Happy Sunday!

Here is what's making me happy today! Link up and share what is creating happiness in your life today!

1. My Godmothers.

I am so fortunate to have these wonderful women in my life! I know I can call on them for anything and they will be there. I love chatting, emailing and playing words with friends with them. Love you Auntie Lisa and Aunt Julie!!!

2. A delicious homemade smoothie in a glass from our honeymoon.

3. Finding things that invoke wonderful memories.

Hailey and I became friends because we were both #14 on our respective water polo teams in High School. We had fun finding and making items with the #14 on them for each other, Hailey made me this pillow.

4. This face.

5. Beautiful pink hydrangeas.

Happy Sunday!

misc. little projects

When my parents were here to work on the fireplaces, there were lots of little project that were completed (in addition to painting the sheds and painting the fence). Here are some photos of the other projects we worked on...

Chris got me a hammock for Christmas and it has been sitting in boxes in our garage since then. I have so many wonderful memories of swinging in the hammock at Nana and Pawpaw's house and I was excited to have on of our own.

Dad and I setting up the frame (not as easy as we first thought, it would have helped if the instructions had words on them!) But it is made out of beautiful wood and fits in perfectly with our plan for a tropical backyard.

The frame kind of looks like the frame of a boat!

We were able to get it put together and set up...now for the test swing!

"Um...Dad...I don't think we did it right".  The instructions did say it held up to 300 pounds and I know I'm nowhere near that, but as soon as I sat on it I bottomed out on the frame!

We realized what had happened, but I had to get to work so I couldn't wait around to test it again.

When I came home while on break from work, I tested it out and it was just perfect! I for see many afternoons reading in the hammock!

We needed to hang our backyard patio lights more securely, so we bought some small gold hooks and to make them blend in better, I sprayed them the same color as the patio awning.

Not to let you think it was all easy going, there was hard work going on all weekend, and it was a good thing that we had a Nurse, a Paramedic, and an EMT on scene because there were a couple of injuries.

Mom scratched her leg...

and Chris drilled through his finger (don't worry, I fixed it with super glue!)

We all were sore and had some bumps and bruises after a long weekend of hard work.

But it was worth it because we checked off more items off of our to-do list!

Fun day in Ojai

Last week I had a day off and I was fortunate enough to spend it with my friend Stephanie up in Ojai (oh-Hi).

First on the to do list was play with her cute kittens: Emmy and Riley

We decided to head to the mall in Ventura for a bit of shopping. I was excited to check out the H&M store. I've seen their ads and the clothing looked really nice for nice prices. Although, when we got there we kept repeating to each other "Where are we???" You can see why in our little fashion show below: 

We first found some white sunglasses...not too out of the ordinary. But just you wait...

Yep, these were outfits that were for sale! Steph's would be perfect for an eighties party! Mine...maybe for a ski/Navajo party??

They have a mini dress to match Steph's previous pants. I'm thinking I may need to get my outfit for a Punky Brewster Halloween costume!

Fedoras and Tiaras go together, right?

After we were done shopping, we decided to walk along the Ventura/Ojai bike path. It was a really nice walk on the paved pathway, but we did it at about 4pm and it was still hot!

A nice stream running under the path

A blue jay came to visit while we stopped to stretch

Happy cows come from California!

After our walk, we decided to reward ourselves with dinner at Boccalis in Oak View.

It was delicious! Canadian Bacon and Pineapple (although I picked the pineapple off)

We decided to try a local wine, made at Boccali Vineyards. We sat outside and the weather was perfect, cooling off as the sun set.

It was a wonderful day off, getting out of the house and spending time with my friend!

Front doors

After a long, drawn out, frustrating search we finally found front doors that we liked and that would fit! We have come to realize that nothing in our house is standard size. The windows, front doors, sliding glass doors are all odd sized, forcing us to search for custom sized items that aren't way out of budget.

Our old front doors were not very secure (notice I'm telling you after they were taken out!), painted over many times and just not in style with what we wanted.  

The old doors from the inside...

and from the entryway.

AND...

the new doors! From the entryway

and from inside! Look at how much brighter it makes the inside!

Initially, I was against having windows in them, but I am so glad that I was convinced that they were a benefit. Just having those eight small windows makes a huge difference. We still need to stain the doors, (they are unfinished fir) but I'm glad to say we have one more item checked off of our to do lists!

Happy Sunday

Happy Sunday! Link up and let us know what's making you happy today.

1. Our wire baskets filled with fresh fruit!

2. Counting and sorting our change...dreaming of fun things to spend it on

3. Blue Hawaiian drinks. Yummy, yummy!

4. Going through the car wash.

 I know it's better to wash it myself, but for some reason I love going through the car wash. It reminds me of the movie Corrina, Corrina. {watch around the 1 minute mark to see why)

5. My fitness pal app for the iPhone.

My friend Julie showed this to me and I immediately downloaded this (free) app. You can input what you have consumed during the day and how much you've worked out to keep track. I like being able to see how many calories I have eaten and it helps keep me accountable! 

Happy Sunday and have a great week!

Cars 2

After our busy weekend we wanted to take some time to relax and get out of the house. Chris was nice enough to let me have my way and we went to see Cars 2.

Of course, when going to a kids movie, you have to get the kids combo! Right? No? Just me? Okay...moving on...

My movie review: (as a 27 year old woman watching a kids movie):

 The original Cars was much better. I was disappointed because this was more about Mater and kind of a James Bond style storyline. I like the story in the first one about a small town. I'm sure kids would like it, since I'm pretty sure that is the target audience they were going for.

Even though the movie was a disappointment, having an evening with my hubby made up for it!

Simply

I said a prayer for you today

            And know God must have heard.

I felt the answer in my heart

     Although He spoke no word.

I didn't ask for wealth or fame,

  I knew you wouldn't mind.

I asked Him to send treasures

  Of a far more lasting kind.

I asked that He be near you

    At the start of each new day

To grant you health and blessings

      And friends to share your way.

I asked for happiness for you

  In all things great and small

But it was for His loving care

I prayed the most of all.



I have had this framed in my room for as long as I can remember, but it was packed away when we moved into the new house. I just found it the other day and it has a new place on our fireplace mantel. I love it because it's a simple prayer that encompasses so many things and reminds me that the most important things aren't things!

Do you have a favorite verse or quote?

living room fireplace reveal

I showed you the den side of the fireplace (to catch up click HERE) and now I am able to share with you the living room side! Dad, Mom and Chris toiled away on this side while I was at work and it was wonderful to come home to an almost completed fireplace!

Before: exposed concrete

We had to build out the sides to make them more even, so the tile would lay on flat. Instead of using more concrete that would take a long time to dry, Dad realized we could use bricks and they would dry quickly and evenly.

Initially we were going to use the same tiles that we used for the hearth on the den side but once we got them into the living room, they just didn't look right. So after a trip to Lowes, we came home with these beautiful granite tiles. They are tan and have some flecks of brown, tan and gold in them. They match the picture I had in my mind of what I wanted!

Chris had to cut out some of our {new, beautiful, brand new} wood floors so that the tiles would lay flat on the concrete and butt up against the wood. At first I wanted a raised hearth, but our firebox is low so that wasn't possible. Laying the tile on the floor in front of the fireplace was needed so no flying embers land on the wood.

Chris cutting the tiles

{Thanks again to Patti and Kevin for letting us use your saw!}

Tiles laid out on the floor

Dad and Chris working hard

Dad gluing tiles to the sides and top of the fireplace.

Measure twice and cut once!

Chris laying down on the job, working on the mantel

Dad and Chris showing off their hard work (before the mantle).

You can tell that the glue is still drying underneath the tiles since they are so splotchy and dark.

The tiles are drying!

A close up of the mantel. I absolutely love how it came out!  We need to finish off the floor where the tiles meet the wood (we are going to call our flooring people and see if they make a piece [I think it's called a t-joint] to cover the joint).

We ended up buying both of our mantels and the entire surround for the living room side at Lowes. It was MUCH cheaper than buying it through a contractor. Overall, I think we saved about $5,000 by doing the work ourselves!

What home projects are you working on?