Jump Start Your Summer {Win $500!}

I am super excited to tell you about this contest. And I am super jealous you guys get to enter. Who couldn’t use an extra $500? And with summer right around the corner I can think of a million ways to spend it :)

Homes.com is sponsoring the contest and all you have to do is fill out a short survey about your summer plans/wishes and BOOM! you are entered. Easy peasy.

You have until  midnight EST June 4th to enter.

jump start summer

Good luck! I would LOVE it if it were one of my readers that won. Fingers crossed for you all!!!

Show Me What Ya Got #120

Hey!!! Welcome to another linky party. I am excited to see all of your projects. Please remember that this party is for your PROJECTS, your creations. Things you made. I have been getting pretty random things linked up. This party is for you to have a chance to share what you do to express your creativity whether it is sewing, food, decorating, painting, etc. It is not for articles about dieting, your love life, etc. Those things are awesome too, but this is not the forum to share them.

Here are my most recent posts. If you missed them please check them out :)

Spring Mantel

What I have Been Up To…..

I also guest posted over at SAS Interiors

Creating A Meaningful Home

 

Remember…….

*Link back to me somehow

*Link up your own work

*Visit the other links and share the love

*No giveaways, things for sale or etsy shops



What I Have Been Up To……

So what have I been up to? Because it certainly hasn’t been blogging! At least not as much as usual. I went from 4+ posts a week to 2 as soon as April hit. It has been crazy around here. I think May rivals December as my busiest time of year. Spring hits and not only do I have my regular DIY projects and other stuff but I have a yard that has been dormant all winter that is crying out for attention. It is also the end of the school year which means programs, performances, field trips, etc.

So here (shown in instagram pictures) is what I have been up to lately!

bathroom-demo-2

I currently have TWO bathrooms torn apart. And we only have two bathrooms. You do the math….. it equals a big mess! The downstairs bathroom was never finished by the previous owners. They added it but never built walls on the other two sides or did the flooring. Due to a leak in the pipes in the wall, I had to tear down the sheet rock and pull out the insulation.

bathroom-demo-1

There was also a leak in the up bath. I tore down the tile so the wood behind could dry out. We will finish the down bath first, then tackle the up bath after that. It may take awhile though. Even though I am saving money by doing things myself, it still takes money to do. Good thing I can pull the shower curtain shut and hide the mess :)

piano-recital2piano-recital

Our two oldest boys had their first piano recital. They have only been taking lessons for two months and got assigned their piece a few days before the recital. I was so proud of them for participating even though they were so new.

kindergarten-gradutaion

My sweet 6 year old graduated from Kindergarten. I won’t post pictures from his program due to the fact that there are other children in them, but here we are right after the program. He did great with his speaking part :)

IMG_3052

A lot of my time has been spent with this little guy. Ever since it warmed up he only wants to be outside. He has been my yard work “helper”. He works for popsicles :)

orange-popsicle

tilling

I have my garden all prepped finally. It took forever to warm up here this year. Winter didn’t want to release its grasp on us.

kickball

My view from the garden :) Kickball in the back of the yard.

secret-garden

My secret garden has come back to life. After a hard day of work in the yard I spend a little time relaxing here. It is my happy place :) Last year THIS is what I was working hard on.

IMG_2993

And then it is back to the school for more programs. One of which was called the wax museum. The kids dressed up as people from history and had to memorize things about them to tell as people stopped by their booth. I think it is such a good experience to have to research and then present it this way.

I am going to be planting my garden today if it is dry enough. We have had rainstorms all weekend. I also have more school events since this is the last week of school. I am hoping after school gets out and my garden gets planted that things will calm down enough that I can really work hard on the down bath. I also have outside projects up my sleeve and some recipes I want to share.

Is spring as crazy for you as it is for us??? What have you been up to?

Show Me What Ya Got #119

Sorry this is up a little late. I somehow forgot to hit “schedule” so it would post by itself. When I checked this morning, I noticed it wasn’t up yet. Here we go……

Hello!!! I finally posted a project yesterday. I know it has been awhile. That is the downside of tackling a big ugly project like plumbing, framing, and unfinished basements in general.  I feel like there has been a lack of creativity in my life. I may have to whip out some smaller projects here and there to cope with it :)

So I would love for you to check out my Spring Mantel I posted yesterday.

 

Let’s get tot he party, shall we?

 

REMEMBER:

*No giveaways, things for sale, or etsy shops

*Link up your own work….YOUR projects.

*Link back to me somehow (text or button)

*Share the love by visiting other people’s links



Spring Mantel

It finally stopped snowing here in Utah so I decided to finish my spring mantel. I didn’t have the motivation to do it when I was still snuggled up with the fireplace roaring. But it has been sunny for a week straight so to celebrate here is my springy, yellow, mantel!!!


spring-mantel-decor

Another reason I held off was I was waiting for my tulips in my flower beds to be ready to cut.  Aren’t white tulips so sexy? And what scream spring more than gingham? Maybe green grass?

To cover up my TV, I just sprayed some foam board with chalk board paint. It is easy to prop up in front of the TV when it is not in use and easy to take down when we want to see a show :)

spring-mantle-yellow

I realize that I still have not posted my fireplace tutorial (head hung in shame). I promise to get it posted soon.

spring-mantel-side

spring-mantel-brass-bunny

I love my wood box. I ordered it from Joss and Main. The bunny was from Hobby Lobby and he got a coat of brass paint.

spring-mantel-tulips

The vase is just a regular vase from the dollar store. I covered it in gold vinyl that I had left over from Christmas.

spring-mantle

Happy Spring!!!!

Home Stories A2Z

Show Me What Ya Got #118

 

HELLO!!! I am back and ready to go. In fact, I posted TWICE yesterday. I had a good break last week. I got (sort of) caught up on cleaning and spent some quality time with my family. I also brainstormed for an upcoming site redesign. I want to make this blog easier to navigate and give it a little makeover :)

Here are my posts from yesterday:

Pretending to be teenagers again….

I am in a book! {and a beautiful giveaway!} 

REMEMBER:

*Link up your own work

*Link back to me somehow

*No giveaways, etsy shops, or things for sale

*Family friendly content please!!!

*Visit other links and share the comment love :)


I am in a book! {and a beautiful giveaway}

*****THIS GIVEAWAY IS NOW CLOSED*****

 The winner is Nicole, who said: “Hello, We are not a big houseplant family. But that needs to change! My daughter has Asthma and her attacks are getting more and more frequent.  I think that by outfitting every room with a plant or two, maybe this will help. Thing is I have no clue where to start! I would love ideas and this book looks amazing! Thank you for the opportunity.”

I have something fun to share with you today! My Mason Jar Planter has been featured in a book :) I have been featured in several magazines but this is my first time in a book. And it is a topic that I adore. I have plants all over my house. I love gardening as much as DIY projects so it is a natural thing to have so many plants around.

 indoor-plant-decor

The publisher, St.Lynn’s Press, sent me a copy. This book is gorgeous!  There are 138 pages of inspirational photos and advice on what plants to use and how to keep them alive. Here is just a tiny example of what you can see in the book:

indoorplantdecor

 Indoor Plant Decor: The Design Stylebook for Houseplants is now available on Amazon in hardback for about $10.00!

 

GIVEAWAY:

Longfield Gardens is also wanting to giveaway one of these terrarium growing kits to one of my readers. I ADORE Cloches style terrariums. And this one is so pretty.

DETA-1187

(Source: Longfield Gardens)

This Grow Kit contains:
• Terrarium
• Peat Pot
• Soil
• 1 bulb, variety Picotee White

Let’s keep this simple.

To enter: Leave a comment on my blog telling me what your favorite houseplant is OR telling me why you need/want this book.

*This giveaway will run from May 6th until May 13th. The winner will be announced May 14th. Open to US residents only.

Other blogs doing similar giveaways:

 The Rainforest Garden
Gardening Gone Wild
Cowlick Cottage Farm
Shawna Coronado
Dirt Du Jour
Personal Garden Coach
The Impatient Gardener
Gossip in the Garden

Pam Penick’s Digging

Pretending to be teenagers again……

I don’t get all mushy often but even non-mushy people deserve to gush a little on their anniversary :)

I love this man. We have been married 13 years today. We are ridiculously happy but it has been hard most of the time. We married young (he was 24 and I was just shy of 21) and started our family only 18 months later. We have experienced 3 lay offs, deaths in our family, mistakes/forgiveness, a miscarriage, extended family drama, and have always struggled financially. But we also have experienced the birth of four amazing little boys, our first house, lots of quality time with family, and have supported each other in every endeavor.  We are rich in what matters most. We have the same goals. We are on the same parenting page. We are total nerds together. And we have so much FUN!

anniversary1
For our anniversary this year we went out to eat and then stayed in a hotel in ”the city” (Salt Lake City).

The next day we went to City Creek for the first time since it opened this past winter. HOLY COW people! It is impressive. Stunning! I got to venture into Anthropologie for the first time. WAY better than shopping online.
anniversary5

anniversary10
This display was one of my favorites. I wanted to take the whole thing home :)
anniversary9
See, we are kind of nerdy.

I also got to see West Elm in person for the first time. My husband fell in love with several things there. If it were not for the fact that our tub has started leaking (the day before we left!) into the basement and rotting the wood, we may have bought something. Such is life!
anniversary6
After City Creek we headed to the theme park LAGOON. We both have not been there since we were teenagers. They have added so much since then.

We got soaked on Rattle Snake Rapids…..
anniversary8

We rode some rides that were my favorite as a kid. I must been getting old because now this just makes me dizzy and nauseous.

anniversary2

anniversary7

anniversary3

We had a blast! We spent almost 8 hours there and were so completely exhausted. We acted like teenagers, but our bodies told us later that we are far from being kids :)

What fun things  have you guys done to celebrate your anniversary???

Show Me What Ya Got #117

Hey y’all! I hope last week treated you well and that you have some awesome things to share with us. If you caught my post yesterday you know why I am taking a little breather. I won’t be checking out your links until next Sunday or Monday. But I will get to it.

I WILL STILL TRY AN POST TO INSTAGRAM THROUGH OUT THE WEEK SO IF YOU WANT ANY BEHIND THE SCENCES STUFF, FOLLOW ME THERE :)

Thanks for everything you do. Thanks for visiting, commenting, showing support and sharing your awesomeness each week. This blog would not be what it is without you. Seriously :)

Here are my latest posts:

Part One: Finishing the Basement

Celebrity Homes &  $100 Gift Card Giveaway (WINNER ANNOUNCED!!!)

REMEMBER:

*Link up your own work (not round ups or other people’s work that inspired you)

*Link back to me somehow

*No etsy shops, giveaways, or things for sale

*Visit other links and share the love!



Playing catch up….

We have had the flu bug at our house for over a week and I finally caught it Saturday evening. That, along with biting off more than I can chew, has led me to the conclusion that I need a tiny breather. I am going to take the week off. I have the linky party already scheduled so that you will be able to link up your awesome projects on Tuesday like usual.

This week I will be disinfecting, doing laundry, yard work, celebrating my 13 year anniversary, and hopefully a project or two.

And I will be back next week hopefully refreshed, healthy, and ready to share more progress on our projects.

I hope you have a fabulous week :)

i'll-be-back-soon

Photobucket