the sweetest things

the sweetest things ...

2010-10-20T16:21:00.001-05:00

are some that you least expect.
i am in the middle of creating a pregnancy blog, so forgive my baby updates here. i hope to move back to photography fully after i finish preparing that one!

at week 13, i have had no weight gain. my dr says this is okay since i have been able to keep foods down. im glad to have only had one round of throwing up. i cant imagine getting sick like that every single day, or multiple times a day! i dont really have any aversions to food (although i wont touch ramen). i cant go into the fridge without gagging - i blame it on the cold air that shoots out at me. luckily, DH is understanding about this. i am almost 15 weeks (14w3d right now as i write).

i LOVE sour patch kids. love love love. they were very helpful when i was experiencing all day nausea. lucky for me, that i believe, has passed. but i still love them now.

the little nuggets heartbeat was 155 on 10/11 and very strong! we go back november 1 for a 16 week checkup and to hear the heartbeat again. and just a few short weeks after that - we will find out if our little nugget is a girl or boy! i do not care either way, as long as the nugget is healthy.

i went shopping with my mom last saturday and bought my first pair of maternity jeans and a few maternity tops. i am showing already - its crazy but fun! my DH is convinced that i am carrying twins. i think he is silly.

i think brigsby has figured out baby. he snuggles a lot more and loves laying his head on my stomach. something he has not done before. its cute.

i leave you with my 14 week belly photo! i told you i am showing!

xoxo

B is for...

2010-10-12T16:21:00.000-05:00

Brigsby!

... and his new sweater ...

my little guy and i had a quick photoshoot. he is still recovering from his surgery yesterday (he finally had the snipity-snip).

he will be sporting this sweater saturday during our family photos!

(i still need to grab a navy blue collar for him so it doesnt stick out as much!)

our big news!

2010-10-03T14:07:00.000-05:00

so i have been MIA for FAR too long! we have had a lot going on in our household. and add with that work and my grandma became very ill 2 weeks ago - however she is doing fantastic now so we are thankful and very blessed.

the big news in my home? we are expecting our first child! i am due april 16!! i wish i could say i have felt great the entire time so far - but i would be lying! mainly my issue is nausea. all. day. long. i have only physically gotten sick 2 times thank goodness - i hate that!! i was ill and in the hospital 2 weeks ago myself from a bad virus that was going around. my dr wanted to watch me so i spent a few hours one night in the ER loading up on fluids and other fun stuff!

but needless to say again - we are so very blessed and excited for this new journey. as is brigsby for that matter:

so i hope now to be updating like i used to vs the past few weeks - life has certainly settled a bit more for us now!!

here are a few photos from when we told our parents:

ryan's side:

his dad was very proud and his sister ... well she may have freaked a little bit - she has been wanting us to have kids for a year now!

my family: my mom did not believe us at first...and then the shock came over my dad! my brother well - not much emotion :D but they are all very excited!

(can you tell DH was using my camera for my family :) bless him!)

if you are still out there, again thanks for hanging in!

xoxo

little creeper

2010-09-26T19:08:00.000-05:00

i am making a comeback here soon. lots of personal/family stuff going on so its been hard to have time to blog. but i will share very soon!

xoxo

one more

2010-09-03T19:25:00.000-05:00

fire department auto extrication

2010-09-01T20:42:00.000-05:00

for the fire department we did an auto extrication for practice. i took the opportunity to grab some photos while others were doing some work i was not involved in!

first photo of the night. i love our engine:

the team after taking out the back window:

my husband:

details on the truck:

i love the deck gun.

thanks for hanging around and i hope you enjoyed these!

xoxo.

how lame am i!

2010-08-24T11:38:00.000-05:00

everything is okay :) just a LOT of stuff going on. i feel like im neglecting my camera and the blog.
but i will be back and posting more frequently.
right now i am finishing up a study class for my exam that is in october and i am going through fire fighter one classes which are 2-3 days a week plus homework.
i also started work the beginning of august and it has been SO much fun.
so life is good - i promise i will be posting more photos as the days come up!!

xoxo

Brigsby, 'shake'

2010-08-01T21:44:00.002-05:00

yay! it took him less than one week to learn!

(i did crop DH out, who was giving him the command)

Brigsby + Balloon

2010-08-01T15:51:00.001-05:00

at first he was not thrilled to have balloons tied to him - he had a yellow one too however that lost a battle with the fence. oh well. then he settled and posed for a few short minutes for me!

for two lovelies

2010-07-30T20:46:00.001-05:00

one lovely is my wedding photographer's daughter who was recently diagnosed with turners syndrome. i did not know what it is, do you? if not, it is worth your time to take a few minutes to read about it.

turner syndrome

today, i wore lilac in support of turners syndrome, and in honor of little K:

the next lovely Ava, is a called superprincess by her mother Sheye.

Sheye is an amazing photographer and from the first time i was linked to Sheye's work, i was hooked. i love the feeling she captures in her photos - especially of her beautiful children. from her blog is where i learned of her Ava.

Sheye's superprincess lives in Heaven. her birthday is August 22, but i could not wait until then to celebrate her life. i love birthdays but i love living for the moment as well.

please read ava's story here:

superprincess

and visit Sheye Rosemeyer's blog:

http://www.sheyerosemeyerphotography.com/blog/

so here is to you, superprincess:

xoxo

brigsby

2010-07-28T23:22:00.000-05:00

i love this guy.

i love that in the first i can see the sky and my own reflection.

he is showing off his teeth again. he might benefit from braces if he were human.

and he does stick out his tongue ALL the time - so its just fitting.

i love this guy.

whoops

2010-07-27T16:46:00.001-05:00

i realized i havent really posted. to be honest, i havent really taken any photos either. im sort of in a rut right now and today just made it a touch worse.

instead of talking about the bad. i had a good, well two good, things today. i had lunch with my sister (in law) and i got two rolls of seamless paper for free! no, i did not get them off the back of a truck. some guy posted on CL that he had two rolls, light blue and charcoal and they were free! so i drive 40 minutes to get them :) that made me happy and the guy was really nice!

ill try to get my head out of the ground this week and make a post.

with photos.

i promise.

thanks for reading.

under pressure

2010-07-22T14:13:00.002-05:00

with the mail today - reality has set in. im taking the national exam this fall. eek!

koah loves sleep

2010-07-22T13:49:00.002-05:00

some new home decor items

2010-07-20T18:28:00.000-05:00

we have been in our home since november. these are the first substantial items that we have hung up - i think its been about time!

one wall in our living room. still need to add items to the shelves of course:

fireplace in living room. i will eventually hang a shelf that i can put my grandpas flag on alone:

the wall outside our bedroom on the main floor:

the entryway:

i am pretty pleased :)

best friends?

2010-07-18T23:39:00.000-05:00

i think so.

my disclaimer - no dog was hurt. they dont actually bite each other. they play and then rest together. its quite silly to watch!

we are dog-watching my parents pug for a few days. i am hoping to get some photos of the two of them!

How to trick people into thinking you're good looking

2010-07-17T00:35:00.000-05:00

warning: it isnt safe for watching at work, or around children. just throwing that out there.

the line: "go out and get yourself a job that's super degrading .... before i go to work i like to pump myself up by crying over my masters degree"
i have a feeling my life is coming to that.

what to buy ... when the time comes

2010-07-16T23:02:00.000-05:00

so i have been lusting for the tamron 28-75mm 2.8.

however. i was browsing flikr and came across a comparison of that, with the 17-50mm.

i already own a 50mm, however i love the wide angle end of the 17mm.

here is the link for the comparison: CHECK THIS OUT PEOPLE :)

now im torn

however it comes at a good time.

why?

because i am not ready to buy just yet! darn. but saves me the stress at the moment.

i know the 28-75 is popular - but gosh that 17 end looks really nice!

any thoughts anyone wants to share?

well i was going to...

2010-07-13T13:49:00.000-05:00

i was going to start doing challenges this week.

however. i looked around my house and decided i was tired of living in a disaster area. so i am taking the week to do some cleaning. some MUCH needed cleaning.

so that is what i am doing. i hope you all are having much more fun than me - although throwing out the things that are unwearable, and donating the things that are feels really good!

Happy One Year Anniversary!

2010-07-11T11:35:00.003-05:00

i can not believe it has already been one year! looking back - a lot has happened and it went by SO fast!

so looking back (this is going to get long!):

one year ago i woke up in an awesome hotel in downtown, and got ready for the wedding with my bridesmaids, flower girl and my mom:

then i walked from the hotel, through the city center and outside to meet my (soon to be at that time!) husband:

(i had custom cufflinks made with a symbol from his favorite childhood cartoon)

and we headed for some photos:

our wedding party joined us:

and then it was time to get married:

now this sequence makes me giggle still. we were reciting our vows to each other, and after ryan had been given sort of a longer section of it, he started to stumble. that was his, oh crap i forgot face, and mine - 'ryan!' face:

our pastor had made a joke about it and the congregation laughed with us.

then the question was, can i get through mine without stumbling on anything:

the answer:

yes i could, and i was going to give you my smirk face too!

then we lit the unity candle:

or tried to. darn thing wouldnt light. so it came to me doing this:

which again. resulted in laughter and applause from our guests!!

then, we were married:

reception!

we were watching the video our videographer put together from a session we did a few weeks before the wedding:

and during speeches:

and we danced:

and yes, we did break it down mid-dance:

and we ended our evening with some photos on the golf course during sunset:

i had found the golf ball cleaner to be exceptionally entertaining at that moment:

and we finished our night dancing with each other, family and friends.

(photography: JM Photography)

now, i know that was long - but it was only a sampling of our day. we were surrounded by the most important people in our lives and we are so blessed that they were all able to, and wanted to be there to share one the day with us!

what is love?

according to calvin and hobbes:

Calvin: What’s it like to fall in love?

Hobbes: Well…Say the object of your affection walks by…

Calvin: Yeah?

Hobbes: First, your heart falls into your stomach and splashes your innards. All the moisture makes you sweat profusely. This condensation shorts the circuits to your brain and you get all woozy. When your brain burns out altogether your mouth disengages and you babble like a cretin until she leaves.

Calvin: THAT’S love???

Hobbes: Medically speaking.

Calvin: Heck that happened to me once, but I figured it was cooties!

that was one of our readings - my brother read Calvin, and my cousin read Hobbes.

our ceremony (and day) represented who we are as a couple: love, laughter, having a great time - all while being surrounded by family and friends.

and before i wrap up this potentially never ending post:

to my husband: i love you so much. i look forward to every day and every new experience that we will share. you have made me the happiest person alive. you believe in me like no one else could - and you let me be who i am. happy anniversary - i cant wait to see what the future is going to bring us!

make me laugh - the paper mama

2010-07-10T12:12:00.004-05:00

i came across her blog and challenge, and i had to go back to this photo! everytime i need to laugh or smile i pull this out, and it does the trick!

and as a bonus, to show you he really means what he "says". he did not want to co-operate with his cute face that day either!:

Canvas on Demand Order Review

2010-07-10T11:03:00.001-05:00

these are, to me, great quality! I ordered July 2, and with the holiday they arrived today. with what turned out to be from my understanding an error in discount codes, they shipped for $16.95 each. my only regret: i didnt place one more order before they figured out the code was out there! but - i am very happy with these two and would use canvas on demand again for future orders (of course with SOME sort of code - i try to never pay full price for things!)

anyways - the photos are untouched editing-wise (aside from opening the raw and saving to jpeg - but i did not sharpen or do anything to them!)

(thank you to Jessica of JM Photography for the gorgeous photos from our wedding!)

again, no editing. the last two seem a touch dark - i stood in front of the window (oops) but as you can see the details are clear! i love!!

(both are a 16X24)

feel free to comment with any questions and i will try to comment or update this post with answers!

j loves b

2010-07-09T18:03:00.001-05:00

from my friends wedding in june. the lighting was difficult for me, but i made my best go at it. im not a professional and never claim to be, but when i was approached to do this as they did not have anyone else lined up - i could not let her have nothing {photo-wise} after the day was over.

continuing to wish you and J the best B! i still miss seeing you bright and early every monday!

a blast from the past

2010-07-07T21:22:00.001-05:00

well not so much a blast. but we can call it "what i was trying to do before" to a "what i am currently doing"

a few months ago:

and a little of where i am at now (Cancun style!):

there is always room for growth and after comparing these - i am really looking forward to seeing where i am in the next few months!

oh boy!

2010-07-04T00:46:00.000-05:00

tonight was fairly uneventful. we "accidentally" ordered the UFC fight. our neighbors shot off some fireworks which resulted in brigsby hiding under our bed and not wanting to come out. he does NOT care for the noise or the lights. it was sad. however we won him back over with a bone to chew. he still was pretty unsure though about being out from under our bed it seemed:

i also decided it might be a good night to start looking through the flash cards for my summer study course for my exam this fall. needless to say, my self-diagnosed ADD kicked in and i abandoned them:

better luck next time i suppose!

our last morning

2010-07-02T18:32:00.000-05:00

i miss the water. the sand. the sun. having everything a phone call away. spending time with my husband - just the two of us with no daily worries.

but i missed our dog. my home. my daily life that is so normal and almost boring. i missed my friends. cooking (well not really).

that was our last morning on the beach before heading to the airport. and for the first time. i was ready to leave the vacation behind and return home.

baseball fever

2010-07-01T16:07:00.000-05:00

not favorite, but favor. a friend wanted some prints for her son's room which they are re-doing in a baseball theme - she has some great ideas for it and i cant wait to see it completed!

here are a few that i came up with:

and a few just for fun:

Black & White Wednesdays

2010-06-30T19:04:00.001-05:00

i was taking some baseball detail shots today for a friend for her sons room.

here was the other edit that i tried with this photo. my friend preferred this one for his room:

the groomers

2010-06-29T14:22:00.000-05:00

we knew brigsby needed a trip the groomers...however we did not realize just how bad he needed it until we picked him up after.

In a Yellow House: Travel

2010-06-29T09:36:00.002-05:00

I love to travel. My husband and I just got back from our {postponed} honeymoon in Cancun Mexico at the Sun Palace Resort (full report and more photos coming soon!)

The photo challenge this week at In a Yellow House is Travel - so I had to submit one! It isnt an obvious travel, like a car or airplane, but we had to travel to get to Mexico, and we had to travel another 2.5 hours to get to Chichen Itza, so for me - this was traveling! If you can get here when you are in Mexico - go! It is beautiful. And even though you can not climb the stairs to the top any longer, it is still a great experience!

i heart faces

2010-06-28T22:30:00.003-05:00

someone, got a bit tired of having his photo taken...

does anyone else get that feeling?

Cancun Bound!

2010-06-14T15:17:00.000-05:00

early tomorrow morning (like 4:00am!) we will enter the airport to leave for our 10 day vacation/postponed honeymoon/almost one year anniversary trip to Cancun! we are staying at the Sun Palace Resort All-Inclusive, so expect a full report back on that with photos of course!

(photo from www.palaceresorts.com)

have a great week everyone!

we will call him M

2010-06-11T22:40:00.000-05:00

the bride's son is one of the sweetest young men i have met. always has a smile and will always have a conversation with you. i caught him talking to his mom prior to the ceremony while everything was being set up - this smile is always on his face and i could tell that there was no one he would rather be talking to at that moment, than his mom.

we were also blessed to hear him play as the musician for the ceremony. it was perfect and he did an amazing job on his guitar!

temporary bling

2010-06-11T19:46:00.000-05:00

my husband and i are FINALLY taking our honeymoon/one year anniversary trip. we leave Tuesday for the Sun Palace Resort (couples/18+ only) in Cancun Mexico. While on vacation DH said he did not want me to wear my wedding ring. Fair enough. For something so small I was not going to argue. But I wanted a "replacement" set for the week. I think he felt also, fair enough, he would not argue.

so here is my set. its blurry. oops. oh well. its just temporary right?

converse

2010-06-09T22:24:00.001-05:00

for my first pair i went for the chuck taylor all star simple details ox, as i

liked the thick laces and bigger grommets and eyelets.

not a great photo of them at all, but i had to post about my first pair!

i chose the charcoal color and love them!

(if you love them too, size down! im generally a womens 7, and took a womens 6 in these (a mens 4))

thinking i will go for a color next. maybe red?

xoxo.

sunday = waterball competition

2010-06-07T23:23:00.000-05:00

and this year, we are going for the WIN

that short one in front is me :)

my good friend's wedding

2010-06-05T23:54:00.000-05:00

one of my good friends and former co-workers was married friday evening. she had invited me to her wedding and asked me if i could get some photos for them, as the only other person that would be able to take some would have been her son. i could not tell her no, but warned her i still had so much to learn but i would do my best to capture what i could for her.

here is what i have so far with "artistic edits". i am giving her a disk of basic edits and one with some artistic, just so they have the option of both. i know most professionals would not do that - but i am not a professional :)

it was a very beautiful day and i was honored to be able to witness their marriage!

this is what my friend woke up to the morning of when she went to brush her teeth! her (then) fiance left those words under her toothbrush!

i have to say, at the discomfort of my friend, it was fun to watch her have her makeup done. she normally does not wear any, and shared (for reasons i wont) that she doesnt like having her eyelids touched. so she was a been squirmish (is that a word?) when her lids were being done!

i will have more to share as i continue editing and going through their day!

next stop in editing are the events right before the ceremony!

xoxo.

gold digger

2010-06-03T19:48:00.002-05:00

I took my monster back outside for one last run with practicing really focusing in proper areas and also with being able to play with raw format photos.

i am, as a favor, shooting my friends wedding tomorrow. i am a touch nervous but very excited for the experience.

here was a photo from tonights adventures out.

shot in raw and converted to jpeg

messed around with some of the levels. i cant keep track of what. but i ran no actions in the first photo (no actions aside from amp resize and sharpen):

he is hard at times for me to edit. my little guy started out with black fur, and is turning brown. he also has areas of white too mixed into all that! but i hope with more experience and with more practice i can learn to "fix" his photos to best represent how he looks in person!

here is the same photo, taken as above, with the Nelly Nero Gold Flake action. i reduced the opacity of the gold flake layer to 20%. i also ran the amp resize and sharpen action:

it is different! im not sure if i love it, but i do not hate it.

thoughts? or feedback on the original no action edit?

blog makeover!

2010-06-02T21:55:00.000-05:00

well what do we think! no i do not have the talent to do something like this. so i will thank a very sweet person we shall call "sm" :) i think she did an amazing job, and i could not love my blog anymore than i do right now!

i leave you with one of my tiny monster. that was his first experience in our yard without his chain or leash on (we arent fenced in yet - one project at a time!!)

and i have to give him credit - he did not run away or leave my side! i think it did help that he never even wore a collar until he was 4 months old in our care since he lived on a farm but with a different setting i was nervous!

Brigsby loves Frosty Paws

2010-06-01T17:38:00.002-05:00

I submitted this to the Trendy Treehouse blog for their Shutter Love Tuesday. It is the first time I have submitted a photo anywhere - but it was suggested to me so I figured why not!

Brigsby LOVED his frosty paw after a fun day playing in the yard on a warmer day. Needless to say it ended up all over his chin - but the look on his face says it was very much worth the mess!

dragonflies

2010-05-31T20:29:00.001-05:00

i love dragonflies and found this guy on our garage floor

editing is over the top, but i still love it :)

and one that is a little less OTT

xoxo

waterball and firefighting

2010-05-24T22:09:00.000-05:00

they dont seem like they go together, but they really do!

i cant even begin to explain the need for a shower after "practice" but it was SO much fun! soaked and sweating after since it was pushing 90* today - but i guess good practice if we get the call that there is a fire- being so new we (my husband and i) have not had a call to go to one.

water ball is basically two teams against each other (from different fire houses)- trying to push a bucket across a zip line with your fire hose to the other teams side. ridiculously fun.

xoxo.

rainy day

2010-05-22T12:53:00.000-05:00

i am so bored. i love the thunder. DH is supposed to be playing golf. we will see if that happens. i have the college fastpitch tourney's on watching. i love playing every other sunday but i miss playing more.

anyways. playing with my speedlight today inside. started playing with settings and how to manually use it instead of in ettl mode. i think im starting.

nothing great but here are a few of my little buddy

he really liked his PB filled frozen kong. although it didnt last too long. oh well :)

update on me: my head still hurts. but overall i am much better. range of motion is back in my neck - that has been nice. still get headaches but that is what the meds are for i guess!

xoxo.

disappointment

2010-05-18T20:47:00.000-05:00

i think feeling disappointed in someone is worse than being mad. disappointment for me, comes only when i care about the person who has done something 'wrong', or may have not done something they could/should have.

i think its worse to have someone disappointed in you, than mad at you. and its harder to be disappointed in someone than mad at them.

i wish things were different between me and someone. i hoped they would be from early on. it was something i always wanted. but maybe it is something that will never be. and that hurts. but i feel like, i have done what i can to put myself out there.

sorry to speak so vaguely. i just needed somewhere to get this out without calling out names, because i dont think that is fair either.

i just dont know how to talk to this person. i feel like if i do, instead of talking i will be attacked or blamed for things and it will be come a conversation of :this vs that:

and that isnt what i want. i just want things to be even a sliver of how i thought they might be.

but maybe i need to come to the reality that, they never might be.

i dont ever say that i am without fault. but i get tired of being a people pleaser and putting my feelings aside, as i often do. in my mind, i have to put how i am feeling aside to make sure others are happy and doing okay - and it is not often that friends check in to make sure i am okay. i learned to accept that like i learned to accept that my birthday will often be forgotten by friends because its two days after christmas. it is what it is but it still hurts when it comes down to it.

maybe one day i will learn to be a little selfish and make sure my feelings come first and maybe i wont have to feel completely guilty about it. i hope at least once it does. but until then at least people know that i will be there when they need it and they have learned that they dont really need to do anything in return. my friends are great, but i dont think people realize that sometimes they dont just check in. but its okay i guess.

maybe some day the relationship i have always hoped would happen will grow. and maybe it wont.

but i do know that i am one of the luckiest girls out there. i have a husband who loves me, and would do anything for me. i have a family that is the same way. i have what i feel, is one of the cutest dogs ever to love and take care of, and that seems to love nothing more than to relax with me. i have my health - even after taking that softball to the back of my head - i am doing okay.

sorry this post became so emo. im pretty sure (and this is NOT a jab at anyone who follows) no one really reads it, and thats okay. i like having a venting place and a place to share all the amazing things in my life, and the fun photos i take.

i think i feel so free because of the mix of valium and vicodin. to my ER Dr and Nurses at Unity on Sunday night, thanks for providing me with what i need to at least get through the day and not be in constant tears because of the pain. because as tough as i am trying to be for everyone else - i hurt really bad. and it does not go away. thanks to my husband for taking great care of me. i truly have the most amazing husband.

xoxo.

ER visit

2010-05-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

this weekend did not end exactly how it should.

i went to our softball games and was having an awesome game being it was the first time i swung a bat in almost 7 years!

3 at bats - 3 hits (two doubles, one single).

my last time up was one of my doubles. when the next guy was up, he hit directly to third (i did not have to go as no one was on first) so i waited for the ball to be thrown to first before i ran to advance. i knew there would be a play, but i also know that im pretty quick on my feet and i slide well.

well. i do slide well. but the person who threw from first, did not throw well.

i ended up taking the ball to the back of my head - behind my ear at the base of my head.

yeah, i was down and not getting up.

we went into the ER since i was pretty nauseated. spent a few hours in there.

nothing too serious. major amounts of swelling and pain. so i was sent home with valium and vicodin and a note to not work today.

ending on cuteness, here is my tiny monster:

outside

2010-05-15T19:19:00.002-05:00

working outside

he was having fun outside while i did some work in the garage today!

xoxo.

today

2010-05-13T20:56:00.000-05:00

my boys

2010-05-11T20:18:00.000-05:00

xoxo.

frosty what

2010-05-06T19:41:00.001-05:00

frosty paws!

Brigsby LOVES them! and i bet when its becomes hot out he will enjoy one even more!

xoxo.

i love my mom

2010-05-05T12:21:00.001-05:00

twin cities live here was hosting a mothers day contest and of course i had to enter! they wanted to hear a funny story about your mom.

here is our STORY

and a print screen of it as well just incase it moves:

what is even cooler....my story was chosen yesterday! i won her a pandora bracelet!

xoxo.

a better backyard

2010-05-04T18:32:00.000-05:00

we finally finished the retaining wall and put down sod over the weekend! our sprinkler system was installed last tuesday too! lots of hard work and money - but worth it!

a reminder of our yard before (the retaining wall was finished at this point):

with grass (taken from the opposite side of the yard):

and a few extras:

the neighbor kid wanted photos of his coat and the dirt block he found and was smashing:

xoxo.

introducing Brigsby Gizmoe

2010-04-25T11:50:00.000-05:00

ryan and i decided to adopt a puppy. careful thought went into this as we wanted to make sure we had the time for one. with my new job - we had plenty!

his given name was gizmoe. being i already had a dog named gizmoe we decided to give him another first name, while keeping gizmoe as his middle. brigsby it was!

he was born 12.21.09 and was adopted into our family 04.23.10! he is 4 months old and the sweetest guy i have seen! brigsby is a pug shih tzu cross. he loves cuddling and sitting on my lap when im on the computer, or watching tv. he is quickly getting used to his crate and loves chewing on his stuffed animals. brigsby barely barks and loves being carried up right so he can see what is going on! (as i am typing he is on my lap with his head rested on one of my arms!)

i am so happy we decided to go ahead and adopt and bring this little guy into our home. he makes us so happy and we love him like we have known him forever!

xoxo from me and brigsby!

landscaping

2010-04-19T14:25:00.000-05:00

we are into spring and landscaping has officially begun. our yard was/is a nightmare for us as first time homebuyers but it wasnt so much that it scared us off.

we had people over this morning to lay black dirt and level out areas in our backyard where we will be finishing off a wall. i hope it goes smoothly as we do finish it.

here are a few befores:

and right now:

this is about the angle/area of the last photo of the before, with the guys standing in the photo:

the middle photo is taken from the other side of the yard from the rest of the photos.

and the last photo shows the dirt hill where the wall will continue. we are going to finish it until until the light dirt hill ends - and that back area is leveled out currently.

we will also be putting in a fire pit as well - yay :)

that whole back corner was a pain to clean out, but my husband, father in law and a great friend did a fantastic job doing it!

more updates as we progress!

xoxo.

so i really fail at updating

2010-04-12T21:01:00.000-05:00

and my husband says i should blog something.

well here it goes:

from june 15-24 i will be in sunny cancun at the Sun Place Resort all-inclusive (that is adults/couples only!) with my awesome husband. we can not wait.

to prep. i started WW again. i found this amazing blog to get some great recipes from. and i want to cook everything i see - check her out: http://www.skinnytaste.com

i bet you love it too :D

i also started a new job. i now work in a school with a kiddo with muscular dystrophy. it breaks my heart to meet anyone who is going through something we have yet to find a cure for - but it also helps me to realize that when im having a bad day - that most of the time. its over something so trivial that it isnt worth being upset about. and that isnt to minimize a bad day - but most times, it will get better.

thats all for now. im sure ill be a freak closer to vacation throwing it out there how extremely excited i am - 64 days!

xoxo.

changes

2010-04-09T20:47:00.000-05:00

lots of changes happening. i am excited for all but sad to leave a part behind so abruptly. i accepted a new position and start monday - i hope it goes well!

anyways. on the 3rd i saw Chelsea Handler and had a book signed. it was one of the funnest days i have had in a while - spent it all with my husband. we had amazing seats and i think he even had fun waiting 4+ hours for her autograph!

(they are so grainy - poor lighting and had to zoom a touch since i had my point and shoot, but i was REALLY close to her at the show (3 rows back) and obviously was right infront of her at the signing! )

xoxo.

back yard clean up

2010-03-28T00:23:00.000-05:00

we are in the process of cleaning up a corner of our backyard. i will post some 'before' and i wont say 'after' since it is not done, but 'during' photos i took today perhaps tomorrow.

here is just one item we found:

xoxo.

one more for good measure

2010-03-25T15:16:00.000-05:00

another day of work. no time to get any house stuff started to make it worth my time. i have some training tonight for the fire department - pretty excited!

xoxo.

life where i live

2010-03-24T20:33:00.000-05:00

no updates on projects today.

xoxo.

sweet news

2010-03-23T11:53:00.000-05:00

we have been waiting back (and we i mean my husband and i) from the fire department in our town to see if we were approved - and we were! its only been a month since our agility testing - but it all worked out for something! we are on a probationary period for a length of time for training and to get some hours built up - but i think its a good step in getting involved and giving back to our community. it also allows us to get to know more people so that is a positive as well!

as far as my repainting goes - that is for this weekend. as of right now, we have NOTHING planned/no where to go! woohoo!

xoxo.

first coat of black done

2010-03-17T19:32:00.000-05:00

i spent all day painting (with some breaks. but all pieces now have their first coat of black! woohoo!

the first signs of black

2010-03-17T12:09:00.000-05:00

i had some unexpected time. so i started painting. the main body of the buffet still remains primed as i need to fix something on it before started. but every drawer and the small end table have black on it. i am also going to paint the insides of the drawers but wanted to wait until the outside was dry, as to not have too much going on at once.

here is the first coat:

i am painting very thin coats, as to not have any paint globs as it dries. i might only need two coats though since it is covering very well!

xoxo.

supplies

2010-03-15T22:00:00.000-05:00

i purchased the remainder of my supplies for painting.

black paint. in just the right shade mind you - there is more than just one!

minwax

good brushes

small trays to minimize waste of paint and wax

a sanding block in just the right grit

and candy. because im a candy junkie lately. mostly hard candies though. like jolly ranchers. those came from target though - now lowes.

i also still need to purchase matching hardware for the end table. i think menards has them. im waiting on a few rebates so i can use those up on that! gotta love rebates.

anyways. :)

im bummed i probably wont be able to do any painting until sunday again. lame. but i want to do this right the first time. so no need to rush anything!

xoxo.

day 2

2010-03-14T14:59:00.000-05:00

yesterday i was able to sand everything down. today i wiped everything down with a damp rag and used a cheese cloth to get anything else up that might have been left behind.

and then. i started priming.

drying:

primer:

primed:

things i have learned:

1. have the primer shaken at the store where you buy it. i forgot. and i spent awhile mixing it with a stir stick.

2. remember to wipe the insides of the pieces down as well. i am waiting for my primer to dry. so i can go back and clean out/wipe out the insides so i can prime that as well, without getting dust and dirt on the wet primer that is already done. not a huge deal, just extra time.

3. cheese cloth is really sticky and it is hard to get the stickiness off your hands.

4. oil based primer is also hard to get off. next time i would probably use gloves.

xoxo.

hoping not to screw this up

2010-03-13T20:00:00.000-06:00

this is the first time i will be refinishing something. as of late, ive become obsessed with craigslist. lots of cool stuff. cool stuff that takes up time to make useable in our home however.

my first project has officially started.

and of course, its the bigger project of the two.

before sanding. after taking the drawers out.

the drawers.

repairing/gluing a corner.

after sanding. doors are off.

things i have learned so far:

1. there is this bag you should put on the back of the sander. for my next project i will remember that. lots of dust went everywhere. at least my husband's car is next to the third stall where i am working.
2. i need more clamps.
3. im pretty excited about this.

i am hoping to be able to start priming tomorrow. the pieces need to be wiped down well to remove any dust left over. i might also sand the small table so that is ready to go - might as well get them both done while i have everything out!

xoxo.

newest craigslist purchase

2010-03-11T21:27:00.000-06:00

i must admit, im addicted. my husband however is ready to disconnect every means i have to the internet if i keep wanting to buy stuff.

i plan for these, either to sand and restain them a dark espresso, or paint them.

anyone have any thoughts?

they are heavy pieces. but big. which is nice since we have gone without since november when we moved in!

(i had to close crop the second photo since we have laundry and well you can see the paper towel roll back there!)

xoxo.

random for today

2010-03-10T08:48:00.000-06:00

not much time today. my schedule is pretty random. i hope for tomorrow to have photos of my new buffet table to show! then the work will begin this weekend!

i will be ready for ALL the snow to be gone!

xoxo.

craigslist take two

2010-03-09T15:31:00.000-06:00

craigslist could become a huge problem for me.

yesterday. if you remember. i purchased the nightstand.

here is the "nightstand"/side table in what will be its home for now:

here is the buffet we bought and are picking up tomorrow:

and here is the wall it will go up against:

i am thinking i will paint both the side table and the buffet black.

eventually i would like two chairs (perhaps armless - target has some cute ones) to go across from the couch. that way the windows wont be blocked off, and we can really use it as a seating area for more than just 2 people!

xoxo.

first CL purchase

2010-03-08T08:44:00.000-06:00

i found this nightstand while browsing CL on my cell last night. im pretty excited to pick it up and see what i can do with it - it seems to be in great shape as is. listed as "shabby chic". for $40 i couldnt let it get away - and luckily i contacted the seller right away - there were people who did after me but she was nice enough to go in order of who contacted her first!

i will post a few IRL photos - trying to decide what i want to do with it now!

xoxo

frustration sets in

2010-03-04T20:31:00.000-06:00

does anyone use a mac, edit with PSE8 and have successfully installed actions? i cant get them to work. ugh.

anyways. i played around with koah the dogs photo. just trying one set of instructions for an action that i cant install...

edited:

its different. i like that i have options. i hope i can figure out stuff quickly, while learning different techniques. not that i am aiming to do anything with this besides keep it a hobby.

xoxo.

coming back

2010-03-04T08:27:00.001-06:00

i am coming back this weekend! a lot has been going on!

hope everyone is doing well!

xoxo.

long saturday

2010-02-20T21:25:00.000-06:00

my brother tested in karate this morning for his next belt. i lost track of which one he is on - but he is two testings from his black belt. pretty sweet.

i like red. and i realized my parents neighbors never dug the hydrant out after the snow. shame on them.

koah. love him.

xoxo.

cb2 order review

2010-02-18T17:17:00.000-06:00

first off, shipping was very fast! they ship UPS (which automatically is a thumbs-up for me - i dont like fedex) - and it arrived at my door step with in 3 days of receiving the notice that it shipped.

everything was perfect.

the shower curtain $39.99

it is a heavy weight - which for fabric is a HUGE plus to me. while i liked and still do like the other curtain we had - this one is what i was looking for when i bought the other one. it is simple but still makes a statement, in my opinion.

i love how it looks in our space. in the photo is it not hung where we will place it - i just had to throw it up for a quick photo and to see it in action :)

in person, it really makes the room appear bigger than it is - especially wider. i might replace our rugs (and move the new tan ones down into our master bath) with grey but i am not sure. if i can tie in some tan i may keep them there for an accent sort of color - thoughts?

bedding

pillow cases: 2 standard for $19.99

(*this is not an accurate representation of color)

king duvet cover: $89.95

the bed photos are a pretty accurate representation of their color.

i give both of these a big thumbs up as well. from the website, they had received great reviews, but i was still a touch uncertain about the 100% organic cotton piece - if they would be soft or rough. soft they are.

it is very obvious the comforter is too large for our queen bed. also, i fear the old bed skirt needs to go as well (lol, im happy actually, it never really was my style :) now the question is: cream or a grey skirt and sheets?

my grandma gave us a king size down comforter and i wanted to start using it! we are looking to upgrade our bed to a king as well as replace the rest of the bedroom furniture in the near future.

its gorgeous. what can i say. if the print is your style that is. i can appreciate not everyone would love it.

we skipped the sheet set. while i like it, and had we a new bed already i have to admit id probably have purchased them as well (another $90+/-). but - i think in the end i will be perhaps happy we did not. i think some plain sheets will help not overwhelm the print in the room - and a few pillows in a solid color will be nice as well.

reading through my reviews - i realize i suck at giving them! especially when things get a "thumbs up"! if you have questions please ask and i will do by best to answer!

xoxo.

a sneek peek

2010-02-17T12:18:00.002-06:00

more later :)

xoxo

first cb2 purchase

2010-02-14T23:15:00.000-06:00

this store, is going to be dangerous. luckily, their shipping is high so it will stop me from making numerous purchases though!

we decided to purchase a new shower curtain all together for the upstairs bathroom, and went with this one:

i love it.

and we also purchased a duvet cover for the down comforter my grandma gave us. we are planning on purchasing a king size bed sometime this year and the down comforter she gave us is a king, so we figured why wait to use it! we also purchased the pillow cases for it. when we get some extra decor funds, we will think about buying the coordinating sheet set. otherwise, we will just buy plain sheets that go with the duvet design:

i LOVE it and i think it will look nice in our bedroom!

xoxo.

trees

2010-02-13T13:10:00.000-06:00

xoxo.

the sweetest things

2010-02-11T22:48:00.001-06:00

are sometimes the smallest gestures. or random ones.

my husband had flowers delivered to me today! i LOVE tulips so i was delighted to say the least!

2 hours of work tomorrow. party tomorrow night.

saturday is a trip to ikea (yay!) and a dinner with friends.

sunday - relaxing with my husband.

then. life goes back to being busy getting our home ready for the party!

xoxo.

the mirror

2010-02-08T21:06:00.002-06:00

... is staying.

i love the dark wood with the coziness of the room and other colors.

cant wait to buy some floating shelves for the wall next to it and some frames to personalize the space a bit more!

thats all for today.

xoxo.

mirror mirror on the wall

2010-02-07T15:28:00.000-06:00

or should we do some art afterall?

i loved the idea of a mirror over our fireplace. and looking at photos of it resting and hung, i prefer for our space, it to be hung.

just not sure on color.

we found this mirror and thought it would be nice since its a dark wood - almost black with gold flecks in it. our curtains if you remember are gold and the walls give off a gold tone in certain lighting.

thoughts?

not the best lighting sadly - had the curtains closed for the 2nd photo. but you can sort of make out the darkness of the wood and the gold tone to it.

i also want to get a photo wall or some floating shelves in the same room - perhaps in the same dark wood to tie things together.

thoughts? ideas? suggestions?

(but please no suggestions of painting stuff white - i love white in other homes, but our mantle is gorgeous and i do love the wood, even if its a bit harder to decorate with at the moment!)

bathroom shelves

2010-02-03T20:55:00.000-06:00

they are finally up! 2 days short of one week after fedex delivered them!

i do love them. my husband and i had a minor disagreement on where we should place them, but i quite like where they ended up.

now, what to decorate with?! i think a pillar candle on top. i found some great candle plates at bed bath and beyond that i want to purchase. thinking too of grabbing some jars and putting cotton balls and q-tips in them on the lower shelf as well.

anyways here we go:

they are the umbra acrylic shelves from the container store (18")

Umbra Acrylic Shelves

open to any ideas for decor!

xoxo.

all in a days work

2010-01-30T22:39:00.000-06:00

by myself, that is. husband has school this weekend so i took the opportunity to get some stuff done.

i cleaned. toilets. sinks. floors. dishes. clothing (well i put those in the washer/dryer, but i did fold them!). i threw away boxes. i condensed boxes that we have to go through (down to 5! yay!).

and i hung some photos. by myself. well. my dad was on the phone talking me through what i needed and did not need.

here is our main floor bath. the photo is from our wedding day. i thought it fit well.

and for my closet (well *our* closet, however, my husband kindly allowed me to store basically everything that is mine, in it, and he took our second closet-lucky we are to have a walk in and a regular closet in our master room!)

(the closet continues to the photos right. love it)

i get a touch bored picking stuff out, so i figured some art would be a good thing.

tomorrow. we hang the bathroom shelves.

and to leave you with something i love:

my mom painted them for our wedding for us, for our cake topper. her dress mimicked mine. they were perfect. now they are on our mantle until we get a wall shelf!

xoxo.

fireplace

2010-01-27T20:59:00.000-06:00

it seems like i update bits and pieces at a time, however our fireplace is now complete!

here is the final product:

it is gorgeous and we love it! our friend did an amazing job and finished it for us in less than one week i believe! i think we may find a large mirror and rest it on the mantle ledge.

any other ideas for us?

projects for this week/weekend include:

- installing new faucet in our kitchen sink

- hanging two framed photos

- cleaning!

more later!

xoxo.

finished tile

2010-01-20T21:32:00.000-06:00

well, almost. we still need to seal and grout. but hey, its up right?

this first photo shows more of the true color of the tile

and the second shows it completed. my flash is screwing with the colors which is why i posted the above. i love it and i am so happy we decided against 12x12 tile and went with a brick pattern.

grouting is planned for this weekend! i cant wait until this project is over so we can move on to the next!

xoxo.

halfway there

2010-01-19T22:14:00.000-06:00

my father in law came over tonight to help my husband put up tile. started around 6 and he left about 945. i think they did a great job! im very excited to see it coming together. they are going to finish putting it up tomorrow and the rest of the week will be spent sealing and grouting. we will also be having it measured for the mantle sometime this week!

the colors are pretty washed out. i wish i had a better flash for indoor shooting. but that is a $280 i dont have right now to spend sadly! someday maybe :)

more tomorrow!

xoxo.

tile

2010-01-18T12:05:00.000-06:00

we have been looking at tile for our fireplace surround for, oh i dont know, a few weeks? i thought this would be easy, but between finding tile that added enough interest, without being too specific to color/taste - we finally have some. that is with having purchased a bunch of 12x12 tiles that were on clearance at lowes, that i decided i didnt like for the fireplace once we got home. however, we have a place for those already - our small bathroom on the first floor! so they wont have to go back or be wasted! ($20 for the entire bathroom floor is awesome i think!)

anyways, here is our pile of tile (ha ha) for the fireplace. once those go up (tomorrow) we will have our friend come in and measure for the mantle!

it is really pretty, lots of variation in the colors which sadly you cant see from this photo. but i am excited to see how it comes together!

xoxo.

well well well

2010-01-13T19:54:00.002-06:00

not much new to update! we got a new faucet for our kitchen sink, and while i never thought to bring it up, my FIL told my husband that we should also just replace the sink! i would love to - since its pretty dingy and well...blech. But, it is usable and we are on a tight budget right now. A tight budget because my AMAZING husband bought me....

tickets to see CHELSEA HANDLER'S tour when it shows here in April! i am SO excited because i LOVE Chelsea Handler!!! besides the tickets, he also agreed to let me buy a new lens and a few other camera accessories. love him for so much more than just that by the way <3

xoxo.

6 months

2010-01-11T11:50:00.001-06:00

i can not believe it has already been 6 months today that my husband and i were married! time has flown and so much has changed!! i never would have imagined 6 months ago that we would be in a home though, making it our own! with him i am whole. i cant imagine life without having him by my side!!

xoxo.

whats cookin

2010-01-09T21:28:00.000-06:00

apparently not much, since i have not blogged in quite some time!

actually, the truth, no new updates in a while either. we are having out mantle custom built by a friend so that is exciting. which also means we need to chose some tile soon.

we set our housewarming party date for february 27th - not much time to get stuff put away but maybe it is the kick in the butt that we need to finally finish getting all of the boxes and garbage out of here!

ill try and be better about updating!

xoxo.

happy new year

2010-01-01T14:30:00.002-06:00

it is amazing the changes that happened in my life in 2009. i got married. graduated with my masters degree. bought a house - and moved into that house of course. i started a new job but left a job where i really loved everyone that i worked with over the last two years.

im betting 2010 will be just as amazing.

a few changes! we are finally starting to clean up the last few things that are left "here and there" around the house. our laundry room is cleaned up and organized. we want to buy a few coat hooks so we can leave the coat that we wear every day in there and off the couch in the living room. my husband cut some carpet that was given to us to put down so we have something to step on when we walk in the door with wet shoes. all of our paint stuff is FINALLY cleaned up!

i painted our upstairs bathroom. i love the new color and the overall feel of it. it was a light blue prior which, in itself was not bad. however the walls were dirty and had holes everywhere. i wish i had a photo of before.

here is the best i have of before (the grey you see around the surround is the new color. oh and that nasty shower head got a good cleaning - it sparkles again thank goodness!)

here is after:

and a full shot (my husband pulled the curtain rod higher - it will be sitting lower so the fabric curtain touches the ground):

i want to grab new rugs for the floor, maybe a tan or brown and add a picture of some sort over the toilet and the room should be complete! it feels really good to have another room in this house done!

we also finally got some curtains hung up in our bedroom and living room. i was not sure of the living room curtains at first, but i do love them now and i think that once we get the fireplace completed they will look even better (sorry for the random clutter!):

and the corner windows in our bedroom, again, sorry for the mess! i got that cleaned up and didnt bother to take another photo:

we have one other window that is on the same wall as the nightstand, that is on the other side of the bed that has the same curtain obviously. i love it. we want to replace our furniture and upgrade to a king size bed during this year so i am excited for some dark furniture going into our room!

xoxo.

holy Christmas batman

2009-12-27T13:54:00.001-06:00

the holidays went by so fast this year! although they always seem to! we are very blessed to be surrounded by our always amazing family and our friends - i dont know what we would do without them! we were very spoiled this holiday season by everyone and we are so grateful.

did i mention that today, of all days, is my birthday! i love birthdays - mine or others. i dont know what it is about them. i mean, you share it with lots of someones that you dont know - but it is always going to be YOUR day. its weird. anyways :)

a few pictures since i have been MIA. my husband and FIL installed a water softener day after christmas. hopefully we stop feeling so dry in a few days - its been a little rough! (its actually installed, i will follow up with those later!)

and the snow! it didnt feel like it was ever going to stop! but so beautiful - what would make it even better is owning a snow blower! (pretty though isnt it?)

im off to get ready for my birthday dinner!

xoxo.

o christmas tree

2009-12-13T15:38:00.000-06:00

finally was able to put our tree up! i had to do it alone since my husband was in class this weekend - but completely worth it! i love christmas and having decorations up, even if just a few.

so without more to say...

my geema gave us the tree! i love that its pretty big but fits well in our formal dining room, which for now is being used as a "sitting room" (meaning we have a love seat we have no where else to put, and no formal dining room table - heck we dont have a kitchen table yet!!)

but it works. and i love it!

xoxo.

updates FINALLY

2009-12-06T18:03:00.002-06:00

it has been forever since i have any had new or major updates. at least it seems.

yesterday my mom came out and helped me paint the walls going up the stairs, which is the same as the entry way color since they are connected/flowing walls. i love it. it warms up the area and really makes it feel finished. my dad came over today and helped to do major touch ups, along with putting together my old day bed that was at my grandmas, and getting some other random stuff done. dare i say, all rooms and walls are painted on our main floor? (with the exception of our master bathroom because we are going to be renovating the shower and tiling the floor!)

here is some of our work today:

decal up in laundry room

the stairs:

and finally we repainted the wall with our fireplace, and it is ready for new tiles:

if i have not already introduced her, this is bellah:

more details in the next few days!

xoxo

wow

2009-12-02T19:40:00.000-06:00

holy smokes its been a long week! i started my new job (which i am really loving!) and am still unpacking. i think i might be doing that for the rest of my life!! i promise to get some photos soon - i just dont want to scare anyone with our mess!

can we believe its december? at least here, we have NO snow on the ground so its even more unbelievable. i think i might have to start cranking the christmas music to get myself into the season since obviously i dont have snow to do that. although, anytime i forget i could just look out our front window - my neighbors across the road seem to be the landing place for the christmas decoration rejects! good for them for getting excited - but it seems as though christmas threw up in their front yard! (i will try to get a photo so you all can see - it will make you laugh if you dont start seizuring like i have been!)

with love

updates on hold

2009-11-25T20:08:00.002-06:00

we are moving in this weekend!

happy thanksgiving everyone - i hope you are as blessed in your life as i am in mine!

friday we will be completely out of our apartment and into our home!

photos of our moving adventures to come!

xoxo.

oops

2009-11-22T10:30:00.000-06:00

this week got sort of hectic - therefore almost a week without blogging. shame on me, haha.

anyways. it has been a week of updates to say the least. we are getting ready to be living in our house (most likely still taking things out of boxes though) by next sunday. amazing.

that striped bathroom - here is an update:

i purchased silver outlet and lightswitch plates to coordinate with the light fixture - i love that room. i believe it will only get better once we are able to tile the floor. ideally, id love to get a new vanity top however the one in there is brand new and i want to put available funds to other things right now. at least it isnt pink!

here is a peek at our master bedroom without any tape:

i also painted the front entryway. i love the color and it really flows with everything other color in the main floor:

(you can see the color difference there. the tan will be carried up the stairs in the hallway)

i am in the midst today of painting closets so i can start putting our clothing in there and storing things. our garage is a mess and full of stuff - honestly i think we will have no problem filling this house with only an apartments worth of stuff!

more to come!

xoxo.

formal dining room

2009-11-16T16:33:00.000-06:00

my mom picked me up bright and early at 835 this morning and we went out to the house to paint. we ended up finishing the formal dining/front room. it took THREE coats of paint to cover the light green that was in there before - however completely worth it. the room, i feel, looks bigger and brighter now!

before:

after(from the other side):

i probably will not go out there tomorrow since i work until 1. i should probably start packing up more of the apartment instead! but, i will be stopping to save big money (and spend even more!) to exchange some light switch plates and buy some white paint for the closets!

then wednesday i plan on spending the day out there touching up our bedroom, and finishing any touch ups in the main floor bath and the front room we just did today if needed!

xoxo.

all in the family

2009-11-15T19:42:00.001-06:00

we got A LOT done today!

the master bedroom is now painted. i love the color so much!:

the living room is basically painted, we just need to touch up some areas. our dads also cleaned out the area around the fireplace so it is ready to be finished off now:

my dad and i (well i helped chalk) finished taping the bathroom off. i have the first coat of paint on the stripes. you can see the effect with bad lighting here:

i am going back out tomorrow to do the formal dining room and clean up the living room so it is finished as well!

xoxo.

one down

2009-11-14T21:24:00.000-06:00

one coat to go - we hope! the living room now has a nice coat of the brown that i loved and my husband was not sure of. i know he will grow to love it if he does not already!

the laundry room is almost done - it just needs a few touch ups and the back wall to be fixed. i love the grey and blue together

the kitchen is done besides some minor touch ups. i hope this week to rock out the formal dining room and hopefully tomorrow we can get a start on our master bedroom. i am very interested and a touch nervous to see how the color looks in there!

this morning marked my last shift at my current job and my last shift opening the store. exciting but a touch sad - i really like my coworkers and we do have a lot of fun at work. but i am very excited to be starting a new line of work and what it will bring!

i am exhausted - off for some MUCH needed sleep!

xoxo.

friday the 13th

2009-11-13T19:43:00.000-06:00

normally this day is considered back luck. however, today has been a great day.

i was offered the job that i interviewed for on monday. (and i accepted - duh). i will be doing inhome work with children with autism. i am SO very excited for this experience and the next step in my life. i have always wanted to work with kids so this will be perfect. i also will be working around where our house is - which is another huge plus!

this weekend will be huge for our house. my dad and father in law are coming out to help us paint. hopefully we get our bedroom, living room and laundry room painted. my dad is going to fix the hole in the wall in the laundry room, along with repairing around our fireplace. very cool.

we still need to figure out colors for our master bathroom and the front entryway. maybe i will grab a swatch of the shade lighter than the living room and see how that goes!

look for updates tomorrow or sunday!

xoxo.

wednesday

2009-11-11T20:04:00.001-06:00

went back out to the house today. i was able to finish painting the dining room and kitchen. just need to do a few touch ups since i was able to see a few areas when it dried that i did not cover well enough:

ryan joined me around 5 and we ordered a pizza and painted the accent wall in the laundry room. it is still wet in the photo so it looks off, and the color isnt represented well here. one more coat tomorrow when i go back:

i also was able to get one coat on the main floor bathroom. ryan took down the light fixture so i can paint what i was not able to reach when i go back to do my second coat tomorrow. then my dad will measure for the stripes this weekend when he comes out!:

on one last note, there is a good chance i did not remember that the dryer was hooked up and i may have caused what is pictured below:

where did the weekend go

2009-11-08T17:14:00.000-06:00

i thought i would post last night. turns out, after getting to the house just after 9 and not getting home until almost 10pm - i was exhausted. so here it goes.

ceilings are almost done as of today - we just need to do the master bed and bath. i never want to do ceilings again but sadly, we have upstairs rooms to do still! my little cousin even got in on painting the ceilings in the laundry room - she was great and did not miss a spot!

today we also, well when i say we, i mean my dad, got rid of the tiles around the fireplace. thank goodness because i did not care for them at all!

i also was able to paint the kitchen. i loved the green we found yesterday and went for it. all it needs are some touch ups and i will finish the attached dining room some day this week:

i think that is enough photos for today - but i can not wait to keep updating as we finish each room!

xoxo.