Under-

appreciated.
mis- -stood.
cut.
pressure.
the weather.
fed.
mined.
wear.

New Fun Times

Well, I am a sucker for Craigslist. I might have a teeny tiny addiction. For cheapo things. Not in quality. Just in moolah.
Sooo, I've been wanting an entertainment center with enclosures (drawers or doors) for a few months. You see, Walker likes to get his perfectly little pudgy hands on all things electrically-inclined and/or utterly destroyable.
I looked for dressers for months. Probably two months. And I wanted some fun detail on it somehow, so I could glaze it, like I saw on Vintage Revivals. Voila. Meet Yucky Pink Dresser. (No offense, sweet mother of two darling daughters who made it!)

And, here is a silhouette.

This little sheila had a flimsy particle board top, although I did appreciate the curves. Sad.
Anyway, my inspiration was here:

Well, kind of, I guess. I wanted a black dresser with a stained wooden and slightly bulky top.
Then, one of my re-do heroes, Perfectly Imperfect, had a tutorial on how to dry brush.
Sigh. I really had a genius idea. I went to Home Depot and asked for simple black paint. I like Behr, just because it is what I used on another dresser, and I knew what to expect with it.
Michael helped me spray it with a... wait for it... sprayer. So, now the dresser was black.
I wish I had a boring black dresser photo to insert.
The only problem was the top. Once again, my handsome fireman saved the day. He took some old 2 x 6's and fashioned a new plankish top.
Then, miracle of miracles, my plan worked on the first try!
I mixed up some pale turquoise paint and dry brushed it on over the black! It might actually be a whitewashing technique. Basically, you dip the paint brush in paint and then remove most of it with a rag. Then, you lightly brush on the mostly gone paint.
Ready for this?

I took a chance at receiving some Harris Disapproval from M when I desecrated the simple wood with *gasp* paint. The top just looked too new and clashed with the body of my beauty.
M liked it and I LOVED it!

I hope you like it as much as I do! Yay for Craigslist! Yay for crafty Utahns! Yay for less literal button-pushing by a one year old!

PS I had the fab antiqued handles. M's toolbox got ripped off, and the handles were in it. Too bad. So, now I am savoring the search for the perfect bunch!

2011

Well, 2010 is gone. But, certainly not forgotten!
We rang in the new year as a family, and with the company of our friend, Bryanna Benson.
We actually banged pots and pans together.
I'm not much on New Year's Resolutions. Probably because I'm practically perfect in every way. Jokes.
No, but seriously, I prefer tentative goals. We are going to go on more dates, and I am going to get my hair cut regularly!
Walker is planning on having honey for the first time in 2011, and Michael is going to become a 29 year old man and also trust my ever-correct instincts more.
I just made this up.
I'm excited for the new year, though. I'm more excited for a lot of things, now that Mikey and I have Sev to show the world to. He is such an angel. Heavenly Father has blessed us so much with just 7lbs 12 oz. of pure happiness.
Babies, as you know, don't search for happiness. They take it with them where they go.
That is a new goal of mine. In fact, I spontaneously resolve to take happiness with me, instead of pursuing it.
I am so excited for Valentine's Day, too! Like Kirsten Cohen, I think it may become my favorite holiday.
I already have Michael's gifts all planned out! I'm so happy to have a big, handsome lover valentine, and a smallish monster-pants little boy for a mini valentine.
Yay.
Love you guys!

Apple-picking and Crafty Days

I have been crafty lately. I have some photos of Walker's room that I revamped. The photos only show half of the room, because the other half houses a monstrously huge desk. It will not always be like this! The desk will be moved to another, undisclosed location in the near future. Also, I put a thin bumper in the crib because Walker rolls around and, you guessed it, bumps his head. This bumper in the photos isn't the right size, but I liked the pattern with his crib.

I painted the crib with water-based acrylic. I should have taken a photo of the before shot. We got this crib at a garage sale for $10, got a new mattress and voila!

Also, I made this spyglass for Walker out of acrylic paint, mod podge and a paper towel roll! He isn't going to be a pirate for Halloween. It's just for fun. I think I might like it better than he does. Yesterday, we went apple-picking and got tons of apples! Walker loves them. So do we! Mike's mom went with us. She and Walker love each other so much. It is really cute. The orchard is in Springdale, UT, which houses the main entrance to Zion National Park. It was chilly, so Walker had to wear his new bearish hat, and be bundled up like a little old great-great-great grandpa. He ate and ate and ate this apple... ...and then fell asleep while eating it. It was much fun. I made this pennant banner from leftover twine and burlap from one I made for my sister's birthday picnic. And this ghost I made with mod podge and glitter and black paint. This cornucopia I bought, and then gathered harvesty items to fill it. Mike's mom has one, too. She helped provide me with the plentiful fruits! And finally, a black Halloween wreath I bought at Tai Pan. I put it on the wall and then decided I wanted something in it, so I put this antique pumpkin/crow decoration in it. The antique decoration is from my old boss and dear friend to our little family, Dr. Collins. The spider web to the upper right is authentic.

Family Pictures...

Last night, we had family pictures taken. Haley Ferris Mehr took them. She was so fun to work with! She was going to do my maternity shoot, but was out of town when I felt like I really needed them done. It's a good thing I didn't wait, too, because Walker came the next day! Amy Hummel was amazing, too! She did our newborns, as well.

Anyway, I really came up with the idea for our outfits one night, when I lay in bed, pondering what we liked best. Michael was easy. He loves being a fireman. I am not really a tomboy, or girly-girly, but I love tutus. Walker is a little king. So, I got so excited and called my friend Haley. She was just as excited as I was, and mentioned taking some photos with moustaches on our faces. I loved the idea, but forgot about it until yesterday. When Haley called to say she was leaving for Hurricane, UT for our shoot, and that she finished making our 'staches on a stick, I got so excited all over again!

It was so fun. Haley is so talented with all things design and visual. She mentioned needing a cheap helper for shoots, and I kind of want to volunteer, so she can show me the ropes, just for fun!
Love love LOVED it. And I am excited for more pictures and cupcakes with Haley at Sweet Tooth Fairy later this week!
Oh, and aren't my boys handsome?

Love Locks at the Paul Homestead

On Saturday night, we were probably doing one of the coolest things in St. George, and possibly on earth- putting our un-unlockable Love Lock on the Love Lock Gate on Main Street.
We were invited to the inaugural ceremony by our dear friends, Randy and Tammy Paul. We got a lock and put an inscription on it. The inscriptions were supposed to be ones of love. At least, that was my impression. Michael, of course, joked about bringing an unlockable lock in case one of us got a 7-year itch. Or worse. A 7-year Rash. He's a funny guy.
So, I was trying to think of something profound about eternal love when Tammy said, "They Said It Wouldn't Last," as a suggestion for hers and Randy's first Love Lock.
So, that set the tone and Michael and I entertained many possibilities. It was hard to choose an inscription. For an un-unlockable lock, you have to be pretty sure of what you are choosing.

We chose, "The Three Best Friends That Anyone Could Have B.M.W." Ask me if you want to know what that is in reference to. (I just ended that sentence with a dangling participle. Forgive me.)
It was fun, and a really cool idea. It reminded me of the chalk wall on Charlottesville's Downtown Mall, only the messages are permanent. So, that was that.

Rants and Raves...

Usually when I rant, I end up regretting what I have ranted.
@#$& regret and full speed ahead!
I strongly dislike when I end up doing all of the cleaning!
I don't know how it happens, but it does. Often.
I even take the crappy jobs so that the workload is shared.
Still. Nothing.
He never lifts a finger! Not one.
I scrub and wash and fold and today I even tried taking the double-paned windows apart to clean the hard water marks off of them, so I can spy on my obnoxious-dog-owning neighbors.
Did he even offer sage advice? Nope.
I vaccuumed. Again.
I did laundry and dishes.
I cleaned mirrors.
Sigh.
Will any of this change when he learns how to walk?
:)
I love him.