And EVENTful Weekend

This morning, we woke up at 7:45. 

We had quite the weekend. 

Thursday-Saturday we had an event for work. On Thursday we had a dinner at the company owner's home, Friday we had the leadership workshop, and Saturday we took a trip to Jackson, Wyoming. They all went so well! One of my favorite things about event planning is the intuition and adrenaline. My mind is usually more sharp and clear and if I planned well, I remember all the details. 

This event was more low key, compared to our convention, and I loved it. The weather was in our favor, we had plenty of food, and the people we happy. {Those are my criteria.}

Even though my feet killed on Friday....*note to self, don't wear heals for an event with a cement floor.* My heals would click the whole time as I ran around. I resorted to tippy-toeing in and out of the room and risked looking like a dummy. Oh well. 

Cute shoes, right? I got them for homecoming my sophomore year of high school and they still fit like a glove...unlike my dress. 

When I got home on Friday night, Nephi ran to work and I collapsed on the couch for a few hours wasting my time on Grey's Anatomy. (Thank you, Netflix). After a few episodes, I decided to give the place a once over knowing I wouldn't be able to clean on Saturday. Well, that turned into a deep clean/organize and me painting my nails in bed at 2 in the morning when Nephi got home from work. 

At least I got my closet done...I have too many shoes. I even gave away half of them before we moved. Oh man. 

Saturday I went to Jackson with the company. It was such a fun trip! I got a little car sick but other than that, it was very fun. I love the people we work with and enjoyed their company very much. 

We had Stake Conference Saturday night but I didn't get home until 7:30 and we had a hot date planned for 8:30 with the Henderson's...Second Chance Prom! 

For the past 13 years, this radio station has been hosting a Second Chance Prom. It was held at Nephi's old high school so we went with our good friends and had a blast! 

Nephi wore his bow tie and I curled my hair, put on lipstick and a floral maxi dress. That's as fancy as we got!

There was a wide age group and dress style present. From jeans to prom dresses, we saw it all. Old people dancing to the electric slide and young people getting a little too close to Ushers "Yeah". Don't worry, we recorded it. Vlog coming soon.

After the dance, Nephi and I went to Kohls. We LOVE shopping at Kohls late at night! No one is there and we get to take our time. I ended up getting decor for the bathroom and kitchen. Almost done with decorating the house! The house warming party will most likely be on June 2nd so if you are in town...COME!

Sunday morning we went to Stake Conference. Afterward, we came home and had brunch with Sheridan and then watched some Lost. Also, I suddenly got this urge to craft so I completed a few projects in a short amount of time...score! Crafting is appealing to me but I hate that it takes so long, so when I can get a project done quickly, it's right up my alley.

I bought these cute cloth napkins at Kohls and I really wanted to get napkin holders but I didn't see any I loved so I made these! Literally conceptualized and created them in 20 minutes or less. SO easy!

Cute huh? I bought burlap ribbon to cover a "G" that broken in half (which I did yesterday too) and used the leftovers to do this. I found my bag of spare buttons and used 4 of them to sew on the button. I just cut a slit and then slide it through to make it go together. Like I said, so so easy. I worry that the burlap may tare over time but it's fine because my financial and time investment was so small. I really like them! More pictures to come of the table settings...

I also started this project. This cutting board started growing mold because it wasn't dry enough when I put it under the sink a few months ago. I felt weird just throwing away a big chunk of wood so I thought I would make it work.

I stained it (2 coats), modpodged scrapbook paper in the middle section, put a vinyl "G" in the middle and then added a coat of that protective stuff (I forgot what it is called). It's currently drying but I will post pictures later.

It was so easy and again, conceptualized it very quickly. I have never seen anything like it but it just came to me a few months ago and I finally got it done.

Our night ended with a yummy dinner with the Henderson's. I used the left over bison prime rib, funeral potatoes, and rolls to make dinner. (Another reason I love event planning--I always get the leftovers from catering). I made mini-prime rib sandwiches. They were really good and I am glad that I was able to but it to good use!

For desert Sarah made yummy lemon bars and I made strawberry shortcake using this biscuit recipe. I  used Activia yogurt. It still turned out but had an interesting texture...you should still try it. You may like it and it was SO easy!

We LOVE having the Henderson's over! We literally live parallel lives and laugh a ton together. They have become some of our greatest friends.

Sunday night we set goals for the week, read scriptures, and went to bed. This morning we planned on going to the gym...yep, didn't happen. Dang goal setting at midnight made us sleep in. Tomorrow will be the day!

Here's to a great week!

Good Finds & Good Times

We had another great weekend and got to go to church for the first time in like a month. Maybe we shouldn't be admitting...But it feels like we haven't been in forever! With all the traveling, moving, general conference, etc, we have missed a few weeks...

We LOVE our new ward! We like right next door so we just walked on over at 11 am.

--> 10 points for the PERFECT time for church. <-- 

Anyway. We snuck in the back. It's a small ward with LOTS of kids. No exaggeration. Have you ever been in AZ at night and you hear the buzzing of bugs? You can hear them constantly but they aren't your main focus. That is what church reminded me of. A constant buzz of children. They were everywhere.  

There was this little boy (Blake, 7 mo.) in front of us. He starting flirting with me and then Nephi made him laugh and by the time the closing prayer came around, he was squealing at us! Such a sweet temperament. His parents were pretty great too and his Dad took us to Sunday school. Turns out they live right behind us and we share a backyard with them--I secretly whispered 'yesssss' knowing Blake would be within arms length. (Literally. Our yard is tiny.)

Before Sunday school ended, I got to hold Blake. He is kind of a snuggler and wanted to be held like a baby. I loved it! We already volunteered to babysit :) 

Anyway--Great weekend. The pics say it all!

Tried to go to the temple, forgot my recommend, realized I lot my recommend, so we went to Deseret Book. Being there is so nostalgic. I can't believe it's been almost 2 years since I interned with DB! Time flies...but I got this CTR ring. This purple is my favorite color right now. In fact, I am designing a whole bathroom with this color because I love it so much.

Went to D.I after and got some great finds! Since our place is a lot bigger and the master bedroom especially is bigger, I knew we needed new lamps. The lamps we have are fine--just too small for our new high ceilings. My goal was to find 2 that had a clear base and ta daaaa--here it is! $5 a piece! So I got them and then got 2 lamp shades at Target. I just need to get some fabric to cover them. I am intimidated like crazy to do a craft so complex--but I am excited to accomplish it. 

Another score! My mom gave me these dishes and they are setting the tone for my new kitchen. They have a bunch of colors so I can really go any direction. I really do like the bright green for the kitchen but I am falling in one with purple so I had to get the $3 vase! 

On Friday my good friend Caitlin came over. She was one of my roommates from my very first semester! I haven't seen her since like 2007 but we have remained great friends. She just came back up to school this semester after transferring back and forth and I couldn't be happier! I made us this yummy wedge salad on Friday, she helped me unpack and organize, we went to get some frozen yogurt, shopped, and then saw The Lucky One. {Eh, it was okay}

She ended up sleeping over and then coming to see the Hunger Games with me and my friend Abbie on Saturday!
Yup--Hunger Games round 3. Third times the charm--I loved it.

So I just love Caitlin. I am so glad she lives here now and we plan on hanging out on Friday nights while Nephi works. 

Saturday night Nephi and I shopped--a lot. It's been since Christmas shopping...well, maybe longer, that we have shopped like this. It was SO fun! We just bought a ton of stuff for our new place--great deals. I only need a few more things to complete my list! We budgeted to spend our deposit from our last place on our new place and it's working out! Gotta love those good finds. 

Sunday after church we napped--for 3 hours. It was unexpected but suddenly I just woke up and it was 5?! So I snapped this photo because Nephi looked so content. Haha.  

Sunday dinner. YUM! "OMG" Chicken (used sour cream instead of mayo and added green onions), Asiago AuGratin, and biscuits. I was shocked but it only took about an hour to prepare and cook it all. It took longer to eat unfortunately. The relief society presidency came and visited with me and I ended up burning my second batch of biscuits :( Does anyone else count the worth of your burnt food? I do. It's dumb. I burnt like $3 worth of food---who cares, right? I do. I beat myself up pretty bad but Nephi always makes me feel better. I just HATE throwing food away. 

Okay--we have bikes. Someone left them at our place and so when we moved, we took them! We think it was the couple that lived there before us but no one claimed them for a while so we felt good. Here is my bike. Nephi pumped up the tires and lowered the seat for me. I need a new seat cover and to wash it down but other than that, it rides great! Nephi's has a dent in the back tire so it's a little crooked and needs more work but they are fun! We went on a bike ride around our neighborhood and it was bliss! So excited for summer. 

And, 2 of my purchases. I debated revealing these before the place was finished but I just love them. The "poppy" pillow is from Ross ($9) and the bee pillow is from Target "($7). Such great finds and they fit the couch perfectly! I felt like it pulled in part of the room that was missing. I can't wait to finish it off!

So, that's it! This week we don't have any major plans--Just work and school. The usual. Can't wait for the weekend to dive into some more DIY projects. I think we made the right decision to move and it feels so good to know that.

Moved In...Check.

Last week we moved into our new place in Idaho Falls. We cannot say enough about how much we love the new place. The move actually wasn't that bad either. We had plenty of people there to help and I even created a color-code system so everyone would know where to place the boxes. We are so grateful for all that helped!

1 trailer, 2 trucks, 1 SUV, and 1 Jeep. We have a lot of stuff.

Our new place! Unit A: 2 floors, 2 rooms, 2.5 bath, laundry room, decent storage, huge kitchen WITH dishwasher. We are in heaven compared to our basement. 

Our kitchen before.

Our kitchen after. Like?? I had to do some improvising because there are fewer cabinets so I set the table all fancy and I really like it. Just need a few final touches and this room will be done. I think it may be the easiest one of all... 

Now what? Here is my internal [now external] to do list:

• Kitchen
• Table Cloth for table
• Arrange glassware
• Hang hooks
• Buy bins for cans in pantry
• Get new rug and matching towels
• Hang decor
• Guest Bathroom
• Towels
• Living Room
• Get rid of decor! Too crowded...
• Hang photos
• Paint and get new knobs for bookshelf 
• Arrange furniture
• Sign up for Netflix! (This may be the first on my list...)
• 2nd Bathroom
• Towels
• Shower curtain rod
• Shower curtain
• 2nd Bedroom
• UNPACK! (It looks like a train wreck) 
• Desk for Mac 
• Chair for desk 
• Wash bedding 
• Master Bedroom
• Decorate! 
• New lamps
• Decor for shelf? (We have vaulted ceilings and a shelf at the top. I have no idea what to put up there that is low maintenance cleaning...)
• Organize closet
• Shelving for shoes...lots of shoes...
• Put away winter clothes. Hopefully won't need those for the next few months.
• SEARCH PINTEREST FOR WAYS TO FILL MY EMPTY WALLS! Any suggestions or ideas you love? 
• Master Bathroom
• Hang decor
• Organize
• Buy shower caddy
• Find alternative for no medicine cabinet...
• Get new electric toothbrushes! That will be purchased with the tax return money. 

Okay, looks like we have a lot to do...dang. My goal is to have a house warming party in May! We'll see if that happens...

Seriously, any suggestions on decor or ways to fill walls? Leave a comment with a link to an idea you like! I need some advice ladies...and gentlemen :) 

Oh Christmas Tree, Oh Christmas Tree

Found our battery pack for our nice camera, finally. Just in time to decorate my first REAL Christmas tree!

 Made our own ornaments. Why do I love pink so much this season?

Only a few ornaments but we love it! 

 

And the night ended with some cute cuddling.

I covet hobbies

Last night Nephi went to a bachelor party and I...went to the library. I had some homework to do and I thought I would try and finish a project for the home that I started a few weeks ago. I am trying to finish up a few details in our place before I feel like I can post pictures and feel confident in our place. We have had a few get togethers with friends and so I am obviously fine with our place but I just want to fill in all the blanks! Ladies, you know what that is like. Nephi thinks I am a crazy person but in the end, he always admits he is grateful that I care so much about our home.

So, I am obsessed with typography. I could sit on adobe illustrator for hours arranging type and cool quotes if my life would allow me. I seriously covet those with time to do those things! One day I will be able to set aside a few hours a week to it and that will be the day that I develop carpal tunnel. I am sure I will.

Here are a few things I put together last night!

Festive, right? I've had those decorations up for about a month and will have to switch it out soon but at least I decorated for the holidays. Nephi committed me to decorating our place for Christmas. I will be working on those projects soon :)

I know, I know, it's super cliche to have the whole "Keep Calm..." paraphernalia. But, it worked really well and I love that it has the temple on it. On the left is the scripture in D&C 76:22. I love that scripture. It always reminds me of my testimony. The quote on the right is part of the 13th Article of Faith. Great words to live by.  I chose the pink/peach color because I have a few pillows that color and our rug has that color and I am trying to bring it out more. It looks really good actually. Who would have thought? Pink? Me? Yup.

 

And this is where I put the frame, temporarily. Once I get that bookshelf organized, it will go there and be more legible.

So, there are a few crafts that I have encountered. I will have a few more done by the end of Thanksgiving! What I love about typography is that for me, it is free. If you want any of these prints, let me know. I will send you the file and you can print it off yourself. Also, here is a cool blog that I follow that gives out free images that I use every once in a while.

Lesson Learned from the Husband

Just thought I would start off this post with an inspiring quote...

"Is it a crime, to fight, for what is mine?"

-Tupac Shakur

Credible, right? That's only the beginning.

On Monday, Nephi and I went for a walk for a snow cone (which I am trying to avoid but I had a terrible day and that always cheers me up). We went the long way to burn some calories and went behind the K-Mart by our house. (Side note: Yes, we live by a K-Mart. No, it's not ghetto. Avoid the stereotype, people.)Nephi saw a dresser in there and tried to convince me to help him get it out. I said no and we moved on and he kept trying to convince me to go back.

So, when we got home, we got into the car and drove over. We suspiciously circled the parking lot 3 times and at one point I yelled, "Michael Scofield wouldn't do it this way!" (Sarcastically. Kinda.) I convinced him to go home and to worry about it in the morning when it was daylight, but still I was convinced it was illegal and totally weird.

Yesterday, I was at work and I got a text with this picture...

Yep, he did it! I was shocked and laughed so hard! This kid...seriously.


So, I came home, we wiped it down, placed it, and now it looks like this...

(note my cheesy 'free99'. baha.)

*Pictures taken with my phone.

Moral of the story, I may be going dumpster diving a little more often...



*I will be posting pictures of the house in a few weeks! Get ready. It's gonna be good.*