Friday, November 28, 2008

Thanksgiving Holiday Fun

There is nothing better than the holidays when you have a week off from your everyday life and be able to do things that are out of the ordinary. I love when family comes to town and I am able to go with them to do things that I don't get a chance to do very often. My little sister came to town which was treat. I don't get a chance to see her all that much, so I was so excited to have her and her hubby come for turkey day. We played a little Rock Band and it was pretty hilarious to watch them all rock out the holiday. Especially my dad. He just sat there and played his guitar without a whole lot of expression. That is my dad. It takes quite a bit to get any sort of emotion out of him. We had fun. We also had Sean's parents come which I know is a rare event. They didn't have as many kids visit home, so we were happy to have them with us because I really don't think that will happen that often.
I am so thankful this year like probably so many others. I have a home I can reside in my my beautiful family. I have healthy children ( well 50% of the time) and they bring so much joy into my life. I have a wonderful husband who treats me good and a baby on the way. I know I am loved by many and I feel so grateful for the gospel. It has given me so much joy as I continue to learn of the atonement and how it works in my life. I am grateful for all the callings I have had in the church because they have been the instrument to bring so many people into my life that I know I would have never met otherwise. I am grateful for my friends who are always there for me and for the ones I am reconnecting with. I am so grateful for my mom who comes and give me and my children the best care in the world. I am so lucky to have her. I depend on her and she has never let me down. I am eternally grateful for all the gifts that the Lord has given me and I hope I never take them for granted.

Tuesday, November 25, 2008

7 Years and still counting!






Twightlight??


Ok, I might get stoned for this, but I was not impressed with Twighlight. I went to the 12:00 showing with all the 13 year olds. I felt pretty old. It was a good thing that I had my sis with me and my trusty friend Beth. So, here we are 30 somethings freezing our butts off outside the movie theatre with a thousands and I mean thousands of high school girls. I know the experience was a once in a lifetime because I knew in my heart that I will never see a movie at that hour again. Nothing is more important than my much needed sleep. I payed for that lack of sleep days after. I am getting old people. There is no denying it and nor do I want to. I wish I had the delusions again like all these girls I saw this movie with. It didn't matter how poorly the movie was made. Just as long as it had a boy and a girl and they were in love, it made for my favorite movie. Well, I guess my expectations have risen since thirteen and thankfully so. I know most of you loved it because you are loyal fans of the books. Let's just hope that the millions that they made off the first one they can afford to send the actors to acting school and have a new special effects crew for the next three that I know will be approaching us in the upcoming years. Wow, I such a critic!
I must say though I had a blast with my Sis who came to visit and endure the pain with me and my dear lovely friend Beth who was a shining bud of enthusiam until the movie started. Within minutes she looks at me and says, " I am not impressed!" You can only endure so much positivity.

Saturday, November 15, 2008

Childhood Buddies

Remember our first Halloween...

Our 2nd year in Vegas...2007


Oh, how far we have come! Good Times!

Every fall, we take a trip to Las Vegas to visit our friends that used to live down the street from us when Elijah was really small. Abi and Elijah pretty much spent much of their first year together. They have a lot of fun together. I was able to capture a couple of pictures when they were younger. We have had spent every Halloween together for the past 4 years. Alot of memories and cute pics. This year we weren't there for Halloween, but we were able to travel a couple days later. The park was the highlight of the day. It was fun to see the two pick up where they left off.

Friday, November 14, 2008

Extreme Room Makeover!

Some have said that once an idea pops into my head, I have to do it and not stop until it's done. Well, I feel that in the case of Extreme Room Makeover, that was definitly the case. Last week, we visited friends in Las Vegas. Well, we went to a FANTASTIC store called Kirkland Home. It has nothing to do with Costco, but for expense, one would think that they were associated. I was like a child at a toy store. Everything was adorable and AFFORDABLE! Usually I don't spend all that much time or money on home decoration because I am too poor most of the time. Not that I don't want to, but I just can't rationalize the expense. Well, all that went out the window when I went into that store. Pieces of art that were nicely framed and matted were as low as 34.99. Mirrors that were huge were going for around the same price. I was in heaven.

So, I have been in my house for over 4 years now and I have had this green family room. It has been an eye soar for me for that long. I have wanted to paint it but I have focused on every other room because it wasn't so horrible that I couldn't live with it. So, I being 5 months pregnant, my nesting period was in full force. I got a couple pieces that I knew I would like to see in that space, trying to keep in mind my color scheme and all. So, I had a great time having a goal in mind and was anticipating my homecoming to start my project.
The night I got home, I went to Lowe's and got my paint. By the next day around 1:00 when the kids went down for a nap, I started the process. I painted my kitchen, my kitchen nook and my family room. It was a huge job. I went a little bolder with the choice of paint, but came out loving it in the end.
Now, if you know me, I have very little experience with real home improvement stuff. I know how to paint and that pretty much it. Well, some of you may know around my fireplace, I have this green tile. Another reason I haven't painted because I knew that would have to go as well and I have never tiled a fireplace before. Well, as I was painting my wall that sits behind the fireplace, I thought about how to get rid of this green tile without going through the actual work.

My conversation I had with myself...

"I hate this tile. I wonder if I can just paint on top of the tile and make it look like I tiled. "

" Oh, but it won't work. It will look cheap and people will think we are poor white trash who can't afford a real tile job. How will I face my friends if it looks like crap."

" If it dosen't work, you can just tile it. What is it going to hurt if I just try it. The end result is tile that looks good in the room. So, if you can figure out a way that is easier, don't you think it is worth the try. "

So, I brought the paint and all my tools and started the process. Mind you it was 11:00 at night when I was started this little process. So, the process was paint first coat, then sponge with my handy dandy scrapbooking tools that saved the whole process. After the first tile, I got really excited. It was looking really good.

The best thing was that Sean was impressed with my work. Sean is wonderful, but he has never given me the props when it came to home decorating. Maybe he was just happy that he didn't have to tile anymore that caused his excitement to overflow, but he was really impressed with my skills. I guess scrapbooking has really come in handy. So, I finished at 2:00 am with a happy dance. NO MORE GREEN! MISSION ACCOMPLISHED!!! I was going to show a before and after shot but I didn't think it would turn out, so just imagine Kermit the Frog green tile. Yeah, gross right?? Now you know why it had to go. Much needed improvement!



I felt overwhelmed with all that I had accomplished, but with hard work came the pain. The whole night, my back was in dire straits. With each move I made, my back felt like it was going to go. I have had this happen before, but I thought about what I still had to do and that was not an option. I could not be bedridden when I still had two kids to watch and a job to work. My table was in need of painting as well, so on Tuesday, I took a day of rest from it all and have been recuperating a little each day. Now, I feel the normal preggers pain, but my back is still in tact and I now have a new beautiful house to enjoy.