Jeff turns 28!

Last month I threw a birthday party for my hubby Jeffery's 28th Birthday. I was so excited for it, I started planning it in July after my birthday.



I already posted about prepping the back yard for his birthday. I had to really spruce up the backyard because with so many of us just in our immediate families, it'd be the only place big enough to hold all of us for dinner. It was still pretty snug, using both inside and outside.

It started with the Bame’s doing what they do best, watching whatever game was on TV that day. They even did this at our wedding reception...



The Jones' were outside in the middle of some conversation of course. My dad was the cook that night, cooking the shish kabobs on the grill that I gave Jeff for his birthday (my present was a whole backyard kind of a theme, I love theme presents).





The shish kabobs were getting done right around the time the game ended. Perfect timing. We had a pretty good spread if I do say so myself.







Somehow Lora still ended up sitting at the kids table- LOL!



On each of our tables I had a candle in a pickle jar, a bottle of lemonade (both decorated by Jade and I for the occasion, and some pens and paper.



The Pens and Paper were for a fun little project I had going that night. I love the "30 before 30" lists I see on the web everywhere and I really wanted Jeff and I to create our own. I know you are suppose to create this on your 29th birthday but I figure that Jeff and I are such procrastinators that we needed to give ourselves two years. (As it is I don't think we'll even have our lists put together before Thanksgiving and we started this on Oct 8.) On each table and inside I had the jist of the project explained on signs I created.



Underneath I had a couple of yarn braded lines with mini clothes pins where everyone could clip their papers from the tables with their ideas of what Jeff should do before he turns 30.



I like this because it kept the conversation on Jeff during dinner and made it feel like this really was all for him on his special day.

After dinner we went back inside where I had a couple games planned. We played 3 different Minute to Win It games: Chocolate Unicorn, Back Flip, and some balloon game for the kids. These seem a little silly at first, but they are actually really fun to play, and I tried to pick games where people could play and still keep their dignity in tack.





If you are really prepared and tech savvy you can even hook your laptop to your tv and watch the instructional videos that minute to win it has on their website. (I couldn't find the right cables that day.) We weren't tech savvy but I did make little prizes that correlated with Jeff and each game.



After the games and while we waited for the cupcakes to finish being frosted I read out the cards everyone had written about what Jeff should include on his 30 x 30 list. Here are some of my favorites:

1. Graduate college (mine)
2. Die your hair purple with yellow strips (Jade)
3. Make a baby; potty train them; read a book on how to raise a child (Sage)
4.Give your wife 30 gifts (Nanette)
5. Write your own comic book instead of reading so many (Jade)
6. Go 30 days without playing video games (Nanette)
7. Vote Republican (Nanette)

Finally, it was just time for some jello cupcakes and conversation.





Later, I tried to clean up really quick, most the kids met up to go to a movie that night. I had a really good time, and even though I think I could have made some changes to make everything run smoother, it turned out really well. Most importantly I think Jeff enjoyed himself. For our 30th birthday's we want to take a big trip to together, so a nice big bash for 28 was supper fun to put on.


(I'm an aweful wife, with all my running around, this is the best shot I got of him all night.)

***I got some of my b-day decorating ideas from posts on perfect party blog***

Planting the Garden

One of the first things I was aching to do when we moved into our first official house (or condhouse as I call it) was landscaping. With our house being a mixture of a 'real' house and a condo, we are not left with an ample amount of land to garden to my hearts content, but there was just enough space that I could do a little somethin' something.

I kept waiting for Jeff to get on board, but then one day it struck me, why do I need to wait around for Jeff to start landscaping the backyard? It's only 200-300 square feet, how hard can it be? So I hatched a plan. I would landscape the backyard myself and make it part of Jeff's birthday present. This will both take it off his 'honey do' list (which is pretty long), and help justify the expense. I got him his very own present as well, but this was a bonus for both of us.

I have to admit, I had no idea where to start so I just started to research on the Internet at lunch. Most of our backyard is a concrete patio which just left one 17" wide by 10' long and one 26" wide by 27' length area to be planted.



I woke up early and spent pretty much all day one Saturday trying to tackle the backyard. Even after a week of prepping the space after work, I still had to make a handful of trips to the store, and ended my day with dirt and sweat all over, with a big smile on my face.

This is what I learned:

1. When making a foundation flower bed you need at least 18" to work with. I also learned that I would need to slant the bottom of my flower bed, the highest point next to the foundation, so that the water would drain away from the foundation minimizing any water damage to the foundation.

2. The flower bed needs to be at the very least 8" deep.

3. Black construction tarp can be used on the bottom of the flower bed as an extra water barrier. (I really wanted to protect my neighbors house foundation)



4. Water irrigation systems are surprisingly easy to install. Especially when your brother-in-law stops by for a couple hours to set up the timer just right.

5. A 12" flower bed takes a lot longer to dig than you would think and uses way more soil than you'd naturally plan for.



6.Planting flowers is just as fun as I thought it'd be. I woke up at 5 am on "landscaping day" without an alarm. I was so excited you'd think I was going to Disney Land.

7. Finally, when I'm nervous and think I bit off more than I could chew, I just need to relax because I can do it! (And if I can't there is no shame in asking for help)

It was hard work. This is what my hands looked like after the digging, moving rocks, setting up the irrigation system and planting.



But I was so happy with my final result. This is what I was left with at the end of the day





I decided on my flowers based on our partial sun, dry climate, color story (staying with only yellows and purples- which goes well with our brown house), Internet sites recommendations, and multiple trips to Moon Valley Nursery. Oh, I also picked them based on how pretty they were. My favorite has ended up being the Mexican Sage (tall purple plant). It seems to also be holding up the best as well. The Hibiscus and Annuals I think wish they had a bit more sun than what our backyard provides, but so far they are hanging in there.

I did some touch ups and my final project was ready for Jeff's birthday party (more to come on Jeff's 28th birthday party later).

Busy Bees

These past few months have kept us really busy.

First in July we went on vacation to Cali for a quick weekend trip. It was so nice to get away from work and just relax on the beach. We were originally suppose to go to Lake Tahoe with Jeff's family but my license renewal fell perfectly enough to mess up our flight plans. I guess Vegas is now mailing you an updated license, which takes 10+ days, but in the mean time they punch a hole in your current license, making it invalid. I wasn't taking my chances with an invalid ID trying to get on plane- no way!

Instead we . . .

Slept on Venice Beach, Went to a Dodger Game,





Went La Brie Museum, even hit up a concert and saw the New Pornographers





It was lovely. I didn't want to come back to reality. This is one of the few trips Jeff and I have actually been on without family members. I believe it is the third trip to be exact. I like having just husband and wife time.

Then in early Sept. we headed out with my family to celebrate my Grandpa Jones' 90th birthday. That is right I said 90th! I was so glad to be up there celebrating with him. He is one of my most favorite people in all the world.



When Heather and I were little we spent ample amounts of time over at my Grandma and Grandpa Jones'. We read lots and lots of books together, played on the swing set in the backyard, and went for walks. It was like play land. When we moved away from Utah we were still sure to come back for Holidays and visits but I missed seeing them everyday. Then, when I went to college I was close enough to come down and visit often. Sometimes we would stay up until one or two in the morning just talking and listening to their stories. Those are my favorite memories of college. It's amazing when you finally get to know your grandparents as the amazing people they are, as friends, and not just the people you visit on Christmas.



On one of me and Heathers recent visits to the Jones' house we went out for dinner. Grandpa Jones said at dinner that he felt like we were more like his children then his grandchildren, we had spent so much time together and gotten to know one another so well. I held back my tears and thanked him for the compliment. I am so glad that these two people are in my life. I don't know what I would do with out them. It was great to celebrate such a momentous day with family and meet my Grandpa's current and past friends. It was a wonderful day.

A few weeks later we took off of work and made the 9 hour trek up to Blanding Utah to see my cousin Tyler Bailey get married in the Monticello Temple. We even met a new friend on the way pictured below.



Tyler's new wife was the cutest, chilliest girl. The ceremony was beautiful, the weather was perfect, the cabin venue was relaxed, and the food was SO GOOD. It was an idyllic day and way to get married.



After the ceremony at the temple we all headed back to the cabin. They had a great spread waiting for us with the hugest dutch oven I have ever seen.



We all just ate and hung out with family. Some people went out horse back riding and other went out on the four wheelers. I was, unfortunately, sicker than a dog. I don't remember a time when I have ever been in more pain due to such awful congestion, so I opted for naps and reading instead of horses and four wheelers. I left feeling so much better though, after all the resting and my Grandma Bailey's cooking. It was just what the doctor called for.



The next week was Jeff and I's 3rd year anniversary. It was pretty chill as well. We exchanged embarrassingly stupid and silly gifts, that topped out at $10 a piece, then we went out for dinner at a 'real' restaurant - PF Chang's. A couple nights before we went to see Band of Horses as a gift to one another.



It was a good anniversary. I am so glad I married this man.

In between all this hubub I even started to take on a few projects that I will share later when I have another moment to blog but here is a sneak peak.

GUSHING

I don't sing Jeff's praises nearly as much as I should on this blog. Anyone who knows us knows that we are plenty gushy enough in person, always holding hands or telling each other we love each other. We can get pretty annoying to those around us. Well, I'm not stopping there, I'm going to gush about my man all over the Internet too. He is just so lovely.

The past few weeks have been pretty demanding for me at work, a lot of overtime, a lot of stress, and Jeff has been such a camp during the whole thing. My birthday was on July 3rd and he made an extra effort to make sure that I was relaxing and having a good time.

On Friday July 2 he cleaned the WHOLE house in the morning. I mean top to bottom. He also cut down our IKEA bar stools that we bought last year. He picked up the wrong bar stools on a solo trip he had up to SLC (they were bar height instead of counter height) and he finally cut the legs down for me :) Then he met up with me at work to go to lunch before he went into work. That night, while he was working, I went and ate at Don Juan with 'the girls' and strolled through a few thrift store shoppes at First Friday.

Later that night when he came home from work I was still up watching a movie. He said he had to bring in one of my presents because it couldn't stay in the car. It was close enough to midnight so I gave my consent. He came in with a pot full of manure and something behind his back.



He said "Tulips are beautiful (as he took the bouquet of tulips from behind his back), but soon turn black. That's why for your birthday I got you a bucket full of crap (lifting the pot full of manure)." I love that he is always writing or making up short little poems or sayings. We are dorks that way together.



Jeffery NEVER buys me flowers. He thinks floral bouquets senselessly kill living plants. I think God probably put flowers here for our enjoyment and they should be utilized as such. Giving me both store bought flowers and manure to plant flowers was a clever way for him to make both of us happy. He said the pots are for the lavender seeds he got me for Valentines day. He's so cute. I was so happy to finally be getting flowers from my hubby after nearly 3 years of marriage. Great present.

The morning of my birthday he told me to stay in bed and watch some HGTV. A little while later he came up with a tray of homemade pancakes, syrup, some juice, bacon and eggs. We sat and watched tv, ate and cuddled. After we enjoyed our little breakfast in bed he told me it was on to my next birthday surprise.

He had an electrician coming the next week to finally wire and install ceiling fans for our bedrooms upstairs. I was so excited! Our upstairs is super hot in the summer so as unattractive as ceiling fans may be, I couldn't wait to install them. (I live in the desert where it gets up to 115 degrees in the summer, Decorators can kiss my booty if they wouldn't approve of ceiling fan installation!) So off Jeff and I went to a couple shops to find 3 ceiling fans. We still have some work to do with them, but we are mostly there, and it is already making such a HUGE difference in the temperature of the rooms upstairs.



After ceiling fan shopping we met up with my parents to eat some lunch at Red Robin. Afterwords he made up some silly excuse for everyone to come back to the house. When we got there he had my favorite red velvet Nothing Bunt Cake waiting for me. Everyone sang me Happy Birthday. He is so cute. Nothing better than my three favorite things on a birthday afternoon, family, bunt cake, and Dr. Pepper. Mmmmm.



Later that night we went into the city and after some logistical struggles (I've come to expect these things when I don't plan things)we finally made it into see Edward Sharpe and the Magnetic Zero's perform. It was a super good show! If you don't know these guys you've probably heard their stuff on TV commercials and movies. If not, listen to them here or here. On the drive to the show he told me that there was even more to my birthday then the flowers, thoughtful surprises, and our date night. He got us tickets to see the Swell Seasons in August!! I AM SO EXCITED!!!!! You must fall in love with these two as much as we have, visit them here.

It was a wonderful birthday. I love making a big deal out of birthdays and I'm so glad my hubby indulges me. I'm already planning his birthday in October and I can't wait to surprise him with something almost as cute and thoughtful as he did for me on my big day. I just love him!



We rounded out the three day weekend with the family. On Sunday, the 4th of July, we went to the Bames for their annual barbecue and fireworks.



Monday we went over to my parents house and had a wonderful fish dinner with my family and some of the Bames. I opened my presents from the rest of the fam and then we all headed out to see the new Twilight movie to end the weekend with some good comedy.



It was a marvelous weekend. I am so blessed to have such a lovely husband, be part of such great families, and to be able to be so spoiled on my birthday!!

To Dine or Not to Dine

For some reason lately I've been itching for a permanent dinning area. I'd love to have a full on dining room, but we'd have to move to make that one happen. That's not in the cards for the next few years.

So my question is, do I put the cash down and get a small table now, or wait until we move and get a full on big dinning table at the next pad we live in? My concern is, would we really ever use a dinning table or would it just collect mail and "stuff"? All of the current bare counters where I have strictly instructed "under no circumstance can any items be left on this counter!" are all covered with rented movies, mail, magazines - you name it. If there is an empty space the DH thinks it is fair game to put "stuff" on. My guess is a dinning table would end up the same -covered.

BUT, then I look at beautiful little dining spaces like these from Living Etc-



I think a nice little round table like this would fit nicely in our small home. I love how little visual space it takes up.



The base of this table is amazing. The color of paint, glass table, and mix matched white chairs gives this such a fresh feeling. Lurve it!



I WANT THESE CHAIRS!



Again, this color palette is right up my alley. I love the simple drum shade over the table instead of some fru fru chandelier.

These totally make me drool. Plus, I really miss dining without the TV on. Whenever Jeff and I are actually together around dinner time we will usually cook something up (meaning Jeff will cook something tasty) and catch up on shows on the DVR. Our current dinning table is either our laps or the coffee table. Not sweet.

Our "nice" table is this fold out table in the stairs landing downstairs. When we have guest come over we have to clear off all the mail/stuff, Find a place to hide all this mail/stuff, drag the table into the living room, put on a table cloth, and find any random chairs around the house. I'm pooped before we even sit down to eat.



For those of you with smaller families and living spaces what do you find? Do you actually use your dinning tables? Or do they tend to be dust and mail collectors?

P.S. I love this poster above our fold away table. Jeff stole this from the concert we went to during our very first date, exactly four years ago this past June 1. I cannot believe it's been that long!!

Points of View

So this blog is little lack luster. I can tell because not even my family checks in on the blog. Yes, sad I know. But I really didn't start a blog for others to read; really, I started it because I wanted to capture our lives a little. I like to write, and I'm much more likely to do this than write in a journal.

But lately, I'm thinking that maybe I need something more than writing here and there to pass the time/keep track of life. I think I want to give some focus and a point of view to the blog. When I thought about what I want to spend time on and what I need to spend time on, I came to the following conclusion:

When I am done with a long day of work what honestly fills my mind is how crown molding would really make such a difference in our living room, or what fabric I would get to reupholster the sofa if money was no object. *Day dreaming about fabric swatches* Yes, these are not mind blowing thoughts that fill my head. It's like my white noise, it's just always in my head.

When I think of what I need to spend my time on, the first thing that comes to mind is DOING something. Most days after work I don't feel like doing anything but sleeping or sitting on the couch. (I do not know how working moms do it, it's difficult enough without kids.) I need to have some motivators to get me moving. My motto's for the year are TAKE ACTION and LIGHTEN UP (I make up motto's, not resolutions). I'm lazy and at the same time take life much too seriously. For heavens sake I still can't decide on a gray paint that I started picking out two months ago. I'm working on it.

My final conclusion is that I think I am going to make this blog more about my hobbies and little projects. Not because I think anyone will want to read about it. Not because I'm a closet interior decorator. Not because I'm crafty. (Who says you have to be good at something to make it a hobby?) This is simply to keep myself accountable (at least to a blog), explore my hobbies in written form, and do what I like doing.

When there is something interesting in our personal lives I'll still post about it. But to be honest, it's just the two of us, and our lives aren't all that interesting. I don't know what sparked my interest in design/art the past few years, but it's worth exploring. I'll just blame HGTV and ETSY.

Spring has Sprung

Spring has come and we've been reveling in it for the last few weeks. (It seems to come a little earlier here in Vegas, even if the official start wasn't until today.) We took a quick trip up to St.George with my family to go hiking and see the Grandparents.


The Three Patriarchs at Zions


Jeff & me at emerald pools


We had the tripod so we took advantage of the scenery and took some family pictures. I think this one is our favorite.

The following weekend we still weren't done enjoying the great weather, so we went on a local hike to Anniversary Mine. Jeff forgot the camera when Heather, Jeff, and I went, but later that same week Jeff took two of his sisters on the same hike and remembered the camera.


Jeff in one of the mine tunnels in the canyon.


Jeff and Amanda trying out a Star Wars pose.

All the mean while I've been doing some spring cleaning. Even though we've been in this house a little over a year now, a surprising amount of stuff is still sitting exactly where we set it down when we were moving in. So, each week I am taking on a new area that needs to be organized.

I've tackled under the kitchen sink, the linen closet, and the laundry area. Next on the list is the garage. We took a truck load of stuff to the D.I. a couple of weeks ago. I still had most of my high school clothes AND every formal dress I ever wore. RIDICULOUS! I know, but now they are gone. I didn't even shed a tear. I know I'll NEVER fit into those things again, and even if I did, I'm sure it wouldn't be in style. I don't know why I keep these things.

I've also been trying to paint the upstairs and am having a hard time finding the perfect light gray.

Not to mention finishing painting a single room. The hall and study are half painted and primed and have been in total disarray for a good two weeks. I find it's much too pretty outside to be inside painting, but I know I'll regret it once it gets hot and I'm painting the hall in the muggy heat.

Another thing that will be new this spring, besides a more organized space, is that I was offered a new job. I am hopeful, excited, nervous, and little sad to leave my current position. BUT, with the extra cash on hand we'll be able to take on a couple more projects around the house sooner than we'd planned. That of course makes me monsterously happy.

Before summer hits we'll be installing ceiling lights and fans in the bedrooms upstairs. Does anyone know a good electrian or how to find one? Then this summer I want to take on our study. Right now it's where all of my single life, college furniture goes to die. It'd be nice to have a real study/office space. I'm excited for a newly decorated space and the challanges that come with navagating a new office and job title.

Finally, guess who turned SIXTEEN yesterday? Yep. My little Sage is 16. I can barely believe it.


Sage on her birthday

Remember that age? It was so fun having such little responsibility. Yet, life seemed so serious and you thought you knew everything already (at least I did). I honestly fear the day this girl gets her license! I'll post a warning on our blog maybe :)