i heart thrifting

Since the start of this year, I've solely done my clothes shopping at thrift stores.

I plan to continue for the rest of 2011 :)

It saves mulah and I think it's helping me be a little more green...thrifting is just a stylish and more personal way of recycling, right?

Today was a VERY good day at my local thrift store.

I went in looking for an Easter outfit, and I totally scored one...plus some ;)

(I'll openly admit I take full advantage of any excuse to buy a new outfit...holidays, weddings, celebrations...who's with me??)

Here she is:

top: $4

skirt: $4

shoes: $6

Close-ups :)

I also found another shirt and pair of semi-flat wedges...the 2 tops are similar (both button up, light colored, faint pin stripes) but I couldn't resist! Plus this one below has a slight empire waist so I can wear it next time I'm prego!

top: $5

shoes: $4

more close-ups :)

And last but not least...this LOVELY bowl. It seemed to be glowing in the shelf :)

I canNOT wait to fill it with gorgeous pears and oranges and place it in our new kitchen!!

Speaking of kitchen...it's being painted today!...the can lights are being installed... and then hopefully Friday the cabinetry will be installed...then the granite in another week or two. *whew* It's all coming together wonderfully!!

We feel so blessed to be [finally] making this house our home.

August 19th, 2011

That is going to be a VERY good day.

Do you want to know why??

That's the day my sweet sister...my other [girl] half...is getting married!!!

Do you remember back in January when I wrote a post about how Corrie was called to serve a mission in Brazil? Well, a week before getting her call in the mail, she was introduced to this guy...Nate Doty. "This guy" quickly became "the guy"...

the guy who Corrie wanted to learn more and more about,

the guy who made her want to be a better person,

the guy who she had wonderful discussions with of life and the Gospel,

the guy who made her truly laugh,

the guy who shared a hobby of loving the great outdoors,

the guy who had a great family (and who was so welcoming to Corrie:),

the guy who fit right into the Stum-bunch :),

the guy who had her thinking twice about serving a mission now, and instead serving multiple missions down the road WITH HIM,

the guy who she fell in love with,

and the guy who loves every bit of her and treats her like the BEAUTIFUL woman she is, inside and out.

Can you kind of tell I really like this guy? ;) Every since first meeting Nate (remember that?) I was impressed...I saw how much he truly cares for her :)

Corrie is so in love and sees such a lovely future, such a bright forever, with Nate...and it makes me HAPPY beyond words. My family is precious to me...and my sister Corrie is one of the best women I know. She's almost 2 years younger than me, but I look up to her. She's ever-forgiving, has a wonderful sense of humor, has such a passion for being active, she loves (truly loves) the outdoors, she is so tenderhearted, she makes everyone she meets feel appreciated and genuinely cared about, she's an amazing sister, and she's going to make a FANTASTIC wife!!!!!!!

Yay for marriage!!!!

Yay for sisters finding their other half!!!!

They really are made for each other :)

Love you Corrie and Nate!

Kitchen/upstairs remodel - PART 2

Today was another productive day!

We can see a light at the end of the tunnel!...(and that light is from the oven that will be baking all sorts of goodies...oh I miss my oven, and stove)

Here's some of what was accomplished today:

Correction: the paint was started...it'll take 'til the end of the week :) We LOVE our painters (Design Innovations) and we're excited to see how it all turns out!

And here's a little video from earlier today :)

Kitchen/upstairs remodel - PART 1

Our kitchen is gone, the floor has been torn up, a wall has been removed, old lighting has been taken out...this weekend was filled with lots of hard work!!

FRIDAY night my hunky husband, some wonderful family, and great friends & neighbors did it all...

WE CANNOT SAY THANK YOU ENOUGH TO THOSE WHO CAME OVER AND HELPED!!!

(Morgan, Christi, Jed, Shay, Luke, Becca, and Dad Kjar)

I got a few pictures...not all that I wanted...but here are a few for memory's sake :)

{ Thanks to Mom and Dad Kjar for making the delicious ribs and potatoes!! }

SATURDAY we had some of the subfloor replaced in the kitchen...and Adam & his cousin, Taylor, installed the hardwood floor in the entry and dining room. It looks so wonderful! Adam is learning a lot through all of this...Thanks so much to Taylor for helping with the floors!

Tomorrow's agenda:

- Have electrical problems fixed (oy)

- Have the sheetrock repaired where the wall was removed

- Finish hardwood in kitchen

- Painters arrive...let the painting begin!!

packin' up and movin' out

...our kitchen that is!

D-DAY IS FINALLY HERE!!!! (d is for demolition...mwahaha!)

I haven't mentioned it on the blog before because I almost wasn't sure if it was really going to happen...but it is my friends :) We are tearing out our kitchen tomorrow...

Adios cheap cabinetry!

Sionara haneous wallpaper!

Ciao glitchy appliances!

(including a fridge who's door has never been able to completely shut)

Farewell laminate floor!

We've had lots of sweet memories in our kitchen (and we have felt so blessed for what we have)...but it's is time to say our adieus and look forward to a whole new space for culinary creations and family gatherings. Oh it's gonna be good.

The picture above is the innards of our kitchen island counter, on top of the counter (yowza, Iknow). We've pulled everything out of the drawers and cupboards and tomorrow morning I'm going to Costco to get boxes to pack it all up and move it downstairs for the next week...and to get some plastic utensils and paper dishes (trying to be a little green here!). Wish me luck with no kitchen!!

And while doing the not-so-awesome task of gutting our kitchen, I've been listening to this oh-so-awesome song....LOVE.IT. And I want Adele's voice. Badly.

a little note from Brooks to Samson

Hey Samson!

It was your 1st birthday last week!!! Happy birthday cousin :) We're both ONE now...we're getting OLD! At least you'd think so by how much my mom tells me to stop growing up so fast.

Well, my mom took a bunch of pictures on her phone from your party and I thought you'd like to see them :)

Thanks for letting me play with your toys! :)

My mom said she LOVED this decor/game your mom did. She hung a garland strung with photos of you :) One from each month of your first year...they weren't in order though, so the guests had to guess and list them in the right order. My mom and dad said that was fun, and kinda tricky! :)

Then came THE CAKE(s). My mom says your mom rocks at baking. And it's true!! She let me have some of the chocolate cake...YUMM-Y!

All the people who could talk sang Happy Birthday (not me yet, but I promise I was thinking it) to you!!! and we all clapped :) You weren't into the whole getting-messy-and-shoving-cake-into-your-mouth thing...instead you wiped the cake on your mom. heehee (I do that alllllllllllllllllllll the time with my food;)

Again, Happy Birthday cousin!!! I love you!

The next day...

our moms decided to have a double play-date. You and me played together and they played together...or I guess they did more laughing and talking about mommy things like summer plans, and pediatricians, and my aunt's wedding, and other girly stuff :)

Remember that dog we were staring at and couldn't take our eyes off of??...I think we may have made it difficult for our mom's to get a good picture of us ;)

My mom says we are both SUPER CUTE and SUPER SWEET...even sweeter than the icecream she brought for all of us to share :)

You liked the lemon sorbet...me, not so much. Check out my sour face! hahaha!

Then our moms took about a million and one photos of us...but we're used to it, right? ;)

You and I had had about enough..."No more pictures PUH-LEASE!" But your mom snuck in and gave you some kisses...and my mom did too. Then we got all smiley again :)

Welp Samson, you are awesome. My mom says she's excited for when we can actually talk and stuff...but I think we are still having fun together now, just looking at each other and laughing...oh and when you smother me with kisses. My mom wants you to teach me to be more kissy, or something like that. Anyway, thanks for being such a fun cousin!!

Love,

Brooks

Blooming Canvas Art...guest post!

A couple weeks ago I was asked by a sweet friend, and blogger extraordinaire, to do a guest post over at her place...I about fell off my chair from excitement when I read her email. (I kid you not;)

Amy, over at The Idea Room, is constantly sharing wonderful ideas revolving around crafts, decor, home improvement, recipes, and gift ideas! She had a fun and oh-so busy last couple of weeks (Spring Break vaca with her family, then attended Creative Estates) so I was more than happy [honored really] to relieve her load a bit and provide the post over there today. I had a few ideas...some of which I'm still working on...but this is what I decided to share :) This is just a sneak peak...I'd love it if you'd GO HERE to check out my spring time craft :) It was easy, and you can take it in so many directions...let me know what you think! :)

PS - Here are just a few FANTASTIC projects and recipes of Amy's...enjoy!

kissing balls and moss letters

stellar DIY headboard and bedframe

chalk board purse

felt finger puppets

(I want to make these for Brooks, when he's a big older and won't eat them;)

rainbow pancakes

cinnamon swirl pancakes

pumpkin waffles and cinnamon syrup

(okay, can you tell I love breakfast:)

sea glass candy