oh, christmas tree.

I wasted no time this year getting my Christmas tree and decorations up. I was very antsy and excited to get my condo decorated. Not that I have much to decorate. This year my nephews were over after I got the tree up and wanted to help me out. I figured my ornaments are shatter proof anyways so I let them help me decorate the tree. In the past I have had a nice blue and silver themed tree. This year I decided to go a little more bright. 

So basically I had a steady stream of toddler hands handing me ornaments. Whether or not I was actually ready to put another one up. It was so nice to see how excited this got them, and how well they helped. They were so proud of their finished product.

They were just to darn cute, I think they helped out nicely. 

Oh and for good measure, Lilly wanted in on the action also. oh and yes, my tree skirt is a blanket. Cheap Stephanie for the win.

This year I have the addition of a smaller table top tree also. For years as a child my grandmother always got my a holiday barbie. I displayed them nicely on a shelf in my room and was so proud of them, never to touch them. When I got too old to keep getting these Holiday Barbies she moved on to the ornaments. It is actually a very nice tradition, for years I acquired these ornaments and I had no where to put them. This year I decided to get a smaller tree and dub it my "barbie tree". My Nana will be so proud. 

I love Christmas time, the family, the togetherness, the spirit. It warms my heart to have these trees lit up when I get home. Is it wrong to keep a tree up all year?

Do you have a second tree? Maybe for those homemade ornaments, more sentimental ornaments?

Vacationing Part Deux.

I realized I never overloaded your senses with more vacation goodness that you don't care about. So sorry about that. Here you go my dear friends and people who care.

Every year my very generous father-in-law gets a house for all of us to share for vacation. It is nice to spend a week with family, and it lets me spend a week with my nephews also. I mean just look at these faces. I love being able to spend more time with them.

The rest of the week looked a little something like this. Some beach and more beach goodness. 

 

And looking at this handsome mug. 

There was also some putt-putt goodness. And some me kicking my husbands butt. 

 

Can you see that score, my dad would be so proud. 

We also visited the Wright Brothers Memorial. Genius... well duh, yeah we are.

View from the bottom. Long way up.

View from the top, took forever to walk up that hill. 

And ofcourse we visited to Aquarium. Not a lot to take photos of though.

I died over this doughnut. Maple glaze with walnuts. yum.!

And because I make my husband stand and take photos in front of objects and statues. 100% fake smile. 

He loves his aunt Sessy.

And because no trip is complete without Chips and dip and Mojitos.

And lets end the trip with this view. 

Until next year.

a little about me.

It seems this blog has turned into a bunch of lists. Fine by me. Fine by you?
So, who wants to know some fun facts about Stephanie?

1. I can not sing if my life depended on it. I have been told I sound like William Shatner when I do sing. Basically I speak the words I am supposed to be singing.

2. My middle name is Louise. I like it, my husband thinks it is funny and likes to call me Weezie.

3. If my husband would let me I would paint everything white.

4. I have a small sick obsession with pugs. I thought they were weird ugly dogs before I got one, and now I LOVE their faces.

5. I hate decorating for holidays. The only one I decorate for is Christmas and I.LOVE.IT. Any other holiday I hate the decorations and decorating for. I am also not a huge fan of dressing up for Halloween.

6. With that being said my favorite holiday though is Thanksgiving. Christmas is a close second, but Thanksgiving is my all time favorite. I love the food and the family togetherness. But mostly because I insist on wearing this shirt every.single.year.

7. I am a big family person, I love my family. I would see them everyday if I could.

8. I am not a big fan of surprises. I need to know what is going on at all times. I observe to the max and try and figure out what is going on.

9. I am not a cuddler, I love my space.

10. I don't really like cake that much. But I do like chocolate. I would love a snickers bar with a candle in it over a birthday cake any time.

11. I don't mind sorting and doing laundry, I just hate folding. It usually sits in the dryer for days and i re-dry about 10 times to get the wrinkles out before I finally fold it. Even then I may just take the pile and shove it in a corner of my bedroom.

12. I don't mind cleaning, I really don't. I just like if someone tells me how nice the house looks or smells when I am done. If i had that encouragement and praise every time I cleaned something, I may do it more often. Sad but true.

13. Baking makes me very nervous. To me it seems like an art, something that need perfecting. And I am not that great with time. I feel like baking is a big downfall of mine.

14. I am sarcastic by nature. I try to have witty comebacks to whatever you say to me. I am not afraid to be that friend that actually tells you the truth. My friends know this and hopefully this is why they love me? This makes me sound mean, I promise I am funny, or at least I think I am funny.

15. I have a few close friends and I like it that way.

16. All throughout middle school I had the nickname Step-on-me. I'm not sure how I felt about that.

17. I am a compulsive grocery shopper, meaning I usually go when I am hungry and I always seem to come home with a new cookie, cracker, snack, or Ice cream. As much as I love lists, and I make them, I can not stick to them.

18.  I have a problem finishing things I start. Most projects will sit for months before I finish that last leg to get it complete.


So that is a little about me, tell me a little about yourself.

thanks for the giving.

Thanksgiving, my favorite holiday. who wouldn't love a day dedicated to feasting on wonderful food, shared with family and friends! So before we all go put out our Christmas decorations, lets take a minute and remember what we have to be thankful for this year. So here is my list of reasons why I am thankful in 2012.

1. I have a wonderful family, this including my husbands family. I am thankful to have the opportunity to spend this thanksgiving with all of them and my mother at the same time. A few members are missing, but I am still thankful for this opportunity.

2. I am thankful for my loving and supportive husband. We just celebrated three years of marriage, but we will be celebrating eleven years of being together. And as everyday passes I am more and more thankful for having him in my life.

3. My friends, I am so thankful to have such a great group of friends. Some near, some far, but a great group nonetheless. I am also thankful for certain friendships that have grown tremendously over this past year.

4. My wonderful job. I am lucky enough to have a job I love and that I love coming to everyday. I could not be more thankful for getting this opportunity and being able to enjoy what I do on a daily basis.

5. My puppy Lilly. I am so thankful Shaun and I got her, she has filled a spot in our lives and now when we are away from her we miss her dearly. And we can not picture our lives without her. I can only imagine this feeling with kids.

6. I am thankful for the ability to spend every Sunday with my brother. It used to be maybe monthly I saw him, but I am very thankful that I get to see him and spend time with him every Sunday evening. As we watching certain t.v shows together and enjoy dinner. It is a wonderful time in my week.

7. I am not a real religious person, but I am thankful I am here today. I am happy with all the opportunities I have been given and how my life has turned out.

8. I am thankful and excited to be able to spend five days with my mother. I have been used to seeing my parents weekly and it came as a shock to me not to have them right around the corner. I am very thankful to have my mom in town and to be able to host her at my house while she is visiting. My dad will be staying behind this time but will be so happy to see him come Christmas.

9. I am thankful to be godparents to our nephews. I feel honored to have this opportunity. I love them dearly and can not wait to continue to watch them grow and become little men.

I know this two days late, but leave it to me to show up to a party fashionably late.
I hope everyone enjoyed their Thanksgiving as much as I enjoyed mine. 
What were you thankful for this year?

three years.

Today marks three years of being married to my best friend.

These past three years have gone by fast! Time flies when you are having fun right? I can honestly say, we do have fun. My husband is the person I joke with, play pranks on, pick on, confide in, make watch romantic comedies, and truck through life with, and I honestly would not have it any other way.

I’m not saying that I haven’t gotten on my husbands nerves or he hasn’t gotten on mine, or that we haven’t argued over stupid things. Trust me we definitely have. But we all know a great marriage takes work and a lot of compromise, and I am very thankful to have a husband who is willing to do both those things with me.

I wish I could go back and relive this day. So much happened so quickly. I am happy where my life is and where it is going and I couldn't imagine spending it with anyone else. Here is to another 60 plus years of making each other laugh. I love you my dear husband, Happy Third Anniversary.

Love is not a matter of counting the years -- it's making the years count.

All photos courtesy of our wonderful photographer Artemas Mott. 
Check him out: Artemas Photography

the house list...updates

Remember that horribly long list of house things that I wanted to do. Well I am here today to update that list.
Looking at it now, WE my husband got a lot done.  
The lines in blue are things I am adding now.
It is nice to see so much RED. 

Living Room

• Complete Frame Wall  about 90% complete, the walls are done, i am adding filler now. will update with photos soon.
• Paint Entertainment Unit (a tealish blue color) ended up buying a new unit since we bought a much larger t.v. so no need to paint the new one.
• find an accent Chair Scored a great chair from husbands grandfather that they were going to trash!
• Find Roundish Mirror No need for this now, I DIY'ed a piece of art myself to hand in this spot. 
• Finish Bookcase wallpaper Finally after a year and a half, i put my big girl pants on and finished this.
• Add Decorative Pillows
• Install Recessed lighting
• Add Ceiling Fan 

Kitchen

• New Stackable stainless Washer/Dryer Done, and love them!
• New Stainless Steel Appliances - we are contemplating this. May just live with what we have for right now.
• Some Art Not really much room for anything now looking back.
• Install Backsplash
• Paint Cabinets White?

Dining Room

• Paint Wainscoting White Done and added chair rail.
• Paint Ceiling We had water damage so we luckily got this done for us
• Find (4) Dining room Chairs Found a set we LOVE and it came with a bench!
• Find a Bench (target storage bench) see above.
• Re-Finish Table Not necessary anymore since we found a new set that fit our style better.
• Blinds or some sort of curtain
• Finish Tile Floor

Guest Bathroom

• Hang Basket Storage Done.
• Add Towel Hooks I have the Hanger just need to re-paint and will add this into the room.
• Re-paint?
• New White Toliet
• New Vanity
• Re-finish Tub & Surround in White

Guest Room

• Remove Wallpaper
• Paint
• Re-finish Desk
• Find a Dresser We are going to downsize our bedroom by one dresser and then put it in here.
• Find or make headboard I used and old curtain and part of our old bckboard from our Malm ikea bed and make an upholstered headboard.
• Curtains & Rod Done and Done.
• Add Art & hang mirror
• Update Closet Shelving

Master Bathroom

• Buy Toliet Done.
• Buy Vanity Done.
• Faucet Done.
  
• Purchase and Lay Floor Done.
• Finish walls and paint room Done, ended up using the left over gallon of paint when we repainted the living room.
  
• Add Art
• Paint Trim & Door
• Purchase Accessories
• New Fan
• New Vanity Light Done.

"Man Cave"

• Hang Second Guitar Hung Second and Third.
• Cover & Add Pillows
• New Larger DVD storage Moved all DVD's to living room in the cabinet part of the bookcases.
• Add long shelves to hold frames Added Ikea shelving to hold some of his art work. 
• Organize
• Add large Expedite shelving with baskets for memorabilia.  

Master Bedroom

• Create Larger Headboard Used part of the Malm backboard and make an upholstered headboard.
• Paint Dressers? - Still up in the air about this.
• Hang Television When we got a larger living room t.v. we used the old one in here and hung it on the wall.
• Add Art & Photos
• Organize husbands Closet
• New Night Tables Bought 2 small end tables
• Add Ceiling Fan - bought but not installed.

Whole House

• New Carpet
• Paint Trim
• New Door Hardware
• Add Photos & Art in Hallways Moved full length mirror into all way, and added some photos. Don't think the hall can handle much more. Done.  

This was a wordy post so for your enjoyment here is a photo of my co-pilot and myself.

 

diy wine signs

I have neglected my dining room for a while now. The floor is about 75% done, I still need to finish cutting the edge pieces. Honestly, this seems like how all the projects in my house end up being. They get 75% done and then I am done. Anyways, we finally got a table we like, but I constantly fill it up with junk and we don't even end up using it to eat on. We still seem to eat off t.v. trays right in front of the boob tube. We did hang a new light fixture, added one piece of art and we put a cabinet and some shelves to make a bar area. See "almost done". In hind sight the floor in totally my fault. I was on a roll when I was putting it down, then the day ended and I never went back and finished the edging. Homeowner-ship = FAIL.

I knew I needed some more art work in there to fill up another wall and maybe get it closer to completion, but I was not sure what to do. I came across this tutorial on how to make your own wine signs. Thank you Jenna Sue. I can be crafty, but it seems I can achieve more if I have something to go off of, instead of coming up with these things on my own.

Here are my renditions of these wine signs.

I went out to Lowes and purchased these pieces of pre cut wood measureing about 1/2" thick by 6" wide by 2 ft long. I took them home and sanded the down so the edges would be smooth. From there I laid them out and spray painted them Oil Rubbed Bronze. I liked the look this gave. it wasn't flat black and this gave it a small amount of shimmer to the color.

 After spraying with 2-3 thin coats I felts I had the desired color and coverage I wanted. I made sure they were completely dry before I started the next part. I had my husband print out the lettering I wanted to use. I gave him the dimensions of the boards and told him the tolerances I wanted around the edges and he made the wording I wanted fit the print outs. I was thinking about what types of wine I wanted to display, I ended up using the same ones as the tutorial I followed because they seemed to fit on the boards the best.

After cutting off the excess paper I attached the directly to my boards. Leaving equal spacing around the edges.

From here what you need to do is trace the lettering with a pen. What this will do is leave an imprint on the wood of the letter then you you just have to paint in the lines.

I tried to get a photo of the boards after I traced all the letters, but it was very hard to see outline. It was there but it was pretty light and did not come out in a photo. It was also actually hard for me to see the line also to paint the letters. I had a spot light directly on the boards to find the trace mark, a little strenuous on the eyes. I forgot to get a photo, but from here I just took a few small craft paint brushes and some white latex semi-gloss paint and free handed my letters. I ended up doing two coats of the white paint to get the look I wanted.

Nect came the hard part. I decided to make a boarder around the board. This was frustrating to me. At first I measured and taped where I wanted to paint. But when I pulled off my tape the paint came also. at this point I got pretty disappointed and I put the project away for a week. I then remembered that I had a leftover white sharpie paint pen. I took the pen and a clear ruler and it worked like a charm to make my border lines. Again sorry I don't have this shot in process. I did two coats of this also and it worked like a charm, and I did not have to use any tape.

Here is the finished product up on the wall.

You can see in the photo the thin border line I added. I want to note, I actually went back over all my letters in the end with the sharpie paint pen. I only did this because it made the edges of my letters crisper. They were fine free handed, but I liked them better a little more sharp. I really like how these ended up looking on my wall. I have a small bar on the other side of the room, so they fit in perfectly. From the photos, the boards look black but when you see them in person they do have a slight shimmer to them because of the oil rubbed bronze spray paint.

It feels good to finally have this done, it only took me oh.......three weeks to finish. three cheers for lack of motivation!

Anyone else try and make their own subway style signs? Is there a better way to add the border lines? What about transferring the letters to the board? Do tell!

monday monday

oh monday, you are not welcomed with open arms. Go away.

1. I actually finished a craft. what? hold the phone. I am so proud of myself like a constant beaming smile and I had to show everyone. Thank you Uber Chic for Cheap for the wonderful tutorial. I do have a t-shirt in mind that I am thinking of adding this too also, but I needed some more fun art for my frame wall so I went out and bought a small canvas. Boom here she is!

2. I took this photo the other day on my way home. I can not get over the color of these trees. They are so bright and vibrant and they make me happy. I wish they always had this red orange color. They looked prettier and fuller last week, but Its hard to take a photo when you get home after dark every night.

3. I have noticed lately on my drive home that no one else wants to get home at a decent hour. I mean seriously. I can understand driving slowly to work, but come on people, don't you want to go home. I swear it seems NO ONE wants to go home but me. They drive so slow and I am getting a serious case of road rage. Personally I want to go home. I don't want to make my drive any longer than it needs to be. Who wants to support me and help me move closer to work?

4. See wouldn't you want to get home to these faces quicker?

5. Sometimes this is how we spend our saturday nights. Bar hopping around town.

6. This ice cream, get it pronto. My brother brought over a half gallon and then forgot it over my house. Lets just say there was not much left when he came back. Cold Stone Creamery - Coffee Lovers.

7. This weekend went by way to quick. When you work 6 days a week it seems like I have no days off. I saw a great friend after work on Saturday. Love you Michelle. She was in from Ohio visiting family near by, my friend and I went and visited for the evening. Not sure how we didn't get any photos. Score Zero for us. We have been best friends since college and the three of us can just pick up where we left off. We can talk for hours about everything and it feels like we haven't been apart or missed a beat. It is nice. With that being said I had Sunday off, I finally got to sleep in. Had an eye doctor appointment then came home and took a nap while I should have been watching the ravens game. Bad ravens fan, bad. When I awoke I was not motivated at all, didn't do to much maybe a load or two of laundry and then I had Sunday television to watch. I feel like I wasted my day yesterday, this week is going to be busy because of that. I need to time manage my life better.

8. As we all know I like to make lists. I usually end up with multiple scrapes of paper laying around with random notes written on them. My solution, I found a notebook that was not being used and decided to carry it with me at all times. If I need to make a list of some sort of write something down I now have a spot to do that. Step number one to achieving this balanced organized life that I would like to have.

9. I really want to paint the inside of my front door black. I am not sure my husband understands why someone would do that. I love it, and I think it would be awesome. I think I may just do it and see what happens.

10. My mother is coming to visit in a month, and she is staying with us. My guest room has not been touched at all in the three years we have lived there. The vine wall paper needs to be removed and paint needs to be added real bad. I am considering tackling this before she arrives. I have not told my husband this yet. Honey, you have just been told my plans. Love you.

11. In the photo above I dyed my hair darker. Its seems I think it is a bigger deal than it really is, no one but me can tell.

Simple Pleasures.

1. Fresh Flowers.
2. Hearing a song on the radio that reminds you of a certain time., memory or place. 
3. A hot shower.
4. A freshly cleaned home.
5. 5:59pm on a Friday afternoon.
6. The smell of fresh cut grass.
7. Dark Chocolate.
8. A good laugh.
9. An Ice Cream sundae.
10. Being lazy on a Sunday.
11. Wendy's french fires and a chocolate frosty.
12. A snickers bar.
13. Fresh brewed iced tea.
14. Apple Picking.
15. The first snow.
16. Your dog excitedly greeting you after a long day of work.
17. Looking through old photos.
18. Crying because you laugh so hard. 
19. Catching up with friends. 
20. A day at the beach.
21. Sleeping in on a rainy day.
22. Open windows on a nice fall day.
23. Receiving mail or a card via snail mail.
24. People watching.
25. Completing something on a to-do list.
26. Warm clothes fresh from the dryer.
27. Thunderstorms.
28. Clean Sheets.
29. Puppy Snuggles.
30. Hitting all the green lights on the way home from work. 
31. Spending a nice evening with friends. 
32. Receiving an unexpected compliment. 
33. Someone making you dinner.
34. Finding the perfect parking spot.
35. The steamy smell of rain on the warm road after an afternoon rain shower.
36. A perfectly wrapped gift. 
37. Getting a good hug.
38. Sleep lines.
39. Extra cheesy pizza.
40. Sleeping with the windows open.
41. Getting that first call on your birthday and knowing it is usually your brother.
42. When you realize just how much a good friend cares for you. 
43. The smell of fresh coffee. 
44. Forehead kisses. 
45. When you are upset and someone makes you smile. 
46. People in your life that make you happy. 
47. When you are trying to be serious, but you can't help but smile. 
48. Laughing so hard at a story that you are trying to tell someone else. 
49. A clear starry sky. 
50. Talking to your pets and carrying on a conversation as if they answered back.

 Anyone else have any simple pleasures? Share them with me.

oh you know, just some things.

I like lists, I really do, and I make them for everything and anything.

1. I literally just tried to leave someone a note in cursive and it took me so much longer to write it out. How sad is that? And I paused a few times because I forgot how that letter looked in cursive. What has this world come to. Do they teach cursive in school anymore, because I don't think anyone uses it. Oh and on top of my forgetting how to write, it looked horrible. I thought it would look pretty to leave a note in cursive, total handwriting FAIL. I re-wrote it I was so disgusted with how it looked.

2. I borrowed an audiobook from the library last week. Lets talk about one I got a library card. I haven't stepped foot in a library since high school maybe, scratch that I went to the library in college. I kind of like someone reading a book to me. Beats me having to lick my fingers to turn the page, and it makes my hour drive to work a little more enjoyable. And I am not ashamed that I crack up laughing alone in the car and people can see me and think I am crazy. oh the first book I got was Bossypants by Tina Fey, better yet also read by Tina Fey.

3. While in Target my husband browses the Lego isle, pondering what he can buy and build in five minutes. After that he yearns for more, like a crack addiction. I browse the isles to find things I can play with to pass the time, or things I can try on a take a photo of myself. Evidence below.

4. Did you read my 30 before 30 list? I am pumped to achieve everything on that list. I even got my husband to make one. He even printed both of them out and laminated them. And if something is laminated then that means it is legit in my book. Like a name badge or a library card.

5. Everyday. 32 Things that will ruin your morning routine. Especially #1 and #21.

6. oh my goodness, so true and always so funny. This is really the shit we say, or at least I say all the time.

7. My husband said while I was in my slumber mode last night, I started talking to him. He said I was upset cause we have no more tomatoes to eat. He said I was pretty upset about this. Something is wrong with me. I love hearing stories like this though. I thought it was hilarious when he told me this morning.

8. I had this project I have been working on at home for about ohhhh a year and a half. I have been lining the back of our bookshelves with wall paper. Really it is a simple task, I am just super lazy. Well, I finished like 2 weeks ago. I WAS SO PROUD. Like I ran into the "man cave" and immediately asked for a high five from my husband.

9. Also on the project home front, I have actually started a little something and I am just about done. I am actually pretty happy with myself for the timely manner I am completing this in. I have taken inspiration a la Jenna Sue and thought those would look nice in my dining room. Almost complete, and I will share when I am done.

10. Did anyone else see this guys dance last night during the Broncos vs. Falcons Football game? Please watch this and try not to laugh at his celebration dance after Von Miller(Broncos) sacks Matt Ryan the quarterback from the Falcons. My husband and I rewinded (rewound?) the DVR multiple times and died laughing, and then started to imitate the dance.

11. Even though the Broncos lost last night, I am very happy because I needed some points from Willis McGahee to win my fantasy game, and he pulled through in a great way. He must have heard my facebook plea. I may have done a happy dance and chanted "i win, i win, i win, i win, hey i win!" obnoxious I know.