One of My Hidden Talents

Okay, some of you might know this hidden talent, and some of you might not. But I am a major bargain shopper. Really, if you knew just how much of a bargain shopper I am, you'd probably pay me to find you deals. (Not that you'd have to. But I really should get paid for this.) I'll give you a little idea of how good of a bargain shopper I really am.

Last Tuesday night, my mom and I went to Shopko because their Easter decorations are 90% off!!! Everyone knows that the best time to buy decorations are after the holiday, and then save them for the next year. So, I got a wooden welcome sign to hang on my door, $1.59. Another wooden hanging decoration, $1.39. And some cute Easter napkins, $.29. Amazing, right? Just think, they're 90% off! I'd be paying about thirty dollars! But instead I only paid three plus tax!

Then, we decided to go to Seagull Book and look around. In their clearance section, I found awesome deals in their back clearance section! These ones were back there because there might have been something wrong with the covering, but who cares, right? It still has the same information in it! I got the fifth Fablehaven book (hardcover) for $1.99. I got the first Hourglass Door book (paperback) for $.99. And I got the fifth Leven Thumps book (hardcover) for $.99! Can you believe that!? I wouldn't have gotten a better deal at the DI! I know those books are kind of random, since they're all series books. But I figure that I'll eventually get the entire series anyway. I've been planning this for a while now. So, if I see a book in a series that I like for a great price, I buy it (unless I've already got it). And maybe by the time my future children are old enough to read them, I'll have them all. Plus, I'll be able to read them as many times as I want. With these books, I would read them over and over. So, all in all a good investment.

Earlier that day, I went to some crafty stores. That was when I got the bright idea for my previous post, which cost me absolutely nothing, since I used what I had in a new creative way.

The next day (Wednesday) I went to Hancock Fabrics. I've been browsing prices of home decor fabric. I've been yearning to reupholster the love seat in my living room. I found this beautiful powder blue fabric that is kind of like micro suede, but a bit thinner, on clearance for $1 per yard. Can you believe it!? $1 PER YARD!!!!! I was in shock! I wasn't sure if I really wanted to do that right now, so, I left and went to another store. After thinking about it for the five minutes in the other store, I decided to go back and get it. I mean, $1!!! How could I pass that up!? So, I asked the lady at the fabric cutting counter how much fabric I would need to reupholster it, and she said ten yards. But she said that the fabric would be a little too thin for that. So, I asked how it would do as a slipcover, and she said that it would definitely work, and I would need less fabric for it. I ended up buying the entire roll, because there were only eight yards on it. The project said it should only take about six yards, so, I'll probably have some extra fabric for other projects!!! My motto: You can always find something to do with fabric and craft supplies. The only problem is getting around to it. So, soon I'll post about doing a slipcover for my love seat. I'm so excited!!! It's going to be beautiful!!!

Okay, one more example of my thriftiness. I have a good sized house. It has a main floor, a basement, and a small upstairs. You'd think that a young couple wouldn't be able to fill it with furniture. Well, we have, and some rooms are still a little crowded. Honestly, the only piece of furniture that we personally have paid for is our couch downstairs. We bought it in the scratch and dent section at John Paras Furniture. There was absolutely nothing wrong with it. We just think that it was a return because the people didn't really want it. It is green micro suede and it reclines. We put it downstairs so that we could recline while watching TV and movies. LOVE IT!!! So, all the rest of our furniture and decorations was either hand-me-downs that we've refurbished, or gifts for birthdays, Christmas, and our wedding. Oh, I forgot, we did buy a cute little white dresser for my birthday last November. But that was Lance's gift to me, so, I don't really count that. And we got a bunch of furniture when Goldenwest Credit Union was getting rid of some of their furniture, but it was a small table, a bookcase, and two drawer stands all for $10, which was almost free for that much stuff.

So, that is one of my hidden talents. It's really easy to acquire. Just shop around, and don't be afraid of previously used items (as long as you either know the people who owned it, or it is easily cleaned.) Also, be patient. You might not find what you want right away, but wait a few weeks, and the selection is totally different, or wait for a sale. Also, think about what you already have and how you can change it from something you like into something you love. Sometimes just a little adjustment can work wonders. Happy bargaining!

Uh-Oh! My Creative Bone is on the Loose!

It's been a while since I've done a decorating project. Well, Easter really doesn't count, because I don't have much choice in what I put up. I don't have very many Easter decorations. Anyway, there is this wall in my living room that has been driving me insane! It was just sort of blah. There were three things that I put up there, but they weren't quite enough to make me happy. So, I've been thinking about how to spice it up for a while now. I went to a few stores to get ideas, fully intending on buying something, but nothing really had that wow factor for me. Luckily I was at JoAnn's, the fabric and craft store, so it got my creative juices flowing. And let me tell you, when my creative juices flow, there's no stopping them until that little idea in my head that keeps nagging at me gets satisfied. So, I came home, and looked for some crafty things. I had a few ideas to keep in mind. But I decided on one that I think is very unique, crafty, and super easy!

My blah wall.

My first idea was to put up some small picture frames (I have these super cute antique-looking white ones that I got to decorate my wedding reception) and put "live" in one, "laugh" in another, and "love" in a third one. I'd have to attach some ribbon to hang them up because the frames are designed just for standing on a table. I wasn't sure if I wanted to go that permanent, so I nixed that idea. Plus, I have tons of picture frames in my living room anyway. And, I have tons of word plaques. So, all in all, a good idea gone too far.

Super cute antique-looking frame. (It's not really an antique. It just looks like it.)

My second idea, and the one I decided on was to get some fabric (I have this sparkly red fabric that I got at Tai Pan Trading a year and a half ago to embellish my curtains, which I'm not using any more) and sort of frame what was already on my wall, giving it texture and shape, which is much more aesthetically pleasing. It took a little feminine touch to get it to look right, but I think it looks ten times better!

The fabric is up, but it still doesn't look right. Splayed edges are yucky!

So, as you can see, the bottom of the fabric liked to splay. I was not going for that, so I came up with a simple solution . . . Ribbon!!! I LOVE ribbons and bows! I'm so excited that I got to use it in my decorating! I've got a little ribbon bag in my craft corner, filled with ribbon (Michaels has good sales on ribbon sometimes in their $1 bins.) I chose a thick white floral ribbon. Let me tell you a little secret about ribbon that I learned in ballet: to prevent fraying, put the end of the ribbon very close to a flame, using a lighter. It will melt the ribbon ends, sealing them off. Make sure you're extremely careful. You don't want the ribbon to catch on fire.

Finished product. No more splayed edges and much more interesting!

Yay! I love when things work out for me! Sometimes my head has grandiose ideas that don't always work, but this did! Woohoo!

The Merry Old Month of May

I hope that all of you mothers out there had a wonderful Mother's Day! Mother's Day is a little awkward for a married woman without any children. At church, they give out little gifts after sacrament meeting. It's really awkward for me, because they always give me one. Usually I argue with them and say that I'm not a mother yet, but they make me take it anyway. Then I feel guilty for taking something that really wasn't meant for me. So, this year, I was able to sneak past the person at the door handing out the gifts. Yay! My mother, on the other hand, gives me Mother's Day gifts anyway. She tells me that I'm an MIT, Mother in Training. Well, I guess if she got it for me, specifically, it was technically meant for me. But I still feel weird. Other than the awkwardness, Mother's Day was a good day. We went to my parents' house for the afternoon and saw my brothers and their families there as well. Then, we went to Lance's brother's house to celebrate on that side in the evening. We hope to visit Lance's step-mom very soon. We're so blessed to have THREE mothers looking out for us! We love them all!

Everyone knows that Mother's Day is the magic day where you can start planting flowers and your garden! Well, since the entire weekend was pretty rainy, we haven't done our garden yet, but my flower bed is planted! I'm excited for more zinnias, marigolds, and sunflowers! My lilies are coming up, but they're not quite in bloom yet. Last year, only one lily came out in our flower bed, so Lance was excited to see that I had planted four lily bulbs equal distance apart. I LOVE flowers!!! Oh! Remember our single lavender tulip I discovered last year? Well, we still have that plant, and guess what! There are about ten bulbs on it! They are kind of late bloomers because they're in a very shady spot, but they should be blooming in the next couple of weeks! I'll take pictures of my flowers when they come out so you can see them!

This past Saturday, my niece, Ashlyn, had a piano recital. She called me specifically and invited me, so I couldn't pass that up! She did AWESOME!!! I'm so proud of her! Speaking of piano, I'm teaching from my home now. So far I have two students. I'm hoping for more, so if you know of anyone looking for a beginning piano teacher, send them my way.

Well, that's all for now.

Hi everyone! This last week Lance went to Austin, TX again. We're about 99% sure this will be his last time there. He's almost done with his rotation there, so he will either be rotated back home, or somewhere else. Don't worry. We won't be moving. He just has to travel a lot when he rotates. So, since it was his last time there, he got a souvenir. About 90% of vehicles in Austin have these Longhorn decals on their bumpers. Lance liked them too, so he got one. Plus, it reminds him of the time he sat on a longhorn bull in San Antonio. I made him promise that it would only go on our truck. It would look pretty funny on either of our other vehicles. The reason Austin has so many Longhorn fans is because the University there is the Texas Longhorns. They've got a lot of school spirit. Here is a picture of the souvenir:




I did some research this last week. I'm an Activity Days leader in my ward, and have been for a little over a year. My ideas are running thin, so I decided to look up activity ideas, and I found a great blog! It gave me tons of ideas, and I could plan for the rest of the year if I wanted to! So, if you are an Activity Days leader or just want fun ideas of projects for kids, here is the blog: ldsactivitydayideas.blogspot.com

The Decision Has Been Made

Hello again everyone. My decision about my last post, (posting chapters of stories I am working on) has been made. Due to the lack of comments (there were only three, and they were all family, so it would be just as easy to email it to them), I have decided not to post them. Sorry if you are disappointed, but if you are, then you should have spoken up. I'm sort of relieved about this decision, because I was a little nervous to share. Now, I can write without any pressure. Thanks for the feedback!

Should I or Shouldn't I?

Okay friends, I have been writing a few fictional stories in the past little while. I would like your opinions on what I should do. I've been debating this for a while and need some outside persuasion. I'm going to need you to comment to tell me what you think, because if you don't comment, then I will assume you think I am insane, and nothing will happen.

Here is what I would do: I would post one chapter of a different story each week, and on the last week, I'd have you vote for which one you like the best, and that is the one I would work on the most (if I don't get writer's block.) You could also leave comments on each individual chapter and give suggestions on where you would like the story to go next. I've pretty much got the outlines worked out in my head, but I'm open to suggestions.

So, leave a comment on what you think, and then we'll see what happens. :)

Cherry Blossoms in DC

Well, Lance went on another business trip. He went to Washington DC again. I think this was like his fifth time going there. He absolutely loves it there. It's pretty, people are friendly, and the best places to visit are free! This time he was able to fulfill one of his dreams of seeing the cherry blossoms in DC. I wasn't there in person, but all of his pictures were amazing!!! Also while on his trip, he was able to sit in on a hearing about Arizona's border patrol. Guess who one of the senators was! McCain! So, Lance got to see him in person. However, he didn't get to talk to him or shake his hand or anything. But he got to see him in action. The hearing was in the capitol building. That was Lance's first time inside the capitol building, which was another one of his dreams, to go in there. He found out that pretty much anyone can go in there. Too bad we didn't know that when I went with him two years ago. That's okay, though. I saw tons while I was there.

Here are some pictures of the lovely cherry blossoms. Did you know that in 1912 the Japanese gave the U.S. a cherry tree as a peace offering? That's a fun little fact that Lance discovered on his trip.

Lance and the Jefferson Monument framed by cherry blossoms

Jefferson Monument framed by cherry blossoms

Cherry Blossoms and the Washington Monument

I know you're thinking that it's kind of weird that with all of the budget disagreements why would Lance get to go on a work trip, working for the government? Well, they had enough money in the budget to send a few people to the training last week, and Lance was a lucky winner. Speaking of the budget, when do you think they'll figure out the budget for the rest of the year? One or two weeks at a time is a little ridiculous, don't you think? We're already halfway over with the year (the government's year starts in October). I'm glad that the government hasn't shut down . . . yet. But really, agree on something long term! These one to two week extensions don't solve any problems.

So, what did I do while Lance was gone? I spent most of my time at my parents' house again. They love having me around, and I like having human contact. Of course I would stop by my house daily to check on things and scrape my kitchen floor some more. (Will this project ever get done?) I also did activity days on Wednesday. I have tons of girls in activity days, which is a little overwhelming at times, but I love each and every one of those girls. They're fun to hang out with. I also got to hang out with my sister and her kids on Monday after dropping Lance off at the airport. We had a blast! My nephew who just turned one is starting to take a few steps! It's super exciting! My three year old niece is very clingy to me. She didn't want anyone else invading her territory (me). My nieces make me feel so loved!

Well, that's what we've been up to in the past little while.