Bits and Pieces: Ups and Downs and Ups

1. Yesterday's Girl Day was so much fun! Katherin brought over some homemade soup and pumpkin dip, which were incredible! We snacked and bawled our eyes out, while we watched "My Sister's Keeper". I'm so blessed to have such a great friend! It's fun to keep each other company while our husbands are on the road.

2. Raspberry Pop-Tart in hand: my life is complete.

3. Dan and I found the public library last week, so I went back this morning to get my library card and the rest of the Fablehaven series. So stoked!! I also filled out a volunteer application :)

4. I'm really sad that I can't take Tony Chopper to AZ with me next month. If he weren't so lanky...

5. Daniel and I started watching "The Walking Dead" last night. As he was leaving for work this morning, he says, "Don't watch any episodes without me, k?" ...Watch a show full of zombies all by myself, without my husband to protect me in case a few wander up the driveway?? No thank you!

6. I really need to fold up all of our clean laundry...but there are 4 books sitting right next to me, begging to be read....

7. There's an enormous pile of leaves on the side of the road near my house. Every time I drive past, I want to veer over and crunch through it! Would you guys judge me if I did??

8. I'm not sure I'm done with my ghosts, yet. They may just haunt our house for another...forever?

9. Totally in need of some epic, but simple Halloween costume ideas. We can't show up to the ward Truck-or-Treat in something boring! Help!

10. Spoiler Alert: We may be bumped out of Sterling by the end of the year. Keep us in your prayers? Thanks! Love you all!

Monday Musings

Being a wife means I get to brag about my husband. Brace yourself for the feelings of overwhelming jealousy. ;)

1. Yesterday, he cooked all the food. Was I sick or otherwise incapacitated? Nope. He just did it! Pancakes and fried potatoes for brunch + grilled chicken cheese sandwiches for dinner = best husband ever!

2. He passed his midterm with a B last week, without even studying! His final will be a piece of cake!

3. We are in the process of revamping the dog house outside, and what a stud! He pulled out all the rotting wood on the floor, tore out the carpet, built a door for it, and it's all coming together because of his hard work and vision.

4. Saturday, while I was at a Relief Society function, he built a rolling dog gate so we don't have to climb over small walls just to get to the bathroom. It's seriously genius!

5. We had a philosophical discussion about a WW2 shoot-em-up movie.

6. He recently admitted that our dog is the cutest puppy in the world and that he likes him a lot. What's better than a hot man with a puppy??

I'm so grateful for my husband! What would I do without him?? It's difficult for me to imagine what my life would've been like with someone else. But I do know that I couldn't have possibly made a better choice than my Daniel.
Next week is the anniversary of when we officially started dating. I can't believe it's been a year already! Time has flown by, and he's changed me for the better along the way. 

Teeny Pumpkins

There's little better than some tiny pumpkins to bring fall into your home. And there's even less better than finding them right in your backyard! Such a pleasant surprise! With the help of some leaves from the backyard, I made a centerpiece for the dining room table. I woulda killed for some metallic gold ribbon, though! 

Is autumn taking over your house, too??

DIY: Tissue Paper Ghosts

So, I saw this idea on Pinterest a while ago, and I'm very happy to report the absence of a "Pinterest Fail" here! Woohoo! These are super easy and fun!

You'll need:

-tissue paper

-glue

-fishing wire

-small styrofoam balls

-googly eyes

-something with a small, sharp point

Step One: Cut a length of wire, and tie one end in a small loop. A square knot worked beautifully.

Step Two: Take some tissue (I used 2 pieces) and puncture the middle to make a very small hole. Keep it as small as you possibly can. I did this by taking a metal shish kabob skewer and twisting it, but a needle or pin would work a lot faster. I was just too lazy to find one...hahaha!

Step Three: Pull the straight end of your wire through the small hole until the loop end stops you.

Step Four: Take your styrofoam ball and glue. Put a big dot of glue on your ball, about the size of a penny or nickel. Cover the ball with tissue in such a way that the glue is right where your hole and loop are. You can put some glue around the sides, too, so the tissue clings to the ball a bit.

Step Five: Attach googly eyes, and tie the end of your fishing wire in a bigger loop, if you so desire.

Step Six: Make your home a little spookier.

I have five of these little dudes hanging around my house. Kids love them! ;) If you end up making some, tag me on your Instagram or Facebook, so I can see!!

Mondays are My Favorite

I love Mondays!

There. Now you think I'm the craziest person ever...hahaha! But hear me out.

After a week's worth of messes, laundry, dishes, and dust, don't you ever just want to dedicate a whole day to cleaning? After the weekend's adventures, do you ever just crave your routine? After stepping on crumbs and dirt in the kitchen all week, don't you have the overwhelming urge to sweep the entire house??
That's the magic of Monday. It's my day to relax and let the washing machine do it's thing, while I'm folding the latest laundered batch and watching "Once Upon a Time". It's my day to get the kitchen smelling nice, in order to prepare for another week of cooking. It's my day to sit down and write a post on the blog I have severely neglected.

Back to the routine, I promise. :) Now, for some yoga!

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Book Swap!

Do you like to read? Are you looking for a new book? Want to make a new friend? 

You should head on over to Dreams, Rings, and What Life Brings. Lex is hosting a book swap! All the details are on her post, and everyone is welcome to join in the fun. If you sign up, we might be partners! If you're interested, hurry hurry! Sign ups close October 24th. 

Fuzzy Toddler

A little Chopper update:

What a dog! He gets into so much trouble, sometimes I just need to strangle him! Then he looks up at me with those big brown eyes and I can't resist scooping him up for a snuggle sesh; he LOVES his snuggle time! He's getting so big, I can't even believe it. Soon he'll be too big to crawl up on my lap...or for me to carry him around the Home Depot when he gets whiny and tired. *cough cough*

It's hard getting a good picture of him, because when we aren't snuggling, he's constantly on the move. He tries so hard to play with two toys at once. He'll bite each back and forth, looking for a way to carry both around! So hilarious! 

He's been learning a few tricks, but it's pretty slow going sometimes. So far: he consistently sits and lays down, most of the time rolls over and shakes, and we're working on "Spin around" and "High Five". I think once he gets the hang of the newest ones, we'll work on begging and maybe "Stay". That one will be extra challenging, because he feels the need to be RIGHT THERE next to me all the time. Hahaha! 

At the moment, he's throwing himself a pity party, because I won't throw his toy hamburger to him. I did 15 minutes ago, but it rolled under the couch, then right back out the other side. He won't go pick it up, even though it's literally right there within his reach. I just don't feel like crawling under a table to get it! He is so stubborn! 

This morning, Daniel asked me if having a puppy is quite what I thought it would be. My answer was NO. Chopper is exhausting and annoying and CRAZY! But he's also so sweet and lovable and, did I mention, incredibly fluffy?? Yup, I still love him, despite his love of testing my limits. Good baby practice, eh? 

Halloween is Taking Over

I've always adored decorating for each season. It's just impossible to truly get in the spirit when your house doesn't have at least some trace of festiveness. So I am very happy to report that Halloween has officially taken over my house! I made the "31" at our Coley Girl Craft Day last month, my mother-in-law gave me the adorable dishes and spooky pictures, and the spider web is courtesy of my mom from last year. I never had a chance to put it up and you can see why; I am so terrible at hanging webs. Hahaha!!

I have plans for a super cute craft in the works. More decor to come!! If you've decorated your space, post a link; I'd love to see!!

Finding a Hobby

Daniel and I decided we each need new hobbies, new things to learn to expand our minds and interests. After intense discussions and online quizzes, we've each compiled a list of hobbies we'd be interested in doing. Here are a few of mine:

- Yoga
I'd really like a way to tone up my body without feeling so discouraged about my lack of lung capacity and endurance. With plenty of free videos on YouTube, I think it'd be a great place to start getting into shape.

- Whittling
Ok, I know it sounds weird, but I have a mini obsession with old fashioned wooden toys, especially trains. I've always wanted to make one!

- Scrapbooking
My mom tried getting me into this forever ago, but I don't have much interest in putting a couple pictures on paper and loading it with stickers... I was thinking more of a Project Life approach. When I worked for a scrapbooking store last year, I really really wanted to try it out, and every time I see something about it on the internet, it drives me nuts! I'm just afraid that it's one of those things that looks cool but I'll drop it sooner than later... Only one way to find out, right?

- Cross Stitching
I've seen so many adorable cross stitch projects on the internet. I'd love to mix up the wall decor in my house with some cute patterns!

- Gardening
Unfortunately, I'll have to wait until it's warmer to put some seeds in the garden, but I could find a few good bulbs in the meantime. Once Daniel and I are in a for sure long-term place, I'd like to grow a few fruit trees.

One hobby I've already been researching and looking forward to is the possibility of training my dog in agility. Border collies are supposed to be top notch for the sport, so we'll see if he's remotely interested. At the moment, he's not too keen on trying new things and he has the attention span of a house fly. He's super hard to motivate for more than 2 minutes. I'll figure out a way, though!

What hobbies do you enjoy? Are you looking for a new one?

FHE: Out and About

After Daniel got home from school yesterday, we hit up a flea market and an antique store. Let me tell you, there's some crazy inspiration going on in my brain now!

Afterward, we went to Home Depot to get supplies for a new project--more about that later! We stopped in at Walmart for some much-needed supplies, and brought home our traditional frozen pizza and fruit! We cooked it up while I helped him with his homework, and it was super delicious!! Digorno, you're my fav!

Since we missed the first session of Conference, I decided that FHE was the perfect setting to catch up, and, to make it more fun, suggested we build a fort! Dan was skeptical about it at first, but once we started, he got way into it and it turned out pretty awesome! Chopper loved it, too, though we had to put him to bed. Hahaha!

How did you spend your Monday night??

Family Fun

It's been a while since I've posted, because I was busy having a phenomenally fun time with my family last week! My mother-in-law, Clara, and Aunt Kim drove all the way up to deliver some of our things that we had had to leave behind in AZ. So sweet of them! Daniel was working quite a bit while they were here, so we had a Girls' Day on Friday! 

No Girls' Day is complete without a bunch of Halloween snacks! Candy corn carmel corn, Reese's pumpkins, fun-sized candy bars...the works.

Here's Kim, changing her life by trying a Halloween Oreo for the first time!

Clara taught me how to make carmel corn! 

Shout out to my sister-in-law, Crystal, for sending me two bags of my favorite peanut butter M&M's! You're the best!!

We played cards, ate junk food, and watched chick flicks all day! What a blast! Katherin came and joined the fun for a little while, and everyone just loved her. 

Daniel came home the next morning, so we all went out to breakfast before they had to leave. Dan and I drove out to Fort Collins for a few hours to shop--without much success--then caught the rest of General Conference. Oh, how I love Conference! Two days of spiritual edification. It was the perfect way to end this crazy awesome week!