B-I-N-G-O!

Just wanted to write a quick blog, because I bet some of you are bored at checking and finding it the same! I know I get that way. So even though we've had a pretty easy going weekend, here's some pictures and stories.

First of all, we went out to dinner and the Tooele Arts Festival this weekend with our friends the Brezoffs. We had a great time, although I doubt we were that fun to be around because John and I were pretty exhausted by the time we all went out. :) But we had fun looking at all of the local art (and making fun of some if not most of it--I mean, how many carved eagles could there really be??) and Lori and I started making plans to have a booth of our own next year. Maybe we can sell scrapbooked eagles? lol

We also finished putting in our drop ceiling this weekend (minus two ceiling tiles, we were short two) but it looks great and John worked really hard to get it up--with lights and everything! It makes such a huge difference! It looks great. I'll post pictures soon, after we decide to either get carpet or wait. We're still trying to decide.

Also fun, my great friend and one-time mission companion (for a week) Raelynn stopped by after a bridal shower in Stansbury. We ended up talking so long and laughing that she stayed the night. It was so fun to hang out with her. She is one of those people that makes you feel that you are hilarious and interesting. The truth of the matter is that she is the one that is hilarious and interesting, and soooo fun to be around. She also happens to be very inspiring. So I love you Rae, thanks for coming over, and come back again soon. I mean, Maddy and I can't expect to be using that swimming pool all by ourselves this summer!


I also wanted to show you guys some of my latest "finds." I went garage sale-ing about three weeks ago and found a few Little People toys for Madeline, but I also found the find of the week. It was a red vintage looking tricycle for Maddy. I have been wanting one of these for a while, but they are usually at least $40 at least used (more if new). So when I saw this I thought for sure it would be more than I wanted to pay. So I asked the lady how much saying, "How much is your trike? Although I'm sure I don't have enough cash left to buy it from you." And she said, "Well how much have you got?" And I said, "Um, about five bucks." To which she replied, "How about four dollars?" And I think my jaw dropped as I hurriedly agreed to her offer, handed over the money, and ran off her lawn with the trike afraid she might change her mind! How nice was that!
I also found a little bingo ball roller at DI that I'm going to try and resell as well. I saw one of these in a decorating magazine and it looked really modern and cool, so I figure maybe someone else will be looking for something just like this for their modern and cool house. :) We'll have to wait and see. :)


Lastly, I also primed my newest project. It's a dresser/changing table that I got at my usual DI. It's got a ton of drawers (which is one thing I really liked about it), but also because of that I won't be changing out the hardware, which is fortunately in pretty good shape. They're pretty vintage looking, so I'm hoping someone will love them for what they are. However, because the hardware is white (see picture) I don't think I should leave the dresser white, as they will just kind of blend in and look boring (in my opinion). So now I need your opinion. What color do you think I should paint it? I'm thinking one of the following: pale buttery yellow, deep pink/magenta, light pink, maybe blue. I'm leaning more towards girl colors however. What do you think? Maybe I should put a little voting thing on the side. So be sure to vote!

Bookaholics Anonymous (and Hilarious!)

Well we had a great book club meeting last night. I just can't get over how much fun I have with all of the ladies in our Finer Things book club. It is seriously so nice to have a night to get away and just talk about books and life and fun. I laughed so hard last night, and I'm thinking that this calls for a book club quote "board" to give you a glimpse into the hilariousness of the topics discussed. (Don't worry ladies, for your sakes, all quotes will be left anonymous...but you know who you are!)

"I'm sorry, I thought that was my boot I was unlacing, not your corset." (Oh I seriously just about died with this quote! It really wasn't a saucy book...you had to be there lol!)

"Carl is upstairs? Oh, I meant my Uncle Carl...Junior."

"That book made me want to stick a poker in my eye." "Oh really...it's my favorite book." LOL

"Maybe you like tragedies so much because they make your life look so happy."

"Their friendship was like Scarlett O'Hara's and Melanie's would have been like, if Scarlett was nice."

"I read that movie. I mean, I watched that book."

"I didn't read the instructions that came with the pineapple."

Oh my, this is just the tip of the iceburg! I had a blast and laughed my fill. Now you all know why I look forward to book club so much every month!

Anyway, on a non-related note, I also have to sing the praises of the toy that my Mom got for Madeline for her birthday. I do have to mention that I picked out the toy myself, but even I had no idea how BIG of a hit it would be. It is a little ball popper that keeps Maddy occuppied and supremely happy for minutes upon minutes. If she is crying, all we have to do is hit the little button and she comes running with a full grin on her face. It is basically the most genius toy for a year old that I have ever seen. Especially one that loves balls. Ball Popper, you have made my life so easy--You better not break anytime soon!

Lastly, to answer a friend's question, we haven't finished our basement quite yet. We have been slowly and not so surely putting up our ceiling this past week (John did a ton last night while I was at book club and Maddy was sleeping. He's the best!) Once that is done we need to prime and paint the windowsill, paint the door, and touch up a few spots around the door and some fixtures. The last step will be carpet which I'm not sure when we will do. So rest assured that I will not only post very proud pictures when it is done, but I will host some sort of basement party. So get your party hats ready! (Maybe Maddy will even let us borrow the ball popper for the party! Woo Hoo!)

Short but Sweet!

Guess what friends? I just wanted to say that I'm happy today. Lots of things have gone kind of wrong lately, and we're broke as can be, but I'm honestly happy from the top of my head to the tips of my toes. Life is good, even if it's not perfect.

I just wanted to share. Not sure why I'm happy, but I am. I just wanted to send some good karma out into the blog world!

Happy Happy Birthday Maddy Dear!

Below are a huge amount of pictures of our lovely little Madeline's birthday (and at the bottom, the photo shoot that I did for my sister Kelly and her new baby Lylia. It turned out pretty well, but Lylia really didn't want to cooperate. So we're glad we got any good pics! Thanks again Missy for your help!) Anyway, her actual birthday isn't actually until tomorrow (June 23), but since John's parents came into town for the weekend, they made a special request that we celebrate it a day early, which was just fine by us!

So here is my little tribute to my sweetheart Madeline. Probably no one else will care to read this, but I want to have this to save for her someday.

My dear sweet Maddy,

I can't believe that a whole year has gone by since you turned our world upside down! I never could have imagined how much a baby would change our lives, but it has been the most beautiful, rewarding, and unpredictable year of our lives.

You have added toothy grins, baby belly laughs, and joy to our home. Everywhere we go, I get comments on my beautiful girl and her gorgeous eyes. You are almost always called a "little doll," and of course I have to agree, because to me you have been the most beautiful girl I've ever seen since I first laid eyes on you (even all red and wrinkly right after you were born).

It has started to make Mommy sad that you are growing up so fast. It's so bittersweet. I want to see what you will learn next, find hilarious tomorrow, show me in the years to come. But I miss seeing you as my little baby. My first sweetheart. It makes me proud and sad when you push me away because you want to explore on your own. I think you will be a strong and loving girl and woman someday. I look for these clues and they make me so excited to get little insights into who you might become. And they also make my heart ache with missing who you used to be even just a few months ago.

So Happy Birthday my little girl. Someday you may have brothers and sisters, and I will love you all, but today, you are my one and only. You and Daddy are my whole world. Thank you for coming to our family, cookie bear.

Love Always, Mommy

Well here's a hodge podge blog for ya

So tonight I am alone. John is at Boy Scout camp for a night (I'm lucky it's just one night), but it's actually my first time being at home without him. I've left him and taken Maddy to go visit my Grandpa, but I've never been in our house without him since we've been married, and I'm guessing that I might not have the easiest time falling asleep. :) But that's okay, it's a good thing to remember what it's like to be alone. It makes you appreciate your husband more. (P.S. John--I better get a picture just like this when you get home. You Tommy Tenderfoot you).

What else did it make me appreciate? Well my Mom actually. We weren't young when my parents divorced, but she still had to raise three of us through teenager-hood. I can't even imagine how hard that must have been for her. I guess I have sometimes taken it for granted because we were obviously such great kids. :) But in all seriousness, I am so appreciative of what she did, it was no easy task, and I should remember that more often probably. So thanks Mom, I love you! Mwah!

So what other things have I been thinking lately. Well, mostly I've been thinking how tired construction work makes you and how dirty your floors get. Bleh. It's kind of hard for me to clean them too because Maddy is a little bit frightened by the vacuum (and yet still tries to get in the way of it while I'm trying to ignore her shrieks and go around her, go figure! lol)--and if I try to do it during nap time she wakes up. So that will have to wait until John comes back too. It's easier with reinforcements. I could do it without him, but it's not so bad that I won't live with it to get some help! That's probably lazy, oh well!
(I wish the above picture of domestic bliss was me and Madeline. Unfortunately I lost my high-waisted white casual pants in 1987. Dang it.)

Well, I feel like my life has become incredibly non-blogworthy as of late, but I think that it's just that we've been so busy that I've been too tired to think of witty things to write. I guess one interesting thing is that Maddy's birthday is coming up and John's family is coming into town tomorrow night. I'm thinking about doing a ducky theme. I'm not sure why ducks except I saw a cute fabric at Wal-mart and decided that since the rest of her birthdays are bound to be princess-inspired, I might as well do something different for one year of her life. :) If you have any great ducky ideas, let me know. As of right now I'm planning on getting her a baby pool, filling it with ducks, and letting her have a blast splashing around. I also bought a duck game called "Lucky Duck" at a yard sale (it's a lot like the carnival game where you pick two ducks and see if they have the same color bottom), so I might have the fam play that, even though Maddy is too small (she'll have fun chewing on the ducks). I'm also going to make a banana cake with cream cheese frosting that my roommate Jodi used to make (it is sooooo good) and I'm going to put a bunch of blue gel frosting on the top like a pond and put a small rubber ducky on top. So that's what I've got so far. Any other ideas?
I wish my cake would look this amazing. I could put real soap on the side....Yum.

Oh, and lastly, I've decided that it is both the season for garage sale-ing and the Farmer's Market. So don't plan on seeing me on Saturdays for the rest of the summer unless you do those things too! I heart the Farmer's Market! See you there!


p.s. How is this for sentimental--I bought Maddy a toy from ebay that I used to have when I was little. It was a little "record" player (really wind up music box type of thing) that used to play plastic records. My favorite? Eidelweiss. :) It came in the mail and made my heart happy. I had forgotten about this beloved toy until my Mom mentioned it the other day. Did you have one of these? What was your favorite toy growing up? (Maybe it will bring back more fond memories!)

A Little Preview

So here are some photos to whet your appetite, and to further motivate me to finish! We have been working like crazy people on our basement this past week. We are worn out. But there is still things to be done that will be done in the coming days (such as adding a drop ceiling, getting some carpet put in, and adding/painting molding etc.)
But at least we have walls, and we have primed and painted those walls a beautiful light blue. I wasn't sure if I would like it, but I've seen it a lot lately in magazines and decided to go for it.
It looks darker on this picture than it actually looks to me in real life. But who knows. :) All I know is that I love how the white looks against it and I'm already thinking of all of the great ways I'm going to decorate an extra room that will be a fabulous play room for Madeline (among other things). So we're excited.
Anyway, just thought I'd let everyone have a peak into what has been encompassing our lives so completely these past few days.
I'll probably be typing more soon, but this is what we've got so far! Let me know if you know of any good carpeting deals, or better yet, if you can do the labor for free! Hey, you never know when networking will pay off! :) Hope you all had a great week!

Basement Beauty

Just wanted to jot a quick note. I found a mattress at the last minute, so yay for that!
We are now officially in the process of finishing our basement. It has some framing up, some dry wall up, and some power cables and outlets put up. I think that's pretty good progress for just a day's work! We'll start again tomorrow and hopefully by the end of this week will be able to finish at least the main room and have an extra space to have our t.v. and a play area for Madeline (who already has way too many toys I'm noticing. Yet it doesn't keep me from buying something else occasionally that I know she'll like. Pathetic! lol).

So I'll be posting some pictures on here towards the end of the week of what our basement looked like before and how fabulous (hopefully) it will look after! I'm really so excited! I can't wait to have a little more room.

Well that's about it. If anyone is bored and wants to learn how to put up some sheet rock, feel free to come on over and lend a hand! lol! :)

p.s. I saw the camera that I want for sale at Circuit City for Father's day. Plus it comes with some extra goodies. I'm so tempted but so broke (especially after this basement thing). Isn't that always the way. Sigh!

I'll make you an offer you can't refuse :)

Hey I'm putting this out there to all of you. Does anyone have an extra twin mattress that they would like to sell me for cheap? I need an extra mattress for our daybed so that my folks have a place to sleep. If so, let me know asap! Thanks!

Lots going on

Hello again everyone. The good news is that I'm feeling much improved since my last posting. I was just frustrated over many things, and that was the straw that broke my camels back. How I know that I have great friends is that none of you judged me for my ramblings. I really appreciate all of you.

Well there's not much to report today to tell you the truth. I did buy another project to work on. It's a changing table with lots of drawers. It's cute and old-fashioned (probably because it is old) and it could be used for just a normal dresser with a display area on top. I'm still debating which color to paint it. My top picks are light pink, pale ducky yellow, and the ever popular creamy white. The hardware is vintage, but pretty cute so I'm going to keep those, and they are whitish, so I think that probably rules out the white color since I want the handles to stand out a bit. I'll be sure to take a before picture soon.

We've been really incredibly busy lately. My Mom is still in town and I went into town yesterday to visit her again. I also went because I have been trying to sell our leftover bed on craigslist. The lady we were going to meet was "hung up in traffic" which was annoying, but not too bad since I had planned on going to SLC anyway. Just a waste of gas in our big SUV. I had another offer yesterday so we'll see if that one pans out.

Keep us even more busy is that (as I alluded in the past entry) my Dad and step-mom are coming to Utah. They are coming for a really nice reason: to help us finish our basement. My Dad is quite the handy guy, and hopefully we'll be able to get quite a bit done. They will be staying with us from possibly Friday until the following week when my cousin gets married (which is the other reason they are coming). I'm really excited about having a finished basement, but I do know that I'm already going to be worn out by the time we even begin! And on top of that, a few days after my Dad leaves, John's parents will be coming out to visit for Madeline's first birthday! So June is the month of visits. I love visiting family, so I'm really excited. I'm just trying to conserve my hostessing energy. :)

Anyway, while I'm thinking of Madeline's first birthday, any ideas for ways to make it special? I know that babies don't remember, but I love a reason to celebrate our little girl and how much she has turned our lives up-side down (for the better) this past year.

Anyway, hope that everyone is doing great and thanks again for your comments and emails. They really did help more than you can imagine.

Busy busy busy busy

It's been a long time since I posted last, and sooo much has happened. The picture you see above and below is my new niece Lylia. She was born on this past Wednesday at 1:30 something in the morning to my sister. She is their first baby and SO cute. The above picture was taken right after her first bath and she opened her little eyes. My sister did have to have a c-section, but she is doing very well and is at home now with my Mom helping. Congrats Kelly and Justin--we're so happy for you, and you'll both be fabulous parents.

Here is Lylia (did I mention it's a Welsh name? Lylia's Dad served his mission in Wales and England) holding her Daddy's hand. She was crying until he put his hand in her's and talked to her.
My sister hates this picture, but I think it's sweet.
What a cute new family.
Okay, now this picture is of Madeline and her new little friend Lydia. Lydia belongs to my old roomate and friend Kendra and her husband Dave. They also have a little boy named Alex that is very cute and entertaining. Kendra, Dave, and Co. came to visit their newest nephew or niece (sorry Kendra, I know you told me, but I am so forgetful these days) and they stopped by on Memorial Day to have a BBQ with us, my sister Kelly and bro-in-law Justin (pre-baby by one day) and my other former roomie Anne. We all had a great time.

Lastly, I thought I would say 1. Sorry to anyone that has called or emailed me this past week. I'm pretty sure I haven't returned some calls even still despite my best efforts. We have been back and forth to the hospital, the airport, moving my brother and his wife to New York (we miss you guys already!), and all over the place. So I really am sorry about that. Please call or email me again if I haven't gotten back to you because it probably means that I deleted your message thinking I would get back to you and I've forgotten. I really am sorry!
2. I wanted to wish my Mom a Happy Birthday! It's her birthday tomorrow and I'm so excited that she is in Utah so that we can celebrate it at least a little with her. We love you Mom! You've always been such a wonderful Mother and friend.