valentines

happy valentines...



okay, so last year i made this card for my husband and i'm struggling to come up with ideas for this year so i thought i'd share it with you in case you're in the same boat. 

• take 10 envelopes and cards (red or pink)
• use a glue stick to attach them together (be sure to glue the envelope flap to the back of the envelope above and to leave a bit more space between each one as you continue to glue more envelopes - it gets really thick when you start folding it all together)
• fill the slots with date nights (movie or restaurant gift cards), car wash vouchers, favorite date memory, top ten reasons you love him, etc.  whatever you want, get creative..
• decorate and...
• you get this



here is also another idea for friends and neighbors.  super simple, just uncover a candy bar and decorate with paper and ribbon.

love you.

top 3 superbowl commercials

nick and i critique commercials on a daily basis.  not really sure why, it's just fun.  occasionally i get a text saying that he saw a commercial i would like haha.  but here are the top 3 superbowl commercials from your commercial critics... karli and nick

1. m&m's - just my shell

2. honda - matthew's day off

3. toyota camry - it's reinvented

grams

my sweet little grams passed away early, last friday morning. she truly lived a great life of 85 years.  it was full of giving lots of love, hugs, kisses, service, food, advice, comfort, more food, sympathy, encouragement, and cookies.  you couldn't leave her house without any food, gummy bears, or cookies. everyone that met her was automatically drawn to her because she was full of life and excitement.  growing up, she always wanted to know who the latest boy was and who asked us to the dance. she always got so excited and loved sharing that with us.  i guess i didn't realize the extent of it until i got engaged.  we were up at bear lake when nick proposed and i thought i was excited... but we walked into grams' room to tell her and she was ten times more excited than i was.  she jumped up and down and i honestly thought we were going to give her a heart attack just by telling her.  it was always fun to share things with her.  she was an amazing cook and never used a recipe.  we tried to have her teach us but the amounts and the ingredients changed every time (usually it was more sugar).  she was an amazing sewer and could whip up anything even if you only gave her a few hours notice.  she was truly a homemaker and always made everyone feel so welcome.  she loved romance and taught us how to love through her example.  we all know how much she truly loved gramps and how perfect it was for her to leave this earth the day before their 65th wedding anniversary.  i think we could have guessed the day just by that.  she was a great example and truly blessed the hearts of many.  we know you're enjoying your new eyes so be sure to check out everything and tell gramps we love and miss him too.  you will never be forgotten, we love you grams.  xo

grams' obituary

must do next time you are in vegas

my mother in law planned a fun and quick girls trip to vegas in the beginning of december. it was her birthday trip along with an excuse to do some christmas shopping. :)

here are some of the things i highly recommend on your next trip to vegas..

if you hate the casino smell, crazy drunks, and all night parties that go on in most vegas hotels - you need to to stay here. the mgm grand signature. it's beautiful inside and out, casino-free, and smoke-free. gorgeous views from the balcony and awesome pools. we stayed here with the team last march for the mountain west tournament and i loved it just as much then.

we had quite the early flight there so we went to the hotel to check in (the hotel even let us check in hours early, another positive for the mgm signature) and then to the hash house for breakfast. this is what i ordered. they have a serious different definition for one serving. it might be in your best interest to share, but the french toast was delicious.

we wore ourselves out at the north outlets.

we hit up nike, banana republic, coach, bare essentials, gap, jcrew, and so many more. 

laid out at the pool cause it was 70 degrees on nov 30th. :)

we went to the sugar factory for dinner.

yes, they actually serve real food - not just candy.

however, after dinner, you can find any candy you could think of in their candy shop. (the picture only shows a small portion of how much candy is there)

after dinner, we walked over to the bellagio gardens atrium. being there around christmas was especially fun because they had it all immaculately decorated. i don't think you can tell but the penguins actually skate and the polar bear was made entirely out of white carnations (yes, the all-time worst flower, but still very cool).

the next morning we shopped our hearts out at
fashionshow mall.

and finished the trip with the one and only, yard house. 

everything i have had here is fabulous, but i suggest the mac and cheese, it is to die for. and don't pass up the chocolate molten cake for dessert, well worth the calories!

we all had a fun time, thanks again sherrie.

and it wouldn't have been nearly as fun if the pack girls hadn't come.. and i mean that :)

seriously.. a dream come true

my friend posted this and i thought it was so cute that i had to too. the first time i watched this, i started to cry because i was just so excited for her.

after watching, nick said..
"that is why we cannot have girls! she should be happy!"
nick doesn't understand tears of joy i guess.. haha

"i'm the second nicki minaj!"

this girl is so good! and plus, i love ellen and anyone who can rock the bright colored hair :)

bracelets!

my cute friend jordan found this bracelet blog via pinterest.

she made one and i thought they were so cute so i asked her to teach me..

here's how mine turned out.

i made a few other ones too so i could mix it up.

find the blog to the video of how to make them here.

(sorry for the bad pictures. i have a dinosaur camera) :)

booOooOoOOo!! BOOO!! or boo

so i thought it'd be fun to start the phantom ghost around our apartment complex.
you should start it in your neighborhood too.
i found the printable here and told nick about it.
he wasn't nearly as excited as i was.
he looked at it and said "you've been booed? is that like booOooOOo (scary), or BOOO!! (like you don't agree with the ref), or like you're my boo?"
seriously?? ha ha
he was only excited about eating the treats that i was going to make.
go figure.
however, then i told him about having to leave it, ring, and run..
he is such a little kid cause he said he'd help with that.
well, that night i made these (yep, found them on pinterest) for a little halloween treat to take around.
about half-way in, i thought i was going to be throwing them away..
so if you make them, don't give up! they'll turn out great and even taste better than they look.

i purposely didn't post the original picture next to mine...
i would suggest making them though - great fall treat!

germs are scary

just a cute halloween gift for friends, family, neightbors, visiting teachers, ect.

here's what mine look like..

go here to print off the cute "germs are scary" tag.
you will love their blog if you don't already follow it.

and hurry into bath and body works - the soaps are 50% off right now.

ketchup and mustard

while nick was in greece (for way too long might i add), i went up to my cabin over the weekend with my family. this lovely piece of work has been in our room up there and every time i go, i can only think of ketchup and mustard when i look at it. i guess there used to be two chests of drawers, one red - one yellow. i think someone thought it'd be funny to mix them up i guess and we got stuck with this..

while i was up there, i thought i could help it out a touch. after a few ski runs, laying out and relaxing, i decided to top it off with a project :) perfect summer day if only my husband was there. here is the finishing product - not anything fabulous, but definitely looks better.
so easy! some sand paper, white spray paint, deep ocean acrylic paint, and a finish clear coat.
sorry about the clutter on top, i still need to decorate the room.

diy pedicure

i have only been to get a pedicure once. my feet are so dang ticklish that it almost impossible for the cute ladies to actually do the pedicure. so, if your feet are anything like mine, or would like a pedicure while sitting on a lawn chair at the beach, or if you simply don't want to spend the money.. 

this is for you!

originally, my mom got this pedicure recipe from studio 5 and i got it from her. however, i have changed it a bit and feel weird calling it a recipe when it's for your feet, so we're going to call it a pedicure mixture.

this is all you need. 

ingredients:

1 bucket

warm water

epsom Salt

borax (i can only find this at walmart - by the laundry detergent)

baby oil

directions:

fill your foot spa/bucket with comfortably warm water. soak feet in warm water for 5 minutes.  add 1/2 cup epsom salt and 1/4 cup borax. stir around with feet and soak for another 5 minutes.  while soaking, put 1 cup of epsom salt in a zip-lock bag and add baby oil (enough to mix in with all the salts).  then scrub feet with the baby oil and salt mixture, leave on feet for 1-2 minutes, then wash off in bucket.  dry feet.

you may add a few drops of your favorite essential oil, such as sandalwood, chamomile, lavender, or peppermint.  for a truly exotic soak, float some fresh cut flower heads in the water.

 enjoy!

august 26, 2010

we have happily enjoyed one year of being married.

       there seriously isn't anything better...

people say the first year is the hardest - luckily for us, i don't know how it could get any better :)

 so dang cute, they love him so much

 i finally have brothers, and nephews :)

 sisters :)

what a babe! i love him

it truly has been the happiest year of my twenty two years

            here's to forever. and ever. :)

                     i love you nick.

                  happy anniversary!



stencil designed tray

i picked up this lovely tray at hobby lobby.
i love animal prints but only on certain items.. this is not one of those.

however, it was on clearance and only $5.10..

here is the vision..
i printed this off the internet and cut out all the black with an exacto knife.
     (can't find a stencil you like at hobby lobby - make it yourself!)

i painted the whole thing white as a primer, then covered up the cheetah print area and painted the rest black and let it dry. my cute mom let me borrow her stencil brush (i miss doing crafts at home with all my mom's stuff - now i have to start collecting my own things).

here is the finished product.

mint sorbet, sidewalkers, and over the toupe

i'm obsessed. not your typical choice of nail polish colors - but simply the greatest!

while THEY were watching ESPN

i have no words..

sunday evening our friends jordan and bridger booras came over for dinner and games. we ate and then jordan helped me make baby shower invitations. the boys made fun of us for doing crafts. but... a few minutes later, who was doing the crafts?
the boys got talking about making a water balloon launcher to take with us to bear lake over the fourth of july. they youtubed 'how to make a water balloon launcher', but decided not take the youtube advice. they thought they could make a better one. typical boys. bridger ran home and came back with workout bands, fabric (that the booras' used to cover their chairs), and a needle and thread. as you can see, nick is trying to thread the needle (which ended up being a needle tied to the thread and bridger telling him he did it wrong). bridger is actually good at sewing. he hand-sewed reinforcements around all the holes and sewed on a handle. unfortunately, we tested the launcher and the balloon got squished in the fabric and exploded over nick before it even took flight. we went back and the boys decided to try something different. bridger ran home again and came back with a drill, and a funnel. i guess that's how boys do crafts. in the end, the water balloon launcher was a success.

zucchini or weed? that is the question.

about a month ago our apartment complex cleared out what used to be a hot tub and made it in to a garden area. our complex offered plots to those who wanted a garden space. i wasn't thrilled about the idea, considering i have killed a bamboo plant - which are quite impossible to kill, but i was bored one day and was only working part-time so i decided to grow me some vegetables. i bought some seeds, planted them, and waited. i watered them every day. and waited. and still nothing. finally after i thought they were not going to grow, some leaves of the zucchini sprouted.

it was an exciting day - i didn't kill them all! a few days later the onions and carrots started to show. skip ahead a few weeks - it was looking good. knowing you grew the zucchini too.. zucchini bread has never sounded so good.
yesterday after work, my husband mentioned he watered our garden as we walked past it. "..and i weeded too." oh no. i immediately noticed our zucchini leaves were gone. there they were, set off to the side, shriveled up. bless his heart. ya can't get mad when he had great intentions.

he did point out that it still might grow because he "may not have pulled the whole thing out." we'll see... ;)