Life.

I love life. It is so fun and keeps us so busy with its twists and turns and random ways. Makes me happy. :)

Life around these parts has been really busy. Having Allan home again is the best. I love that he'll be here all summer long and won't have to be gone for long periods of time. We have several fun things planned and I am just SO EXCITED for these fun things. :D

This last weekend for date night we explored Historic 25th Street in Downtown Ogden. There was a car show going on, and we had so much fun seeing all the cars that have been fixed up.

Also, I finished a dress for Lindy this weekend. I think it might be my favorite one yet.

we've been using our grill like crazy this summer (and my husband thought we shouldn't buy one last year. HA.) I've been meal planning like crazy and we've tried some pretty good things.

As usual, we've been FaceTiming with Lindy until she comes to visit us (9 days!). Most recently, she and Daddy played super heroes. It was the most adorable thing I have ever seen.

My mom and sister are coming into town on Wednesday. My dad and Lindy come into town the following Wednesday. My sister is having Rusha blessed that day, we're getting sealed the next day, and we're partying all weekend long and into the following days. I am so excited for our little "staycation" that we get to have.

We're trying to take advantage of all the fun things Ogden has to offer in the summertime and have so many plans for fun things. I'll try to keep you updated, but don't expect anything until after our little staycation is over. :D

That's about all for us in these neck of the woods for the time being. Things will be much more exciting in the coming weeks. Until next time my friends...Ciao!!

Update on Projects!

Hey guys! Remember how my husband is gone? Well....I do. :D My sister was supposed to have her baby before now so that I could have a new baby to distract me....but alas, she has not yet gone into labor. lol. Babies just come on their own time, don't they? :D

ANYWHO. I have gone to visit her, been to a dance performance, ate dinner with my girl friends AND done several of my projects. Here's what I have done as of right this minute:

1. finish making Lindy's curtains.  This is DONE! I don't have a picture of the finished project because....well I can't get them up on my own and I haven't asked a neighbor to help me. I'll get a picture soon. Promise. But for now, here's the tutorial I followed (I had to make two panels, because...I didn't measure before and just blindly followed this tutorial. Bad Idea.) I did them in pink though since that's Lindy's favorite color. :)

2. Bed Skirt. This is also DONE! I am in LOVE with my bed skirt. I used a combination of these two tutorials: this one and this one. And here's the finished project:

Now I just need more decorative pillows...and maybe a valence or curtains for the windows. I haven't decided yet. :D

3. Add flutter sleeves to Lindy's Zebra dress. This is another project I can cross off the list! It turned out DARLING. I used this tutorial as a jumping point (mostly for measurements), but ended up using really wide ribbon to make the sleeves rather than fabric. SO EASY. Behold:

Cute, right? :D

I have been working on dresses for Lindy and have even mostly finished one, but I haven't taken any pictures yet...you'll have to wait until I'm all done with all three. :) Also, I've finally got the fabric for my small pillow covers and have decided what each one is going to look like and I'm going to get started on those tonight I think.

So there you go...a few of my projects finished, several in progress. and 15 days until my handsome husband comes home. I can't wait!!!

Operation: Be Crafty

Less than a year ago I posted some goals of things I wanted to do while Allan was at his Annual Training (AT) for about a month. I didn't really do a good follow-up on how that all went down, and for that I apologize. My 31-day challenge and leaving/starting a new job kind of took over my life. Add to that the fact that I wasn't sleeping or eating well with my new husband gone, I struggled.

Well, that annual training season is upon us once again. My husband's brigade is going MUCH earlier this year - he leaves on Monday. He will be gone for 26 days and then once again still have drill the weekend that he returns. le sigh.

Now that I know what to expect on how I will feel/act/do etc while my husband is gone. I know that I have a hard time eating and sleeping and I'm trying to prepare myself for that this time. Also, while I had a lot of craft projects I wanted to complete last year I found that I had no motivation to get the supplies and then start said projects. I am not completely sure why the motivation to shop for crafty supplies left me, but it did.

This year, I've tried to mitigate some of the problems I had last year by preparing myself better for the next 4 weeks. I have more than a dozen projects that I want to finish while Allan is gone. Add to that the fact that my little sister BreeAnn is due to have a baby sometime in the next two weeks, and I'm pretty sure I'll be a busy person. :D Hopefully the time flies until Allan comes back and it won't be too bad without him.

So...without further ado, here's the plan for Operation: Be Crafty for while Allan is gone. :)

1. finish making Lindy’s curtains (I've done one of the panels, but I need to do the other one. I've purchased the supplies)

2. scrapbook wedding book (I picked all the photos I want to use, I just need to get the photos printed and then start scrapbooking away!)

3. finish small pillows for couch (need to get the main fabric still. I have accent fabric.)

4. fabric wallpaper the cabinet doors (see this inspiration post for what I mean. http://www.figmilkshakes.blogspot.com/2013/01/wallfabricking-wallpaper-wall-with.html I still need to measure all the doors, and get fabric)

5. Master Bed bed skirt! (http://ankastreasures.wordpress.com/2010/08/16/dust-ruffle-tutorial/) (fabric has been washed and dried, just need to cut and sew!)

6. Canvas Crayon Art ( I am using the following two posts for my inspiration: http://jennaleighbrown.blogspot.com/2011/09/diy-wall-art-melted-crayons-on-canvas.html and this one: http://artisticjunkie.com/blog/item/129-crayon-art)

7. Living Room Curtains (MAYBE. I haven't decided if I'm actually going to get to this or not. If I do I'll need to get fabric)

8. Master Bedroom Curtains/valance(MAYBE. I haven't decided if I'm actually going to get to this or not. If I do I'll need to get fabric -- maybe same stuff to match the bedskirt for a valance?)

9. Table runners for lv room table and wall table by kitchen (bought fabric, washed and dried, just cut and sew!) 

10. photo canvas established thingy (see this (http://treasuryofmemories.typepad.com/my_weblog/2010/04/established-canvas-kit-is-back-in-stock.html) post for what I'm talking about. I've bought my canvases, created my text for the established canvas, and gotten pictures printed.)

11. Lindy dresses (3) (I'm going to make her some more of this dress: http://craftycupboard.net/twirly-t-shirt-dress-tutorial/ I've already bought the t-shirts and have most of the fabric on hand. One of my fabrics needs to be lined, so I need to get white fabric for that.)

12. Add flutter sleeves to Lindy’s Zebra shirt-dress. (I'm talking about THIS shirt-dress, and I want her to be able to wear it in the summer, but an undershirt will be too hot, but I think I can add flutter sleeves to it and it will be great. (I need to buy black fabric for this.)

13. Turn Lindy's Tinkerbell PJ’s into dress. (Lindy has these adorable flannel Tinkerbell Pj's that are a long-sleeved button up shirt and pants. (that are way too small) I am going to try my hand at turning them into a nightgown with short sleeves. We'll see how well it goes. :P )

So there you go. My crafty plan. Ambitious? Yes. However I'm okay with being ambitious. I've put together a rough plan of when I'm going to start/work on each project. That plan is subject to change depending on when Breezy's baby comes. :D Here we go!!!

Crafty Times

On occasion I find the need to let out some creative juice and make something. I have a list of things I want to make and I'm trying to work on that list as time permits. Recently I found myself with the fabric and the time to do a couple of projects that I've been wanting to do for quite some time.

First up was a circle skirt. I inherited a petticoat from Aunt Beth and was very excited to create a circle skirt to go over it so I could wear it dancing. I made it just in time for ULX 2014. (Which was SO MUCH FUN!) Behold, the outfit:

Also, I made my bow and Allan's bowtie. :D

A week or so later the husband and I had date night and went to our local Color Me Mine and created fun things:

during the painting process....

the finished products!

Next up in my recent creative swings I wanted some more hairbows for my hair (growing my short hair out is so HARD because I want to different things to do it, but I'm limited because of length. someday it will be longish again!) ANYWHO....I've also wanted to create some decorative pillows for our bed. So, here's what I came up with:

THEN as I was putting the valence for Lindy's room that we got her for her birthday (pictures to come later), I realized that I bought the wrong size curtain rod for the size of her window. SO then I decided that instead of trying to return the wrong-sized rod that I would just use it for my kitchen window. I had to go to Hobby Lobby anyways for more fabric for my pillows for my couch (that project is still in process. I'll blog about it eventually!) so I bought some fabric for a valence. Behold, my kitchen valence:

I LOVE this fabric. I have some ideas on what to do with the leftovers. (I'm thinking some fabric wallpapered cupboard doors and maybe a new bag using this fabric!)

ANYWHO. After hanging up the valence in Lindy's room I decided to make curtains for her window as well. I'm really smart and used a tutorial that I just blindly followed and now need to make a second curtain instead of just having one big one. (lesson learned. don't just blindly follow tutorials. ALWAYS MEASURE.) No big deal, it's just these curtains have five bazillion (exaggeration) ruffles on them and ruffles are a pain in the butt. I'll blog in process/finished pictures when I'm done with that project. (hopefully it will be done while Allan is gone to his annual training that is coming up.)

I only have at least ten projects that I am wanting to do/finish while Allan is gone in the coming months and I'm excited about them. If you don't follow me on Instagram, you should....and I'll try to be better at blogging. :D

Until the next adventure....ciao!

Life keeps on happening

I keep thinking I'll take time to update this little blog, and then I keep on doing other things. :)

Life has been busy lately for me and Allan. We work all day and play all night. Our "playing" consists of doing anything from working out and watching to TV, to going to a performance at Weber State and having ice cream afterwards. We're enjoying our many, many adventures! :o)

Since my last post we have enjoyed making new friends and hanging out with them, running in a color 5k to celebrate the inaugration of the new WSU president, going to the Imagine Dragons concert at WSU and celebrating Halloween with one trick-or-treater stopping by our house.

Like I said, life has been busy! I post lots of fun things on Instagram, so you really should follow me there. ;)

ANYWHO. We're getting excited for Lindy to come visit us at Christmas time - hard to believe that Christmas is less than 6 weeks away at this point! I'm excited to see Christmas through a toddler's eyes and for the magic of the holidays to be extra present in our house.

In other news, Allan and I are hosting Thanksgiving dinner at our house this year with his Mom and Step-Dad, Brother and Sister-in-Law and other brother all coming to dinner. The total number of people at our house will be seven and it should be fun times! I'm going to brine a turkey and I'll try to be better at posting so I can tell you all the adventures that will surely bring. :o)

That's about it around these parts - I'll just throw some pictures below of our recent happenings and will try to be better at posting. :) Life is fun!!!!

us at the end of the color run 5k we participated in

what I did at Super Saturday - oh and it should be noted that I am now the RS First Counselor and Allan is a Gospel Doctrine teacher. :) We've been put to work!

Imagine Dragons concert! It was AWESOME!!!

We were Mario and Princess Peach for Halloween. :)

I may or may not have ruined Allan's hair when trying to use our new hair clippers. I may or may not have cried.

Funny faces time on FaceTime.

We have new friends! There are a 4 other newlywed couples besides us in the ward.

Nightstand: a DIY project

So, once upon a time, I made a goal to refinish my nightstand.

I had weeks to get it done, so of course I procrastinated until 4 days before my husband got home. :o)

The only before pic I have are from a long time ago... (I am really bad at taking before pics, I need to be better...)

BEFORE:

So the wood was this honey oak color. The nightstand is long and kind of awkward. OH! and it has a drawer.

After much deliberation, I decided some spray paint, a stencil, and new hardware for the drawer would fix my dislike of this nightstand.

So....here are some in process pics (which I'm also bad at taking. lol.)

DURING:

I wasn'tsure how much of the stencil I wanted to put on there...but here are the results of my DIY-ness...

AFTER:

I LOVE how the drawer turned out. Makes me so happy. I debated trying to stencil the bottom shelf...but decided it would be too hard. eh. oh well.

Now I have the problem that this nightstand is unnecessary due to the fact that we got a whole house full of furniture...but that's a story for another post. :o)

ANYWHO...I've decided I love spray paint. It makes me happy. the end.

Ambition

So, if you have talked to me at all recently then you know that I am about to live out being an "army wife." In t-minus 10 days, (not that I'm counting or anything. ;) ) my lovely Army Reservist husband will embark on his two-week Annual Training (aka AT) that will cause him to be gone 27 days.

But wait, you say, you said two-week training but that your husband will be gone for 27 days! The math doesn't work you say! And in that, you are correct. See...normally AT is only two weeks out of the summer. However, my lucky, lucky husband's section got put on the advanced party AND the clean-up crew. Therefore, he's going to be gone for 27 whole days AND still have to do his normal weekend drill the weekend he comes back in August. So it's almost like he'll be gone for 28 days (I won't really see him that Sunday after he gets back...)

I knew this would be the life, and really 27 days isn't that bad especially when he could be deployed at any time for a long, long time. This will just be a taste of what it could be like....but that doesn't mean I'm excited that he's going to be gone for so long so quickly after getting married. sigh

ANYWAYS. I have all this pent up ambition of things I want to do while my dear husband is off gallivanting around an Army base in another part of the country. I have made 5 fairly lofty goals for myself to do while he is gone and I'm telling them to you to help me be accountable for them or something. :o)

so, without further ado I present my 5 Goals to accomplish while the husband is gone:

1. I have been given the opportunity to participate in a little mini-dance workshop put on by one of my colleagues/friends in the dancing world. We're going to get together twice a week in the month of July and then have a little performance at the end of the month. I'm really excited about this!


2. I am going to make my own 31 for 31 fashion challenge. There will be more details coming on this by the end of the week (I hope!) and you can totally participate with me if you want. ;)


3. I am going to re-do our Master Bedroom. We are still using the same bedspread from when I was single...and while nice it is showing some wear and tear. SO I am going to redecorate! This will include making new pillowcases, duvet cover for said bedspread, painting the nightstand and hanging some pictures and such. I MIGHT just buy a new sheet/bedspread set....but only if I can find what I want for a good price. I will post more on my plans on this at the beginning of July. I have a Pinterest board on it and everything and I'm really excited at the prospect of this project.


4. I have a ton of recipes that I have printed off from websites and such and I want to compile ALL my recipes into one place. I'm thinking that instead of a book I'm going to do a box w/recipe cards. BUT that's subject to change. I plan on working on this project all month long when I'm not dancing and watching all of my guilty pleasure shows. ;)


5. Finally I have been collecting ideas for crafty projects to do for a long time and have a dozen or so on a Pinterest board. My plan is to complete at least THREE of these ideas while Allan is gone. I'm not sure which ones yet, but I'll post about them when I figure that out. I plan on doing these on the weekends. 

Whew. I'm going to busy! I also want to work out on a regular basis and possibly work on our Wedding Album...but we'll see how that all goes down. I do know that it's going to be hard, but so rewarding at the same time. Distance makes the heart grow fonder, right? :o) ANYWHO....if anyone wants to play with me let me know! I'll definitely be wanting to play with my girls!