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 :)

"GIRLS" WEEKEND

We are Lora, Heather, & Amber. You might know us simply as the "girls." Known for our shenanigans and crazy antics, we simply became refered to as the "girls" to our family and friends. Did somethings break? Yell at the "girls." Loud giggling at church? Look for the "girls." We were always doing something.

We've had the most fun times growing up together and our little world just has not been the same since Lora moved to Tucson. So, Jeff graciously allowed for a "girls" weekend and he stayed home this January while Heather and I made the trek down to AZ for Lora's birthday.

We enjoyed looking at the native wild life,










we enjoyed the scenery and went for a hike,





We took off our shoes to cross the stream the first time.


The second time we used rocks to cross.


The third time we unsuccessfully tried to jump (I wish there was video of this). Needless to say, after this we walked through the stream with our shoes on.




"Octopus" Cactus

we were dorks . . . as usual.


I took pictures.


But most of all - we had a great time! I love these two "girls." I don't know what I would do without them. I can't wait for our next little adventure.



BONUS! Heather and I got to stop in Mesa and see our friends Melanie and Emily Cox who we haven't seen in YEARS! Basically, they are the cutest ladies in the world with equally cute kids. All in all, it was a great weekend!

House Tour (Apartment Therapy style)

It has been almost a year since we moved into our first house as husband and wife. And, just like us dating, it was not love at first sight with this house. It has taken some time to fall in love with. To be honest, I just wanted to get into a house. I knew something bizarre was going on with my job (I was laid off just a few weeks after the house purchase) and I wanted to get into something while we still qualified and the houses were cheap.

With Jeff having no opinion whatsoever on where we lived, that left it all up to up to me, and I needed to find something quickly. (Jeff said he didn't care if we lived in a cardboard box as long as we were together. Sweet, but I actually believe him, which is kind of scary.) He spent most of my house hunting nights at home watching 'the game.'

After multiple offers on tons of houses, ones I didn't really like and ones I cried when we lost, we finally had an offer for a house accepted! I was relieved, but not thrilled. This isn't exactly my dream house, but it was a house, and the mortgage was right around what we were paying for rent. This was success in my book.

Before we could move in, we had to get some things cleaned up and in habitable condition. This was not a well taken care of foreclosure after all. Below is the "before."



First thing to go was the floors. We had the upstairs carpet cleaned until we could afford to replace it and Jeff and his brother Spencer took out the flooring downstairs. There was just no saving it.



While the floor was out we painted the walls, then we put some wood laminate and tile floors down in the living room and kitchen respectively. These would not have been my first choice, but they were economical ones, and I really love the way they turned out. The yellow and brown tones really warm up the house. My favorite part was replacing the base boards. I didn't think such a small change would make such a big difference.



Normally I would like to live in a place a bit before painting, to see what the light was like throughout the day, but we did everything before we moved in. After we painted the blue I was a bit frightened. It looked so cold and too much like a nursery room color at the same time. We called it "iceberg blue" for a while. It needed more black/gray tones, but after a few months of living with it, the color started to grow on me.



Most people would think I should be afraid of the green in the kitchen instead of the blue, but I instantly loved it once it was on the wall. Jeff is actually responsible for this color. I gave him the choice between two greens, the current bright green and a more subtle green. I am so glad I went with his choice of bright green. I almost chickened out a couple times, even sitting at Ace Hardware for a good half hour trying to decide if I was going to change up the color at the last minute. Again, I'm very glad I didn't.



I like the colors we chose because if people never saw the owners of the house they would know young people lived here. It is a good reminder for me too, we are young and our house should be fun. There is plenty of time for class and elegance down the road.



Over the last year I slowly decorated, picking up pieces from Salvation Army and dragging things out of boxes from the garage (very limited budget with Jeffery still in school). There is still a list of things that I want to do, but I have come to the conclusion that there will always be more to do. There will also always be limitations. We have committed ourselves to spending under a certain amount on any renovations that we make to this house. After all, this is our starter house and we do not plan to be here for too long, no need to make any big investments. Especially in Vegas, during the state of the current market.

That said, here is my wish list for the down stairs:

Kitchen:
Granite counter top for the kitchen island,
Cute cafe curtains for the kitchen window,
Microwave mounted above the stove, and
Herringbone marble subway tiles for the backsplash.



Living Area:
Nicer TV stand (not just my old dressers painted brown, maybe something that is actually wood and not pressed board),
Brown carpet tiles for an area rug,
Pair of unique antique chairs to replace the Salvation Army finds,
Round glass kitchen table from Crate & Barrel w/ upholstered dinning chairs.
(right now we use our craigslist coffee table as our dinning table, classy.)

Outside:
Fire pit
BBQ
More seating
Bamboo & Shrubbery
Stained cement

I know this list will never come to fruition, but it is in my dreams. This will be put on hold for at least another year. Up next on the list? Tackling the upstairs. Most likely after that, everything will be put on hold for things like diapers and cute little knitted booties. So I have 90% resigned myself to letting this list go. Having it pried away one finger at a time.



For now, I am still falling in love with this house. After all, this is the house that will get us through Jeffery's school years and hopefully even graduate school. This is the house in which we will bring our first baby home to. This is our first home together. I am so grateful that we get to share this house, whether it is perfect or not, I know we are blessed. Sometimes I actually just sit downstairs and am amazed that this little 1400 sq ft place is our home, all ours, it's were we find peace and love.

Last minute MENS gift advice

I saw this column on one of the blogs I read. It is hiarious and very true. For anyone that is newly married (or at least still feels that way) and still struggles and what to get your husband for Christmas- this guy has some good advice.

Jeff and I always joke that his maturity age when we met was at about 8 or 9. Since we got married, we thought he is at least 14 or 15 by now. I'm sad to know, that in actuality, he may still be only 4. *sigh*

Kirby: A guide to great guy gifts
By Robert Kirby

Tribune Columnist

Updated: 12/15/2009 11:31:51 AM MST

If you haven't finished (or even started) Christmas shopping for the man in your life, I am just in time. This column could save you from living with the world's largest 4-year-old.
NOTE: I'm not kidding. In his heart of hearts, every guy is 4 years old. Five tops.

Anyway, the only thing that makes a guy sulk worse than not getting what he wants for Christmas is getting what a woman thinks he should have instead.
For the record, this includes any item in the following four boring Christmas gift groups: neckties, grooming, pajamas and self-help books.

On the bright side, shopping for men is relatively easy. Compared with shopping for women, it's no more complicated than getting something for the family dog or even just a stray.
Sadly, some women still manage to mess it up. Every year right after Christmas, you see men standing in line waiting to exchange nose trimmers, slippers and bulk deodorant. On their faces are looks grim enough to sterilize livestock at a glance.

A good example of this would be the year my wife got me a bathrobe for Christmas. For the record, it was not something I wanted, needed or had even asked for.
She got me a bathrobe for herself, or rather her own peace of mind. She was tired of me walking around the house, answering the door and going outside to get the newspaper in my underwear.
It was a nice bathrobe, velour with matching slippers. I took it back and exchanged it for thevideo "Kung Fu Monkeys, Volume Four" and a blow gun. With the money left over, I got a pizza on the way home.

So, what do men want for Christmas? Since you asked (or simply read this far), it's basically, anything you don't want him to have because it's a.) too expensive, b.) totally ridiculous, c.) almost certainly dangerous, and/or d.) socially disturbing.
However, if you're an understanding woman, or simply don't feel like having Christmas ruined by prolonged shouting from the garage, you'll get it for him anyway.

If you are shopping blind this Christmas, meaning that your guy hasn't specifically asked for something, or already bought it, you'll do well with any of the following:
» You can't go wrong with anything in the projectile category. While this generally refers to firearms, slingshots and crossbows, it also can be extended to cover artillery, rocketry and even catapults.

» Also appreciated by men Christmas morning are gifts that -- either by design or deliberate misuse -- can be made to explode. In this category are fireworks, surplus military ordnance, small engines and anything labeled: "Contents Under Pressure."

» While it's understood that many men can read, it's wise to avoid giving them books as gifts, particularly books having to do with relationships, child psychology, the feminine mystique, cats and any emotion other than raucous laughter.

It's almost impossible to go wrong with food, but people still try. In general, a guy would rather have a ham than a box of truffles. Whatever you get, make sure it's jerked, peppered, smoked and gastronomically irritating.

Want to give your guy an item of apparel that he won't take back? Get something that fits you and is see-through. Find it with his favorite sports team logo on it and it'll be the best Christmas he ever had.

Robert Kirby can be reached at rkirby@sltrib.com