Merry Christmas!

We just wanted to wish everyone a Merry Christmas!!! We didn't quite get our Christmas cards out before the holiday so we figure a virtual card will do just fine!! Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and have a fabulous New Year!!!!!!

Love,

Chris and Shayla

If you are wondering about the picture, not quite sure if we are saying what you think we might be saying....don't worry....you're probably right!

We are adding a cute little addition to our family July 9th!!!! 

Christmas is here again...

I love Christmas!!! I had a friend in college that introduced me to this song by Lonestar and I really like it. It makes you stop and think about the real reason for this wonderful season.



So let's take more time this year to remember the true meaning of Christmas!

Thanksgiving Actvities

Thanksgiving was so great! We started off running/walking/jogging a 5k in Lehi. It was a great workout and gave us an excuse to pig out at dinner!

 I wish I would have gotten a picture of Chris running too...oh well, next race for sure!

The end!!! We made it even though our time wasn't the greatest. I know it was only a 5k but neither of us have been running in about 2 months...or more...not good. Life is just so busy. But we decided we are going to start running and get in shape for the next race in March. Hopefully we can stay motivated during the holiday season!

Thanksgiving...

So this year we get to spend Thanksgiving with Chris' side of the family. This will be the first time meeting a lot of his dad's side of the family and I am nervous/excited. We also got an assignment....Hors d'oeuvres...heard the word and considering I took a few years of French I should know what it is. Well, I looked it up on trusty old google and am now much smarter!  Hors d'oeuvres, appetizers...same thing! Now to come up with a fabulous Hors d'oeuvre...any suggestions cuz I'm not a big appetizer person. I love deserts and main dishes so this is a little struggle for me :) HELP!

Halloween 2011

This year for Halloween we decided to really dress up...not just find something around the house. It was a lot of fun and a lot of work! I think I figured out why most people tend to purchase the costume instead of making them! But it was a lot of fun and it's cool to say "yes, I made this!" Chris and I were Jack Skellington and Sally from the movie Nightmare Before Christmas. Take a look...what do ya think?

I've Been Featured!

One of the cool things out in blog land are the little parties that are hosted...linky parties I believe they are called {and could be totally wrong!} It's a fun way of being able to show of an project you've done that you love, or a recipe that is amazing, or whatever. Well, I linked up a recent project and it got featured!!! This fun, double duty decoration was featured on Ginger Snap Crafts...fun blog by the way.

{This is a reversible sign...one side says BOO and the other side says JOY. Check out Bumble Briar Boutique to see the other side.}

Gone shootin'

A few months ago Chris bough him a hand gun...a Ruger 22/45 to be more specific. Since then we have talked about going shooting but never have. So we FINALLY went and it was a blast. We had little targets-a milk jug, an empty can of corn, a sobe bottle, a 2-liter soda bottle, and a few random things that were already lying around. It was fun to watch the milk jug dance around when we hit. The next best thing was our neighbor shooting next to us came over with his AK-47 asking if we wanted to try. Chris was all over that!!! I even took a few shots. It is a HUGE gun! Chris had a great aim and we watched as he shot a bunch of this and they flew in the air....it was awesome!

 Me shooting the Ruger

Chris shooting the AK-47 and loving it!

Family Pics!!

I love having lots of pictures to display! I have tons of our wedding and engagement pictures everywhere. As I was looking at all my pictures the other day I realized that our wedding was almost a year and a half ago...time flies!!!! So I asked my sister if she would be able to take some pictures for us. She did a great job!!! Visit her blog and see some of her other amazing work...just click here! Thanks Taneya...you are so wonderful!!! 

Bathroom Project...

***WARNING!!!*** 

this post is about bathrooms....yucky, stinky, moldy, bathrooms.....

You have been warned! :)

I've had this problem since we moved into our home sweet home-an old bathroom with mold/mildew in the tub. I tried scrubbing-didn't work; I tried the mold/mildew cleaners-didn't work. So I told my landlord there's a problem in the bathroom. Her advice....vinegar....didn't do anything but make the bathroom smell {real bad}!
So I took matters into my own hands and I hope it works. I ripped out the caulking (which is where it was the worst) and just re-caulked it! After ripping and cleaning this is what my tub looked like...

...and that's only one side of caulking...NASTY!
After a lot of muscle power and time the nasty tub looks almost new.

I'm sure the problem goes a lot deeper but at least the exterior looks good! And thanks for listening...er...reading...about my frustration and solution! ;)

House Hunting...

I am NOT a fan of house hunting...at all! It was fun in the beginning hoping, wishing, and picturing myself in a place. And then I got all emotionally attached and things just don't work out. I should have figured that this wouldn't be an easy process because, let's be honest, it's me we're talking about. Things just aren't easy. But that's okay.
I do have to say, it has been a really amazing learning experience in so many ways. There isn't just one place out there and I would rather be somewhere I really am supposed to be. So, let the hunt continue and someday, when it's right, I will have a home to call my own :)

Ole Miss vs. BYU

First game of the season...

Dilema #1...no cable tv.

Dilema #2...Shayla doesn't have a single article of clothing that has anything to do with BYU.

Dilema #3...We are super hungry and neither of us want to cook.

Ultimate Solution.....Target and Iggy's!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

First thing we did was get me a shirt to support BYU. Totally found a really cute one too :) Then we headed to Iggy's. The food was great and the game was playing on the huge screen and we got a booth. It was wonderful! Unfortunately, we didn't stay for the whole game. If you don't know Chris he is kinda, sorta...well...he's a die hard BYU fan {not joking}! We went home and Chris found the game on the internet. Watching Chris watch the game was the best part of the whole thing. I'm just glad BYU was able to start out the season with a win...even though the game was quite intense. GO COUGS!!!!

New Blog...YAY!

So I am really super excited about my new blog. I decided I wanted a different place to share all my crafting adventures...so I don't overload this blog with just crafts. I hope it works out ok. If you have a few minutes you should check it out and let me know what you think...just click here and it will take you right to Bumble Briar Boutique. Enjoy! And if you have any cool craft ideas, please share! I would totally love to have lots of variety on my new blog and it would be fun to feature your ideas too! Just leave a comment or shoot me an email!

A different type of wreath...

I love crafting....especially when it doesn't cost me very much. Having that said, I LoVeD this project. The only thing I had to purchase was a book that I wanted to rip apart...sorry Tom Clancy, but it did go to a good cause. This is a pretty easy project and goes together pretty quickly, which is another bonus.  Here are some pictures of the whole process as well as some of the finished project.

 These are the different ways that I rolled my pages. It gave the wreath a little variety.

Grilling...

Since we are STILL waiting to move and have packed probably way too much stuff in anticipation, we have been having the same thing for dinner for quite a while. So on Sunday we changed things up and grilled a few steaks!! We tried this "Cowboy Rub" that turned out super yummy. It was definitely a nice break from the normal tacos, tuna noodle, and more tacos...

Bucket List Adventure #1

Chris and I went on our first bucket list adventure! On our way out we got a fishing license for me and then took a ridiculously long drive finding the perfect spot. Our first idea had way too many people, our second idea was unreachable in a little car (someday we will have a truck to go off-roading just to get to a fishing site), and so we went to our third idea....the Jordan River. We didn't stay very long...things just weren't working out well. Needless to say, this adventure is not quite completed. I think this will be an ongoing adventure for a very long time! :)

Just a thought...

"Though the storm clouds may gather, though the rains may pour down upon us, our knowledge of the gospel and our love of our Heavenly Father and of our Savior will comfort and sustain us and bring joy to our hearts as we walk uprightly and keep the commandments. There will be nothing in this world that can defeat us. My beloved brothers and sister, fear not. Be of good cheer. The future is as bright as your faith."  {Pres. Thomas S. Monson}

I have heard a bit of this quote before but I really love the whole thing. I found it here along with some other quotes that are amazing.

"Despite Adversity, Be of Good Cheer"

4th of July

For the 4th of July we went to Silver Lake Flat. It was gorgeous and we found this little place that was away from everyone else there. We got up there about 7am so Chris could go fishing. It was a slow fishing day...

Handmade Gift Exchange

I participated in this event sponsored by Craftaholics Anonymous....the Handmade Gift Exchange. I got paired up with a girl from Flordia. Her favorite holiday is Halloween so this is what I made: 

I originally wanted to hang this in a long picture frame but the letters were too big so I just kept it a wall hanging. I still want to try making one for myself using the picture  frame...we'll see how it turns out.

The Bucket List

Chris and I came up with a list of things we want to do, especially on Saturdays, so we don't sit around and be too lazy. We are wanting to put more effort into being more active and more social. Click on the "Bucket List" link above (just right under our super cuter picture) to check out all of our ideas.

Homemade Ice Cream

I remember as a kid watching my dad work his magic with the ice cream maker and all of us kids sitting around it watching it and waiting for it to be done. Lately I have been really wanting to make homemade ice cream but I really don't want to go out and buy the machine. So in my blogging adventures I found a machineless (is that even a word?) homemade ice cream recipe! Yipee!!!! So here is what you need:

          2 c. heavy cream

          1 can Sweetened Condensed Milk

          Flavors, toppings, mix-ins

Start by whipping the heavy cream to stiff peaks and set aside. Next, add your favorite flavors, toppings, and mix-ins to the sweetened condensed milk. Fold in the whipped cream to your sweetened condensed milk mixture….freeze and enjoy!

(to find more ideas check out this page from kevinandamanda.com)

Furniture Redo!!

I love re-doing furniture! It is so fun to see it transform into something you want it to be. Chris and I have been trying to find night stands. We searched on KSL and the only sets were about $50 which isn't terrible, but I'm cheap! So when I found these cuties for $2.50 each I snagged them up so fast! They were not in the best shape, but they were cheap. Here are a few before pictures...

Deciding on a color was the hardest part of this whole project. We decided on Almond with dark handles. Since these night stands were laminate (fake wood) I used primer first and then sprayed painted on the color! Here is what they look like now...


Overall, they turned out pretty well. Total cost for this project...$20 for both night stands! I want to get some nice baskets to put on the bottom just for some extra variety. I can't wait to see them set up in our new place!