HOUSE UPDATE {sheet rock and trim}

It's been awhile, and an update is way overdue. Between our two-week holiday vacation, and Andrew putting his back out a week after that, things went slower than planned. But events are beginning to pick up again, almost faster than I can document!

About a month ago, the siding was up on the sides and the back of the house.




Now, it's being stuccoed in a "tent" of plastic and tarp to regulate the temperature with a heater. It's been as low as -1 degrees outside this week!




From the dining room window, you get a feel for what's going on inside that tent. 



The kitchen a month ago: drywalled, taped, and mudded. 




The kitchen weeks ago, with texturing on the walls. 




Great room: drywalled, taped, and mudded




Great room: textured




Another view of great room/kitchen




Dining Area: dry-wall, taped, and mudded




Dining Area: walls textured and trim just begun
.
.
.

Master Bedroom: dry wall with texturing




Master Bedroom: trim and wainscot begun

(loving the tray ceiling)




A Bedroom: walls textured




Guest Room: with trim




Front Sitting Room: drywalled, taped, and mudded




Front Sitting Room: with trim and wainscot begun (and wood flooring stacked ready to install!)

When the house is all trimmed out, we can paint the trim and the walls with the colors I chose. The outside stucco should be finished in a week, and I am SO EXCITED to share our plans for the dining room ceiling. Stay tuned!

MOVIE QUOTE MAGNETS (homemade gift tutorial)

All families have their own favorite quotes and silly, you-had-to-be-there inside jokes. Upon joining my family, I'm sure Andrew was completely lost trying to follow some conversations. One of us would say something off-the-wall (that undoubtedly came from a favorite movie we had just been reminded of)...we'd all laugh hysterically...and then Andrew would sit there awkwardly wondering what the heck was so funny. 

Anyway. I decided to take a few favorites and create a special birthday gift for my sis. Of course, you don't have to use movie quotes. Other ideas might include names, photos, clip art, boldly patterned scrapbook or wrapping paper, monograms, etc. 
.
But here's what I did. 

First, I typed and printed off a bunch of quotes in varying fonts and colors. Second, I took a flat glass marble (found at any craft store), laid it over the chosen quote, and traced around it with a pencil. This ensured the paper fit the shape of the glass just right. Then I cut it out.

Next, I used mod podge to attach the paper to the underside of the glass marble, so the quote was visible through it. An extra protective coat was brushed over everything.

Then, I took magnets (also from the local craft store)...

...And hot glued one to the back of the flat glass marble. 

That's it. It's ready to stick to the fridge.

The finished products were cute and personal...some serious, some ridiculous. Here are a few. 

(How many of the movies can you identify? Answers are listed at the end of the post.)

The above quote is from a movie I can recite from memory we watched it so often as kids. 

That scandalous quote at the top comes from a hilarious, family-friendly favorite. Becca's impersonation of this line is so spot-on I couldn't resist including it. 

The one on the far right is an unexpected quip from a beloved magical character.

All three of these come from the same Shakespeare play (made into a movie with the likes of Denzel Washington, Kenneth Branagh, Emma Thomspon, Keanu Reaves, and Kate Beckinsale). We love this movie. 

{SCROLL DOWN FOR ANSWERS}

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

v

"These mashed potatoes are so creamy."

While You Were Sleeping

"You had a child with the new maid?!"

Oscar

"Hey, ho the wind and the rain."

Twelfth Night, by William Shakepeare

"I do love knitting patterns."

Albus Dumbledore, from Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince

"Sweet, Beatrice!"

"Man is a Giddy Thing."

"Sigh no more..."

Much Ado About Nothing, by William Shakespeare

How'd you do? What's your score out of 5? Any favorite movie lines of your own? There are so many great ones, I've already thought of others I wish I'd used...

MUCHOS FOTOS DE VACACIONES

The holidays were crazy and busy and wonderful. This is a summary of our vacation in a nutshell.

1.) Whirlwind of Elementary holiday festivities. 

I was assigned to make the fire for the school program's set fireplace.

2.) Driving.

Left wintry Idaho, and drove 16 hours to Arizona. The land of T-shirts and flip-flops.

3.) Visiting little sisters. 

Andrew/ Aurora and neighbor/ happy, little Belle

Duck, duck, goose.

Freestone Park.

feeding the ducks/ Aurora/ twins in their new shirts: Chillin' with my BFF

Andrew + Belle = In Belle's dreams

picnic lunch/ hide-and-go-seek/ playground

4.) Hangin' with Mom.

She and Andrew played one-on-one. Mom kicked his TRASH.

After Frisbee golf, Becca reminisced of childhood 

Playing on Main Street statues

5.) Anniversary Trip to Zion's National Park

{source}

Desert Pearl Inn: modern and rustic.

Highly recommend.

wood floors/ mountain views/ private back patio overlooking pool

kitchenette allowed for homemade spaghetti dinner

Minutes from national park

Beautiful hikes and wildlife

6.) New Year's Celebration with Utah Ashmores

MIL planned fun dinner. Served everything directly on tablecloth for us to dig into. 

Ate salad, spaghetti, or alfredo from the table.

Mostly, I loved little Laney staring at the food...at the adults digging in...and back at the food, with utter bewilderment.

7.) And then it was home again, home again, jiggity jig. To start up real life again. Phew!

PAINT COLOR DECISIONS

If I were to sum up my thoughts on this whole choosing-paint-colors-for-the-new-house process, it would sound something similar to:

AaurrgggHhhhhh!

{source}

After months of agonizing over paint chips and surfing Pinterest for inspiration, I selected my favorites and bought a ridiculous number of paint samples from the local Sherwin Williams Store.

I rushed to the house and enthusiastically slapped colors all over the walls in shadow, direct sunlight, and every other lighting scenario in between. When I stepped back to admire my carefully selected colors...I was thoroughly discouraged. 

The grays were suddenly blue, everything was waaay darker than I expected, and we ruled out 90% of our choices on the spot. What a relief I learned this early with paint samples, rather than later with expensive walls I hated...but...it was now back to the drawing board. 

Between the camera and different computer monitors, this picture does not accurately represent what we were looking at, but you get the general idea.

After further deliberation, research, and paint sample splashed walls, I think the final decisions have been made. Emphasis on think.  

Sherwin Williams -- North Star

I really wanted a pale blue-gray for the kitchen and/or bathrooms that didn't look like a baby boy's bedroom. Eventually, I found that any color appearing remotely blue on the chip--or even in the can--was way too blue on the wall. 

When I bought a sample of North Star, I actually questioned the attendant, because it looked sooo gray. (Do you see any blue in there at all?) But once on the wall, it was perfect. Just the right amount of blue to be pretty...without being juvenile. 

 


{source}

This on-line example might help you visualize it.

SW -- Pussy Willow

This color will probably go in the bedrooms.The new trend for wall colors seems to be leaning toward grays rather than beige. I think gray is a lovely neutral.

{source}

Pussy willow example

SW -- Dovetail

This dark gray-brown will go in the entry way accompanied by a white wainscoting, four feet high. 

{Source}

Dovetail example #1

{source}

Dovetail example #2. This picture makes it look slightly lighter than the samples looked on my walls. But I like this cute room.

SW -- Repose Gray

A light gray was the hardest color to pin down. Why did my choices always look bluish? After extensive research, I found this helpful explanation...

Basically, grays have three undertones: blue, green, and purple. It is often hard to identify the undertone without first comparing it to other gray samples. Once on the wall, gray paint with blue or purple undertones, suddenly look blue or purply, rather than gray. If you want it to really look gray, you have to find one with a slight green undertone. 

So that's what I did. And I loved it as soon as my paint brush touched the wall. 

{source}

Repose Gray. Looks gray rather than green, doesn't it?

Anyway. There you have it. If you don't like these colors...do me a favor and don't tell me. I am so sick of rehashing the same colors over and over...and I need my brain to move on to the next big decision: 

tile and counter tops.

FIRST COMES LOVE

That is one of my favorite Christmas card outtakes. I thought it fit the occasion; we have been married for five happy years! Andrew is my perfect fit. 

It is gratifying to have a best friend who can finish my sentences, read my thoughts from facial expressions, and love me even on my ugliest and witchiest of days. He seems to hold the perfect balance between accepting me for me and...patiently giving correction when I'm an irrational twit. That happens every now and again.

He's unfailingly kind. For example, there was the time he pretended to enjoy the pumpkin pie I served (his favorite) until I took a bite and realized...it was completely devoid of sugar. It tasted like poo. (Who does that? Isn't sugar like the most important ingredient of any pie?)

Yesterday, we had an exchange that perfectly illustrates us:
.
After Andrew spent ten plus minutes listening to me stress before making a silly decision at the store, I said to him:
"Thanks for being patient with me and my insanity." 
.
To which he very sweetly took my hand and responded:
"You're welcome, babe."
.
He's lucky I laughed. 


Actually, that's another reason Andrew's so perfect for me. He makes this uptight, much-too-serious gal laugh out loud on a daily basis. He is my happy thought.

That doesn't mean he's perfect, though. If I get an elbow to the eye as he rolls over in bed one more time, Andrew is going to EAT my pillow. Mark my words.

Otherwise, I look forward to an eternity of happy wedding anniversaries. 

CHRISTMAS CARD 2011

.

When I printed these off at Wal-Mart, the photo attendant flipped through the pictures...paused...and stared quizzically before asking:

"Do you guys live in a a garage?"

Umm...no. 

.

For anyone who is confused by our Christmas picture, we do not in fact, live in a garage. We took a few pieces of furniture from our current rental home (that is heated, carpeted, and comfortable, I might add) and moved them briefly to our new house (that is currently being built) for the shoot. It is supposed to be funny. 

Please tell me you guys get it. 

My favorite part of the photoshoot was at the very end. While packing up my tri-pod, Andrew's business partner unexpectedly showed up to find Andrew...chillin' in a bathrobe...at a construction site. Ha! 

"So...you guys movin' in already?"

Anyway, happy holidays, folks. See you after Christmas!.

.

Love,
.

Andrew and Rachel

BE-YOU-TIFUL

At church, I work with the teenage girls. For Christmas, the adult leaders made these signs for the girls as gifts. 

I volunteered to get the wood. Andrew and I happen to have a lot of it hanging around these days. We cut scrap wood and routered the edges to look pretty. 

Understand that I use the term "we" loosely. I have a great fear of tools with the ability to permanently remove appendages from my body. 

Then, I distressed the edges with sandpaper. 

Next, the leaders all met to modge podge the letters on. The YW President had cut them out using her Cricut. 
.
(in case you're interested, she used the fonts Rage Italic for the cursive letters and Andalus for the rest.)  

I love the emphasis on the fact that being uniquely you is what makes you beautiful...not by how you compare to others. I don't think young woman hear that enough. 

.

Each sign was made using different colors and designs...as if to further illustrate this point. 

Then I took tags with this quote...

(also made by our super creative YW President) 

And tied them to each sign with ribbon.

All ready to go!

I think the girls really liked picking out their own. I thought I'd pass this idea along to others in the Young Women organization for Christmas or birthday gift ideas...or just anyone with a young lady in their life. 

Our inspiration came from here. I'm sure you can find similar ones all over the Internet for ideas.