'Twas the Night Before...

I can't believe Christmas is tomorrow. Do I say that every year? I must. December always FLIES by and I never feel like I'm on top of it all.

We've kept pretty busy with parties and decorating and shopping and the like. I got the house decorated which is a miracle! Seriously. I think I deserve an award for bedecking a house in merriment when it's under construction. Beat THAT, Martha. It looks very festive and I love having Christmas everywhere! Confession: going through the house unplugging all the lights before bed takes about 12 minutes.

Tonight we went to Cody's parents house for dinner before Cody had to go in to work at Saratoga for the night. He works tomorrow at PG but can fortunately come up and spend some time with us! That left me to get Christmas ready, so naturally it's now the weeeeeee hours and I've been wrapping presents and making the house look all fancy for the big reveal tomorrow morning. Every year I swear I'm going to start earlier so I don't have to stay up so late, but I never do. 'Tis the season, I suppose!

This time of year is wonderful, I love it so. Even with the chaos and the cramming and the hectic shopping, I love it. I'm off to dream of sugar plums - Merry Christmas!!

What I'm Loving Wednesday

What am I loving?

Our stacked stone walls!!

Are you joking me right now? I mean, seriously. How amazing is that. AAHHHHHH! I am SO obsessed, I can't stop staring at them. Rest-assured that Cody and I did not do that ourselves. No, sir. We thought we could do and had planned on doing it, but after we stayed up until 2:30am just applying the scratch coat...we got wise. We hired some guys to come set the stone and it is the best money we have ever spent. They did it in two days and BAM. DONE. It would have taken us 3 months. At least.

Do you know what this means!?? It means that our kitchen might almost be done! We have some small things to tackle, but it's almost done! You know, 20 months later. Who cares, it's gorgeous and incredible and totes worth the wait.

Cody is installing the hood above the stove this week and also finishing up the mantle for the living room (it will match our countertops. Marvy.). We had talked about finishing up a bunch of other things before Christmas, but I think that plane has sailed. You see, friends, I'm pregnant. And I'm tired. This pregnancy has really taken a lot out of me and while I think I should still be able to go full speed and do everything normally, I just can't. I get so exhausted. The other night I was feeling so overwhelmed and sad that my house wasn't all glossy and finished and bedecked in Holiday splendor (I know, even with my pretty stone walls I was sad face). Fortunately my fantastic friend Celine stopped by and cheered me up by helping me put lights on my Christmas tree. It may seem like a small thing, but having that light in the living room and that little thing done fully energized me to just get decorated already. It was just the shot in the arm that I needed. Projects can wait - Christmas cannot. I've spent the last two days getting everything up that I can. Sooo much tinsel. Pictures to come!

So you should probably come to dinner next week. Our house will be decorated and did I mention that we have stellar stone walls?

You know what? No.

Pinterest.com is a fabulous site where you can create virtual pinboard where you can organize and share things you love (fully stole that explanation from their site because I can never explain it correctly). It's FULL of great ideas, pictures, fashion, tips...I mean it's just fantastic.

I have spent (read: wasted) many an hour on the joys of Pinterest. I can look up 'Halloween Party Ideas' or 'Christmas Card Designs' or 'Theaters Costumes' and hundreds of images will appear for my pinning pleasure. I can pin whatever I like to a dozen boards I've created. Even when I'm surfing online and find something I like, I can pin that to a board if I want. Awesome.

In the land of Pinterest, there are a plethora of DIY projects and tips for creating things yourself. The majority of these tips are quite helpful and insightful, I have pinned many DIY ideas and sometimes think, "Man, why didn't I think of that?". But in this sea of 'You can do this yourself!', I all too often come across things that I feel are going a bit too far. For example:

Creating your own bath mat out of an old towel.

I see no harm in repurposing an old towel. This is a good idea, I can see that. What I can't condone is spending the time to cut up a few towels into tiny strips, then tying said strips to mesh to create a bath mat when I can buy one for $4.00.

Anything that involves repurposing crayons makes me cringe. I have NO idea why. Maybe it's because the thought of breaking up old crayons and melting them in a muffin tin to create a big, ball of crayon does not interest me. Nor does melting together lots of different colors of crayons in a heart shape. What am I supposed to do with that?

Some say a crayon heart is a great gift. Is it? Is it?

And I don't get crayon art. pass.

But this has to take the crafting cake - make your own glitter.

Make. your own. glit.ter.

The comments on this on hilarious. I found a few that were really disappointed that it didn't turn out - that it just looked like salt with food coloring on it (gasp! say it isn't so!). Others said that you need to cook it on tinfoil, use a different salt..just a myriad of other options to get your own glitter. Friends? Let me tell you something: Glitter comes in more colors than our eyes can register. There are literally hundreds of options and shades and SHAPES of glitter for your sparkly enjoyment.

One pinner was sad because they were hoping so save some money by creating their own glitter. Did glitter go up? Is it suddenly in high demand? I mean, sure - if you're buying fairy dust by the ton I can see why you'd want to cut some corners, but then if you can't feasibly craft without a warehouse full of sparkle then you've got bigger problems.

Make your own glitter. You know what? No.

It's the Most Wonderful Time of the Year!

Is it just me, or does December feel like it's been here for like 3 weeks? Nevertheless, here it is! The most festive month of all! I'm super excited, I must admit. How I love this cinnamon-infused Holiday.

To start off the season right, my nearest and dearest Bethany sent me 5 cd's of some of her favorite Christmas music and I LOVE THEM. She's hilarious.

I have so, so much holiday tunage and it was refreshing to get some new songs! Here are some favorites that you should probably get:

"I Want To Do More Than Whistle" - Christmas with Lawrence Welk

"A Snow Globe Christmas" - Pink Martini

"Once Upon A Wintertime" - Frances Langford(from the Disney short 'once upon a wintertime...not sure you can find this song anywhere, but Bethany's got the skillz).

"Out In The Cold Again" - Dean Martin

"Ol' Saint Nicholas" - Doris Day

"I'd Like To Hitch a Ride With Santa Claus" - The Andrews Sisters

"The Christmas Song" - The Ravonettes (I had been looking for this song forever!! Love it!)

"Welcome Christmas" - Glee

"A Winter Romance" - Dean Martin

Oh my, and so many more...I think I might have to devote a post to some of my favorite Christmas songs. Done!

I had hoped (and probably mentioned on here) to have most of our projects done by December so that I could enjoy decorating and spending time in my almost-finished house. Yeah, no dice. Not that we haven't made some serious progress, indeed we have! We cleaned out the art room (daun.ting) and moved in my marvy furniture that I got from my bestie, Amelia. Totally ok to be jealous.

I'm going to have some shelves built on top of this big one that go up the wall for ample storage. I'll paint them the same color so it looks like one complete piece.

Oh, how I love them. I still need to paint the room and finish organizing it (obviously). I'm SO obsessed with this muted purple color (similar to the color I painted my family room) and it looks awesome with the dressers. The chip I'm holding in the picture actually has some sheen to it. DONE. Since I live in a house of boys I figure I can do whatever I want that's frivolous and trivial in one room.

We are getting close to finishing our beams in the living room. We're going to stain them ebony and make them glossy and fantastic. I have painted part of the coat rack/bench dealio we're building for the entryway, I'm still working on the buffet..and the dining table...and we're hoping to put up the rock in the kitchen and living room. What progress?!

I think it's fair to say that we won't have everything done by Christmas, but as long as it's close I'm good with that. We got our tree the other night and our house has it's lights. The bedecking has begun! Happy December!

GIve Thanks

HAPPY THANKSGIVING!

Ahhh, I love this Holiday. I love spending time with family and eating until we can't see. We went up to my parents house to enjoy my Mom's famous turkey (ohmygoodness, it's so good). All that's involved is butter, salt and pepper. It is FLAWLESS every time, none of this brining or stuffing the bird or any of that other nonsense, no sir! Simple and delicious. YUM. My sister in law Randi made a dreamy pumpkin pie, and my other sister in law Jess brought the perfect rolls...which I ate too many of. I LOVE my family, I love spending time with them. I also sort of get to do it again on Sunday when we have Cody's parents over for dinner...

So, how about some thanks? I'm thankful for my incredible, wonderful, ridiculously handsome husband. My two blonde mischievous cherubs who are my world. I'm thankful for our home which is always under construction. I'm thankful for our stellar parents. I'm thankful for the knowledge of the Gospel in our lives. I'm thankful for radical friends that keep us current. I'm thankful for this new baby boy that arrives in just a few more months, and I'm thankful for this beautiful world we live in. Happy Thanksgiving!

Here's what I know...

1. While it may not be 'ok' for a married woman with (almost) three children to wear them, I somehow find leather leggings pretty sexy.

2. I like being platinum, ok? Love me some blonde.

3. I'm over the hot chick in the movies being tough. Like, she's ridiculously beautiful but she also knows how to fix a '69 chevy, or how to weld, or how to wire a mansion for electricity. All while wearing heels. I'm not saying that there aren't women out there that can do that, but really? Save it.

4. Sometimes honesty isn't the best policy.

5. When designing things in my house, I have to remember that it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks. I am creating this home for my family, not for anyone else.

6. I love Pinterest.com. This is no secret (or is it? Have we talked about it?). While it is full of marvy ideas and tips, I have no desire to make my own laundry detergent, mod podge or swiffer cleaning fluid. I refuse to let you make me feel bad for not creating EVERYTHING IN MY LIFE FROM SCRATCH.

7. Christmas decor comes out in stores right after Halloween, sometimes even before. That's ok if you feel that that's too early, but don't moan and complain about it to everyone who will listen. Bedeck your home in Thanksgiving merriment and saturate yourself in the season of gratitude. Last time I checked, those stores don't dictate how you celebrate.

8. If you're driving through a neighborhood that isn't yours and someone waves at you, wave back. Who cares if you don't know them, it doesn't hurt to shoot back a smile and a wave.

9. A great quote is meaningless unless you actually apply it.

10. Stainless steel straws are the bomb shizzle.

Novemwha?

How is it...that October was a crazy-busy month and now we're halfway through November?? I just can't get ahead. I haven't even been that busy. I don't think. And yet, we're halfway through November, did I mention?

Something I've neglected to mention is the fact that 'The Thrillionaires' are BACK! Oh yes, it's showtime once more.

We have two shows a month - one on the first Friday of every month at Brigham's Piano Gallery here in PG (he's the genius who plays piano for us) and one the last Friday of the month at the Covey Center in Provo. It has been SO great getting back into it. I was pretty nervous for the first show, none of us had performed in a year and a half, but it was brilliant and we had a ball. Win! So come out and see us, we're phenomenal.

My health is finally back and with it has come some long overdue energy and ambition to tackle some projects. Cody and I spent lots of time at Home Depot this weekend buying our Christmas lights and balusters for our railing. That's right. We might actually get a real railing a year after we ripped out the old one. Fear no more, neighborhood kids! Safety is returning! And tonight I started sanding this baby down getting it ready for paint-

I used Cody's palm sander and it went pretty slick, but my was it dusty. I'm currently covered in 80 year old resin. Thhhbt. I still have to go back and sand the intricate parts by hand, but I got most of the surface taken care of with the sander. With any luck? I'll it painted by this weekend. *gasp!* I also hope to work on this radical table I got from Amelia. I have no pics of it, but we're going to strip it and paint it black. I might do that tomorrow, so come back and check my progress.

Finally, I finally put a down payment on these darlings today:

Remember when I spoke of them? Like...two years ago? Yeah, still love them and we are FINALLY getting them! They'll be here Friday. Word. Maybe I can find some poor soul who wants to buy our sectional...

Did I mention it's the middle of November?

What I'm Loving Wednesday

What am I loving?

My Halloween House.

Oooh, I love my family right now.

Since I'm not a fan of my couches, why not cover them all ghostly?

Yeah yeah, I'm excited to decorate for Christmas. But how I love my spooky festive house. I'll be sad to take it down since it's only been up for a week. That must be why I want to haul out the pine cones and berries so that I can enjoy the decorations longer this time!

HallowEEEEEEEEEEEK!

Boo to you! Halloween at Jolley Hollow was fantastic. Crazy busy and non-stop, but fantastic. Since when did October become as busy as December? I've hardly had a chance to breathe! Well, I blame my sickies for that.

Friday I spent decorating the Fire Bay to get ready for the annual PGFD Halloween Party. I had tons of help from Jessica and the crew, so things got set up pretty quick. The place looked great and festive and I was so excited! (PS - I took no pictures of this, but my friend did and when she posts them I will show you the party pics. Until then? Use your imagination). I picked up my costume, rushed home and got ready. Being pregnant doesn't leave me many options, so I just opted to go as a ghostie. Cody recycled his genius Reno 911 costume and we made our way down to the station. Where 15 people were assembled. Dude?? There was hardly anyone there! What the what? I was so disappointed to see it so poorly attended. I worked so hard...and nobody came. Downer. Hanging that party on my shelf of shame. Not sure why, either. Lots of people have been there in the past and everyone looks forward to it, so who knows. The Chief was upset that there wasn't more support and he still wants me to do it again next year. Better start advertising now, I guess.

Saturday was spent recovering. You see, I was still fighting this lame sickness. Our ward's trunk or treat was that afternoon at 4:00, so I mustered up enough strength to get the boys dressed up and head over to the Church. My trunk wasn't as festive as I would have liked...

but I did have spooky music playing and it was nice to just sit in the back and hand out candy. We had such a great turn out!
The weather was marvy and all the little kids looked so cute in their costumes. How I love my ward, such golden people.

Sunday I was SURE I was just going to take it easy. I even told Cody that I needed a full day to just rest. Did I? Why, of course not. Turns out we were feeling ambitious and spent all day in the kitchen cooking and baking. We made a pumpkin pie from scratch using a sugar pumpkin. Have you done this? It was surprisingly good! I mean, I'd heard mixed reviews so we were a little wary, but it was SO yummy. Tip: the pie will actually look brown after it's cooked, not the cheery orange we're all used to. Don't let that throw you! It's delish! Along with the pies (we made two) we made chicken stew, apple cider and whipped cream. The day was SO beautiful and warm, the boys were out in the yard all afternoon.
After we cleaned up the kitchen and ate dinner, it was time to carve pumpkins.

Our spooky gourds! Cody's, mine, Cole's, a faux plug-in pumpkin, and Cache's.

Needless to say, I was BEAT.

The next morning I got up and blared 'This is Halloween' to wake up the boys. I got Cache dressed in his costume and it was off to school for the Halloween parade!

They were quick, this was the only shot I got.

Then it was time to get Cole ready for his Preschool. And how presh! His bestie Jack happened to be Batman, so they were partners!
Cody and I ran some errands while the boys were at school and I picked up some medicine. I took a dose and it knocked. me. out. SO glad Cody was home that day because I was in no condition to drive. Or parent. I took a nap for a couple of hours and finally had to talk myself into getting up and getting ready. We got the kids ready for trick or treating and Cody took them around the neighborhood while I handed out candy.

I set out some spooky music, doesn't my porch look festive?

After the kids bags were filled, we all headed over to the Lehi Theater to catch closing night of 'Little Shop of Horrors'. This show deserves it's own post, but I must tell you how amazing that show was. Amazing!! I'm so proud of it. We were there late, so when we got home we peeled our sleepy boys out of their costumes and sent them to bed. I turned off the Halloween village and all the pumpkin lights...Halloween has come and gone. Forgive me for saying, but I am so happy to have October over. It was a crazy month. Can I decorate for Christmas now?