New Windows

We were able to put 9 new windows in back in December. Two in our bedroom and the rest in the basement. Dad and Ian spent 2 full days taking out the old ones and putting in the new ones. A small ledge of cement created a small problem... They were literally chipping away at the foundation with crowbars. Lots and lots of noise and pounding, but glad they were able to do it. It saved us lots of money in labor!



Somehow with all the pounding, the sprinkler system got turned on. Who knew we had one! Just watering the lawn in the middle of winter...



We still have a little work to finish all the edges, but figured we'd wait till it warmed up. We got the essential part done and passed the Hud inspection.



I love the new windows. Summer will be so nice when we can open the windows and have the shade of our trees! Can't wait!

First Thanksgiving

Finally! We weren't the ones who had to travel for Thanksgiving. Where we just got in to our house, I really wanted to host Thanksgiving this year.

Lots of preparation, but the hard work paid off!

I almost puked touching the raw turkey... and I may have forgot to take out the neck... but for my first turkey, I think it turned out pretty good!

Dad giving Ian a carving lesson.

There's the neck! How was I supposed to know. We removed the bag of nasties... I didn't know there was one in each end!

Yummmm! Dinner turned out so good! All the usuals! Turkey, mashed potatoes, yams, green bean casserole, corn, rolls, veggies, cranberries, and Grandma's salad!

I love this picture. I forgot Brooke wasn't able to come. I may need to invest in an apron for next time.

We used the dining room for the first time since we refinished the floors. I love my dining room! I need to finish painting a little and get it all decorated. Where we had just moved it, it served it's purpose just fine though!

Jordan had a Japanese friend come to dinner. It was fun. All us "kids" played mario kart together like old times.

Lots to be thankful for! Awesome husband, great family, and owning our house top my list.

Grandma's Wedding

Ian's schedule has changed again. I didn't think it could get worse... I was wrong. I get to be abandoned on Sunday's too :( The sacrifices you make for more money and a happier husband... Oh well, ribbon will just have to keep me company even more now. Maybe I'll plan to blog on Sunday's so I don't get so behind. On that note... here's a post that should have happened back in November :)

Grandma got remarried. It was a nice little getaway to SLC. We got to see Brooke's apartment, where she works, etc. (Her bedroom is bigger than our living room. Um, not fair.) It was fun to get together with the family.







How do you get a grown man turn in to one sad little boy?? Drop his chocolate shake from In & Out off the dashboard... Wasted a good pair of socks cleaning up that mess. Oh the memories :)

Home Sweet Home - A Work In Progress

Buying our first house has been quite the experience... Here are a few words that describe our experience: Stressful, Terrifying, Confusing, Overwhelming, Exhausting, and most important... EXCITING! The excitement definitely out weighs all the other feelings!



We started looking at houses back in April and found this cute little house at the end of July. We put our offer in August 2nd and signed the papers on my birthday. I'd say that's a pretty awesome present... Funny thing is, I drove past this house almost every day, multiple times a day, and didn't really think anything of it. It's crazy how pictures online don't do the house justice. As soon as I looked at it in person, I fell in love!

Finally, after a bit of waiting, Ian and I became homeowners October 3rd. We worked really hard, with tons of help from my parents, and spent our first night in our new home October 22nd!

Here are the before pictures:

Two things sold me on the house. #1. The updated kitchen. I love my counter tops and cupboards! Look close... you may see pears on our counter. They are from our pear tree! I'm pretty excited to see what kind of fruit comes from the tree when it actually gets water.



A view in to the dining room. I love my formal dining room! My dad spent hours and hours refinishing the original hardwood. I'll have to make sure to take an after picture. That floor looks awesome!



Testing out paint colors... The lighter tan is the color we went with for most of the house. That wall will eventually be red. Just not that red... Yikes! Way too pink. That's after 4-5 coats too. The red is currently covered with grey, waiting for me to find my perfect shade.



The previous owners were a very green loving family... While the dining room was a nice color, it was just way too dark. Out with the olive green, in with the tan. Eventually I will be painting this light fixture black. Someday I hope to get a new chandelier, but those things are expensive!! The Gold/Black will do for now. Even though it doesn't put off a whole lot of light.



Can you tell this was the first room... Ian is still smiling! Haha.



Painting everything took way longer than I ever expected. Two coats, corners, ceilings, trim... So much work!



Come to find out, the dining room ceiling was pink... weird!



Here's the living room. It's pretty big which is awesome. Gotta love that green carpet. It's a teal/hunter mix. So not me! Even worse, it shows every little spec of anything! I've never vacuumed so much in my life! Hoping to get the carpet replaced as soon as we can.



I LOVE MY MANTEL. It was the second thing that sold me on the house! Maybe even the first... We painted the white paneling tan like the rest of the room. Eventually the sage green fireplace will be painted clean, crisp white. I think the contrast will look awesome.



Old tan on the right, new tan on the left.



The office in between the kitchen and hallway. Same tan as the rest of the house.



The hallway looking in to the office and kitchen. Office comes equipped with an ironing board and 3 iron prints in the carpet... :)

Linen closet on the left, followed by the bathroom. I'm standing in the second bedroom with our bedroom directly on the right. Then we have the entry way and living room in the opening you can see on the right.



Take a close look at the trim! I don't know what color it was before, but it wasn't white. I love how crisp the white looks against the tan. I have the trim in this picture halfway done. Trim is definitely the worst thing to paint! Ever! Down on my belly working from small section to small section. Glad I had my mom's help for this. It was awful. I still have a few baseboards to go and all doorways. Sad, time consuming day.

Eventually I want to replace the baseboards. There are so many coats of paint on these ones, that it was very very hard to get a clean line. So frustrating!



Here's the before of our bedroom. Lovely sage green... With crazy wallpaper in the closet to match.



We had the ceiling and walls textured. I want my bedroom to look like it's out of a magazine. One wall will be a burnt orange. I still need to find the perfect shade...



Mint green in the second bedroom... It's now a medium grey color on the bottom with a crisp white on top.



Pretty pink bathroom... I've been told I'm lucky my tub and toilet aren't pink! Walls are now the same grey as in the second bedroom. Goes perfect with my navy and grey shower curtain and towels. The gold fixtures have got to go! I don't do gold. Right now we have a lovely mixture of silver and gold. Haha. Fixtures are expensive!



Take a look at those pink swirls in the wall... Very interesting! Eventually I want to repaint the white washed oak cupboards a crisp white and get a new (non pink) counter top. Also want to put tile in. Time and money... Something I will be doing soon is painting the wood mirror the same grey. I think it will look nice on the white wall.



Our little house is coming along. We still have a few boxes upstairs. Lots and lots of boxes downstairs. The basement is a whole other story! It needs a lot of work. That will come with time.

I have a nice big laundry room, 2 storage rooms (one that is a bright, neon, GREEN), a family room, and 2 more bedrooms. One of the bedrooms is nicknamed the Willy Wonka room because it has wild 70's carpet pieces! Pretty hilarious! The other bedroom has a neat feature! We call it the chokie... from Matilda. I still need to watch that movie with Ian so he knows what I'm talking about.

Here are some more pictures so you know what I'm talking about!

Here's a shot from the back yard. Grass is a little fried... We'll probably end up re-seeding next year.



We have a cute little patio on this side of the house. I'm super excited for our fire pit. This is also the pathway for children when they get off the bus... Oh well.



More of the back and side yards.



A glimpse of the condition the basement is in.



And the crazy Willy Wonka carpet!! (My sister doesn't normally look like this. Only when she gets home from scout camp... We were just so excited to show everyone the house we were buying!)



And... the chokie! Or the room for wood and where the water from the city comes in... but whatever. That's gonna be the place bad kiddos go :)



There's our house! Lots more updates to come!

100 Things about Brynde

In no particular order...100 random things about me.

1. My husband is the best thing that ever happened to me.
2. I wish I had a stronger personality.
3. I love my name, but hate that it's always said wrong.
4. I love my house more and more each day.
5. The older I get, the more I hate winter.
6. I'm in love with the beach. I wish we could go there more often.
7. I don't deal with change well. Big or small.
8. I love to travel.
9. I love to see my husband laugh.
10. I don't know how to act around other peoples kids.
11. I don't have many friends, but the couple I have are awesome.
12. I don't like animals. I think they are disgusting.
13. I hate sleeping bags. Too confining.
14. I love my husband, but miss living with roommates.
15. I thought I would have been older when I got married.
16. I love going out to eat.
17. I didn't start wearing flips flops until a couple years ago.
18. I can't wait for my siblings to be married and all of us having kids.
19. I don't like surprises.
20. I fear my family dying.
21. I hate unpacking suitcases.
22. My first alarm goes off at 6:50am
23. Fall is my favorite season.
24. There are so many places I want to take Ian.
25. I'm a slight germaphobe.
26. Friends is my all time favorite show. There is an episode for everything!
27. My husband has never heard me sing.
28. I rarely have good dreams. They are usually horrifying nightmares.
29. I constantly wonder about the future.
30. I wish I could speak my mind easier.
31. I wish people would stop hassling us about a baby.
32. I love fresh flowers.
33. My toenail still hurts. It's been over 2 years since the accident.
34. My handwriting looks like my mom's.
35. I want to be a photographer.
36. I love being in nature.
37. I procrastinate. Bad.
38. High school was awful.
39. I can't see very good.
40. I think my car is cute.
41. Sometimes I wonder what my husband sees in me.
42. I'm an all or nothing person.
43. I love to create.
44. I try not to be such a perfectionist.
45. I miss my grandpa.
46. I believe in karma.
47. I want to go back and finish college.
48. Success scares me.
49. I love having a dishwasher.
50. College taught me how to hunt for a good parking spot.
51. My favorite flowers are lilies.
52. I am tall.
53. I don't like hugs. Only from Ian.
54. Sometimes I feel so unmemorable and forgotten.
55. I love staying in hotels.
56. I think about the past too much.
57. My husband makes me laugh.
58. I'm the oldest of 4 kids.
59. I love my job, but hate going to work.
60. Breaking Benjamin is my favorite band.
61. I have more respect for people who own up to their mistakes.
62. I don't enjoy reading books.
63. I wore mens deodorant until a few months ago. My body became immune.
64. I fall. A lot.
65. I love Dr. Pepper.
66. I've been married 3 years.
67. I love kitchen gadgets.
68. Linkin Park was my first concert.
69. I wish people wouldn't walk all over me.
70. I have certain routines, that if changed, it messes up my whole day.
71. I hate the smell of artificial vanilla and lavender.
72. People who have an opinion for every little thing bug me.
73. I usually change into pj's when I get home from work.
74. I want to go to Europe.
75. I love watching food network.
76. My toenails are always painted red.
77. I work with ribbon all day long. Pretty much everyday.
78. The color pink is growing on me. Was never really a fan.
79. I want my house to look like it came out of a magazine.
80. I want to learn how to sew.
81. I bite my nails. Out of habit, boredom, and when I'm stressed or nervous.
82. I hate getting mail. It's never good.
83. Although I love when my magazines come.
84. I love the 4th of July.
85. Yellowstone is one of the coolest places.
86. I love traditions.
87. I'm obsessed with houndstooth.
88. My favorite candy bar is Twix.
89. I sleep with 2 pillows.
90. Sometimes I think I have some OCD tendencies.
91. I'd like to ski again.
92. I hate when people constantly complain about every thing.
93. I love old buildings.
94. I'd like to have more ambition.
95. I think tv shows have helped me cope with death better.
96. I'd rather be a kid. Life was so much easier back then.
97. I love maraschino cherries. I eat them straight from the jar.
98. I never knew I could love someone as much as my husband.
99. I always wanted to get married in an old church and I did.
100. I'm the luckiest wife in the world.