Halloween Inspiration

So if you know me at all, you know that I am not a lover of Halloween. I can understand the appeal of getting all dressed up into a costume and trick or treating, but unfortunately... it just doesn't really appeal to me. Maybe it's because I really don't care much for candy. Or it could be my complete lack of creativity or inspiration when it comes to getting costumes.... But it could also be the fact that no matter my intentions, I'm always at the last minute, annoyed that I haven't put anything together yet. Whatever the reason - Me and Halloween? ... Not buddies.

However, this year will be decidedly different. 2011 will be the year that everything changes. Here it is, only October 5th and already I'm thinking about my costume. Not that I have any ideas... but at least I'm acknowledging it early. And you know what else? I'm planning a party. I decided that perhaps if I mix something I love to do (entertain) with something I hate (Halloween)... maybe the love will overtake. I figure, it's got the best shot at getting me excited for the big "fright night" this year. And I do so want to be excited. It seems everyone around me is giddy with ideas for costumes while I'm over there rolling my eyes; annoyed because I can't think of a dang thing to dress up as.

I've been shopping (because I'm SO not creative enough to make a costume) and here are some thoughts so far. Maybe one of these costumes is calling my name:

 

 

Or maybe something like....

HAHAHA!! Okay I probably won't wear that one. That one may have been a joke. I could so not pull off that costume. But I think you get the idea. The point is, that I'm not procrastinating! And the more I shop, the more I find myself excited and contemplating what kind of costume is going to put me in the mood to be scared this year.

More details on party planning to come soon... What will YOU be for Halloween?

Wish I had an excuse...

It has been 3 months, 1 week and 4 days since I posted on my blog last. How is this even possible you ask? Well, to be quite honest... I'm not really sure. I was posting all the time before when I worked at a computer during the day. And somehow now that I am not working full time anymore, I seem to have less time for my computer. I think it's just a matter of getting back into the swing of things. It has been pretty crazy since we moved into our new home. Which, by the way has been fabulous, even though it still looks like a bachelor pad or something with no paint on the walls and nothing decorated. I'm sure it will all come together eventually, but we're taking our time and making sure we pick what we want.

I will include an update on the house and pictures of the finished product (construction wise) very soon. But for now, I'd like to take a moment to talk about our dear friends the Shumways. We love them and they have just recently moved to Utah. Steve got a job there that sounds like a really great opportunity and we are all so happy for them! But if I'm being honest, I have to admit that I am devastated. Amy is the first person here that I really clicked with. We were here for a long time before we finally started making friends and I feel like it's all thanks to the Shums. They introduced us to all their friends and it just snowballed from there. Anyway, we threw them a going away party and I have included some pictures from our night. It was such a great time and we just really enjoyed having everyone over to our house. We will miss the Shumways so much more than I can put into words. Anyone who has had the pleasure of their friendship, understands our sadness. =(

Kjersti and I put together a Shumway Jeopardy game that was basically a tribute to all things Shumway. It was so hilarious. I have never seen so many inside jokes and hilarious incidents put together in one specific game. We laughed and laughed. It was definitely a night to remember and I will miss those two so much. They have been such great examples to us and such amazing friends. They both have influenced our life for the better. I can only hope to find more friends as awesome as they are.

Best $80 Ever

What you are about to witness is one of my favorite things that our family does. It all started a couple years back when one of my grandma's siblings turned 80. We all got together and decided it would be really fun to come up with a creative way to give her $80 for her 80th birthday. So we all put our thinking caps on and came up with fun little projects. I think I did a scrapbook page that incorporated pictures of our family (we don't see them often at all) and when I put it in a sheet cover, I put 80 - $1 bills inside behind the page. Well it's sort of ballooned from there. Then the husband turned 80, and now another sister, and now HER husband. It's a full-on tradition now that we all love. I know it's lame that this is the first time I have posted pics of the projects... I have more pics from past projects that I will find and post later. But for now, enjoy our latest -

Happy 80th Birthday G.D.!!!

We always try to pick a little theme, so for G.D., since his birthday falls between Flag Day and 4th of July, we went with patriotic. This one is a little potted plant with flowers. Keep in mind, each of these projects includes 80 - $1 bills. It took us 2 days to finish all 5 of these. One from the Sannars, Haroldsens, Jones', Annie and Burdisons.

Here is a lovely Texas boot stuff with money. 

This one below doesn't really go with the patriotic theme, but once we thought of it, we couldn't resist. How cute is a pot of gold at the end of a rainbow?? We actually went to the bank and got 80 gold coins that are $1 each. It turned out so cute! 

And this one is just his name wrapped in cash! 

This one was kind of our retard project. Our initial idea was to make it look like a firecracker, but it sorta ended up looking like a patriot threw up all over our project... But hey, there's $80 in it - so I dont think he'll mind, do you? 

I love that as each of our relatives is turning 80, they are looking forward to what fun and creative thing we will come up with next. It's been a blast and I know it means the world to them. My family kinda rocks. :o)

More Awesome House Stuff!!

Man, our builders are just moving right along! I can hardly believe that we are almost done. And the best news? Our closing date just got bumped up to July 8th! Originally, we were closing July 21st, so that just pushed our packing mode into high gear! I have included some pics to check out. Enjoy!


 Our kitchen with the pendant lights Tim bought at Home Depot. These aren't ones that we picked out design-wise... but Tim had to put something on so that they can test electrical and pass inspection. I gotta tell ya, I think he did great and I love the way they look!! So for now, they are awesome with the black cabinets. :o)

Below, you can see the flooring they put in... A lot of the things you will see are just builder spec options. We chose not to upgrade most of our stuff because we didn't want the cost built into the loan. This house will be kinda like a blank slate for us to work on over the years as we can afford it. So no, in answer to your question - I dont love this flooring. But what can you do?  

Here are a couple shots of our separate tub & shower. We did upgrade for this, because that was something we didn't want to come in and do later. However, we did not upgrade the tile or anything like that... Someday we will pick the tile we want and do it ourselves. 

This picture below is taken from the master bedroom doorway, looking into our dining/living area. Kitchen on left and back door on the right. And you see you that window straight ahead? Yes, that's looking at my parents/sister's house. Neighbors!! Oh, and by the way - Josie feels right at home here already... might have something to do with our daily visits. 

And next we have a little closer look at the kitchen. On the left, will be our built in microwave/oven combo, and straight ahead will be our cooktop with vent, dishwasher and sink to the right on the bar. Love that I can clean my kitchen while entertaining and still see everything that's going on.  

And last but certainly not least, is a shot of our pantry which is across from the kitchen. A VERY friendly pantry size (although you can't tell with the doors closed) which I am in love with... same with the doors. 

Well, I hope you enjoyed our tour... Looking more like a home now! Hoping to see some carpet in the next day or two and I know we have countertops. So I'll get some pics of that up in the next couple days. I dont know why I'm excited for the carpet to go in... We're just going to go in and eventually rip it out to replace with hardwood. Oh well... crappy carpet for now? Who cares! I'm getting my own house finally! Woo!



Andy the Ragdoll

I know I've posted about my cats before...but I'm going to do it again. For journalistic purposes, I want these pictures documented. I have the most beautiful cat in the world. And even though his mood swings remind me of a teenage girl, I love him to pieces. I have become more and more allergic to him over the years, which makes me very sad. He has the coolest personality. If anyone is thinking about getting a cat, I highly recommend the Ragdoll. Great pets.

So yesterday, I was sitting on the floor next to my bed and putting on my ankle brace and knee pads for my volleyball game. I looked up and Andy was sitting on the very edge of my bed leaning over looking at me like he was going to kill me. I laughed so hard... then I grabbed my camera and took the pics below. It's always hard to get a really great shot of Andy that shows how pretty he really is because his eyes never turn out blue, or the flash always ruins it. I am pleased with how these turned out:

Is he not the most precious kitty you ever saw? I love him.