Halloween 2010

Halloween was so fun! I made dinner, Monika and Michael made home made ice cream and rootbeer, my mom made spanish rice...and we just had fun together. We sat outside on Saturday (one trick or treater) and Sunday. It was fun! People also kept commenting on my milk jug ghosts. They took no time to make and they were a hit! Guess I'll save them for next year! I loved spending time with my family!

This my sister's dog Lilly!



Monika's floating head



Monika in charge!



My milk jug ghosts!

Mom, Dad, Michael and Monika

Lucky with his orange bandana...he's awesome!

More of my milk jug ghosts

I bought these magnets for my garage door

More jugs!

What a great time!

Help! Need Help on My New Project

My granny and Uncle Rusty are great Yard Sale shoppers! They go out every Friday and Saturday. I just give them what I'm looking for and they get to do the work! I've been wanting a corner hutch for my kitchen. They called me at 7:30 Saturday morning (woke me up, but it's worth it) and found this! I'm in love with it and can't wait to get started on it. (Forgive the picture...this is the one they sent me to see if I wanted it, no clue who the guy is LOL)

So...I've never refinished anything before, so I'm needing your help! I want to paint it like a satin black! Do I use oil based, latex, or regular paint? What type of sand paper? This is like a flat paint already on here.....so I need help! Any suggestions????

I can't wait to get started! Thanks guys!

They're Here!

Not the best picture in the world, but Monika and Michael made it home from Korea! After a very long flight for them and delays they made it in about 9:15 last night! We made signs for them. So weird....hardly recognized her, she's so tiny and beautiful as always! It was great having them home and knowing they are in the US. :) It's going to be a great 3 weeks visit with them before they head to Kentucky!

One Year Down.....29 More to Go

A Year ago, I was signing papers and moving in my new place! Can you believe it's been a year already? I can't! I have 29 more years to pay on this place (I'm hoping to pay down some debt, then tackle my mortgage so it'll be less than that). My house has come a long way! I know these are old pictures and I've posted them before, but I wanted to do a comparisons of before and after. I can't believe how trashed my house was, it was disgusting! The carpets stunk! The walls were icky! The floors were disgusting! It's amazing what a little elbow grease, paint, and my family did to help make my home ....home!

Happy 1 Year Anniversary to me being a home owner!


Guest Bathroom (after)


Guest Bathroom (before)



Master bedroom (before---so gross)



Master bedroom (after-----heaven!)



Hallway (after----before baseboards)


Hallway (before----gross!)



Guest bedroom (after---so pretty!)

Guest bedroom (before----sooooooooooo bad!)

Living Room (after---love my chocolate brown wall!)

Living Room (before, the paint wasn't too bad, and I flopped the colors)

Great Weekend!

This weekend I had a great time! I went to visit my cousin Amber in Safford. She asked me to come, for personal reasons, and I wouldn't have missed it! She is so caring and showed me the family love, and we had laughed, played, and talked and it was awesome! She's an amazing woman, cook, friend, cousin, person, and would do anything for anyone, just like her mom and dad. They have always taken me in and treated me like one of their daugheters/sisters. I have grown up with them and spent my summers with them, and I wouldn't change the memories for anything! Thank you Amber and Mickey and Sylvia for everything!


We went to Salsa Fest in Safford, and I sweated up a storm, it was still hot there at night! We tried several salsas, saw hot air balloons (they had them all parked on main street) and then we went bowling with Amber's friends. It was nice to meet new people and just laugh!

The next day we watched movies, Amber made a great dinner and this awesome ice cream cake, she's amazing! Her friends came over again and we played games! It was fun! Thank you again Amber! Love ya!

Sorry, pictures are out of order, but I don't care!


Amazing homemade ice cream cake!


Amber, Jason, Me, Kara and Waylon playing spoons!

This is Kara and Amber, they have been best friends forever! It's fun to get to see both them having fun!


I got to meet Kara's husband Waylon, he was so much fun too! And this is one of the hot air balloons!

Amber, she's so beautiful! She dressed up and she just enjoyed herself, it was so great to see!

Amber, the awesome bowler!

Me, Amber, Waylon, Kara, Jacob and Jason

Who knows what I was doing???

Bittersweet day :)

Today was a bittersweet day. We decided that it was time that I get my Grandma Hall's piano. It was promised to me many years ago by my grandma. I always thought I would get it when she passed away, but my parents, grandma and I decided that I can start enjoying it now.

Today, with the help of my mom, dad, brother, sister-in-law and nephew, we rented a small U-haul and picked it up. It wasn't so bad transporting it and it made it safely. I have saved this spot in my house for it since I moved in. It fits perfectly!

It still makes me sad that my grandma is getting older and might not be with us long, but I'm grateful to have a piece of her and the memories I have of this piano.

She told me that her dad hauled it by horse and buggy to her for her 16th birthday, and she is now 92. This piano was in my Grandpa and Grandma Hall's house in St. Johns all growing up. She would play for us and we would sing songs. When Corey and I started piano lessons we went to her house and played on the piano. Once my Grandparents moved down in the Valley permanently, they took the piano with them. We didn't play it as often, since they were in a condo and shared a common wall, but it was there. I've always wanted to have it, and I'm so glad that she trusted me with it. I will take care of it forever, and hopefully pass it on to a daughter or granddaughter someday.

Thank you for the help moving it. Thank you Grandma for giving it to me. I love you!

Making Wall Art Tiles

So, I scooped out another DIY blog and they made their own wall art tiles. I have been seeing these in stores, but they are sooooooooooo expensive. So, I was glad they posted it on the DYI blog to make your own! This is for the wall in my office.

I bought the little 8 x 8 canvases at the dollar store, it didn't matter what they looked like (unless you like the humming birds) because they will be covered up!

First, I spray painted the edges brown :) My office has brown curtains, so I tried to tie it in with the spray paint and paper.



I laid it all out and just needed to spray the edges....do you like the pretty birds? If so, they are only a dollar! LOL



So, this is what it should look like, only the edges painted :)


All of the tiles completed and now just ready to dry.



Here's the paper I already had. I cut it to fit the canvases (tiles) and then did the brown chalk around the edges of all the papers.



I glued all the papers on...and then mod podged them. I only did one layer of mod podge because I didn't want them too glossy.

Here are all my tiles complete and ready to hang!

Next, I did a layout of how I wanted them to look on the wall. I measured and spaced them, and then taped it to the wall.

For the middle where they would hang, I used a Sharpie marker and it went through the paper onto the wall (so I wouldn't make a ton of nail holes!)

I tried to use these command hangers, but they were too thick!

So I decided to go back to nails! Here it is from a distance :)

Here is my wall art tile close up! I only spent $9 instead of $30-$40....cuz I already had the paper and mod podge. And my mom gave me the spray paint.

What do you think? Do you like it? Or is it a cheap knock-off? I like it! Looks great and my wall isn't bare any more!