I wish...

Every year I wish I could stop the clock and my kids would stop growing up. Every year my wish is denied. Maren just turned 8 last week and Sam is turning 10 in two weeks. Where does the time go? And do I feel like this just because I only have two? I love these kids.

Pine Wood Derby

Sam made a green luigi car. He had a great night.

Laundry Room Done!

The last of our home improvement projects! I think we are finally done renovating this house. Yeah! We have lived here almost five years and the renovations never seem to end. But I think they just did. We stacked the washer and dryer, added a second shelf in the closet, replaced the floor with new tile, and added the cabinets. It is finally functional. I love the space and love that all my crap has a spot, with some room left over.

Laundry room demo

I was thinking about all the many traits that I got from my mom: long, nice legs, good hands, small feet, great skin, long, flat, big bum (sorry mom, it's true), and major clumsiness (remember me falling off the stool and almost breaking my leg?). One of the craziest things I got from my mom was my demo, renovation, carpenter, use a saw or hammer skill.
My mom is a crazy lady when it comes to renovations or do-it-yourself projects. She once changed out a 50 gallon water heater BY HERSELF, because my dad couldn't get to it fast enough. Oh, and she was in her 50's! She wanted intercoms in the house they were building, so she wired the whole house for intercoms and put them in HER SELF! She has mad hammer skills too. She can paint anything, hang anything and rip out anything.
I definitely got this crazy, mad skill from her.
She passed it on to some of my other sisters too. Tara once put in her new dishwasher by herself, because her husband was out of town. But not all the sisters got the skill. Mist would rather wait for ten months for her sweet husband to hang a picture, than do it herself. Can't you just eyeball that sucker and get 'er done? Nope.
Kim, Cam and Tam are somewhere in the middle. Given the right motivation, they might get crazy. They are a little more cautious, so maybe not too crazy. Tiff doesn't own a home yet, but my guess, she's with Mist:)
So our VERY LAST renovation project for this house is the lanudry room. It needs new tile and new cupboards. We are stacking the washer and dryer to accomodate all the new storage space. I also need one more shelf in the top of the coat closet to accomodate the bins for winter gear (snow pants, hats, gloves, scarves, etc).
Tyler went out of town last week and I decided to get started on the demo! I took a sledge hammer to the old tile, ripped out the old shelf on the wall, and built a new shelf for the coat closet. I got the project rollin'. I can't wait until it is all done. The new tile is in, and the cupboards are in. Hopefully the washer and dryer will get put back tonight. And the project will be complete.

"You are the Best Mom Ever!"

One of my most favorite sentences in the world is, "Mom, You are the best Mom Ever!" Sam said that last night while he was eating dinner. It is sometimes the little things in life that make kids so happy. I needed to make a quick, easy dinner. I made french toast with yummy Texas toast, bacon (yes, real bacon. not that fake turkey bacon crap), orange juice, and some fruit. Nothing huge right? The kid could not stop talking about how yummy it was! And then we had it this morning again for breakfast. He just died and went to heaven! I love it when I can make Sam's day a great day.

Bunny Buns! Yum!

My little bunny, holding her bunny.


I think that looks pretty close, don't you?


Our church has a monthly, children's magazine called "the Friend". This month is all about Easter, of course. There is a recipe in it for Bunny Buns. Maren has been begging me for a week to make these with her. I was a bit skeptical because you need to have about a four hour block to make them. And ya'll know how I LOVE to cook:) She finally convinvced me to make them for her today, before church. They are sweet, orange rolls with a light frosting. They are so YUMMY! We each had three before they were even cooled. Yum, yum, yum! You must try these bunny buns. Forget the four hour commitment. Just think about the smile on your kids frosting covered faces. (and yours too!) It was worth it.

Here is the link to the recipe: "http://lds.org/bc/content/shared/content/english/pdf/magazines/friend/2011/04/FR_2011_04_17___09664_000_020.pdf"

Maren got a haircut

A Little Spring Decor

It is always fun to decorate for spring!

Dresser Redo

We refinished our bedroom dressers. They were stained the honey oak color. We painted the dressers white and stained the top a dark mahogony. We added black iron knobs, to match our black iron bed. And I finally got to decorate the top of my dresser. yeah! Tyler mounted the tv on the wall for me. We also repainted the walls of our bedroom. The dark blue was too much. We painted it a much lighter blue. I just wish we actually lived by the beach in this room :)



BEFORE







AFTER

More Home Renos

This is one of my most favorite home improvement projects ever! It was very time consuming, but so easy and LESS than $25! It took Tyler and I a whole Saturday, but so worth it. We removed all the hardware to every doorhandle, all the hinges, and door latches. We spray painted everything. We primed it all first, then did the color, all with spray paint. Awesome, right? My mom and dad did this project in their house. I loved it so much I made Tyler help me do it in our house. We only finished the main floor. We will do the upstairs another day. What a change. No more brass. Yeah!




BEFORE







AFTER

Such a Sad Day

It is a balmy 17* here in Parker. There is a slight breeze that makes it feel like 14*. Awesome right?
I should be on a flight RIGHT NOW headed to Los Angeles. I should be going to Disneyland tomorrow. The weather in LA is in the 60's. Instead I remain in cold, cold Colorado.
I was supposed to go to Disneyland with my little sis, Tiff. But she is crazy and busted her foot playing soccer. She can't even walk, let alone go to Disneyland. So I cancelled my trip. Please be sad for me. It blows!
I have gone through all the appropriate stages of grief. I was really mad yesterday when I found out. Then I was in denial (her foot can heal in two day, right?). Then I was depressed. I even shed a tear. Now I am accepting this sucky, sucky outcome. Good bye beautiful LA weather. Good bye spirit of Disneyland. Good bye relaxing weekend with no kids or dear husband to look after.
Now don't you agree it is a sad day?

Family Pics

My sister, Kim, took our family pics while she was in town. Thanks Kim. They turned out great. You can tell it was a very cold day. All our little noses are red:)

Thanksgiving In Parker, CO

Several of my siblings, and my parents came to Parker to have Thanksgiving at our house. It was a crazy amount of people, and a crazy amount of fun. Of course, the girls got up at 3:45 am and went shopping on Black Friday. That is the best shopping day of the year. I love to see all the crazies!
The kids had a great time with all the cousins playing volleyball, DS, and legos.

Coldplay - Christmas Lights

This is a gorgeous song by my favorite band in the world. Do yourself a favor, buy it on iTunes. It will be the best buck you ever spent.
Christmas Lights by Coldplay