Jewelry Pictures ~

In the middle of getting the kitchen put back together I have been making Jewelry. It has been lots of fun. I wanted to put up a few pictures here to get some feedback before I take new pictures and put them up in my Etsy shop.

Ta Da!!

Here it is. All done except for tiling the backsplash, valance in the window and a couple of little touch up things. I love it. It has been so fun to cook again. I'll have to admit I did enjoy the break from cooking for a while.

Countertop Picture ~

Finally, a picture to show you what we have been working on. I love how they turned out. The range hood should be here this weekend and the next step will be to tile the backsplash.

Pictures from the mountains ~

The dogs loved the mountains! I think Candie, the black one, loves the ride up as much as getting out to run. She was up on my lap standing on the edge of the window with her ears flapping in the breeze. If I could get my girls to come up with me, there might be pictures of them too, but for now, the dogs are enjoying getting their picture taken.

Before Pictures ~

I just realized that I haven't shown a picture of what the kitchen looked like before we started this "little" project. Here are a couple of pictures before pictures I found from last summer.

My new favorite picture ~

Isn't this a great picture? I love having all of my kids close enough to come visit for holiday get-to-gethers. We had such a fun afternoon.

Happy July!

Yikes! has it really been 6 weeks since I've posted anything. It has truly been a busy summer. Kristine and I have had a great time hanging out and working on projects during the day. We have done Vinyl tiles for Relief Society, Handouts for a Visiting Teaching thing and we are in the middle of 150 charm keychains for Stake Girls Camp. We have really made a lot of progress on the kitchen project. The cupboards are painted and glazed, have new knobs and we've added crown moulding to the cupboards. This past weekend we replaced the old countertop base with new 3/4 inch plywood and cement board. The kitchen sink is gone and the new one is waiting in the garage. We have wood trim put on the cupboard edges and got that stained. Here are a couple of pictures. Right now we have the granite tile layed out out and cut to size. Rod should be able to take another day off this week so we can get it finished.

Look at this amazing pot rack we found. We are still waiting for a range hood and then we can figure out how we want to do the floor.

First drive to the canyon ~

Saturday, Rod and I took a drive up to Kelly Canyon to check out if the trails are ready for a bike ride. Well, there were still snow drifts on the roads, so it doesn't look like we can hit the trails for a couple more weeks. The dogs got to go with us and they loved it. Candie loves to stand with half her body out the window and her ears blowing in the wind. Not very safe for a top heavy dog, but if I hold onto her collar I will let her do it. She is fearless and not bothered by passing cars at all. It was so much fun to get out. I did get a few good pictures of tCandie and Cassidy together. Not easy to do, but Rod was there to help.

Aren't they cute!?! Well if you are a Basset Hound lover you will understand, I don't expect the rest of you to get it. Today is Candie's birthday. She is three years old. Extra dog biscuits for her!

Back from a little Spring Break ~

I'm back! It has just been a couple of weeks since I last posted, but so much has gone on. Rod had a business trip to Las Vegas and Kristine and I got to go with him. It felt so good to be warm. And it felt good to get back to our cool Idaho evenings too. Here are a few pictures:

Oh, and I was wondering if tulips were old news or if I should go take pictures of my tulips. They are finally blooming and really look good this year. You all probably have long past the tulip season, but we are enjoying it.

Happy Birthday Kymber ~

This sweet little girl is two years old today. She is such a fun little girl. We love her!!

I've been published ~

No, not any of my paper crafting projects, although that would be nice. But in the June 2009 issue of The Cross Stitcher there is a little cross stitch project that they have been saving for about 3 years. Kind of fun to see your name in print.

Wow, time sure flies ~

~ and yes we were having fun. I can't believe it's been so long since I've posted anything. We have had a fun end of semester party with 23 family and friends here. It was so much fun and dinner was delicious too. I think I need to put up the recipe for the "real" cupcakes. Or I could just make them again. Kids moving home and moving out. Grandma visiting, and another big family get together with Ardith and Brian's family. My unfinished kitchen has seen more entertaining than ever before. We went out to help Alex and Michelle get ready to add on to their new house too. It was such a pretty day. They tore down and hauled away their shed. It used to be the old Arco liquor store, and I got to bring home the neat old door and a window from it. It will be next in line after our other house projects.
I got to watch this little cutie while Michelle helped with the work.

Jen gave up her bed to Grandma and got to sleep on the couch. Candie would join her in the mornings.

Finally ~

Well here it is. Another project to check off the list. I am real pleased with how they turned out. But boy is that a lot of work. We redid our kitchen about 17 years ago in our old house and I was sure I would never paint cupboards again. At least this time I didn't have three little helpers. I just had two dogs who were trying to help. Most of the time Candie would lay on the floor by my feet while I worked, but her black tail did end up wagging into the paint a couple of times. I know these pictures still look unfinished, but picture it with new knobs, crown molding on the top of the cabinets, a new countertop, tiled backsplash and new floor.

Does it look ready for a party? I have shifted gears and am planning our Family Fajita Party to celebrate the end of the semester at BYU-I. Maybe they will just see the new paint job and cabinets and not even notice there are no countertops or an old floor. Or I can just wow them with Fajitas and Cupcakes and they will be so busy eating they won't look. I'll let you know how it turns out.

Kitchen Remodel Continued ~

I missed posting the pictures of last weeks kitchen remodel project. I didn't think everyone would want to see my cupboards without the doors on them. The doors have been spread out on the counter and the table getting their face lift. And, now some of them are back up. Yeah!! No more messy cupboards to look at. Here is a peek at what it looks like now. This weekend we will get knobs for the doors. We have been looking at fancy new range hoods so the big blank spot will get filled in soon. Then the next step is the countertop.

In case you were wondering, yes, we are having a party at my house on the 10th of April. It will be a celebrate the end of the semester at BYU-I, family Fajita Party. Two of my kids are there and five nieces and nephews. One of the girls will be graduating and my sister's family will be here too. Should be lots of fun! I wish the rest of you could join us.

New Stamp Samples ~

It's been quite a while since I took a couple of hours in the middle of the day and just made Stampin' Up! samples. But, tonight I have a workshop and wanted to show some of the fun new things from the catalog. The box at the bottom is an original. I will try and get a tutorial up later. For a begineer Paper Engineer it turned out quite nice. I will be teaching some of these projects at Hostess Club meetings in the next few months. So if you want to get in on the fun let me know.

Wish you were here ~

Just a little something I made this morning. They are Brownie Cupcakes with Mint Buttercream frosting. YUM!

Answers to your quilting fabric questions ~

I found a great explination of the fun new fabric cuts that you see at quilt stores now. On her blog Simplify , Camille shows and tells all about them. She even has a give away going on. So stop in and join the fun. Just don't get sidetracked and spend your morning looking at all of the Moda fabrics.

I'm back ~

Sorry if you've been by checking for exciting news from SE Idaho. I took a break and went to Arizona to visit my parents. It was warm! Well, almost everything is warm compared to here, but it felt so good. It was great to have time to sit out on the patio and read and see so many new things. I really enjoyed the break from the everyday routine at home, but you know, it sure feels good to be back. I took a minute in my craft room this morning and made a cute card.

Happy Birthday Kristine ~

Kristine is 14 today. She is truly a bright spot in our family. We love the energy and excitement that she has about everything. We had a big family dinner yesterday and are continuing the celebration with a shopping trip to the mall today.