Dog named Moose.

Name: Moose
Occupation: Dog/Brittany Spaniel
Humans: Dave and Alex
Hobbies and interest: Going for runs with Dave, snuggles, treats, playing with Jack, sleeping in awkward positions, drinking obscene amounts of water, playing with (destroying) my Tauntaun squeaky toy
Dislikes: Crate time, being alone, the grumpy bulldog on the other side of the fence

The day we picked up Moose!!!



Bringing Moose Home!!

I have been meaning to post about this for ages now. (Well, about a week to be honest.) WE HAVE A BEAUTIFUL DOG!! His name is Moose. And he gets me. He is perfect for our little family in every single way, and I truly believe it was fate that we got him when we did.

Dave and I have always known we were going to get a dog. We're both dog people. I'm that person that approaches every dog that passes me, and wants to take it home. I've grown up with dogs my entire life. I knew I wanted to raise my children around dogs. We were going to wait until spring to get a puppy. We wanted a black lab puppy, and we wanted a teeny tiny 8 week old baby to raise ourselves.


And then I met Moose.

I was driving back through Spanish Fork after finishing a root canal procedure (yuck!). I was driving down a long road, when I saw a little puppy dart across the road, narrowly missing getting hit. He was little, skinny, and sniffing around. I knew he was completely lost. I pulled over, and called him over. He would approach me, and then take off in the other direction. We played this cat/mouse game for about five minutes until he hung out by a chain link fence, looking down into the water canal. He let me approach him and pet him. He loved being pet. And he was so soft.

"You're little and lost. You're coming with me buddy!" I told him,  and scooped him into my arms, and placed him in my car. He hung out on my front seat just looking at me. I pet him, and let him know that I would be bringing him home as soon as I could. He fell asleep on the seat. I was completely in love.

With a heavy heart, I took him to the South Utah Valley Animal Shelter. I knew that if he were mine, I would come looking for him. So if he had a family, they were probably worried and would call the shelter. I filled out his intake form...and an adoption form. "If his family doesn't come for him, he is coming home with me." I told the receptionist over and over. A woman came to take Moose back to isolation. I gave him a quick pet and a kiss, and he was gone.

Later that night, I told Dave about my adventures.

"Babe, don't get attached. We're not getting that dog."

"Yes, we are." I replied.

(It's worth mentioning that he was looking up info about Moose's breed later that night.)

Dave rolled over the following morning, and asked me.

"But what if he doesn't like Burr-burr?" (Burr is our rabbit.)

I knew we were getting that dog
.







































Over the next few days I was telling everyone I knew about this little guy that I loved. I was also compulsively checking the website, to make sure he was still listed. I called the animal shelter every day to check on him, and make sure he was alright. He had to be in the animal shelter for 5 business days to allow the owners enough time to claim him.

In that five days Dave finished our fence, and closed off the back yard.

The night before we got to bring Moose home, we went out to buy food, a pillow, leash, harness, car seat cover, collar, and his little name tag. We knew his name was going to be Moose.


December 3, 2014 we finally got to bring Moose home! He was ours. And he was so happy. We filled out a ton of paperwork, and the brought him forward to meet us. He remembered me! He crawled into my arms, and insisted on belly rubs, and non stop loving!

We've only had Moose for a few weeks but he is already my baby. And Dave's baby. We love him so much! Moose has been our missing puzzle piece. And he's so smart! He is already potty trained, and he didn't have any accidents in the house. (Except for one little tinkle at my Mom's...) He learned his name in 1 day. And he is starting to sit on command. We're still working on that one. Be prepared to hear about Moose lots. He's my favorite furry guy!!!

All my love,

Alex

XOXO

Moose LOVES Uncle Jack

Just a little Conehead

He's a selfie EXPERT!

Just my Sleepy Dude

My dead Flower Blog

I'm trying to update. I really am. I have about five different posts that I'm working at simultaneously. When I've been getting home from work, I've been so exhausted. Between that, and DESPISING my computer with my whole heart (see you in hell, windows 8...) blogging only gets done when I'm feeling REAAAALLLLLLLY motivated to work past the glitchy stupid mess that is windows 8 and my laptop.


Anyway. I promise I'll get some entertaining posts up soon. You can follow me on instagram, if you really wanna stay up to date on my life.

@alexkadishuey


All my love,

Alex


XOXO

Cooking ALL THE THINGS.

*I started this post about a month ago.*

Hi. My name is Alex. I am a fast food and restaurant addict. It has been 2 days since I last ate out. Which may not seem like a big deal. But it is for me. Because I'm FINALLY cooking, and I'm actually doing it quite successfully.

It's just Dave and I right now. We don't have kids. We don't even have a dog. It's been really easy, convenient, simple, and expensive for us to eat out all the time. In the time that we lived in our apartment I probably cooked for us less than 10 times...in a year and a half!!! Why am I being so brutally honest? I'm really sick of eating out, to be honest. It isn't special and fun anymore, it's just a place to go get food. I decided that I was done. My body can't handle any more of that kind of food. Even if the stuff I make isn't necessarily low calorie, I have a little more control of what goes into it. We still maintain a date night every week, because I think it's important to keep that special. Even if it's on a Tuesday! (:

 I was at work and decided to make a menu for the week. I scoured the internet for recipes that would fit my fancy. By far, my favorite food blog is damndelicious.net. She creates delicious recipes, that ANYONE can make.

Ingredients for the Chicken and Potato Chowder!!!

Here is my menu for the week 1:

Tuesday: Chicken and Dumplings
Dave loved it. I liked it okay. I cooked the chicken in the crockpot too long. I hated the texture of the meat.

Wednesday: Chicken and Potato Chowder
This was good! A nice variation of chicken noodle soup.

Thursday: Asian Turkey Lettuce Wraps
We've made these before. They are our favorite.

Friday: Butter Chicken
I had to look all across Utah Valley to find Garum Masala, but I did find it! At the Asian Market on 500 W and Center St. in Provo! They are the greatest store ever. They have everything. This recipe was delicious. Dave and I prepared the sauce in the morning, and our house smelled like Indian the whole day. I LOVE Indian food!!!

Saturday: DATE NIGHT!!!
Chili's!!!!

Sunday: Family Dinner (Shuey Family. Cindy cooks a wonderful meal for us each sunday night.)


Week 2:
Monday: Herb Crusted Cod

I actively searched for this recipe. I had made it for my mom and me a while back when I had found it on pinterest. It was SO GOOD. (Especially if you are a fish fan like Dave and me)

Tuesday: DATE NIGHT
Chili's!!!

 

Wednesday: BBQ Chicken Cornbread Pie

This has been debatably Dave's favorite thing I have made. I LOVED it too. The cornbread is TO DIE FOR!! I licked out the bowl! Of cornbread!!! Add more cheese to the top than the recipe calls for. I promise, you won't regret it.

Thursday: Coconut Chicken Tenders

These were somewhat of a failure. I haven't done much frying in oil. The coconut wouldn't stick. Everything got dark and messy really fast. But I'm quick on my feet. The chicken was cooked to perfection, just the breading tasted funky. So I found the simplest recipe for orange chicken sauce I could, and made orange chicken and rice instead. It was awesome!!

I used the Pioneer Woman's orange chicken sauce. It was simple, and delicious.

 

Friday: Bang Bang Shrimp Pasta

This sauce melted in my mouth! It was creamy and delicious. And the shrimp was cooked to perfection. We used thin spaghetti noodles. Next time we're going to use angel hair!

Saturday: Pot Roast Sliders

Roast

Six Sisters Stuff Cook Book - page 46-
I used a different roast recipe because this roast is moist and flavorful, which is ideal for delightful sliders. I personally didn't like the horsey sauce that went with it, but I hate spices that add heat. I put a little ranch on mine, and they were great.


This week:

Monday: Honey Walnut Shrimp
These. Were. AMAZING. Holy smokes! I love honey walnut everything at Chinese restaurants, it was even better making it myself! Dave and I enjoyed the evening cooking together. Helpful hint: Don't take the walnuts out until the sugar crystalizes all over the walnuts. They are SOOOO much better that way. I also made a

Tuesday: DATE NIGHT

Chili's! We're addicted. Stop judging us!!!!

Wednesdsay: Chicken Alfredo BakeYou know those yummy chicken bakes at Costco? They are crap compared to these! And these little rolls actually refrigerate really well, and make great lunches!!! The recipe calls for 1 can of the crescent rolls. You need 2. Trust me.

 Thursday: Slow Cooker Enchiladas

I threw this all in the crocky during my lunch. It was super easy, and it smells so good. I'm excited to see how it turns out.

Friday: White Chicken Chili

I don't love chili. When I worked at Café Zupas, I loved the Chicken Tortilla Soup. It was a simple brothy soup that had a slightly spicy flavor. I'm really hoping this is similar.

Saturday: Chicken Parmesan/Marinara

I'm really excited to make this. It's super healthy! Quinoa breading!! Whaaa? PLUS homemade marinara sauce!!! I'll let you know how this goes!!!

 

 

 

That's all my recipes for now!!

 

 

All my love,

 

Alex Shuey

XOXO

 

Thankful Days 14 and 15

Nov. 14: Today is Grandpa Jim's birthday. He's been gone for 7 years, which feel significant, for some reason. I thought about him a lot. What a truly great man he was. Is. how I'm so lucky to have found a partner with similar qualities. I wonder what he would think of me now. I hope he would be proud of me. I'm thankful to know I will see him again.

Nov. 15: I'm thankful I got to spend the whole day with Dave yesterday. (Open enrollment started today, so my Friday was a pretend Saturday). I'm thankful I get to spend the evening with him too. And that we are going to have fun playing games with Brian and Kelsey!!

PSA: Home Post is Coming!!

I've been working on the post where I explain everything about how purchasing our home came to be. I am waiting until we finish putting up all the pictures so that I can do a video tour of my home.


I appreciate your patience in this matter.


XOXO,

Alex

Days 12-13

Nov. 12: I'm thankful for my car. The heater works AMAZING, and it has heated seats. I'm spoiled, to say the least. But it was 28 degrees when I left to hospital last night!! (I was dropping off Dave some dinner, just to clarify).

Nov. 13: I'm thankful I get to spend time with Dave!! Our work schedules are completely opposite on the weeks that he works. He works 6pm-6:30am. I work 9am-5:30pm. On Dave's week on, we see each other for 10 minutes before he goes to sleep, and at night we miss each other completely. Because he leaves for work before I'm even off work. (He's been visiting me on my breaks as often as he can. It's nice to even have 15 minutes to just say hi.) I'm planning on making a yummy dinner tonight, and catching up with the man I love so dearly.

Thankful Days 8-11

At least I'm trying to keep up!!!


Nov. 8: I'm thankful for my faith, and for the freedom to practice whatever faith I choose. Mass was especially wonderful, and I love my new parish!!! (For those of you that don't know, a parish is the equivalent of a ward)

Nov. 9: I'm thankful for my wonderful sister-in-law Kelsey. My niece had her primary program, and I thought I had already slept through it. Kelsey was sure to text me and let me know that I could still make it. And I'm so glad I was able to!

Nov. 10: I'm thankful that I have more than enough money to purchase whatever groceries I decide I want and need. I made a menu for the week, and I'm excited to report on each dinner!

Nov. 11: I'm thankful for ibuprofen. I woke up with a nasty headache, and was able to simply take a pill and make it go away.

I'm thankful: Days 6 and 7

I'm doing really good at this challenge. (hahaha)

Nov. 6: I'm thankful that my anxiety has been manageable recently, and that I don't feel afraid in my new home.

For those of you who don't know what having anxiety is like, this is actually a really good depiction.

Day 7: Beautiful weather. I'm a huge fan of fall. I love the cool air. I love layering on clothes, and cozying up to my husband when it's chilly at night.

I'm Thankful (Days 1-5)

Thanksgiving happens in the month of November.
November is a nice time to remember why I live such a beautiful life.

So I'm going to blog every day this month about something big things and small things that I am thankful for each day this month. I'm not currently up to speed, so I'm going to start days 1-5 here.


Nov. 1: I am thankful to have a warm comfortable bed to sleep in each night. There are so many that don't.

Nov. 2: I am thankful for all of my wonderful belongings. Unpacking all of our things this weekend made me realize how much I have. Literally!!!

Nov 3 (Dave's Birthday): I am thankful for my incredibly sweet, patient, loving, silly, funny, smart, hardworking, wonderful husband. He has made my life so happy, and has brought me so much joy. I didn't know I had the capacity to feel this much happiness until he was in my life. I love you Dave!!!!

Nov 4: I am thankful to have dental insurance. Dual coverage, actually. I had to get two root canals, and the insurance definitely allowed me to afford the procedure.

Nov 5: I am thankful for my job. It's not always my favorite, but it's good work. I know I am helping people.



What are you thankful for?





All my love,

Alex

XOXO

I'm Scared of the Dark and the Dentist.

Which is a lie. Because I'm not scared of either. In fact, I actually really like my dentist. He's the same guy I've been seeing since I was 7. He super nice, he listens to me, and he's covered by my insurance. It's winning all around.

I have been having issues with my back two teeth for a long time now. When I went in for my check up in June, I told my dentist about it, and he suspected that my teeth had fractures. There isn't much you can do for them, except let them heal on their own.

Fast forward 4 months.

I can't chew on the right side of my mouth at all. Cold zings. Crunch zings. Soft zings. Everything zings. And it zings down my jaw for a good 10 seconds. So I went in to see what was going on. My teeth were still fractured, and not healing. So he suggested getting crowns placed.

Today, I had those crowns placed. (Well the plastic ones. The real ones come in about 2 weeks). They have to wear down the enamel all the way around the teeth in order for the crowns to fit properly. So I got to have laughing gas and numbing shots. The first numbing agent made my face and mouth really numb, but I could still feel the drilling in my teeth. And it was zingy. So he gave me a few more injections of the anesthetic. Still zingy. My dentist tried a different kind of anesthetic. And even injected some into my gums. Still zingy. After a desensitizing agent was put on my teeth it wasn't so bad. I was pretty tough, and we got through the procedure.

I even went to work with a numb face.


Now the numbing agent has worn off and DEAR MOTHER THIS HURTS SO BAD. He warned me it would be super achy. He gave me a lot of shots. (He joked and told me he had given me 20 shots. I think he's lying. It feels like 200).

So now my sweet husband is bringing me a smoothie, because the idea of having to chew anything makes me want to cry. And nobody wants to see that.

But at least I'm not afraid of the dentist.

After dentist selfie. This smile felt so funny.

Dollar Tree Find

I don't usually go to dollar tree unless I'm looking for something specific. Like cheap tissue paper for gift bags.

 

Yesterday, I went to Dollar Tree looking for dish rags. They didn't have what I was looking for, so I wandered around, and found myself in the beauty aisle. I saw a package of what looked like decent nail polish, so I purchased 2 colors and left.

 

I tried them today. And OH MY GOSH! They are wonderful coverage, and pretty colors!

 

The line is called Milani. They sell between 3-7$ on Amazon. But they are at Dollar Tree. GO STOCK UP.  I know I am.

 

I purchased Chocolate Sprinkles and Instant Pearl. (But seriously, buy them at Dollar Tree.)

 

 

 

 

 

 

All my love,

 

Alex Shuey

 

XOXO

My Beauty Uniform

One of my favorite bloggers posted her beauty uniform on her blog recently. Visit her blog, if you haven't. THIS is the post where I am getting the questions.


Do you wear makeup?
Absolutely. I grew up a family where beauty and taking good care of my hair and skin was very important. I've worn make-up since I turned 12. Obviously, my routine has changed quite a bit since then.
What is your daily beauty routine?
I always wake up late. Like every single day of my life. So most of the time, my daily beauty routine has to be quick. I wash and moisturize my face most nights using Neutrogena Naturals. (Sometimes I forget, or I'm tired and lazy.) I found a foundation that is close enough to my skin color, that I can essentially use it like a concealer. I usually just dab a little under eyes to cover my dark circles, eyelids, and on my chin and around the corners of my nose, to cover any redness. I use powder finishing brush to apply my foundation. I personally hate foundation brushes. They are just too streaky. I line the tops of my eyelids with a minor cat-eye look. Then I layer on lots of mascara. I am an eyelash addict. I seriously love my eyelashes so much. I brush on a little bronzer, and maybe some chapstick.
Do you have any beauty “splurges”?
I have a few. GREAT foundation is always worth the splurge, in my opinion. There are lots of different kinds, but my absolute favorite is Teinte Idole Ultra 24 Hour Make Up by Lancôme. I am a 140 Ivory N. (The N means neutral. I don't really have pink or yellow undertones.) Since foundation is the base, and what most people put the most of on their skin, it's important to have good product. My other favorite splurge is great mascara. I love Lancôme Hypnose Drama.
My favorite knock offs are NYC High Definition Liquid Eyeliner. It's 4 bucks. And it lasts all day long. Longer than most of the high end liquid eyeliners that I've used. My other favorite knock off, and secret that I've kept for a long time is my favorite bronzer and blush. I LOVE the E.L.F Studio Contouring Blush and Bronzer. The color is pretty on everybody. And the bronzer gives a nice warm glow. It doesn't look overly shimmery or muddy. And the best part? 3 dollars. (E.L.F's brushes are great if you need a few. I like their pro series.)
Do you wear anything special on dates?
Dave and I don't have babies right now. So pretty much every night is date night. Hahaha. On nights where I have time, I like to do a smoky eye, or curl my hair. On busy days, I like to freshen up my mascara and blush.
What do you do to style and care for your hair?
My hair is naturally curly. For those of you who are blessed with wavy or straight hair, let me explain what this means. My hair is coarse. It does what it wants, how it wants, when it wants. And it is dry like a desert. But, I have spent the last few years making my hair work with me, instead of against me, and now I have a good hair routine.
I switch up my shampoo a lot. I use anything from Pantene to Redkin, but use color safe shampoo when I color my hair. My conditioner has been a toughie. Right now, my hair really likes the TIGI CatWalk Oatmeal and Honey Conditioner. I only apply it midshaft to my ends. It smells so yummy. Like fresh cookies. Our shower always smells like that for days.
I use Roman Oil after I get out of the shower. I work it into my ends. I personally use about 5 pumps. It makes my hair shiny, and I love the way it smells.
Learning how to properly blow dry my hair was a big step in my hair's health. I learned to blow dry DOWN the shaft of my hair that way I don't fry the cuticles.
I will openly admit, that I over style my hair. But I love my flat iron so much! I love curls, straight, bouncy, flirty hair. But I also like top knots on lazy days.

What do you like about your look, whether or not it's something "classically” beautiful?
I've always wished that I looked more exotic. Though I have a Lebanese heritage, most people have no idea. But, I do have dark hair, light skin, and dark blue eyes. I've always loved the way these 3 features play together. I love love love my freckles. I actually wish I had more of them. I love the way they dance across the bridge of my nose, and along my cheekbones.
What products do you pack when you travel?
What don't I pack? Hahaha. I usually pack my foundation, eyeliner and mascara, blush, and sometimes eyeshadow. I always pack my own blow dryer. Sometimes those hotel dryers get so hot. I have much more control with my own. And of course, my flat iron.
Do you have a game-changing beauty product?
I finally found the right shade of red for my skin tone. I always felt like such a clown wearing red lipstick. But this beautiful dark color brings out the natural pink in my cheeks, makes my teeth look whiter, and highlights my eyes. It's Maybelline Color Sensation in Deepest Cherry. I am in love.
Do you have a stance on bath vs. shower?
I love an occasional soak. I will sometimes put some Epsom Salt and lavender oil in if I've had a tough day. But I love HOT baths and showers. And I get more hot water taking a shower. Also-you can't really shave your legs in the bathtub, because that's kinda gross.
Do you have a signature scent?
I LOVE perfume. My mom always wore so many wonderful scents my entire life, so I have been seeking my "signature scent". I've always loved Light Blue by Dolce and Gabbana, but I haven't worn that perfume in quite some time. Body by Burberry is my favorite smell in the entire world. My mom got some for her birthday, and I steal a squirt whenever I go over to her house. (Dave will be getting me some for Christmas.)
Do you have any funny little tips you swear by?
It's totally gross, but because I fill my eyebrows using a matte eyeshadow, I will lick the brush I am using to apply the shadow. I don't know why, but spit works better than water in making it stay the entire day.
Was there a special person in your life (say, a friend or grandmother) who taught you about beauty?
My Grandma Carol and my mom. Grandma is such a beauty. She loves to try new shades of lipstick, and always wears just the right amount of blush. My mom though, is who mostly taught me what I know and view as beauty. I remember when I was little, watching my mom apply her make up, while I sat on the edge of the bathtub, simply mesmerized. She always made sure my sisters and I knew how beautiful we were.
When are times in your life that you've felt beautiful?
I feel beautiful at bizarre times. I feel really beautiful right before bed. When I'm in my jammies, and laying on the couch with Dave. (It probably has something to do with the sweet way that he looks at me). My Grandma Lynne always makes me feel like a stunner. "I could just look at you all day" she said to me recently. But I feel most beautiful when I paint. I am so in my element when I am creating art. I feel so whole.
Does Dave have a favorite look of yours? And does he ever weigh in on any other products or styles?
He likes it when I wear little to no make up. And when my hair is naturally curly. He doesn't mind when I try new things with my make up, unless I wear dark lipstick. Then it's no kisses for me!
What nail polish do you wear?
BASE COAT AND TOP COAT ARE EVERYTHING. I use the ORLY bonder, and Seche Vite. A good base and top coat pretty much allows you to use whatever nail polish you want, and have it stay. I really like the Sinful Colors line that they carry at drugstores. They are a two coat nail polish, but they have so many pretty colors, for a fraction of the price of OPI or China Glaze. The Nina Ultra Pro brand at Sally's is great too. I love the shape of the brush in their polishes.

Do you have any regrettable beauty trends you tried?
Emo Bangs. 3 inch eyeliner. So so bad. (Mother, why did you let me do this?!)

And it's no help that my sister is a total babe

Do you have any beauty pet peeves? Or is there any product or treatment you'll never use?
STOP CONTOURING YOUR FREAKING FACES. Everyone can tell. The only time I contour my face is for professional photo shoots. When make up artists are doing it for me. It looks unnatural, and everyone can tell. (And you're not one of the Kardashians...just sayin.)

Some amazing women have told us how they talk to their daughters about beauty. But I'm curious to know—what would you like your children to know?
I've always had a hard time being my own kind of beautiful, because beauty in the media seems so mainstream. But I want them to know that it's okay to be their own kind of beautiful. And that honestly, kindness and goodness gets people much further in life than pretty hair and make up ever will.
Last but certainly not least: Do you have an overall beauty philosophy?
Everyone has their own idea of what is beautiful, and what is not. Don't get caught up in it all. Find your own brand of beautiful. Don't let anyone tell you that you aren't beautiful, because you don't fit their personal standard of beauty. Also, always take really good care of your skin.


Laura at Simpleton Pleasures-I would love to hear all about your beauty uniform!!


All my love,

Alex Shuey

XOXO

3 Years.

Yesterday marked 3 years with Dave. It's weird and exciting at the same time. I feel like we've been together forever, but that time has passed so quickly. We didn't do much to celebrate. In fact, I was working. He called me on my break, and we wished each other a happy unofficial anniversary. And then we shared some Sweeto Burritos for dinner later that night while he was at work.

It was a simple, perfect way to celebrate 3 happy years.


I love you Dave!!!


Alex

XOXO

This was our first picture together. Halloween 2011

Sleepin with the Fishes.

That's where my blog would be, if it were a gold fish. It would be dead.

I promise I'll work on updating this thing tonight while Dave is at work. It will require a bit of backblogging, so please be patient with all the weird dates.



XOXO

Alex

BE WARNED

July and most of August have been INSANE. So please forgive me as I back-blog....

Savers Haul

I don't typically shop at Savers. I have to be in the right mood, and for sure have to be going on the right day. Some days I can find a lot of great stuff, some days I feel too grossed out, or just can't find a damn thing!!

This weekend I went up to the Savers in Salt Lake, and holy cow!!! I came across some amazing finds!! (Including a European designer shirt!!!) Most of the clothes I found were either brand new, or lightly used. And they looked to be mostly from boutiques.

Butterfly Shirt

Cosmos Shirt 

Flowy shirt/Kimono

Long Sleeve Pattern Shirt

Polka Dot Sweater

Red and white blouse (European Designer!!!)

Purple Sweater

Polka Dot Skirt

Yellow embroidered top

The best part of this haul....it was only 33$ for all of these clothes!!! This averages about 3$ per piece!!! I love shopping!! Especially for great deals.

ALL THE FURNITURE (DIY)

Dave and I have been refurbishing all kinds of furniture. I don't believe in paying full price for anything (and truthfully, our furniture budget for our house is pretty tight, so we're just making it work). We have created some beautiful furniture, and I'll post before and after pictures just to show ya!!



Dave and I were passing down the street when we saw some big cabinets with a free sign on them. We thought about it for a while, and decided that we did want to expand out entertainment center (that Dave had refinished before we were married) and make it much larger. We grabbed my mother-in-law's truck, and hauled them away to her garage to work on them. They were solid wood!! SCORE! I love high quality things, and solid wood is a great place to start. There was a lot of work that had to be done. Here is the picture story.

This is what the looked like originally. Pretty damn ugly.

We pulled off all the cabinet doors, and pulled out the drawers.

Adding trim to the edges to give it a nice finish

Dave had to carefully cut down the edges of the drawers so the fit flush with the cabinet

Added an additional shelf, and finished the trim

All the components together

Dave custom made the drawer fronts to match our existing entertainment center

All painted. It took two days, and lots and lots of patience.

Finished product. We love it!!!!!

We had another big project to work on. We had purchased a beautiful kitchen table with a lovely dark top at the RC Willey Clearance center. (We got it for a steal. Dave had to fix a few components, but Dave is handy, and it was worth the discount.) However, the table didn't come with chairs. I had seen a lot of kitchen inspirations on pinterest, and I decided that I wanted 4 matching chairs, with 2 captain chairs. (I'm pretty sure that's what it's called.) It took a ridiculously long time to find suitable chairs off of KSL. We didn't want crazy old chairs, or chairs from dining sets in the 90's. Dave found some incredible soft seated chairs, with a modern frame from a woman in SLC. And we got all 4 for about 75$. It was very exciting. We knew we had to stain and reupholsters the chairs to match the captain seats we had purchased at Target. Here is the process.

This is what the chairs looked like originally

Close up of the cushions. They were in good shape, but the wrong fabric.

This is the cushion we were trying to match

It took FOREVER to pull out all the staples from the chair. 2 bruised hands, and 100000 staples later, they were ready to reupholster

Finished cushions. We went to pretty much every fabric store in Utah  Valley to find the same fabric in charcoal. We found it in black instead. We figured it would match just fine.  It took lots of trial and error to get them to fit correctly.

Frames of the chairs



We had the leg from the chair we were trying to mimic matched at Kwal paint to get the right color of stain. We used my dad's stain gun to get an even texture. BIG difference. We love the color!!

Finished product. They look great, but most importantly, they match!!!



 These projects took about a week's time to finish. I'll post more DIY's as we finish them. But overall, I'm very happy with the progress we're making towards being homeowners!!!

Thoughts On Saying Good Bye.

As some of you may or may not know, my dear Grandpa (Don) Friske passed away a few weeks ago. In my final moments with him, I had scattered thoughts that I would like to share.




+ Flying still freaks me out. My dad is a pilot, and I'm still a basket case during take off and landing.

+ Flying with my mom is the absolute best. (Especially in first class...) I adore my mama, and I was so grateful to have her there with me during such difficult moments.

+ Montana is truly a magical place. It doesn't matter the circumstance that I'm there, it's simply magic.

+ Hospitals make me uncomfortable. Even though my husband works at one, I still hate spending time in hospitals. They are freezing, they smell funny, and they provide sandpaper as tissues.

+ Holding hands with Grandpa was an incredible experience. He needed to hold a hand. And I needed to hold his just as bad.

+ I believe people can see the Other Side as they are passing. And I'm pretty sure Grandpa was there long before he passed.

+ Thank you Uncle Ryan for letting me stay with you at the hospital for so long.

+ "You're pretty." Grandpa said to me as he watched me for a few seconds before he fell back asleep.

+ After 10 hours at the hospital with Grandpa, I walked out to flowers illuminated by a hospital light. I felt God's presence with me.

+ I hate good byes. My final good bye to my Grandpa was one of the hardest things I've ever had to do. We shared "I Love You's" and he asked me for a kiss. After a soft peck on the lips, I left the room in a flood of tears.

+ Families are Forever.