Now on to the living/dining room...

Well I am in the process of getting my front room decorated & all finished. My goal is to have it completely done by the end of September. Between now & then I need to make curtains (this is going to involve some paint - yikes!), paint & recover dining room chairs, & then get my front room painted & some work on that. Luckily I won't be doing the painting in the front room, but will need to get the chair rail done. Below is a little peek into some of the fabrics/paints that will end up in the room. I'm super excited!

4th ward in 2 years!

I figured I needed a picture with a post & while this doesn't have anything to do with my post, it is a temple I love for many great reasons & so seemed fitting. It's the Newport Beach Temple for anyone who doesn't know.


I started a new ward today. This will be my 4th ward in the last 2 years. Lots of starting over, new faces, new callings, etc. When I think of the 3 wards I've been in the last 2 years I think of all the different people I met, friends I've made and people who have blessed my life. All 3 wards had very different dynamics and leadership. All great in their own way. I also can see in some of the wards that I needed to be in that ward, at that time in my life. It's interesting that some places you can be for short times can have the greatest impact on our lives. All my moving wards have been mostly not of my choosing, but required by changes in a stake, moving & finally aging :-(. The last two wards I was in were for less than a year and just over a year.

The first I was in for just 9 months and it was so hard to leave. I've never had a harder time leaving or saying goodbye even though I had been there such a short time. That ward & the leaders & members of the ward were such a blessing & just what I needed during that time of my life. I don't know how to put into words my experience there, other than it was an answer to many said and unsaid prayers.

The ward I just left was also a great blessing, but in different ways. It tried my faith a little more, but I've left stronger spiritually and with a closer relationship with my Father in Heaven. What more can you ever ask from a ward?

Now I am back in a family ward for the first time in 12 years. I'm so used to the total silence of a singles ward (which is just amazing) and used to lessons, talks and comments being relevant to where I am in life right now. I'm going to greatly miss those things and am a little sad when I think I won't have them again, at least the silent part. But I know I'm where I should be right now & so with that am excited to move forward and receive new callings & meet new people. I'm sure with time I'll get used to all the noise & constant movement in Sacrament meeting.

I know if we bend our will to follow the Lord's that we'll have experiences and be in the places that we need to be and that'll be some of the greatest blessings we'll ever receive in life.

Done, done, done! Finally!

It's finally finished - or at least for now. I still need to make one pillow, but I can't seem to make up my mind on what to do, so until then it's done. I'm really happy with how it all turned out.

First the before pics...

Cabinets & countertops I hated and no color. :-(





And now the after...











Bar stools I love!! I found them at a thrift store for $8 each! In great shape & they fit perfect. Just a little fabric & they were good to go.




It's amazing what a little paint, fabric & few new items can do to a room! Thanks so much to my mom who helped a ton with the painting & sewing & finding me the entertainment center!

I've just about finished, but until then...

My family room is basically all done. Just one more pillow to complete & I will be able to finally check that off my list. Then it'll be on to the bigger job of the living room, but for right now I am just enjoying being done! I love how it's turned out. Pics to follow shortly.

Until then, I was going through the pictures on my camera & found the ones from my trip to Newport last summer. The hotel we stayed at happened to be across from a great shopping center, which also happened to have the store below! It might be my 'happiest place on earth'. I mostly looked, although I did have to try on a couple!




And speaking of shoes, can I quickly just share how amazing I think these shoes are??? If only they weren't almost the price of my mortgage I'd definitely have them in my closet!


Closer view


For right now I just have to settle for a knock off, black pair. I keep hoping I'll miraculously find these for 90% off! :-)

Not a morning person, but...

I am not a morning person. It's not that I'm grumpy when I wake up or that it takes me a while to get going. I am actually pretty pleasant & alert when I wake up (if I say so myself :-)), but I'd much rather be up really late at night than early in the morning, & certainly not while it's still dark, but that's what I've started doing. My family (at least 18 of us) are having a Biggest loser competition & I'm excited about that. I feel ready to be fully committed & successful in eating healthier & exercising & so then losing weight. I know that if I have any chance of being a regular exerciser it has to be in the morning. By the time the end of the day comes around there is no way I am getting myself to the gym, so this has made it necessary to wake up at 5:30 in the morning! Yes it's still dark and today was cold, but I get myself out of bed & head to the gym. I drive down a road that for a few miles is lined with white picket fences & homes facing the street. I love it! While I'd never want to live in one of the homes facing the busy road, I love what it looks like. Then when I am headed back home after my time at the gym I have been getting to see the sun rise, which is beautiful (excuse the poor picture above as it was taken with my cell phone & possibly while I was driving). I'm not sure either of those things actually help me get out of bed that early in the morning, but they at least make it more enjoyable - plus the fact that I, on most days, have the item below for my after workout/breakfast treat. I hate milk, but I looove chocolate milk! And apparently this is a great after workout drink!



It's only been 3 days so far, but I'm 3 for 3 for the gym & eating as I should. I think my mindset must be different this time around as it doesn't feel quite as hard as other times. The competition is for 3 months & I'm excited about how much change can happen in that length of time. Really hoping that at the end I'll be the one that has $360 in my pocket (or the $180 of 2nd place), but as long as I have pants a few sizes smaller I'll be happy!

Who needs grass???

While I've been working & sewing to get the inside of the house done, my poor backyard has been neglected. On the best of days my backyard is only dirt & a couple lonely trees, but it has been sorely neglected. While I should have spent my time off this last week tackling this mess I instead avoided it. It won't be able to go for much longer, but for now I'm just trying to enjoy the 'greenery'.

I'm sorry, we don't take Visa...

Saturday was the first time in my life I think I've ever heard those words uttered. I've used my Visa card everywhere - including Mexico & Peru! I had finally decided I was going to pay the ridiculous amount of money for Giorgio Armani foundation. I had tried it on & was happy with how it looked & decided to just bite the bullet & buy a bottle. As I pull out my Visa card the nice sales associate tells me they don't accept Visa, just cash, check (who still takes checks???), American Express and a Neiman's card. I have never liked Neiman's Marcus as I think the people who work there always seem so snotty & won't give you the time of day. Never really understood that as it's not like they are raking in the dough, but I was forced this day to go there as it's the only place that sells this brand. Well after being turned away for only having Visa & refusing to pay the $5 to withdraw cash from a random ATM I went home empty handed. Probably good in the long run, but I'm still without foundation & not sure where to look next.



On to more successful Scottsdale shopping...

While I still am going to have my family room/kitchen completely done by the end of March, I spent Saturday couch shopping for the living room. I've been lucky enough to use Daniel & Marie's furniture in my living room, but since they are sadly moving to Missouri, they will be taking it with them and I will be back to an empty room. I had several ideas of what to do in the room & had trouble making up my mind, but I've finally decided on grey & cream and came across what I think will be the perfect couch. I knew I wanted a tufted couch, but had had trouble finding a good size & price for what I was looking at. I came across this sofa at Macy's & it has great reviews & came in grey, so decided that was a sign. I went on Saturday to see it in person & loved it. So after dragging my mom and Elise back down to Scottsdale to get their opinions I decided to buy it. It has to be made, so will be a couple months until it gets here, but I can't wait to see it. I'm slightly nervous as the fabric I picked I could only see a sample of, not see on an actual couch. I'm sure it'll be great, but am just anxious to see. Now I just need to find the 2 chairs I'm wanting. I have in mind exactly what I want, now I just have to find them & have them be in my price range!