Phase 2: Laundry Room

For months I have been wanting to put bead board up in our laundry room. So, for my birthday, Matt took me to Lowe's. ( I know, every girls dream is to go to Lowe's for her birthday. lol)
But this year, that was my dream.

This is the laundry room wall before...













GROSS!















This is my personal contractor. He is amazing!














Lookin' good!




























Almost done. Just need to do the touch ups and hang the hooks. Yippee!
















This is my contribution!












My new hooks!













Love it! Love it! Love it!




















...and this is better than getting clothes for my birthday...it fit in the laundry room perfectly! Ha



...Um, I wonder what project will be next???
Photo wall? Crown Molding in master? Pantry? So, many choices, so little time.

Phase 1: 1/2 Bath

We have been working on updating the 1/2 bath and laundry room. Even though neither are complete, I wanted to show the progress so far:

Before the bead board was red and the bathroom had a Americana feel.













Still need to update some decor and frame the mirror.














New Decor~ Love the green and black together.
















Here is an after shot of the black bead board and new decor.














Black Bead Board. I love it!












My new rug that was the inspiration for this room.
Laundry room pictures coming soon.

Time to plan...

Lately I have felt like getting out of Utah. I am a person that loves to travel and staying in the same place for too long, starts to drive me crazy. I have been getting very anxious to plan a trip for Matt and me. He wants Tropical, I want Scenery. We're going to have to compromise. I just can't take this Utah weather any longer. Any suggestions?
I was reflecting on our past vacations and they are some of my favorite memories. I just love to look at family pictures and reflect on the time that we have spent together, enjoying each others company. Have a look!


Disneyland
















Boston, Mass.














Hawaii













Yellowstone












Disney Cruise
















Caribbean Cruise











New York

First project of the year, complete...almost!

My very sweet brother and sister-in-law gave us their dining table and chairs. Matt was very ambitious and wanted to refinish them. He got to work right away. So, for my Valentines Day gift, instead of Chocolates and Roses, I got...













































These beauties. I think he did an amazing job.














Now that Kenistyn is getting bigger, she can sit with us at the dining table...now that we have enough chairs. (Thank you Mike & Karin.) We Love them.

















Thank you, Matt for your hard ward. I love YOU! Now, if I could talk Matt into refinishing the table...

Things to do in 2011:

Matt and I have slowly been updating our house...we've only lived here for 8 years...its about time. But I have learned updating a home takes patience, time, and money. (So... a job would help in this process.) So, we have learned to do things ourselves and on a tight budget.
This year I would like to update a few rooms in my house:


Laundry Room:


















Family Room:














Half Bath room:














Master Bedroom: This room always gets put at the bottom of the list!













Stay tuned for the Transformations!

Wrapping up 2010

We were so blessed this year. Despite the fact that Matt has been unemployed for over 6 months now, we have been blessed more then we ever have...or at least I recognize all the blessings now. I was very overwhelmed by the love and compassion others have shown our family. There were countless nights that someone knocked on our door and left a surprise. I don't know who most of the "door-bell ditchers" were. But if any of them read my blog; this is my "Thank-You". You may never know the impact a small act of service might have on another individual, but I am here to express my love and gratitude. Service gives another person in need, HOPE. I was anticipating a very different Christmas this year. One where we would have to explain to our children why under neath the tree was bare...but I didn't have to explain that. Quite the opposite. They wondered why there were so many gifts. I know Christmas is not about the gifts. Our kids know its not about the gifts. What they do know is that people are good and kind and very generous.

We are surrounded by wonderful family and friends. I just want to say, that we love you, everyone of YOU. We have been humbled by all the experiences we've had over the years. We can't wait for the opportunity to pay it forward.












































She LOVES that pillow pet.

More Crafting~

I saw on a blog a while back a picture frame that was re-purposed as a tray. I loved that idea and decided I needed a Halloween center piece for my table. This is what I came up with:




A $6 frame from Family Dollar:Husband modeling the Frame:

Prime the Frame:

Forgot to take the picture, but I spray painted it black and sewed some material strips together to make the background:


Added a crow, a candelabra and some candy and its ready for display.