* no etsy shops, giveaways, or things for sale

* link up new things you have not linked up before

* link back to me somehow (text or button)

So while I figure things out I thought we could do something new.

Ask me anything. Leave a comment with a question you have for me and I will try my best to answer them. The more random the better :P

I will pick some of them and write up a post  on Wednesday.

Alright, lets talk about curb appeal. I have not done a ton of things with the front of my house other than plant flowers and the basics because my house is already so charming on its own and I never have a ton in the budget  for it. Last year before my Better Homes and Gardens photo  shoot I painted the steps and walkway. The walkway was tinted concrete that was hot pink. I kid you not. It has held up really well.

Last year I also got a new mail box, spray painted the base, and added out last name to it in vinyl. That has also held up really well.

I am going to be slowly doing a little project here and there to spruce up the ‘ole front porch this spring. Yesterday my 5 year old and I planted a few flowers next to the walkway. They don’t look like much now. It doesn’t help that my two year old ripped them out about a half an hour after we planted them. *sigh* But they will be wonderful when they fill out :)

Next on the list are new house numbers, potted plants, new porch light, and a little somethin’ somethin’ I am not sharing yet. I have never shown the whole exterior of our house. But when I get it all done I will.

Have a fabulous Memorial weekend!!!

I am blessed to be able to work from home but it is still a job. I didn’t start my blog with the intention of it becoming a business. But when it started to morph into that, I was okay with it because lets face it, with 3 layoffs in 2 years our household could use the income (albeit small). But I am still coming to terms with the fact that because of the added time put towards the blog, I have to cut out some of the other stuff. Like cleaning….

My house use to be so clean. Seriously clean. I was very proud of how sanitized everything was. It wasn’t just picked up, it was SPOTLESS. I probably had a little too much pride about that. But oh how the mighty have fallen.

I also looked at my sons end of year report card and realized we didn’t turn in the last two months worth of reading calenders.  And I can’t remember if we turned in his homework packet on Monday….. He did read and he did do his homework. I just stink at reminding him to turn it in I guess.

We had a special family meeting tonight where we talked about us needing to work together.  I apologized for getting so upset earlier. And we decided together that the boys needed more chores. My husband (who does the dishes more than I do anyway) said he would do the dishes…. all the time. Forever. I about died. I hate dishes more than anything in the world! He already does quite a bit of cleaning around the house but he also said he would (wait for it….) fold all the laundry.

I must have been really scarey when I freaked out earlier :P

I am new to this working thing. I am used to being able to focus 100% of my time on my kids and house. So I am still trying to figure it out. I just barely admitting that I HAVE A JOB. Admitting it is the first step, right? So I want all of you who work from home, out of the home, part time, or full time to tell me HOW YOU DO IT? How did you let go of the fact that you could no longer do all you want to do? I would love to still be able to actually do it all. The cleaning, the bread baking, the volunteering at the school, yard work, etc….AND the blogging.

But I can’t.

Any advice?  (and remember, be nice)

I filmed a “how to” video yesterday and it took about 4 hours! THAT is why you do not see a lot of them around here :P I was trying to do it outside and between the wind, the sun changing position and screwing up my little patch of shade, and the kids running around asking for another Popsicle, I thought we would never get it done.

I have a super cool project in the works for my side yard but it is not working out how I had hoped. I have not labeled it a fail just yet. I think I just need to be more patient. It is a living project….. or at least I hope it is living. It is the project I am kind of waiting on and the reason I have not revealed my side yard transformation.

So while I weed the side yard and wait for the” living project” to show some life, I would love to have a peek into what you have been doing!

Oh! Don’t forget to hop over to yesterday’s post and enter to win a $150 gift card to TARGET!!!!

Remember……

*No etsy shops, things for sale, or giveaways

*Visit other links and comment. We all love comments :)

*Link back in some way (text link or button) The code for my button is on the sidebar.

Peggy from The Painted Pear!!! Email me soon so I can get your info :) Congrats!

Don’t forget to like Port-Cable’s facebook page so you don’t miss out on other giveaways from them :)

I have another fun giveaway coming up tomorrow.

I have shown you practically my whole house and I have shown you bits and pieces of my yard, but it is hard to take a picture of my whole backyard because of the size and shape. So I thought I would draw up some plans to show you since this is where I have spent the majority of my time the last month and a half :)

When we moved in our house had sat vacant for a long time. The backyard was just gravel and weeds as tall as I am. It looked horrible. There were chunks of cement, piles of rocks, garbage, dead trees, and hard as rock dirt.  I am seriously just happy to have grass! We have slowly done a project here and there. This next picture is what we would still like to add to it:

I would love to have a flagstone patio off the back of the house that extended clear over where the fountain is in the picture. On the patio and under the pergola would be where we would have out main sitting area with my door screen as a backdrop. I will plant vines to grow up the pergola.

The sandbox area I am actually really excited about I have a plan (I am not going to share at this time) that will make it pretty and not such an eye sore.

The cement pad was already here when we bought the house. We decided to build our boys a clubhouse on it. We bought the 2x4s last year and then my husband was laid off from his job. The boys have been so patient. We have promised them to build it for 3 summers now. *sigh* One day…….

I would love to build a fence around my garden. The boys and all the neighbor kids play ball in the open part of our yard and balls are always getting in the garden. They are not careful when they tromp through to retrieve them either.

The place with the fire pit is kind of like our “camping area”. My boys LOVE camping! Sometimes my husband sets up a tent over there and they sleep in the backyard. They get to feel like they are camping and I get to sleep in my comfy bed. That is what I call a win win :) We have never owned a barbeque. I would love to have another flagstone patio with a small pergola and a built in BBQ for my man :)

I would love to get some cement poured in the very back of our yard. We have access to an alley that leads to the road. It is so nice to be able to drive into the back of our yard to load up a truck with yard waste for the dump or bring in a truck load of compost back from the dump. And I think it would make a good spot for the kids to ride bikes or play basketball. I know it will cost a bloody fortune so who knows if it will ever really happen. But that is what I would like to see back there instead of weeds.

Another thing I have toyed with is the idea of a stream running through our yard. I am hesitant to add a big water feature because of the maintenance. I have a huge garden and flower beds and I am not sure I want to worry about a stream. But I have always wanted one! Maybe when I move to the country…….

What plans do you have for your yard? Or do you already have your dream space???

I, along with other bloggers, have teamed up with Homes.com for a Pinterest contest. We are all creating pin boards on Pinterest called “Spring into the Dream”

Here is my pinboard:

At then end of the month one blogger will be chosen as the winner and they will receive $500 AND they will get to give one of their readers who also create a pinboard $500!!!

So if I win, one of you will also win!!!

If you want to play along here are the details:

* Create a “Homes.com Spring into the Dream” pinboard on Pinterest.  (let me know if you need an invite and I will send you one!)

* Pin 2 pins from Homes.com’s “Spring into the Dream” board onto your board

* Pin 2 pins from articles on Homes.com blog

* Pin any other pins you’d like to include related to the “Spring into the Dream” theme

* Follow Homes.com on Pinterest

* Leave a comment with the link to your pinboard on this post.

I will be pinning things from now until the 25th. So even if you don’t want to participate, come check out what spring means to me  and find inspiration with the Homes.com board too!

***I did not receive any compensation in return for writing this post.***

KUTV Fresh Living TV CLip : Staining Pine and other soft woods

(Between you and me I think it is annoying that thet don’t have it set up to where I can embed the clip here…..)

Have a great day!!!

Okay, here are the detail….

* No etsy shops, giveaways, or things for sale

* Link back to me somehow (button or text link)

* Visit other links and share the love

Carly from Playful Pickle Designs rocked my socks with the header she made me. I love it so much! Doesn’t yellow just make you happy? Carly was such a trooper. I had her tweek and retweek it to death. It is hard for me to have the idea in my mind but not have the know how to actually create it. And I don’t explain things very well sometimes.  Carly was so patient and went above and beyond so I sent her a thank you in the mail. . . . . my favorite treat ever, Utah Truffles. So thank you Carly!!! I hope you enjoy your chocolate  as much as I enjoy my new header :)

Just like whenever you decorate a room, there are always little things you move and change until it becomes perfect. I am sure I will be doing the same with my blog. But for the most part it is done and I am happy. I had Aaron from RFE Hosting widen the blog for me and add the new header and then I DIYed the rest. It took forever since I had to learn all the css stuff. I emailed Aaron in a panic a couple of times :P WordPress can be so complicated for someone not very computer savvy :)

I have so many things to do this week. I am hoping to finish up my side yard transformation too. I am torn about when to reveal it though. I kind of want to give the plants a chance to get over the transplant shock and fill in a little. But I am also antsy to show you what I have been up to!

Tomorrow I will be going on Fresh Living  with Bruce from Minwax. I am excited to meet him and chat about staining :)

See you tomorrow for the linky party!!!

I am excited for today’s giveaway!!!  I know a lot of women get giddy when they hear a designer’s name like Louis Vuitton ( I totally had to google how to spell that…) But I get  all fired up when I hear the name Porter Cable :) Porter Cable is offering one lucky winner a Lithium Drill that comes with 2 batteries, a charger, and a carrying case.  That is a $150 value!  A drill is one of the MUST have tools.

(source)

Remember my side yard transformation I keep going on about? The one you have only seen the before of and zero sneak peeks? Well,  you are getting a tiny one today :) I decided to use my new drill and build a table for my side yard.

This drill is like butter! It is so smooth. I am in love…..

And here is my VERY rustic table for my side yard! You all know I have an affinity for barn wood. And the grey of the barn wood fits in perfectly with the color scheme I have going on with my new space. I built it the same way as I did the side table I have a tutorial for on my sidebar.

So here are the details……..

This drill has amazing features:

• All metal 1/2 in. keyless chuck offers excellent bit retention and job site durability

• Integral L.E.D. work light provides additional light to work area for greater visibility

• 2-Speed high torque/high speed gearbox (0-350, 0-1,500 RPM) for increased productivity and for heavy applications

• High output motor delivers 424 in/lbs of torque – The power to complete job site applications more efficiently

• 22 Position clutch allows the user to properly set torque which reduces overdriving and stripping of fasteners

• Compact 8.1 ” Drill length easily fits into tight drilling and fastening applications

• 3.8 lbs with LX battery pack reduces user fatigue during extended periods of use

• Contoured handle with over mold provides better fit in user hands and minimizes rubbing and vibration

• Low Impedance 1.3 amp/hour Lithium Ion Batteries optimizes drill performance by providing more energy to tool during heavy applications

• 30 Minute Multi-volt charger quickly charges both Lithium Ion and NiCD batteries to keep the user working

• Compatible with Porter-Cable Lithium Ion and NiCD battery packs allows user to use all Porter-Cable 18 volt batteries regardless of chemistry

If you would like to enter to win this drill pack, you can do one or all of the following. PLEASE LEAVE A SEPARATE COMMENT FOR EACH THING YOU DO

* Leave a comment telling me why you would love to try the Porter Cable Lithium Drill

* Tweet about this giveaway

* Post about this giveaway on Facebook

Check out Porter Cable’s Facebook page where they post about other giveaways and special deals.

Good luck!!!  This giveaway will run until May 18th midnight (MST).

So the winner of the 11×14 stretched canvas print is……………………

Ginger from Gingerly Made!!!

Email me soon Ginger so I can get you in touch with Uprinting :)

It is suppose to be in the low to mid 70′s all week!!! Talk about perfect weather. I guess the digging in the dirt will continue.

I can’t wait to see what you have done. I probably won’t get a chance to look through them until later tonight when I crash on the couch after yard work. But I will eat a treat and look at your awesomeness :)

*No Etsy shops, things for sale, or giveaways

*Only link up your own work, and your own posts

*Visit other links and share the love

* Link back to me in some way

When I planted them I thought they would be annuals since the weather here in Utah gets so cold in the winter. That is how most people do it. So I planted them close together since the first year they do not get really big. But later that summer I learned that you can winterize them and they will come back every year. I tried it and all but one came back! What I did was cut the leaves off in the fall right before the first frost. The I put about 6 inches of dirt over the stumps. Then I put the leaves I cut off over that. I added leaves from the yard and any dead plants and vines from the garden to the top of that. And last of all I covered it all with tarps.

These next few pictures are from last year……

The plants were between 4 and 5 feet tall!!!

In total I picked well over 200 artichokes last year.

I have winterized them every year and this is the fifth spring I have had them. BUT…….tragedy struck.  While we were in Seattle this February the weather in Utah got unusually warm. The artichokes thought it was time to come up. They came up a little and since the tarps were trapping the heat in, the little starts FRIED. I came home and found shriveled leaves when I checked under the tarp.

So far only 2 have come up. And I think it is because they might not have had shoots come up during the warm weather. They must have been late bloomers so to speak, which may have saved their lives.

I had 3 rows of 5 in my garden.

I am just sick about it. SICK! I have prayed my little guts out for these plants to be okay. If you are a gardener, you know what I mean. You put so much hard work into a garden. I babied these plants for the last 4 years. I don’t want to start over.

There is one artichoke that has 3 places where little shoots are coming up. But none of the others show any signs of regrowth.

SO WHAT DO I DO??? Do I cling to the hope that the others will start to send up shoots??? Or do I dig them up and plant new ones this year??? I do not know enough about artichokes to know if it is worth waiting. I am hoping that some of you will be experts in growing artichokes and can give me some good advice.

And if you have never eaten an artichoke you must! Google some recipes and give it a try!

He grew up in a tiny farming town. We are talking TINY, people. As in he had 29 in his graduating High School class. He was the middle child in a family of 6 kids. He has always been the peacemaker, even as a child.

(sorry for the grainy scanned photos!!!)

We met at college. It was his last year there and my first. Because he was so kind to everyone and such a good listener he had girls fawning over him. There were plates full of cookies dropped off with notes on a daily or at least weekly basis. All from different girls. He went out on dates almost every night of the week and most he did not ask. We were friends first even though I knew I wanted it to be more. I was patient and didn’t play games like some of the other girls that liked him. Our friendship turned into a relationship towards the end of the school year. We dated for a year before getting married.

(This is seconds after he proposed. I said yes even though he was wearing that unfortunate olive green plaid shirt….)

He is everything I am not. He keeps me grounded. He helps keep things in perspective. And he has LOADS of patience!

He, like every guy I am sure, is a kid at heart.  He adores spending time with our 4 boys. The thing that has helped me out the most with blogging is him keeping them entertained so I can work. I now have a schedule worked out (I gotta groove) where I am not on the computer very much during the day but in the beginning I was a TON.  I had to figure out what the crap an HTML was :P  He trusted me when I said it would be worth it in the end. I did see some weary looks here and there. But he was nice enough not to voice his concerns. He saw that it was giving me a much needed outlet and a boost in creativity so he let me sit there for hours while I googled “How to add pictures to a post in blogger”. Yep. I knew nothing in the beginning!!! Have I mentioned he is patient???

(This was a week and a half after I had my second baby and the same day my hubby came home from having surgery. He couldn’t lift or hold anything so this was the only way he could love on our new little guy.)

We have our squabbles like everyone else, but he is so good for me. He doesn’t say a word when during the winter I decide to use the kitchen/dining room as a workshop. He trusts me when I come up with some crazy scheme like stenciling our ceiling. He is proud of me and what I have accomplished. And he gently brings me down to earth when I have my head in the clouds. He is wonderful example to our boys of how to treat a woman and how to be a man. And even though he can’t remember anything to save his soul, I still love him to pieces. :)

I have made some good progress on my “secret” project and I am doing a ton of yard work. I have a big family gathering this weekend at my house I am also trying to get ready for. :) Spring is always busy but in a good productive way.

I can’t wait to see what you have been up to!

A couple months after I started blogging I made a promise to myself that I would be open to new things and be willing to step outside my comfort zone. As a stay at home mom I had fallen into a rut. I had a very comfy comfort zone that included my painting clothes, pony tails, never leaving the house except for Walmart, and never putting myself out there. And I started to see that blogging had potential to change that.

This was my first time speaking at a conference. I have done television and spoken to small groups but this was different. On TV there was either no audience or it was a  very small one. I could pretend that I was just talking to the host and the camera men. But at the conference I had to stare out at all these faces. Plus, I was showing my music video!!! I have posted a music video on my blog before but I didn’t have to sit in the same room with my readers and see their reaction. I was a nervous wreck! You can ask my roommates. I was a mess the night before and all morning leading up to it. So thank you if you were there and laughed. It made me giving my talk that much easier :)

I realized when the conference was almost done that I had not taken very many pictures with my camera. This was my third conference and at the first two I was so concerned with getting pictures with everyone. This time I was more concerned with experiencing everything. I was just there and in the moment. It was good :)

The biggest life lesson was a fear I conquered. It is hard for me to talk about and I almost didn’t include this in my post.  It has to do with dancing…….

When I was in Jr. High and High School I weighed 100-110 pounds and had the same size boobs I have now…… BIG. You can imagine the kind of negative attention I got from boys. I took weight training class there at the Jr. High and High School. I loved it. But as part of our circuit training we had to run around the track. The guy’s weight room was across the basement from the girl’s. There would be a guy that was on “look out”. When I came out to run my laps he would alert the other guys and they came out and watched.  It made me feel sick. It was painful. And it kind of scarred me for life. It also happened out on the dance floor in Jr. High. So I stopped dancing.

I have not jogged, danced, or done anything else that involves movement in front of other people since Jr. High. Seriously.

When I hear people talk about being bullied and how it has been crippling in certain aspects of their life I cry with them. I know that gut wrenching feeling. Every time I would go to a dance in college or at a blogging conference I would have a panic attack. I would want to join in but get sweaty and sick at the thought. And every time I get invited to go jogging or running with friends I always say no. It also comes to mind every day when I get dressed and I try to make my boobs look smaller by wearing cardigans and other things I can “hide” in.

At EVO (blog conference) last year I almost danced. I got on the dance floor and moved a little and then saw a few guys standing around and couldn’t breathe. I left. So this year while at SNAP I decided I was just going to do it. I was not going to over think it. I would just go through the motions until I started having fun. I don’t know how I did it, but I made up my mind and just went with it. And guess what!?!?

I had a BLAST! It was so freeing. I can’t even tell you how much  fun it was. I was sweaty but it was because I was shakin’ my booty  not because I was having a panic attack.

Here is a picture courtesy of Destiny. Not the most flattering but at least it proves I got my groove on :)

Can you spot me???

I came away from SNAP having learned a lot from the sessions, but also having learned a lot about ME.  :)

Here are the few pictures I did take……

My roommates :) Who I kept up until 4am Staci, Amanda, Michelle, me

Some of my favorite DIY buddies…. a few I met for the first time in real life! Kate, me, Rhoda, Traci, Beth, Wendy

Brittany! We spoke together there at SNAP about power tools.  This was taken right before I went on the dance floor. I think that is why I look cross eyed :P

More of my favorite “home” girls!!! Emily, Shelley, me, Destiny (Thanks Desitny for another picture!)

If you are a blogger, I really encourage you to attend a blog conference. I know they cost money and in some cases you have to travel. But for me, the first blogging conference was a HUGE pivotal point in my blogging career. I learned so much about blogging, social media, and photography. I made connections with other bloggers that are amazing. And I stepped outside my comfort zone a million times and never regretted it. I have grown as a person and as a blogger.  I would like to thank Cutting Edge Stencils for sponsoring me.  Because of  their help I was able to go and experience these things.