Projects Galour!

After graduating in May my life went from being very busy to very dull pretty quick. I knew that I had to find some things to do to keep myself busy during the summer or I would do insane. So I did just that. I found lots of projects that kept me busy.
My first project of the summer was refinishing an old desk that used to be Brett’s grandpa Lamar’s. It had been sitting in our house on the back porch for a year collecting dust and I vowed that it would be the first thing that I would do as soon as I had free time. And free time I did have… I was also going to take some pictures of the before and after of the desk but I got too excited about refinishing it and before I remembered I was almost done…. So all you get is that after pictures. You’ll just have to trust me that I really did it. I can tell you that it did all used to be one color and now it’s 2!

Brett’s family also had a garage sale in which they donated all of the proceeds to Relay for Life, which they participate in every year. There was this old frame of a couch which I would have bought for myself but knowing that we were going to be moving soon I knew that wasn’t an option. So I loving thought of someone who could use a couch on their porch (my mother) and told her that she was buying it so that I could refinish it for her…. I’m the best daughter, huh?!? Again, I got too excited to refinish it before I took a picture but here are the end results. Oh... I refinished her porch swing to match and now it also has matching pads on it but I don't have a picture of it.

This is actually a very comfy couch and works fanstically on their porch

Next, I decided to build myself a magnet board. I’ve needed something new to put picture on and my best friend Heidi got married and at her shower she was given a very cute magnet board. So I copied the idea and made my own. I can’t believe how easy it was!

A few days after I had finished that magnet board I was in a friends office and she had a very cute idea for hanging/displaying pictures. I just HAD to make it too! All it is, is 4 boards nailed together with plastic chicken wire stapled to the back and then mini clothespins that hang them up. Super easy and very cute! The original one I saw a bit more rustic and she just left the wood bare. But I decided that I wanted to paint mine and my cute sister-in-law, who is way more creative than I will ever be thought it would be cute to cute some vinyl lettering and put on it. So I did! Here is mine that currently hangs in my house, and then I also made two others for wedding presents with their last names on it (also pictured below).

This was what mine looked like until I painted it - I almost left it like this
but thought that with the lettering it would look better painted.

Another shot of the kitchen before, on the left hand side of the picture you can only see that the back room also has wall paper all over. I didn't get a before picture of that room so take note of small portion you have here.
BEFORE

Next, Brett’s mom, Susan has been saying for the last couple of years that she has wanted to redo/repaint her kitchen. So I got talking to her about it one night and soon enough I was painting the whole house! I did get a few before pictures of some of the rooms so I will try to show you the changes that we made. Our favorite rooms ended up being her master bed and bath. Sadly, I don’t have a before and after picture of that but just trust me that it was a BIG change. I painted their whole upstairs, 8 rooms and 1 hallway (minus one room – the living room) in just 10 days. Working with Suz on this project was a blast, I will redecorate/paint anyone’s house if they pay for it!J I now understand better why it takes Brett forever making decisions – he gets that from his mother – but usually the decisions he makes are better than my not-so-thought-through decisions. All-in-all this major project was a success and it was even fun!


In this picture you get an idea of what the
 family room,
the bathroom (room with light on)
and the kitchen looked like BEFORE

Tea cart area - entrance into the house
BEFORE

Kitchen again - looking into the living room
(which I didn't paint)
BEFORE

Kitchen area
AFTER



Kitchen area
AFTER

Bathroom
BEFORE (minus the painting stuff)



Bathroom
AFFTER



Office
BEFORE

Office
AFTER

TV/Family Room
AFTER (refer to top picture for comparison)

No Before of this room but it was full of stuff and unusable because of that
However, a little organizing and a fresh coat of paint and the kids have a huge play room all for themselves

Master Bath (no Before)

Master Bath (no before)

Master Bedroom (no before)

Master Bedroom (no before)

Back porch/laundry room AFTER
Before picture was only a little view from the kitchen

The projects kind of stopped for a brief moment because of the big move and then settling into our new apartment was a project in and of itself! But now I am back on the project wagon thanks to the awful luck of not finding a job, having WAY TOO much time by myself and the newest addition to our family…. My Sewing Machine! It was a cheap one from Walmart but it had great reviews online and it certainly does the job! So far I have made a new scripture bag (thanks to this website http://alove2create.blogspot.com/2011/02/scripture-bag.html) and a new messenger bag style purse (thanks to this website http://www.craftbits.com/project/messenger-bag). I’ve been looking for a cute messenger bag purse since we got here because I have to go to a Laundromat to do our laundry and I HATE having to set my purse down because when I am moving the clothes around I have to take it off my shoulder because it just keeps falling off and is super annoying. So I got the pattern from online and made it the size that I wanted. I was even able to sew pockets! Man… I would have to say that I am quite impressed with myself. Who knew sewing could be so easy/fun/time consuming – just what I need! 

The new addition to my world...

The Scripture Bag

Check out the pockets! There is two pen holders, a cell phone pocket and a lipstick holder all in one!

I am currently working on a new couch cover for our new futon and some pillows to go with it…. I will let you know how it turns out. Oh– and I’m would also LOVE to make a car seat cover like this…. But I don’t have anyone to make it for. Anyone need one?

Sept 11, 2011

Ten years ago, on Sept 11, I was in 7th grade. I had just walked into Ms. Giacalone (Ms G's) 7th grade science class. The first bell of school was just about to ring, she had the TV on and was staring at it and didn't care if we were in our seats or not when the bell rang. All of the sudden the 2nd plane flew into the second tower and she screamed. She was freaking out - she used to be a flight attendant and was certain that she knew people on the planes. She was pretty inconsolable and I remember thinking that this was very strange - nothing ever happens like this to the good ol' US of A. I remember the rest of the day was very somber. All we did was watch the TV until the principle made all teachers turn off the TV's in 3rd hour. I didn't really grasp the gravity of the whole situation but I remember exactly where I was and the feelings that I felt that day.
Now, ten years later, I am a lot closer to the Big Apple and the whole situation. There were lots of speculations that something was going to happen on the 10th anniversary and it was going to even bigger than it was before. Let's just say I'm sure glad nothing tragic happened - only patriotic displays were seen throughout CT and the surrounding states. Many more people in Connecticut (and this area of the USA) were affected by that awful day then people in Utah were.
Many people from our ward were affected by the events that took place on 9/11/01, some of them recalled losing clients, friends, and families on that dreadful day. One man from our ward is a singer/songwriter and he composed this song titled "Build it Higher". He plays all of the instruments and his wife does the backup vocals.
Here's a link to his webpage - this song is the first one that plays when you connect to the website.
http://www.robtaylor.com/

“Son, why you crying?” my grandpa said

“Why are your little eyes all red? You can tell me it’s all right”

And I said, “I build a castle as tall as me, now it’s only sand and sea

Cause the waves came up too high”

And he said. “Life’s been known to take what we build down

But we rise again, as sure as we are tired…

And build it higher

When it all falls down

Cause it ain’t right to leave that empty space in the ground

So build it higher and let it touch the sky

But don’t ever forget the day that it made you cry

Cause it made you wiser

Now c’mon let’s build it higher”

I still hear sirens when I recall

How the flames burned all the walls of the house my Grandpa made

And he stood there right beside me and watched the smoke

And I could see he was loosin’ hope

I couldn’t think of what to say except for  

“Life’s been known to take what we build down

But we’ll rise out of the ashes and the fire…

And build it higher

When it all falls down

Cause it ain’t right to leave that empty space in the ground

So build it higher and let it touch the sky

But don’t ever forget the day that it made you cry

Cause it made you wiser

Now c’mon let’s build it higher”

Well my Grandpa wasn’t president on 9/11/01

But each September there’s no towers

I can’t help but wish he was

Cause he’d honor all the heroes and those who died that day

And he’d stand before the nation and this is what he’d say

“Life’s been known to take what we build down

But sure as evil men will still conspire…

We’ll build it higher

When it all falls down

cause it ain’t right to leave that empty space in the ground

So build it higher and let it touch the sky

But don’t ever forget the day that it made you cry

Cause it made you wiser

Now c’mon let’s build it higher”

I know that I will never forget the feelings from that day but I hope that we can forgive those who have wronged us or our nation and "Build it Higher" and be strengthen by this tragic event. 

Labor Day in the East

Usually for Labor Day we do a camping trip some where. Typically, we've been in Utah and this is a good chance for Brett to go scope for deer so we've usually planned a camping trip with all intentions of running into some wildlife (deer and elk). Unfortunately, we got a rude awakening yesterday morning when we awoke in our bed (it was the best night's sleep we've had on labor day...) but we were not camping and very, very far from anywhere really familiar.
What do we do now? 
After a little research online, we discovered that there is a submarine museum about an hour and half up the coast and even more importantly... it's FREE! We jumped in the car and were off.
Here's a few pictures of the sub and the museum....

Brett got to sit in the control seat of the sub that they had set up inside the museum

A telescope that really worked - You could see the actual sub sitting in the water outside the museum

The SSN 571 - Nautilus

A little fact about this big ship: they were the first to sail to the North Pole and actually do some research stuff there. They also had some North Pole water that they brought back on display. They did find Santa there... They had their pictures taken with him. :)

We also discovered that there is a really cool town called Mystic that has great shops and places to eat. There is lots of Maritime and in 'Old Mystic' there is a ship from like the 1800's that you can tour. We discovered that the tour and museum and all of that was like $50 for EACH of us.... YIKES! We are quickly realizing that everything in the New England area costs money - hopefully, we will be able to go back and take the tour.

Despite not getting to do the tour, we had a lovely day near the ocean. There is something about the ocean, the boats, the boardwalks, the ice cream, that is just relaxing. I swear I could stare and the water lapping the banks all day and be perfectly content.

Of course, here are some pictures of our time in Mystic...

We got to see the draw bridge come up! 

A better angle....

 There were some BIG sailboats that were cool to look at

 A view downstream with shops and boardwalks lining the way

The houses that lined the shores were AMAZING!

Needless to say, we are adjusting to the changes of not being in Utah and who would have thought that Labor Day would be one of those changes?!? All in all, we had a great day and I'm actually quite excited for our next (unplanned as of present) adventure.

Welcome "Home"?!?

We were 'welcomed' to Connecticut just in time for the biggest hurricane since 1986.... Apparently this doesn't happen very often so hopefully it won't happen again! Thankfully we were prepared. We had plenty of food and water and we did have everything that we needed - except we didn't need it. More than 1/2 a million people were without power beginning sometime Sunday early morning. As of today (Thursday) there are still over 200,000 people without power. They are saying that Hurricane Irene will be known for knocking out so much power. Thankfully, we were some of the lucky ones who's power did not go out and we didn't flood - which was our main concern due to the fact that we are in a basement apartment. We sustained no damage whatsoever from the storm. Our neighbor just next door did have two trees fall down. Check out the videos below to see what it all looked like. Here are also a few pictures of the downed trees - this is the majority of damage that happened in our area that we have been able to see.

We've now been here a week and are finely feeling a somewhat settled in. I have began the job hunt and Brett's school was cancelled on Monday and Tuesday because they didn't have power but he did go to school yesterday. We are getting a routine somewhat figured out and are excited to see what else our new location has to offer for growing experiences. We haven't been able to attend our ward yet because the storm did happen on Sunday, church was cancelled. We will be going to a ward picnic on Saturday to met some of the members and introduce ourselves. Just one more reason why being a member of the Church of Jesus Christ is so awesome - you have family where ever you go! Here's a picture of our house from the outside and video to help you all get to know our "home" a little bit better. By the way, Brett still doesn't call this home but "our place of residence for the next three years".... Silly kid!

We will keep you posted on the rest of happenings here in CT.

Moving East Part 2

After Carthage we headed to Kirtland, Ohio. Kirtland has a very special spirit there. I never realized that the so much of the beginning history of the church happened in Kirtland. Usually I only think of Nauvoo but the church was very much established when the got to Nauvoo. There is not as many things to see and do in Kirtland but the buildings and things that are there are amazing. There is something about the buildings that you can just tell that very special things happened there. The Savior himself appeared in Kirtland that is recorded than anywhere else: 1. The Kirtland Temple 2. The School of the Prophets (an upper room in the Whitney Store) 3. In a little log cabin at the Morley farm and in each of these places there is a reverence about them. The first place we went in Kirtland was the Johnson Farm. The Prophet and Emma stayed here in Hiram, OH for about one year. It was during his stay here that the prophet was pulled from this home and tarred and feathered on the front porch with Emma and their two adopted twins watching. The Prophet also had his own private study room and it was here that the inspiration came to make the Doctrine and Covenants. Sister Johnson liked lots of color so the paint you see on the wall is original - I think she must have been a very cheerful woman.

The Prophets Office

The house is original

The house with the stage house - all original

The Kirtland Temple is owned by the Community of Christ and you can take tours through it. We did but you can't take pictures inside the building so we don't have any pictures inside but here's a view of the outside. The inside of the temple is beautiful and it is quite something to be able to look at the wood work done by the saints at that time with no power tools!

The Whitney store is the original store that was present at the time of the saints in Kirtland. I can just imagine the Prophet walking into the store or not even getting inside, standing on the porch, getting caught in there for hours because everyone wanted to talk to him. The prophet did stay in an upper room of the store for some time as well as had his own office and a room for the School of the Prophets. The Whitney's sure did take care of them.

The Whitney home is also original to the time The Johnson Inn, the Saw Mill, and the Ashery are all rebuilt buildings that we toured in Kirtland

Johnson Inn

Saw Mill

Ashery

This table is original to the Smith Family

The ORIGINAL Book of Abraham Fascimile 1!!! It was VERY cool to be able to see the original. Next it was on to Palmyra..... There is not a lot in Palmyra to see because when Joseph finally did get the plates and began translating he had to leave because of the persecution from the people in the area. There is the original store that the Book of Mormon was printed in.

outside the store

the front part of the store where things were sold

The printing press

The Martin Harris Farm

Joseph's Brother, Alvin's headstone

The Hill Cumorah

Smith's Log Home

Smith's Frame Home

My interpretation....

The Peter Whitmer Log Home The Smith Family farm with the Sacred Grove is unforgettable. The Sacred Grove is so peaceful and there is just an overwhelming calming feeling that presides in that Grove. It was good to be able to spend some time there in reflection about the things that we had seen on our journey and the amazing things that were done to preserve and bring word the Word of God. I am so very thankful to live in a time when the fullness of the gospel is on the earth. I now have a greater appreciation for what the Saints went through and the man that Joseph Smith was and the example that he is to all of the Saints still.