Done and Done!

We are finished! I said I would do it and I did! I completely re-did our cabinets. From start to finish it was a 5 day project with 2 of those days working from 6 a.m. to 12 a.m. (Those were the two days the cabinets were spread out and being painted in our front room because it was too cold outside). I've always wanted to re-finish our cabinets. It's been that one thing that has really drove me nuts about our house. The family that lived here prior to ours used A LOT of grease in their cooking and our cabinets have had a film across them that no cleaning solution could touch. They were horrible. I even tried to used sand paper to just take the paint off with it but it would tear because the grease was so thick. Totally nasty.

This is what it looked like before. This picture was actually taken before we moved into the house.

This was me stripping the cabinets. The grease was so thick that I actually had to use a lacquer to get all the grease off. I was so glad I had that mask because I was totally starting to get high from all the fumes. Luckily, the lacquer took off most of the paint too. Naturally, I had to try a few test spots to find the perfect color. We ended up going with 'quail egg'.

Mitch and I putting in the hours

Ta-Da! We did it! I absolutely love my kitchen now! I made the silly mistake of making the comment of "it just makes me want to be in the kitchen because it looks so nice!" He replied with, "great, that's where you belong!" You better believe he got pinched for that one. :)

A Wild Hair

This week I have had a few wild hairs. I feel like I should be 8 Months pregnant and I have all this nesting to do! Let me assure you, I'm not pregnant but I have conjured up all a few fabulous projects that have made Mitch's eyes roll multiple times. Monday night we were laying in bed and I was looking at our dresser. Let me explain a little about this dresser. This dresser was given to Mitchell by his mother for him to use at college. In fact, if you saw the dresser you would think, 'yep, that old dresser with spray paint and scratches only belongs in some smelly dorm!' This dresser was so yucky looking to me that I actually put it IN my walk in closet so nobody would see it! Back to the original story... We were laying in bed and I was having negative thoughts toward my dresser. Then I told Mitch how I really want to re-do that nasty old thing. He replied with 'well, i'm not necessarily attached to it.' GREEN LIGHT!

On Tuesday Morning I dragged it down both our flights of stairs (I can do that now because I've been doing Jillian Michaels LAST CHANCE WORKOUTS!) then I re-stained it. Now I love it! (and so does Mitch) :)

Before

After! Even Ellie can't believe it!

On Wednesday Morning I woke up and told Mitch I wanted to re-do our kitchen cabinets...Stay tuned!

That little Sneak!

I suppose it was inevitable that Ellie would try to outwit us, I just didn't think it would be so soon. Take for example exhibit A. Here we have Ellie who was presumably down for a nap. Generally, when she does not want to go to sleep she throws her "Bink's" out of the crib so that I have to go pick it up and stick it back in her mouth. But with time, my heart has hardened and I no longer feel bad when she has to fall asleep crying and Binky-less (ruthless, I know!). But today I looked up the stairs and found... Exhibit A. Ellie flipped on her light switch (which is quite a reach!), pried open the door, and chucked her 'Bink's' out into the hall for me to go pick up.

That little sneak! I admittedly laughed out loud at her cleverness. She must have got that from me (he he). But this is not the end of her sneakiness! The other day she was being a little too quite in our living room. When I looked around the corner I saw her going to town on a bar of chocolate while hiding in the corner. Is she really thinking the devious thought of, "Mom's going to be ticked about this, I better go hide in the corner while I enjoy eating her chocolate bar!" (and yes, she was eating wrapper and all). Or is it simply a primitive instinct that we are born with in regards to chocolate? Do we somehow already know that we should not be eating something that tastes so delicious, thus we better find a secret spot to indulge ourselves? :) It's hard to say, but all I know is that this whole parenting process is a laugh and a half. Everyday I find myself laughing at the next thing I have to deal with! But as always, I'm up for a good laugh!

Stacie = Mature. Is that an Oxymoron?

Last weekend we had some of our friends over to play a few games. One of the couples in particular is new to our ward. So obviously we did not know them that well, but we still had a great time. Upon leaving one of the couples asked us how old we were. I told them I was 24. '24!' she exclaimed. 'I thought you were like 33! You act so mature!'. I couldn't help but laugh out loud at the word 'MATURE'. The only thing I could envision was myself standing on my bed belting out Taylor Swift to Mitch and Ellie as Ellie giggled at her ridiculous off key mother. ah...If she only knew the 'REAL' Stacie... :)

January Alas!

Don't be fooled by the peaceful picture of Mitch and Ellie during 'quiet time' last week. Our holiday season was anything but. With 14 little cousins on both Mitch's side and mine every Christmas function we attended was filled with children screaming in joy (and tears) and of course, laughter. I admittedly had to take a few 'time outs' to regain my patience, but don't we all at some point!? The month was hard for me health wise, as I got my tonsils out and seemed to gain a new friend named Perkiset (by the way getting your tonsils out is a very terrible process). Needless to say that left me a little less 'peppy' and in turn broke down my immune system. This resulted in the flu just after Christmas that was then passed on to Ellie, and then to Mitch. So needless to say, I am welcoming January with the hopes of a healthy year. Although, amidst all the bumps in the road there are always good days and moments

that help us remember the blessings we have. Here are a few pictures from our adventurous holiday...

Grandpa "Bike", Ryan and I enjoying the cabin. We had a great time with my sister's in-laws and Ryan's family the first day. My good friends from college, the Pollard's joined us for the next day. We had a great time!

For Christmas we got Ellie a little recliner that is just her size. For some reason she just loves small chairs. She sat in her chair like this for a good 2 minutes without moving, which for her, is very rare!

Grandma and Grandpa Larry spoiled Ellie with this fun new electric car. Ellie does not know how to steer it yet. The day she got it she drove it straight into the Christmas tree. She just kept pushing the throttle as the branches engulfed her. Mitch had to run over and pull her hand off. Unfortunately, we didn't have the camera in hand.

(below) More fun at the cabin. Ellie LOVED sledding until the powder got in her face.

Our Christmas Card!

At this time of year we can't help but be thankful for all the blessings that our Heavenly Father has given to us. This year has been full of happiness, laughter, learning and yes, even a few tears. We recently sent out our Christmas card to all of our friends and family but we thought we would put the family 'update' on our blog. So here we go!

Mitch- Mitch has had a great year. In April he began a new job with a company called Fusion I-O out of Salt Lake. This has been a great blessing to our family as it has provided good insurance, financial security, and an opportunity for daily success for Mitchell. We are also thankful to have Mitch with us today as in August he had a brush with death when a tree top fell on him. This accident gave us the opportunity to see how much love and support we have among our friends, family and ward family. We have also become close friends with our insurance company as they seem to be hearing from us ALOT! Mitch has enjoyed his calling with the 11 year old boyscouts and has become a great role model for the boys in the ward.

Stacie- Stacie has had a liberating fall season as she is FINALLY free from school work. She graduated with her Master's degree from Utah State in Speech and Language Pathology and now works 2 days a week for the School District. Stacie continues to run and has had a great time training for and completing 2 marathons in the past year. She has really enjoyed being home with Ellie and watching her grow.

Ellie- Sweet Ellie is a busy little girl. She is walking, jabbering, and loves exploring everything! She continues to be in the 95th percentile for her height and weight. She loves eating bananas, yogurt, ice-cream, sweet potatoes and come to think of it, I'm not sure there is a food that she does not like! Her parents love watching her learn new things and she greets us everyday with a smile!

At this time of year we can't help but be grateful for all the friends and family that surround us each day. We hope that our friends and family can spend their holidays with those they love and in remembrance of the birth of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ. Merry Christmas!

ELLIE'S FIRST BIRTHDAY!!!

On December 1st Ellie turned one year old! For the big '1' we decided to have a "Favorite Things" birthday party! The whole day was dedicated to all of Ellie's favorite things. We ate all of Ellie's favorite foods including bananas, grapes, goldfish, cereal, waffles (chocolate cake waffles:)) and of course, ice cream! We gave Ellie her very own Banana Cream pie. At first it frightened her but after a while she got her hands dirty and dug right in! Much to our delight, (not hers) she decided to pick the pie up and lick it, unfortunately,the whole thing slid off right into her face! It was CLASSIC! She makes us so happy!

Ellie opening all of her presents with the help of her cousins and dad!
Ellie right after she tried to take a lick of pie, she doesn't quite understand gravity yet.
The AfTeRMaTh
Ellie playing in a pool with two of her favorite things, cousins and balls!
Ellie doing one of her favorite things...eating!

Here are 10 of Mom and Dad's favorite things about Ellie! 1) Her great big smile she gives you when you come into the room! 2) Her high pitched squeals when you tickle her chubs, 3) Her unbalanced walk with her hands up in the air 4) The amount of food she can consume 5) Her pretty blue eyes 6) Her love for everyone around her 7) The way she sleeps with her bum up in the air 8)Watching her explore and learn new things 9) When she lays her head on your chest to cuddle 10) When she sleeps all the way through the night!
......These are a few of our FAVORITE things! Happy Birthday Els!