Ode to Kelly

Has this ever happened to you? You live somewhere and say you've lived there for 2 years and a couple of months before you move you find a really cool person? It's tragic. Really sad. That's how my friend Kelly is. I'm writing this without her knowledge and she's probably thinking, "Dude this chick is crazy." Then she'll stop returning my calls and stop talking to me cold turkey. Probably not. She doesn't scare easily. :)

She is creative and smart. Sometimes I think that I'll stop hanging out with her because she just oozes creativity out of every fiber of her being and it makes me just a smidgen jealous. Ya'll should check out her Etsy site. Every time I look at it it makes me think of different members of my family and friends. Christmas is coming up! Beth I have you, so find something you like!

The Party....

Well, my party last night was to say the least, fantastic. Not only did it push me to do things decorating wise that I'd never done before, but wanted to, but it was also fun to just hang out with friends and family.

Here is something that maybe everyone as done, but I've never done before. It's simple, you cover a artists canvas with fabric using a staple gun. I found this HUGE canvas at DI ( Deseret Industries Thrift Store) for $8. Here it is. An old woman that walked past me said, "What a lovely picture!" And she was serious. I guess it's lovely in it's own way... Do you like the finished product? I'm hanging it above my dresser.

It's never a Cash Bash until they get out the instruments. :) Buck on Banjo, D on guitar and Nick on mandolin. It was fun. I got to use my collection of old canning jars with tealights to set the ambiance. I don't know what it is about candles, but it just makes everything seem so magical! Anyway, I too was busy having fun to take pictures. Sorry!

This is Evie's first day of preschool. I'm not sure why she's making this face, she does it all the time though. She's a bit hard to handle. :)

Something I Just Don't Like To Do...

I have good intentions, I really do, but somehow I don't plan ahead. I feel a little stifled if I plan ahead. Like if I have something planned then I feel like it's taking up all of my day and leaves no room to fly by the seat of my pants. Does that make sense?

Which brings me to my current situation. We are having a house warming party on Friday, Sept 25th. Everyone is invited! I even bought these cute little cards to mail to people, but I couldn't find addresses and blah blah blah. It's from 7-whenever you want to leave. I WILL have food. So come. I want ya'll to see the house!

Our address is 1910 VanBuren Ave. Ogden, UT

Take the 21st Street Exit and stay on through downtown
Ogden. Take a Left (North) on VanBuren and go 2 blocks.
Our house is on the east side of the street.

Do you Think it's a Disease?

Sometimes I wonder if I've got a disease. A good deal shopping disease. It was ingrained into me at a young age. My mother is quite possibly the most frugal woman I know. She rarely eats out, she never buys something unless it's on sale, and she is an avid yard sale shopper. You might think to yourself..."Well what's so bad about those things?" Well, the bad thing is that sometimes I buy things because they're such a good deal, not because I need them, but more I feel I HAVE to have them.

Which brings me to two days ago. There is a store here called DownEast Home. They get out of stock clothing and Pottery Barn furniture, bedding and expensive Nordstrom jeans and stuff. It's like a beautiful shiny heaven to me. If I won the lottery I would go there. So, once or twice a year they have a tent sale. I've never been (truth be told I wouldn't trust myself in there. ) but this sale I thought, "I can handle this." I'll just make a list.

Ha. Really it's laughable. On my list were curtains, for pretty much every room. When we moved into this house there were no blinds, curtains, anything. So, I've been tacking up random pieces of fabric in an attempt to walk around in some sort of privacy. I'd had enough.

I had heard that these sales can get kind of crazy. I realized it was true when I walk in and they hand me a black BIG garbage bag. OK. This must be good I tell myself. I tell Evie, stay under the table and play with your little dog toy because Mommy's going to look. Hey I didn't know if she would get trampled!

Well, an hour later and after many failed attempts of Evie to JUST WALK OUT BECAUSE SHE WAS SO HOT, we left. I was proud of myself. I only spend $33. None of it was curtains though. They didn't have any, BUT they did have super cute monogrammed items. Here is my itemized list.

8 carpet squares 2/$5 - $20

2 Monogrammed Pillow Cases $1 each
1 Full sized Flat sheet $5
1 small decorative pillowcase $3

1 Silver clock $3

The bedding I got is for Alyssa's room/guest room downstairs, so it's not a useless purchase. The useless purchase was the next day when I went back and found these shams for $1. I loved the look of them, but truth be told I have no where to use them (YET). Hey it's better than drinking soda, right? At least it's tangible?! I don't know, this is a long rant. Sorry about that. I guess I'm just wanting to know if other woman have this same issue or is it just me?

I Feel the Earth Move...

Backhoe's should be considered one of the many wonders of the world.

Our new next door neighbors are awesome.

These are the things I know for sure.

What are the chances that we move next door to people who know how to do everything and aren't afraid to try? Slim I tell you. Gary (next door neighbor husband) is in charge of the grounds for the school district in Ogden. SO...he knows all about using a Bobcat and landscaping and using diesel fuel as a weed killer. Yeah, we take MOST of his advice but we had to draw the line at the diesel. So, long story even longer, I ask Gary how much it is to rent a Backhoe. He responds, "Ahh I know the people down at the rental place so I'll just get one. No joke 10 minutes later, there's a Kubota all ready to tear crap apart.

First he ripped down the fence that was inbetween our back yards and then proceeded to make 2 levels out of our back yard. We're putting in a retaining wall because supposedly there was some flooding in the back yard due to the slope of it. He pulled out a HUGE stump and just basically rocked it.

BUT THEN (insert dum dum dum music) as he was finishing up pulling the rest of the fence out a pipe puncured the back tire. Sh&%! I didn't say it but I knew everyone was thinking that as we heard the familiar PSSSSHHHHH. Dude. So, the back yard is mostly level but we have to smooth it out just a bit and we have to sell a kidney to pay for the back tire. A perfect Saturday.

The Anti-Climactic Birthday of the Century

Ethan is now officially 7.

Last year for his party we had a BIG one, so this year I wanted to have a family party. This means something different to my husband. He thinks...hmmm...extended family and cousins and the whole shabang. I meant just US. But as we talked about it more, I realized that when we had a family party growing up, that there were a lot of siblings around so it SEEMED like a big party. I had never thought about that. So, in my efforts to try and throw together some sort of surprise party, I fell flat on my face. It was sad! I guess most people don't go by the seat of their pants very well. BUT...he did get some new Legos and a sweet hoodie from Grandma Massey. It was not the worst day of his life let me tell you. But, next year look for an invitation to the biggest party this side of O-Town (which I will prepare for months in advance)!

It Rhymes With Mellow

I've always been fond of mustard. Really, I love the flavor. But, never, I repeat never have I ever thought about wearing the color or using it in my decorating. BUT, lately I've been loving most every shade of yellow. I love to wear a mustard color, I like to decorate with a sunny yellow, and I really love a yellow eyeshadow. Maybe I'm maturing in my color palette with old age and all that! Anyone else know what I'm talking about?