Game Night With Joy and Chris

The other night one of my oldest and best friends, Joy, and her husband, Chris, invited Collin and me over for a game night. We had so much fun! Love you Joy! Chris and Joy, looking happily married (8 months! Way to go!) Me and Collin. Yes, those are poker chips. It's all good. We didn't play with $$. Joy, checking to see if her flush beat Chris' 3 of a kind.

Thanks, guys! Our house next time! And no, we won't play Apples to Apples.

DIY photo of the week (with the help of Gretchen)

When I got the latest issue of Better Homes and Gardens I saw this picture of house numbers on a front door and thought it would look neat on my front door. So I called Gretchen (check out her company Vinyl Vixens). She does such a great job!

Here is the No. part. Next time you are out and about check it out! It's not very often that you can do something seen in Better Homes and Gardens for less than $10!

Bear Lake

Last weekend Jen and Zach invited us to Bear Lake. Jen's family has a neat little place up there right on the shore. We had such a great time.

After a day of bike riding and playing in the water (Zach saved a bee from drowning) we played Ticket to Ride.

Collin, waiting for everyone to get it together and come play. Jen and Zach, losing gracefully.

And here I am, kicking some Ticket to Ride trash. I love this game. Everytime we play I win. What's not to love about that? Don't you love the coat? I'd forgotten to bring one. This is Jen's grandpa Leo's coat. Thanks Leo!

Sprinkler Magic

Picture courtesy of Flickr

My friend Jessica and I were out and about riding our bikes. The bike ride must have released our inner 8 year olds because we found ourselves daring each other to ride through some sprinklers. So we did.

DIY Photo of the Week

When we were looking at the types of wood for the banister, we decided on the standard oak thinking that when we moved in we would paint it white. As it grew closer to paint time, I started thinking black might look neat. So we went with black. I love painting things.

Another Family Reunion

Collin and I are on a roll with the family reunions. This past weekend Collin's parents took the whole family to Park City. The grandkids (and a few adults) went on the Alpine slide and the coaster. It was a lot of fun. Again, we got to see family members we hadn't seen for a long time. While there, we got a a caricature drawn of us. I think the artist really did a good job of capturing Collin. What do you think?

Family Reunion

Last week we spent some quality time with my dad's side of the family. I got to see some cousins that I havne't seen for a couple years, so that was nice. We spent the first day in one of the banquet rooms at Cabela's. We had a bluegrass band come and a cowboy poet. We watched a few home movies and then spent time getting to know what has happened since the last time we saw each other (they should get blogs!). The second day we spent in my grandma's backyard while my uncles and grandparents talked to us about family history.

The Family Photo. (Only 2 uncles, an aunt, 2 cousins, and a fiance were missing)

Once you turn your back, we get a little crazy.

Breaking Dawn

I finished it. For those of you who haven't finished it, no spoilers here. I will say, though, that I am dissapointed. I didn't hate it but it was my least favorite of all 4 books. Halfway through I felt the same kind of restlessness I'd felt when I read The Host. I had that feeling of "come on already, get to the story, enough rambling." I half expected Wanda to show up and start going on about how if the aliens took over there wouldn't be any vampires because vampires are bad and then Bella would start in on how some vampires were good and then Wanda would takeover Bella's body and fall in love with Edward... and Jacob.
I loved the story and I think she's a great story teller, she just takes way too long to tell her story.
And for the 3 people who voted for Jacob, we can still be friends.

UPDATE: There has been some talk that I skipped church to read Breaking Dawn. I missed church due to the second day of a family reunion. I'll post pictures once my cousin sends them to me if you don't believe me.

X-Files

So, as many of you either know or don't know, I've been an X-Files fan since the show began back in 1993. Yes, my mother let her 11 year old daughter watch X-Files, crazy, huh? Well, as a long time fan I was excited to go see the movie last weekend. I bought tickets the second they were available, got there early "just in case", and actually clapped when they started playing the signature X-Files theme. I didn't love it, but it was a good movie. Not the X-Files I grew up with, but it was still good. I went a second time last night just to make sure. I took Collin, my mom, and my step-dad and they really liked it. So I guess fans of the show just can't be pleased while non fans (most people) really like it. Oh well, I'm waiting for the next movie when the aliens start to colonize the earth and Mulder and Scully have to save the world. That's the X-Files I love.

Walton Court of Fire Rundown

Sorry it's been a few days since I've had a chance to post. So, here is a run down of our weekend, starting with Thursday the 24th. After I got off work we went to the Days of 47 Rodeo. TONS of fun. I didn't used to be a fan of the rodeo but that was back when I didn't really know what was going on. I've been going with Collin's family the last few years and it's starting to make sense. I forgot my camera, so no pics there. Later that night we came home for the most awesome block party EVER! The Walton Court of Fire turned out really great. We had between 80-100 people there and next year we're hoping to increase that number by at least 10. Debby and Toby brought a volley ball and net which brought out the competitive side in a lot of the guys. Tammi was awesome on the fireworks. She and her staff (staff being the few guys brave enough to assist her) had about 6 fountains going most of the time. Jodie, Sabrina, and Jamie did most of the shopping and got two piñatas. The kids really enjoyed those. The BBQ turned out great! All in all it was a really fun night. Any suggestions on how to make it better next year? Oh, and thanks to everybody who stayed and helped clean up. The yard and driveway were spotless by the time everybody left. I REALLY appreciate that!! Especially Malachi, who picked up two bottles that weren't even his. Here are some pics from that night.

They Came! (Only to sit in my spare bedroom for months)

I got home last night around 6 and had a little celebration on my front porch for, lo and behold, my curtains came! Fat lot of good they’ll do me for a while, but I have them and I’m happy with that. I also found another great deal. Jen was selling some end tables she didn’t need anymore for about half the price I would have paid for new ones. And they are beautiful (of course, Jen bought them, how could they not be?). Our spare bed rooms and garage are slowly amassing things that will one day (Collin, if you’re reading this “one day” means “one day BEFORE you go hunting this fall”) be showcased in our lovely new basement (said with The Price is Right joviality). Sorry, no pics today. I should have taken a picture of the box on my front porch. Just imagine it. It was a white box with purplish writing on it that said URBAN OUTFITTERS.

Walton Court of Fire

Our sign fell down during that crazy storm last night. I figured it would. Collin and I were laying there in the middle of the night listening to the rain and thunder while talking about how much we need the rain. We were silent for a moment and then I thought about the sign and said "my sign probably won't make it." And that is the last thing I remember before drifting off back to sleep. Poor sign. We hardly knew thee.

People have been asking if they can bring anything. For the BBQ it's a pot luck, so bring a side or a salad and your own meat (and buns/toppings if your grilling a burger). There will be a grill or two for grilling. We will be providing ice cream around 8, but if you want to bring some we won't say no. And then when it gets dark (around 9) Tammi will start the fireworks! Bring some sparklers or a few fireworks. The more we have, the better they'll be!

See you there!

An Inalienable Truth

The longer you scratch a mosquito bite the longer it takes for it to go away.

DIY Photo of the Week

This week's DIY is probably the easiest DIY we did. I was staring at my white heater vent one day (doesn't everybody stare at their heater vent?) and thought "what can I do to make that heater vent not stand out so much?" I thought about painting it with metalic spray paint. That's when I thought "I bet they come in metalic colors!" So on a weekly trip to Home Depot, I wandered aimessly and found these! I replaced all the heater vents on my main floor. And at $13.00 per vent, it was a fairly cheap way to make me WANT people to notice my heater vents.

Curtains for the Basement

So, I know the basement still has a cement floor (we bought the wood last Saturday) and no Sheetrock (we'll get that once we are done with the electric), but that hasn't stopped me from buying little things here and there when I find a really good deal (ceiling fans for $40 each!). My favorite purchase so far has been these vintage looking curtains I found at Urban Outfitters. I love them! I'm not usually a "curtain" or a "floral" type person, but these just really appealed to me. If you want to give your house a vintage touch this shop is for you. They also sell really cute vintage feeling clothes and accessories. I could go crazy there if I could afford it. For now, I'll just have to settle for the curtains. The shop at the Gateway (just south of Barnes and Noble) only has clothes and accessories.

You can find home furnishings online at http://www.urbanoutfitters.com/.

Walton Court of Fire!!!

Everyone is invited! Tell your neighbors, tell your friends! See you there!!!!

Sharon's Butterscotch Door

This door belongs to my dear mother-in-law, Sharon, who also happens to be one of my favorite people. This door was painted this past weekend because while visiting my sister-in-law, Cori, and her husband, Kyle, my father-in-law, Gerrit, told Kyle that the paint on his backdoor was peeling. Sharon found this amusing because she has for some time noticed the paint on their own sidedoor was peeling. On returning home, she teased Gerrit about this and before you knew it, Collin was painting this previously white door this beautiful butterscotch color with yellow trim. I love it! I'm already trying to figure out where I can use these colors and Collin is already trying to figure out a way of talking me out of more DIY projects.

DIY Photos of the Week

Last week's DIY photo of the week was the tile backsplash I put in. In the picture you could see a little bit of the painted cabinets. What a great segue to this week's DIY photo of the week! Collin painted our standard oak kitchen cabinets a creamy off-white color and then the 2 of us spent about 8 hours "antiquing" them with brown glaze. We'd slather the glaze on with a paint brush and then use elbow grease to wipe about 90% of it off. We then worked it into the edges. Collin put bead board up under the bar area. We then put black knobs on all the doors and drawers. It was a labor of love!

How We Spent Our 4th of July Weekend Part 3: The Gateway

In other non dog related news, I spent the majority of last Saturday morning cleaning our house while Collin continued working in our basement (which I will now call the Construction Zone). I shouldn't even have bothered to clean the floors for this is what I saw within minutes of sweeping. I give up.

Later that day I went shopping with my mom at the Gateway. The two of us then went and picked up Collin and my step dad, Allen. The 4 of us went back to the Gateway for dinner at Applebees and then saw WALL-E. WAY cute show. I enjoyed it even though the kid behind me kicked my chair.

Oso and Marley's Before Pictures

After waking up unsuspecting this morning and planning for a day of napping, Oso and Marley found themselves not napping but at All Pets Grooming for a haircut. Marley, the little lady that she is, allowed the groomer to cut her hair. Oso, showing true male aversion to grooming, grew frustrated after the groomer combed out and trimmed his beard and eye brows. The groomer called me midway through his cut to tell me Oso wouldn't let her comb out his belly hair for a trim. After hearing Oso howling in the background I told her to do whatever she could. Oso now has a shaved belly.

Oso and Marley's After Pictures