get rid of that was the exact same size! And, she just gave it to me! So, I got two, within 5 minutes of each other for free that were a match!! HELLO SCORE!!! (thank you brenda and em!!) So then, I still needed to turn one into a magnet board. I looked into painting one with magnet paint and was told it would work. I did it, it did not work. It may work with a million coats, but that stuff is pricey, so I opted for plan B. I had a metal company cut a piece of sheet metal to size (it was way too pricey at the local hardware store), and with the help of my hot hubby we secured it to the bulletin board with liquid nails. I sanded down the frames and gave them both a fresh coat of black paint and they are good to go!!

Misc crafts

2011-04-01T16:07:00.010-06:00

Here are a few of the fun things I worked on this week:

I made this super cute set of blessings blocks. My mom found this on a blog and had a party with her girlfriends where they all made a set, and I had to make one myself. And by myself I mean my dad cut the blocks, and printed the pictures, my mom and a friend cut the vinyl, and I put it together. I am exhausted :) Thanks everyone!!

I also made this cute moss initial that I've seen all over on blogs. Super easy and super cheap! It cost about $3.00 I think and was made in under 5 minutes. I got the moss at all a dollar- and this is the real stuff! My whole craft room now smells like dirt!! I ended up using only about half of the bag. I got the letter at hobby lobby (with a coupon of course) and the ribbon at Michael's (also with a coupon). Not too shabby. Just broke out the glue gun and started "smooshing" the moss onto the letter. Fun!

(Please ignore the junk just thrown on the shelf and bare cabinet for now! It will look better soon, I promise!)

I also did these cute magazine holders. I found just plain white cardboard magazine holders at ikea, a set of 5 for $1.99. Then I used a set of scrapbook paper as a stencil. I found the paper at tjmaxx of all places, and used a black sharpie to stencil on the design. For the labels I used small gift cards I found in the dollar bin at Roberts that had a window on them which I printed out the names of the magazines to fit the window and then just framed the whole thing in a bright green card stock. Super cheap, super easy, and much better looking then just plain white.

And the chore I have been dreading and I don't know why, is to finish this table I got last year at a garage sale (which my sweet husband talked the seller down from $45 to $20- score!). I am going to use it as my craft/sewing table and have put it off more times then I can count. But, I got my behind out there today and got a few coats of white paint on, hopefully I'll get it finished up this weekend. So excited to get it in the room and actually have a work space in my craft room!! Doesn't she have sexy legs?? And lastly, I got these painted and hung thanks to the help of my hubby! There is a story on these so I'll post that separate. But, they are hung and look perfect and I am so excited my craft room is coming together!! My table will go right next to these once it's painted. So fun! It's coming together!!

Oh, I got some fun new knobs at hobby lobby for the cupboard in my craft room. They were 50% off at hobby lobby, love that!!

Ironing Board Cover

2011-03-31T13:45:00.005-06:00

I have been looking for weeks for a new ironing board cover but mine is an extra wide one which I am having a hard time finding one that fits, that doesn't cost 25 dollars+ and isn't a plain boring fabric. So... I decided to make my own. My friend Jen made one awhile ago that was super cute so I just used the same tutorial that she used. Here is the tutorial. The only thing I did differently is that I did not get a second fabric to use as padding underneath the cover, I just used the padding mine already had. I think it turned out pretty cute. It cost me only about $7.00 total, I was able to use the fabric of my choice (which I got at hobby lobby using their 40% off coupon on their website, which is good for up to 10 yards of fabric) and made it in under an hour. I do not sew unless it is straight lines and SUPER SUPER simple, and this was a piece of cake, even for me! Before

Fabric Choice After

Random

2011-03-22T14:50:00.006-06:00

I left this morning to run errands and it was so beautiful and spring like outside that I decided to splurge and get a pedicure! Hot pink baby! So excited spring is here.
About 5 minutes after I got home it was snowing out my windows and I found myself sipping on hot chocolate.
I have completely lost my voice. I have been fighting this dumb cold for about a week now and on Sunday I lost hearing in one of my ears and today I lost my voice. The really great thing about all of this is I have an interview tomorrow (for a job I really want!). I have a feeling it's not going to go so well, hence the sipping hot chocolate. Trying anything I can to soothe my throat and get the voice back in time for the interview!
On Saturday coming back from one of our MANY trips to Home Depot for our laundry room project, we passed a GARAGE SALE!! Wahoo!! THEY ARE HEEEEEEEEEEERE!! I seriously could cry tears of joy over this. I found this lovely lady...

She needs A LOT of TLC, but I am so excited to get working on her!! Wahoo! Did I mention, THEY'RE HEEEEEEEEEEEERRRRRRRRRRE!!!

What a beaut!

2011-03-21T10:36:00.014-06:00

It took us about a week total and our laundry room went from this:

to this!! It looks amazing!! I totally LOVE it and am convinced that Michael and I will be fighting over who gets to do laundry now!

I found this blog where a lady did the board and batten molding in her bathroom and it looked so pretty we decided to try it in our laundry room. She made it look easy with all of her step by step instructions listed as well as the products she used, so we gave it a go. We definitely ran into some challenges such as every time we nailed a piece of molding into the wall EVERY NAIL IN THE WALL popped out of the wall and needed to be patched. It took 5 coats of white and two coats of blue (it had primer in it). We went with Behr paint, the blue is called sonata and the white is called powdered snow (I think). We went with a semi gloss for the blue and a high gloss for the white. We used the same wood as she used in the blog, and spaced the molding about 12 inches apart from each other, however on the wall with the window, we played with it a bit to just make it look good to the eye as apposed to spacing it 12 inches. We also replaced our floor boards with the same board we used for the top piece of the molding. And lastly we gave our boring builder silver light fixture just a quick spray with the krylon oil rubbed bronze paint to have it match all of the other oil rubbed bronze hardware we have throughout the house and installed some basic wood blinds which I am sure our neighbors across the street are thanking us for!

And, I have to say that this guy:

is awesome! He truly amazed me on this project. He knew how to do everything that needed to be done. He had the tools for everything, he had answers to problems we ran into and he was so much fun to be with working on this project. We laughed and joked and cursed our frustrations together and I love him so much! He did a really great job! It's official, my hot hubby rocks! And, getting to check out his bulging biceps and hot behind during this project didn't hurt either. I definitely got the best end of this deal!

I love you babe, thank you thank you thank you for all of your hard work!!

Update

2011-03-18T14:28:00.003-06:00

I had to tell you that the corned beef and veggies yesterday was absolutely DI-VINE!! I also made this delish horseradish sauce found on the deals to meals website. I think we may have found a new favorite. It took all of 10 minutes to make and was fantastic!! Give it a try.
Horseradish Sauce
3/4 c. real (no low fat) mayonnaise
3/4 c. sour cream
1/4 c. horseradish
1 t. salt (may need a little more)
1 t. black pepper
1/2 t. lemon zest
Combine all of the ingredients together and mix well. Serve cold over corned beef or shredded beef roast. Delicious!

Happy St. Patty's!

2011-03-17T12:33:00.004-06:00

This is about the extent of celebrating st. patty's at our house, and this is MUCH more then we usually do. But, I did wear my green scarf today. That counts, right??

I have corned beef and cabbage in the crock pot right now, it's smelling pretty darn good if I do say so myself. I've never really made this before so we'll see how it turns out. Here is the recipe I found online:

Crock Pot Corned Beef and Cabbage
1 medium onion, cut into wedges
4 medium potatoes, peeled and quartered
1 pound baby carrots
3 cups water
3 garlic cloves, minced
1 bay leaf
2 tablespoons sugar
2 tablespoons cider vinegar
1/2 teaspoon pepper
1 (3 pound) corned beef brisket with spice packet, cut in half
1 small head cabbage, cut into wedges
Directions:
Place the onion, potatoes and carrots in a 5-qt. slow cooker. Combine water, garlic, bay leaf, sugar, vinegar, pepper and contents of spice packet; pour over vegetables. Top with brisket and cabbage. Cover and cook on low for 8-9 hours or until meat and vegetables are tender. Remove bay leaf before serving.

Then, I saw this fun idea. Thought it was a fun way to tell your honey you love them! The card says "I am so "Lucky" to have you in my life" and the bag is full of some of my hot hubby's favorite treats.

Busy Weekend!

2011-03-13T20:39:00.004-06:00

Michael and I have been busy beavers this weekend! We started our laundry room project of board and batten molding and it looks AWESOME so far! Michael was amazing and didn't make a single wrong cut with all of the pieces and angles- he did awesome! My husband rocks! We started Friday night around 10pm (yes, we're crazy!) and then spent the whole day Saturday working on it. So far we've removed the old floor boards, replaced them with high floor boards and attached the board and batten molding pieces (super time consuming since each piece was a different length since our house apparently is not square!), framed the window, caulked each piece, and filled about half of the nail holes.

This week we'll finish filling the holes, and get to painting!! The board and batten will be a pure white and then this is the color I am going to paint the top portion:

Also, today I made these beauties for my craft/sewing room:
I still need to hem and iron them but then they are good to go. Fun!! Kind of hard to tell in the picture but it's a black and white hounds tooth pattern. Love it!

Time for bed

2011-03-10T22:33:00.003-07:00

Today started out so wonderful. The sun was out, I broke out my capri's and flip flops and gave my car a bath, and ran errands and then it started (DOOM DOOM DOOM). I ran all of my errands and when I got home I realized there was no bag in the car. I think I even did a double and triple check. Didn't help, still no bag. I had left the dumb thing 30 minutes away at a store in town and just totally left without it and drove all the way home without even noticing. Awesome. Then I tried a new recipe for dinner from the Pioneer Women. It didn't look like hers, and I guarantee it didn't taste like hers. Then I tried to be a super good wife and made rice crispy treats for my hot hubby because he said he's been craving them lately. Yeah, ruined those too. Yes, you read that right. I ruined rice crispy treats. Is that even possible? Then to top it all off I was painting some things in the garage and I think I ruined 2 of the 5 things I was working on... blah! I'm going to bed.

Plink!

2011-03-10T21:56:00.007-07:00

I had to share some super cute pictures of little miss. She is too stinkin cute. And that beard, it gets me every time. So feminine don't you think?

Menu Chalk Board

2011-03-07T15:11:00.005-07:00

This is what I started with for the menu board. I got this serving tray at Target in the after Christmas sale for about $5. I gave it a coat of primer
Then sprayed it white
Then I used chalkboard paint that I found at walmart and painted the inside section. It did leave some small grooves from the brush strokes so I would suggest the spray paint, I just couldn't find it and was inpatient!

Framed Signs

2011-03-07T15:02:00.004-07:00

This was a SUPER easy craft! I got these frames at Roberts (use their two for Tuesday deal- you can use 2-40% coupons in the same transaction!). Then I went to Pebbles in my Pocket to get the perfect paper. I just used the large sheets of scrapbook paper. I painted the edges of the frames in a fun lime green color, then traced the frames on the scrapbook paper, cut them out, sprayed the frames with self adhesive spray and placed the paper on the frames. Then printed out some words to put in the frames and wha-la!

Spices

2011-03-07T14:22:00.006-07:00

This was what my spice cabinet looked like last week. It was stuffed to the gills and every time I opened the cabinet I had jars from the second shelf falling on my head. After several broken jars and many. many. curse words, I decided to do something about it! I saw this idea on a blog previously and loved the idea. It started with these:
I found 55 jars on KSL for $5.00 about 3 minutes away from my house. Score! I got them home, emptied them (they were old and expired!) took the labels off, put them in the dishwasher, got them out and scrubbed each one with goo be gone to get rid of the goo left from the labels, back in the dishwasher they went. In the meantime, the lids got a coat of primer, then black paint. Wrote the names of the spices on the lids with this pen- and trust me we tried several and this was the best!
Then I sprayed the lids with a final coat of clear lacquer and filled the jars up and put them in the big drawer in my kitchen island alphabetically. MUCH BETTER!
And the cupboard is much better now too! Nothing falling on my head :)

Entirely too productive.... and I LOVE it!

2011-03-06T13:40:00.015-07:00

I am out of work as of last Monday and it is insane how productive I am when I am not working a full time job. Here is a peak of a few things I've done over the last couple of days. And trust me there is much more to come, my list for this week is growing by the minute!

I cleaned out my entire closet and organized it (by color). I went through every piece of clothing and shoes in there and made 3 piles- one to go in the basement for next winter, one to go in our garage sale this spring, and one to go into other closets in the house (jackets and hoodies). Lovely!

I cleaned out the fridge and freezer and threw away the food that is freezer burned. Then, I made a list of meals I can make out of the food we have left.
I stocked our kitchen pantry completely full from the food storage in the basement
Michael and I cleaned out the front room. It had quickly become our junk room which isn't the best since it's the first thing you see when you walk into our house!
I made this cute craft for St. Patty's day. I found it on a blog and thought it was fun and since I don't have a single decoration for this holiday I thought I'd give it a try.

I also made these cute frames to go into my craft/sewing room. I've changed it up a bit from my original plan (I know, sooooo not like me!). Originally I was going to do black/white/lime green. Now, I'm doing just a bunch of bright colors, and I thought these would kind of be my inspiration. LOVE how they turned out.

I completed this project and boy am I glad it's done. IT WAS A PAIN! Love how it turned out, hated every second of doing it. (More on this later!)

I made this cute menu board that has been on my list of things to do for months! Super cute! (More on this later!)

The norm: laundry, swept, mopped, dusted, grocery shopped...
Had auntie em and uncle benji over for dinner last night and tried out a couple of new recipes on them. It all turned out super good! On the menu: Cilantro Lime grilled chicken/cilantro lime rice (LOVED THIS!)/Black Beans/Lime Margaritas/ Nothing Bundt Cake copy. Yummo!
Fixed our windowsill. Little miss has decided her favorite thing is to climb on the windowsill to look outside and she ends up scraping the drywall constantly. So, our solution was to fix the plaster, new coat of paint and we put a piece of molding into the sill that would keep her from ruining the wall. It was super easy and looks a million times better. We'll see how this works.

And my big project for this week has to do with these babies...I'm excited and hoping they work out!!

Love them

2011-02-27T17:01:00.010-07:00

There is not a place under the sun where I laugh more then sitting around my parents living room with these crazy people. I'm talking to the point where my stomach aches, my throat is sore and we are coughing because we can't breath. I love this gang!!

Counting down the days

2011-02-27T16:41:00.003-07:00

I don't know what it is about this winter, but it cannot leave soon enough! I am pretty much going bananas with the icy stairs, walkways and driveway, constant gray skies, and cold windy weather that is keeping me locked up inside my home. I NEED the sun!! I need to wear capri's and flip flops and I need to work on projects outside in the driveway breathing in the fresh air (minus paint fumes)... I need, I need!!

23 days and it is officially SPRING!! WAHOO!

I was having visions of garage sales dancing through my head before Christmas!

I have a pile of at least 15 pieces of furniture taking up space in my basement and several now taking up space in the garage that are ready to be refinished... CAN NOT WAIT!

SOOOOO ready for farmers markets with every fresh fruit and vegetables you can think of, and family BBQ's... oh the yumminess!

Waiting for a warm day that we can break out the saw's in the garage and start working on our next project!! Our Laundry Room!! So excited. Plans so far, board and batten molding with new floor boards, frame the window and paint the upper half of the room in one of these lovely blue hues....

Looking forward to the day I can give my car a bath and it will stay clean for more then an afternoon.
Oh warm weather, please please please come soon, I miss you so!

Blog header tutorial

2011-02-04T22:11:00.002-07:00

I found this tutorial online and had to share it. I've always wanted to know how to do the photo headers on blogs (Like mine??) and it was super easy- it was done in 10 minutes and I didn't even have to call husband hot line to figure it out. Wahoo! Love it!

Tabletop progress

2011-01-30T13:26:00.006-07:00

The tabletop I've been wanting to complete as well is looking better. Still not quite done but it's getting there. I had this mirror and gave it a little revamp to pull in some blue from the curtain fabric, I think it turned out pretty cute!

I gave the white frame a new fresh coat of paint, used my new lamp (the score off KSL) instead of the buffet lamp I had and got a new drum lamp shade for it, and Michael found some old books he had which I love... also found that cute little bird over the weekend that was so super cute... getting there. Now that I'm looking at the pictures though I'm thinking I hung the picture a bit high... sigh. Oh well, it's hung, so we'll stick with it for now!
And that pumpkin pie just came out of the oven and smells divine! It's a sour cream pumpkin pie, which I've never made. We'll see how it tastes.

Wall project

2011-01-30T13:02:00.008-07:00

Yesterday my sweet husband surprised me and picked up the stuff to work on the wall project I mentioned a week or so ago and I have been anxious to get it done. So we got to it and we soon figured out this was going to be a much bigger project then we had originally thought. About 3.5 hours later and quite a few curse words later it was complete and I LOVE it!!

We found these barn wood frames at a garage sale last summer for a dollar each. I love them and knew I wanted to use them somehow. Thanks to my mom for giving me her stash too! Love it!

And thanks to my sweet hubby to help get 'er done. I have a pumpkin pie baking as we speak to thank him!

Change of plans

2011-01-25T11:46:00.003-07:00

Well none of this weekends projects got done thanks to a miserable case of bronchitis that will not go away! Hopefully this coming weekend is a bit more productive. I am going stir crazy after being in bed for 4 days and am SOOOO ready to be feeling better. (Hear that antibiotics... START WORKING PLEASE!)

Family Room update

2011-01-18T20:55:00.005-07:00

Well, my focus in the house right now has been the "great room" and my craft room. Mom bought me more fabric for Christmas to make a second pair of curtains to go over the sliding glass door. Mom helped me get those made and we hung them and hemmed them this last weekend. They look gorgeous and really help warm up the room!

(not the best picture, sorry!)

Next step, I have this tabletop that I need to decorate. Mom found a picture in a Pottery Barn Magazine that we liked so we are using that as our guide. We went down in the basement and found a few things that we liked and want to include. These are the items we came up with and hopefully this weekend I'll have it somewhat pulled together. I am painting a few of the pieces, and still need to pick up a couple things... but this is this weekends project, to get it completed. I know it looks like a mess now, hopefully the after shot looks much better!

Also on the agenda for this weekend is an item on my honey do list for my honey involving this wall!

I am so excited!! Hopefully we get it all done and I have awesome after pictures this weekend! I'll do my best :)

KSL Score!!

2011-01-18T20:43:00.005-07:00

Last Thursday Michael and I went to Restoration Hardware and I fell in love with this beauty...

Then I saw the price tag.... over $150.00 FOR A LAMP!!! ZOINKS! But, guess what I found on KSL, not one but two for $40.00!!

This beauty...Not quite identical but for less then a third of the price, I am a happy camper!!

Happy Birthday Madre!

2011-01-18T20:33:00.005-07:00

Mom had her birthday this last Saturday. We ended up celebrating on Sunday at Em's house with a nice lunch. Mom's birthday loot included a pretty pot and jar of cashews from Auntie Em and Benji, An enamel dutch oven pot from Dad, A salt city candle and a hot date with Studly Muffin, and a bead watch from Michael and I. Happy Birthday Mom, we love you!!

Santa Delivered!

2011-01-18T20:18:00.005-07:00

I must have been a good girl this year (hard to believe, I know) because santa really spoiled me this year. Look at my new toy!! Now I just need to learn how to use it!!

Brilliant

2010-12-27T16:53:00.003-07:00

So... last night around 6:00 we had just got home from our after Christmas shopping. We got some really great deals- and one of them were wreaths and lit candles to have at each window. I'll eventually get some ribbon to do a bow on each as well. Anyway, I though they would be so pretty outside next Christmas. Michael and I got to talking about how we'd hang them and if we did them inside- if you'd be able to see them from the street. Brilliant me said to Michael- you hold one up inside and I'll run out to see if you can see it from the street. So out the front door I went and ran down our front stairs and within seconds I was laying on them crying. They were completely icy, I caught air and landed flat on my right side hitting my head, neck, back, hip... Awesome. I seriously feel exactly like how I felt the day after my car accident. Nothing was broken but my ENTIRE body is aching. I have a baseball size bruise on my hip, my hand looks like I busted a blood vessel in it and I am walking like I am 90 years old.

Christmas Cooking/Baking

2010-12-23T21:20:00.003-07:00

Today I took a PTO day and decided I would spend it baking in my kitchen with a fire going and Christmas music on. I've been struggling a bit this year getting into the Christmas spirit so I thought this might help. We've done almost nothing Christmas related this year (with the exception of temple square and the angel tree). Call me scrooge. But, today helped. I had my sweet assistant at my feet the whole day (little miss #2) hoping I'd drop something for her. Love that girl.
On the menu:
Brown Sugar Ham Bone Soup
Baklava
Buckeyes
Poppy Seed Bundt Cake with an orange glaze
Roasted Cinnamon Almonds

I have to say that I am glad the Baklava was such a pain to make because I could seriously eat the whole 9x13 pan in one sitting. DELISH!

It was a fun day and it helped my Christmas attitude a bit.

Merry Christmas!

He's Home!

2010-12-12T19:10:00.027-07:00

Wow! Thanksgiving week was insane at our house this year but none of us would have had it any other way!
WEDNESDAY NOVEMBER 24th:
ROBERT CAME HOME! We all met at mom and dads house around 10:00. We watched online as Robert's plane was flying from Georgia to Utah. It didn't go fast enough! Grandma Faraway and George came down to celebrate with us which was a lot of fun. At 12:00 this beaut arrived:

to take us to the airport. We figured this was the best way for us to all ALL fit in one car and no one had to drive! We were on our way to pick up our sweet missionary! We got there with about 15 minutes before he arrived.

(Benji,Em,Mom, Dad, Me, George, G-ma)

We were all waiting at the bottom of the stairs all eyes glued to the top of the stairs and we saw a bright pink tie and all started screaming. We knew that was him without even being able to see the rest of him! He headed down and kindly pushed past the people in front up him, threw his suitcase to the side and ran straight to hug his mom! It was the sweetest thing ever.

There may have been some tears...

Back together!

So handsome!

Proud Dad!

Welcome Home Kiddo!

And his first request was a big juicy burger. So, after he was released the whole fam and a few friends headed to Red Robin to celebrate!

THURSDAY-THANKSGIVING DAY!

Thursday morning we met at mom & dad's again fairly early and started cooking Thanksgiving dinner. This year was the biggest group we've had to date- 17 people! It was fun!

1 RM
2 parents
1 friend
2 sisters
2 brothers in law
2 grandma's
2 uncles
1 aunt
4 cousins
and a partridge in a pear tree...
After the crowd died down a bit we played a few hands of hand and foot and went to bed late after staying up laughing! It was wonderful!

BLACK FRIDAY:
I slept over at mom and dad's and Robert and I got up at 4:00AM to go hit the stores. Crazy? Um... YES! We didn't get anything for an insane deal, but we had fun. I loved just being with my sweet brother again. It was awesome. We laughed and talked and I have missed him terribly! Last stop- Ernie's for breakfast, one of Roberto's favorites. Yum! And a few hours later we headed down to the Spanish Fork fairgrounds to go to their Christmas boutique. Robert was in heaven, there were 3 Peruvian booths. He was talking up a storm to the owners of the booths and even bought some of their Christmas bread/cake that he had learned to love. It was really neat! I got to hear his Spanish in action and he sounds amazing!
SATURDAY:
Robert was able to see the last BYU game of the season (this kid is a HUGE BYU fan!!) We didn't go down that day but heard it was a good group that showed up.
SUNDAY:
HOMECOMING! Robert gave a wonderful talk in church speaking about a few of the experiences he had in Peru. He did a great job. We headed back to mom and dad's for friends and relatives to come over and see the RM. Emily had prepared a BEAUTIFUL table scape with a missionary suit theme and sweets. She sewed a tablecloth that was suit material with a button shirt runner. It was so cute! She also made some cake stands with dad's help. She did a gorgeous job!

Martha Stewart herself with gorgeous grandma faraway!

Friends Shot

SO SO happy to have this sweet guy home. We love you Robert!!

And... if there are any single ladies out there- give him a call!

WAHOO!

2010-11-23T20:21:00.002-07:00

That's right ladies and gents- tomorrow is the big day. Elder Cutie Patootie comes home TOMORROW!!! Now all we need is good weather and no airport closures!! YIPPEE!!!

Happy Halloween!

2010-10-30T19:58:00.002-06:00

Random October Bullets

2010-10-26T18:59:00.006-06:00

This exact time last year both our girls were in coma's in the hospital and one of em's girls was in surgery. SO SO glad we have all three of them healthy and strong a year later.
Less then 1 month and this handsome guy will be home! CAN. NOT. WAIT!!! We have a few fun things planned. It's going to be a very fun, very LONG month!

I have decided I am a disaster in the kitchen and should not be allowed in. I am having way more disasters than successes. That's it, I'm fired.
New favorite show- The Closer. We've started the series from the beginning thanks to Netflix. If you like crime shows I highly recommend it.
Seriously? Christmas in less than 2 months?? REALLY? I sometimes have my shopping DONE by now, but always started by now. This year...Nothin. Nor do I see me starting anytime soon. I'm thinking this year it may all be all done on Christmas eve morning. Is that bad?

Quick weekend projects

2010-10-24T19:32:00.009-06:00

I've had a few other little "projects" going on this weekend besides finishing up the curtains. I did a little spray paint makeover on this tray that I found at a garage sale recently and thought it turned out cute. $2 tray and $3 spray paint= not too shabby

Perfect for holding my favorite perfumes!!

(I may or may not have dusted every shoe shown in this picture!!

If it has any sort of a heel chances are I haven't worn it in years! Yes, plural.)
I also tried this new recipe today (I made it while it was pouring rain out my kitchen windows-LOVE THAT!) and it was SO delicious we had it for both lunch and dinner today. Perfect for a cold wet sunday afternoon.

Creamy Corn & Potato Chowder
Directions:
1 lb. bacon, cooked, grease drained, and crumbled
1 onion, chopped
4 russet potatoes, cut into medium sized cubes
2 cans creamed corn
2 c. water
2 t. salt
16 oz. half & half or whole milk
Salt & pepper
1 t. garlic powder
Shredded cheese
Sour cream

1.Fry the bacon in a large soup pot over medium heat. After frying bacon and place on a paper towel to drain. Crumble and set aside.
2.In a large pot, over a medium burner, add to the bacon drippings the chopped onion. Saute the onion until they become tender and translucent. Add the diced potatoes to the onions and then the 2 c. of water to the pot. Simmer until potatoes are tender. Once the potatoes are cooked through, add the cans of creamed corn and the half & half or milk. Season as desired with salt, pepper and garlic powder. Let soup continue to simmer until thickens slightly and is a thick soup consistency. If your soup is too thick, add a little more milk or water. If it is too thin, add a little flour or cornstarch that has been tempered with water and then some of the hot soup broth. Once soup is finished cooking, serve with crumbled bacon, shredded cheese and sour cream.
*I added 2 roasted chicken breasts for added protein. Delish!

Then I worked on a cute make up tray for my bathroom. Lately I've just had a basket full of makeup- half of which I never used and I would have to hunt through everything for the things I do use. So, I decided to go through everything and got rid of the stuff I wasn't using- cleaned everything and made a new- much improved- make up tray. The tray I got at a garage sale for $2 and the brush holder is a candle holder from all a dollar. MUCH better then what I was using!!

And, last but not least I decided to do one of those rag wreaths for Halloween that I'm sure everyone has seen around on blogs lately. I have the wreath part done, but need to still add the decorations... I'll post it as soon as I finish. Kinda fun.

Date Night

2010-10-24T19:24:00.002-06:00

Friday night my husband took me on a date. We went to see The Drowsy Chaperone at the Hale Theater in West Valley. SO SUPER CUTE! We are still singing songs from it. Such a cute show- I HIGHLY recommend it for a date night!! (It's playing until November 27th!)

SHOW INFORMATION:
Winner of 5 Tony Awards! This sparkling new musical became Broadway’s darling! Get comfy as the man in the easy chair recounts his favorite 1920’s musical…A young girl wants to get married to the man of her dreams – but will her celebrity get in her way …and why are those two thugs dressed up as cooks? Watch as this tasty treat revs to life in show-stopping dance, saucy new music and breathtaking staging. Jeepers Creepers! What a great new show by Lambert, Morrison, Martin and McKellar. A Regional Premiere! A sure sell out!

Sew...

2010-10-24T19:13:00.005-06:00

Curtains... CHECK! We finally have curtains in our family room and guess who made them? Yours truly (thanks to help from both Mom and Em!) I love them and can't wait to make a matching pair for the sliding glass door as well. So cute.

This lovely lady finally made it out of the box! I got this for Christmas 2009 and just now opened it to make these curtains. It's such a nice machine and is really smooth!

Fabric Close-up

Update

2010-09-26T17:11:00.005-06:00

Well, he's home from the hospital. They told us he could be there for 2-3 days, but he ended up coming home within 24 hours. He lost some vision and some memory for a bit, but when we went down last night he seemed to be doing better already. Thank you for your thoughts, concerns and prayers!!

What a day...

2010-09-24T17:22:00.003-06:00

My dad just had a stoke and is currently in the hospital. We don't know much yet. He has been doing tests and has an MRI scheduled for sometime today. We should know more after that. It's been a pretty emotional day. He was able to have a blessing from a good friend of the family and that was comforting. Now it's the hurry up and wait game. We don't know how much damage has been done yet or if he will recover or have his symptoms get better. Anyway, I will update as I know more. Any prayers you could send his direction would be appreciated.

Latest Projects

2010-09-17T22:43:00.009-06:00

This cute chair we found early this summer at a garage sale. It was my first project doing glazing. It has the coolest grooves and curves to it that the glazing turned out awesome!!

Probably about $10.00 total invested in this super cute chair! Love it!
Then this lovely! This is the other half to the nightstand I posted about previously.

I got both pieces for $15.00 total. I think they turned out pretty good!

Our bedroom is finally coming together!!

Now for curtains....