Our hands: or one pinterest project i finally finished

I started this project during my pregnancy and I have FINALLY completed it! I still need to get a frame for it, but at least the real work is done! It wasn't even hard, I guess I'm just lazy!

I want to do this each time we add a little one to our family. Look how little Bridger's hand is! I actually did his hand pretty soon after he was born, so it's a lot bigger now. Sad face.

Found here.

A house and a garden

and little feet running wild through the yard. And a river running through the backyard. That's all I want.

I found this image on Pinterest via Joy Kim's ideal settings board and after a little research, I found the original (here). (It seems to be a listing on a website for a company that rents out properties for photography shoots in Great Britan).

Isn't it breathtaking? The rest of the home is pretty lovely as well. The interior is a little too rustic for my taste though. I would probably modernize at least the kitchen and update the furniture.

With all my dreaming and planning, I have decided the house is not quite as important as the location. I want room for our kids to run. I want room to create. Room to plant and grow. Room to live!

More of my home dreams here, here and here.

In honor of...

the Hunger Games premiere tonight, here are some of my favorite Hunger Games inspired things floating around the web:

Source: Uploaded by user via Lulu on Pinterest

source

Source: tumblr.com via Lacey on Pinterest

 (on etsy here)

And if you haven't heard Taylor Swift and The Civil Wars' song from the soundtrack, watch the video here. (Don't you love her dress?!) Also, a great wedding inspiration shoot based on the books.

***

While I haven't made a cool shirt or outfit for tonight, I am super excited! Let's hope it's as good as all the hype! And if it's not, we still have the books, right? :)

Happy Hunger Games!

Happy Weekend + Friday Links

Photo via Seasonal Love.

Happy wedding day to Kennedy and Trevor! We are headed up to Salt Lake today for their wedding. Tomorrow, weather permitting, we are getting OUT of the house for a hike. I really need to breathe some fresh air! I also might try and hit up the Bijou Market that is in Provo this weekend. Here are some fun and interesting tidbits from around the web, well, mainly Pinterest:

Really looking far into the future with my newest pinboard: Cabin Fever.
Planting a pineapple plant.
In case anyone was wondering, here is my Christmas wish list ;)
Clever idea for a wedding.
Just beautiful.
Viewing is mandatory.
The Easter Island heads have bodies! I had no idea!

 Hope everyone has a lovely weekend!

Hair Help

So after 3 years, I have finally grown my hair to the desired length. It's super long. Mid-back long. But now it is completely unmanageable. Which could have to do with the fact that I wash it right before bed, sleep on it wet...and wake up to a crazy frizz...which turns into a bun on top of my head. (Way too many times a week.) So I have been eying this do on Anne Hathaway:

 

Source: beauty.about.com via Lacey on Pinterest

Which would be great because I have been wanting to donate my hair to Locks of Love (and now is the perfect time!). But how can I let my length go?? Especially after seeing this:

Source: weheartit.com via Lacey on Pinterest

I'm so indecisive about this! It's a big deal! 

What do you think? Keep in long or chop it off?

Friday Links

Enjoying a little bit of home last night with Chick-fil-a :)

I  procrastinated some homework and made an "about us" page. Check it out if you like!

Raising kids outdoors. (This is totally our plan!)

Finally, someone speaks out about the ridiculous baby-prop photos!

Aibileen's wisdom.

A great refresher on how to take in your trousers.

My favoritest favorite Pinterest board.

This weekend we are catching up with some of Nate's old roommates and then avoiding the game crowd entirely by going to the temple on Saturday night. Yay!

Have a lovely weekend :)

A print + links

On a boring Sunday afternoon while Nate was working, I saw this print on Pinterest. Just for fun, I made my own using Picnik. Maybe I'll keep my day job ;) But what do you think? I made a few others. Want to see more?

P.S. Another print I made as a gift.

..........

P.S.S. Friday links:

A little trip down memory lane for Nate and I.

Living a balanced life.

Dreaming about Nova Scotia.

Can't wait to make these yummy red-velvet brownies!

Love these smart tips for back-to-school clothes shopping.

And this is for the members of my family who are considering coming out for Christmastime: things to do in Utah in the winter :)

Weekend Links

I have finally completed summer term! Wahoo! Even though it was only a 6-week term, it felt long! Probably because all the times I was in class or studying these past couple months, Nate has been in and out on his own fun summer adventures. But last night, we celebrated my freedom with an adventure: sailing! More about that next week. But here are some fun things I have found around the web this week:

Never just.

Beautiful little camping adventure.

Amazing public pools.

Sharon, from NYC Taught Me, is getting together donations for strollers for young homeless mothers in NYC. Check it out here.
Gorgeous signboard for the home.
Cute little porch makeover.

This extender slip is going to be one of my projects before fall classes start.

Also this grocery bag project.

Have a lovely weekend!

The photo is of some wildflowers we found on our Mt. Nebo adventure. (Edited using Picnik'sposterize effect.

Weekend Links

Beautiful underwater photography by the amazing Kristen.

She also did our wedding photography :)

Great organization idea!

I love this guest quilt idea. Maybe for a baby shower?

Amazing living room.

Floating bookshelf.

Donate for Eagle Condor Humanitarian on the Tipping Bucket today!!

Have a lovely weekend :)

Roasted Peppers

Last week at Costco, I bought of bag of peppers simply because the colors were so bright and happy. The only time I ever eat peppers is in a stir-fry. But thanks to Pinterest, I was able to mix it up a little. I found this recipe and then tweeked it to fit the ingredients we had at home. This is my kind of recipe because you can totally improvise on the seasoning. Just go with what you like/have on hand! And this was seriously amazing! I ate two peppers myself! Then I made it again the next day! I can't tell you how delicious it was, you'll just have to try it! :)

Here's what we did:

Ingredients:

2 bell peppers (the first photo shows four, but I only needed 2 for us)

garlic salt

pepper

(about) 2 T of olive oil

1/2 C of shredded cheese

Directions:

Core peppers to remove seeds. Then cut into fourths or fifths. Place in a medium sized bowl and then toss with olive oil, garlic salt and pepper. (I honestly didn't measure any of this, just lightly covered each pepper.)


Arrange on a lightly greased pan with the skin down. Bake at 425 for about 15-20 minutes or until soft. Then add cheese and broil for about 5 more minutes or until the peppers are slightly charred. Then enjoy!

Friday Links

This weekend, Nate and I are celebrating Pioneer Day with the rest of Utah (yay for no school or work on Monday!)

I'll be working on some more research for a class about healthy marriage initiatives in Florida. (So interesting!)

Nate is going rocking climbing with a buddy while I try out a new recipe!

Also, we completed our Chronicles of Narnia marathon last night with the Voyage of the Dawn Treader. The third installment was a big let-down when compared to the first two. However, the Christian symbolism was way more apparent. My favorite had to do with resisting temptation in order to defeat the darkness and bring back lost souls.

Here are some lovely links to get you through your Friday :)

This little book looks so cute.

Love this extra large photobooth strip idea.

Cheeky card. Guess who it reminds me of?

This the cut & style I'm thinking of doing pretty soon. Thoughts?

Image credit

Another rule for my un-born daughters

Found on Pinterest

Another great rule for my un-born daughters!

More rules/advice for my daughters here and here.

Crafting: Yarn Letters

While in Canada, the girls started a few crafts. I tried out the yarn letter trend. I kept seeing them all over Pinterest and thought it looked pretty easy.

I got my letters at Michaels for just a couple bucks each. Rachel let me use some of her yarn, so I didn't have to buy any. I found out that it's a bit harder than it looks.

For mine, I wrapped vertically to cover the letter and then did a second layer horizontally. I used a little fabric glue along the way to keep the loose ends in place.

All in all, an easy and fun craft!

the inspiration

Friday Links: Long + Longer Skirts

Finding skirts that are long enough is always a struggle. Thankfully, I have found a few stylish options. A friend of mine had on a really great one today that she got at DI. Guess where I'm going tomorrow?

Denim skirt. Found here.

Like the pleats and the color combo. Found here.

Good look, minus the shoes. Found here.

P.S. Have you seen this? Hilarious!

Happy Friday!

Isn't that tapestry beautiful?
Found here.

Yay for the weekend! Nate and I are going Mac shopping this afternoon (woot!) and playing some games with some friends tonight. Tomorrow will be filled with paper writing, but I'm trying to have a good attitude. Even just after two months, going back to school is terrible.

Did you hear about the underwater sculptures? So cool!

A combined slide & staircase will be in our future house.

The smart way to serve ice cream.

I did this with our wedding cards last night. Turned out really cute!

I've got to try this method of ripening peaches. Peaches that are in the grocery stores here are rock solid. I miss the "Jaw-juh" peach stands back home!

Have a happy weekend! ♥

Best of Braids

It's no secret that I'm a lover of braids. However, I feel that braids do not love me. The thickness of my hair with its many layers (that I'm trying desperately to grow out!) make my braids a little crazy. (Think of Stands with a Fist from Dances with Wolves). But I can't help from dreaming.

Here are a couple of my favorites found on Pinterest.

Image.


Image.

P.S. A Cup of Jo also has a couple schnazzy braid tutorials. A braided crown and braided top bun.

Pinterest: Kitchen Dreams

The layout of this kitchen is near perfect! I don't love all the white though. Can you spot the dinner bell? Can be found here.


I love the rustic theme and the colors on this dining room table. Can be found here.


I'm drooling over this cabinet color and the wide plank wood floors! Can be found here.

Organization is Beautiful

I find great joy in organization. I love to see everything in its place. I've found some beautiful little organizing tips on Pinterest that I would like to share. Enjoy!

1. Storing extra sheets in their pillowcases. (If you can ever get the bottom sheet to actually fold!) Found here.

2. If you have this much ribbon, this is a genius idea. (And if your husband will allow you to use closet space for your craft supplies...) Found here.

3. For the pantry: Use a hanging shoe rack to organize small pantry items. I wish I had come up with this! Found here.

Now I'm gonna go re-arrange my craft supplies...

Alaska

Well then. Maybe living in Alaska wouldn't be so bad after all.
Found here via Pinterest.