tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-33795114327265972712024-03-05T04:52:27.550-08:00My Life With Four Guys and One Little LadyMegginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743854924838526944noreply@blogger.comBlogger454125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-60766162031678325562015-07-04T13:13:00.000-07:002015-07-04T13:13:21.798-07:00Happy Fourth<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 4, 2015</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Make a funny face!</td></tr>
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And, just for fun, a little trip through the archives. The annual photo by the flag is one tradition I have been good at observing for many years!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWkxsVyZXHsuc6L_Sj-DwEI7O9B05M0Ffja6IhN5BuZypRGoxrcuFt8Vt1GQ6ivJ5GFh_o6T1zpQiMOdbDmCwKZ-3Pzp86y71iPDqSko-U0UTv__W9AAZxTLde_KBpNqSVwUE75-r1Tg/s1600/IMG_0261.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLWkxsVyZXHsuc6L_Sj-DwEI7O9B05M0Ffja6IhN5BuZypRGoxrcuFt8Vt1GQ6ivJ5GFh_o6T1zpQiMOdbDmCwKZ-3Pzp86y71iPDqSko-U0UTv__W9AAZxTLde_KBpNqSVwUE75-r1Tg/s320/IMG_0261.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2014: Annie was in an anti-photo-taking stage!</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2013</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUZEp0lDNADZAtkHQQSpoMixyGPSG3LmWGj4Xu4gIO2mybpSlJi_kdanEnG1xRHUER488SFsHojYx5J4Q2ANrllZHGss1tz2D0i4awtPmQ70kBKDT_jGgrGrTm-dvsYRESV-IaFFkhZg/s1600/IMG_1662.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheUZEp0lDNADZAtkHQQSpoMixyGPSG3LmWGj4Xu4gIO2mybpSlJi_kdanEnG1xRHUER488SFsHojYx5J4Q2ANrllZHGss1tz2D0i4awtPmQ70kBKDT_jGgrGrTm-dvsYRESV-IaFFkhZg/s320/IMG_1662.JPG" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5MRR41iDA_NoKoDmCJSpIbYZo6MIj2TkvlIEeyHAZl1pCIzSaiaAE40yGFtAdMcaNlmxxXvKZtyr-bHavck-4yeob751wlJX72yFN21nJlpDMDVA_aHCJO7fe0tAk6z-A1WjQHLgpOs/s1600/IMG_0198.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy5MRR41iDA_NoKoDmCJSpIbYZo6MIj2TkvlIEeyHAZl1pCIzSaiaAE40yGFtAdMcaNlmxxXvKZtyr-bHavck-4yeob751wlJX72yFN21nJlpDMDVA_aHCJO7fe0tAk6z-A1WjQHLgpOs/s320/IMG_0198.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2010</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-21271741465514929942015-05-06T16:10:00.000-07:002015-05-06T16:12:44.390-07:00Bathroom Overhaul<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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Ever since moving to our new home over a year ago, my #1 pet peeve of this house has been the carpet in the bathrooms. Who does that?! Thankfully, the tub/toilet areas were tiled, but the vanity area in both the kids' and the master bath was carpeted, and it was <i>nasty.</i> I have been dying to get rid of that ratty carpet from the moment we moved in. Thanks to a recommendation from a friend, we were able to find some guys who laid tile for a very reasonable price. We decided to tile all three upstairs bathrooms, including the guest bathroom that was already tiled, just so that the flooring was the same in all. So without further ado, </div>
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Kids Bathroom</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1KcAA0dcMOswRv-myfy4uUwXfLG9zB23hPrlfXxxu_CZRJFv03UhmwqZzW-Zlm5Yve5V6iL_klpHfX2bCMdrKAzJN0NH8dg86SGSqK9E6b0k9vtlRfSwzOOT-gSKi1a11IAGefHcqz_A/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0D3ryD_Kst8_91ZGXj2TTC7wg7XqF7NlLgaSRclXFuLkhhQtCPlagIgj8u3LLSAHEp9comqjE6DTiuWF7i9YaUi2y0eNtSucFj1uPdAunUXXbf4VAoGmV5pv7gvoMMqNFC8I4Ox_aFso/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0D3ryD_Kst8_91ZGXj2TTC7wg7XqF7NlLgaSRclXFuLkhhQtCPlagIgj8u3LLSAHEp9comqjE6DTiuWF7i9YaUi2y0eNtSucFj1uPdAunUXXbf4VAoGmV5pv7gvoMMqNFC8I4Ox_aFso/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="298" /> </a></div>
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Guest Bathroom</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb-CNVjy8Pw_q2d-HZA_Jc8HLGyDlO5YhNQsi8RHr90Lthu3YO6GCrM6SZ3i7MRPbVtCCUXBFNlY5dMYJUnajrb4Bv6_NtKv0zw0p2tlLdEIag1_4-U_C4iRsVdhFqexOEeqFNFJKHiQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjxb-CNVjy8Pw_q2d-HZA_Jc8HLGyDlO5YhNQsi8RHr90Lthu3YO6GCrM6SZ3i7MRPbVtCCUXBFNlY5dMYJUnajrb4Bv6_NtKv0zw0p2tlLdEIag1_4-U_C4iRsVdhFqexOEeqFNFJKHiQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="320" width="320" /> </a></div>
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And going way back to the day we closed on the house:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7c3l1Vz6doDU3fmjLy2GC7jMQCNGWe1Wd3MtWB7VDr76vSr2yLyyMxJMSbjtWtq61HjdUrPcOh4epZp5dTlbJBJwn1qagKugnYFfObO6PqEcFRcNNzuazQNxzXN8cCKjbJ4md1qkdeAc/s1600/IMG_1828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7c3l1Vz6doDU3fmjLy2GC7jMQCNGWe1Wd3MtWB7VDr76vSr2yLyyMxJMSbjtWtq61HjdUrPcOh4epZp5dTlbJBJwn1qagKugnYFfObO6PqEcFRcNNzuazQNxzXN8cCKjbJ4md1qkdeAc/s1600/IMG_1828.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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Today: </div>
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This bathroom has changed dramatically over the last year!!</div>
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In the master, we decided to do both the flooring as well as the tub and shower surround, and the fireplace in the bedroom. We used the same wood-plank-look tile that we put in the other two bathrooms, with a Carrara marble as the surround. </div>
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We used a hex-tile mosaic for the inlay pattern. We also ditched the plastic drip-pan and used the hex tiles for the flooring. I am a little obsessed with how it turned out!</div>
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Before (showing the carpeting meeting the tile in the toilet/shower area):</div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEitkj71JvRa7i6rjzph2G717jkNP3k75Okil4kTvUHHbgFw6Gt-IGwEmjjohiQBpVMRUElIXchKNhAcPpHdqYs2qWMKTaKb-JtHsJlMcGYuygHCTJUrvgbCJZFBXxEUmxK3pEGcX5ZHLuk/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="320" width="320" /><br />
After (with the tile flowing through): </div>
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<img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1TOhF1U1_aGJ89rjoLj-l_HI286c4PkHjgOgDkwXAhkQbye6QolscMm8wa4EqzBwl3lcHoEiFbNxEGIrMZSzO91cwrQtZBy8KWO6zRQX8_yFJ7q0Lz1GA8BWyrYwoHRspslqN_xk2Cg0/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="298" /><br />
Before: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOzx8OU04Cd_cqmv5ydirRaKBZfhu9tXXVnTVL5fEByzHcDMSST6LLNIqaBwQbbTHyhN_gKh_LtMZevk_qf-vl-MIzfYLOHxRW5h1GJkCJXP1xR-MMH-pAFx05Mf-RjVKZJfcI1KQXk8/s1600/IMG_1818_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifOzx8OU04Cd_cqmv5ydirRaKBZfhu9tXXVnTVL5fEByzHcDMSST6LLNIqaBwQbbTHyhN_gKh_LtMZevk_qf-vl-MIzfYLOHxRW5h1GJkCJXP1xR-MMH-pAFx05Mf-RjVKZJfcI1KQXk8/s1600/IMG_1818_2.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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Work in Progress:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnGm8vCJpRF3aVDvtQKR9w4kuOCv0TFv43NL13oP_mPjyiMdZSZH_78Rlicg4olVcgo7EAFHLLxafORCz8sCZjoLYJBCC7GCn8k6cMjVuG3smJ1RPsZ4rhrw_ogmb6N5tpM8UbYJ7Ga0/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOnGm8vCJpRF3aVDvtQKR9w4kuOCv0TFv43NL13oP_mPjyiMdZSZH_78Rlicg4olVcgo7EAFHLLxafORCz8sCZjoLYJBCC7GCn8k6cMjVuG3smJ1RPsZ4rhrw_ogmb6N5tpM8UbYJ7Ga0/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="239" width="320" /></a></div>
I'm calling this a work-in-progress, because my next project is to paint the mantle black to match our bedroom furniture and bathroom cabinetry. But I love the way the new tile looks!<br />
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It's so awesome to have this project done, and even more awesome that I didn't have to do it!!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-3672168480316070152015-01-05T13:42:00.000-08:002015-01-05T13:42:00.352-08:00The Forgotten YearWhen we were in Utah for Christmas, I got a lot of comments from our extended family about how I used to be so good at blogging, and how I've totally dropped the ball on that. It's a completely fair criticism. I sometimes joke that 2014 was "The Forgotten Year," since I didn't keep a good record of what happened during it. <br />
On New Year's Night as Adam and I were lying in bed before falling asleep, Adam said, "Just think what we were doing a year ago today." The answer was that we were getting our house ready to put on the market in the morning. By January 3rd, we were under contract both to sell our old home and to buy our new home. And this, in the opening days of 2014, would pretty much set the stage for our entire stressful year. <br />
January and February were dominated by house buying and selling. Both the buyer of the old house and the seller of the new were out of the country, which complicated everything tremendously. Add to that mold issues and mitigation, and a closing date that was delayed twice. It was an emotionally draining experience! When we were finally able to close on both houses the last week of February, it was time to start the <i>real</i> work. <br />
We moved into our new home on Saturday, March 1st. The next day, our ward boundaries were realigned, necessitating a reorganization of much of the quorums and auxillaries of the ward by the Bishopric. March and April were Adam's busiest months as a bishop to date, as he spent countless hours meeting dozens of new families and extending callings. In the meantime, I was doing an overhaul of the new house: first unpacking everything and settling in, then painting walls, refinishing mantles and cabinets, patching walls, installing hardware, sewing curtains and couch pillows, and shopping for accents. It was happy work, but it was a <i>LOT</i> of work, especially with Adam gone the vast majority of the time. <br />
A surprise trip to San Francisco for my birthday in May was just what Adam and I needed after not seeing each other for two months! It was so nice to be able to get away from the house issues and the ward issues and just spend time together away from our stresses. <br />
Without going into tons of detail, the second half of the year was dominated by infertility challenges. We were unprepared to deal with that trial, as all of our three children came easily and according to the timing we planned. It has been a serious struggle that has yet to be resolved.<br />
So here I am at the beginning of a new year, having just finished what was arguably one of the most challenging years of my life. But even though we confronted serious difficulties, I just have to say that I am so incredibly grateful for the last year. I have been stretched and tested and ultimately have experienced extreme personal growth. I'm not the same woman I was a year ago, and I sincerely hope the changes that have occurred in me have been for the better. <br />
I face 2015 with great optimism. While we still have unanswered questions, unmet expectations, and unfulfilled hopes, we feel like we have momentum working in our favor. Our ward is in a good place, with our members becoming more unified and cohesive than ever before. Our home is in order. Though there are still plenty of projects for me to tackle, we feel settled and comfortable here now. And we have an appointment to meet with a specialist to see if we can figure out what's wrong so we can get that last little person here that we feel we need to complete our family. I am at peace. I don't know what this year will bring, but I am excited to find out! Both Adam and I feel it will be a year of great momentum and even miracles in our lives. Oh, and hopefully I can be more engaged in blogging this year!Megginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743854924838526944noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-1180728821071049852014-11-03T09:26:00.004-08:002014-11-03T09:31:56.722-08:00Halloween Festivities<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Ah, Halloween. I sincerely love October, and most of the fall and Halloween traditions that fall therein. The one tradition I don't entirely adore is the annual family pumpkin-carving contest. Don't get me wrong--I love being able to connect with my parents, siblings, and adorable nieces and nephews through this contest, but I really HATE carving pumpkins. We do have a system--the kids choose designs, Adam guts, I carve, and the kids help out a little here and there. I have to say, my carving skills this year were sub-par. Oh, well. </div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JhfqPUDeHn_mkR7yU-9oT0-0wkRNuDj1FDBytgWeJ_mcFeaMcHcNDTnD-nrRDNGtxNV4evM9pwUJrZFxNGDnht6dXG3e_Xzf53kulDGbBR92wbYTQ_nYDVm8fhwIdTQg9bQNgFEvMZs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi2JhfqPUDeHn_mkR7yU-9oT0-0wkRNuDj1FDBytgWeJ_mcFeaMcHcNDTnD-nrRDNGtxNV4evM9pwUJrZFxNGDnht6dXG3e_Xzf53kulDGbBR92wbYTQ_nYDVm8fhwIdTQg9bQNgFEvMZs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty: Lego Minifigure</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIco_zukmJ_-kiMDODpVvThhx4LOp5yutIbWM0EJ3TRyU69eJRIHZJMnYmTrG5yaEZDabTvxREbl81KZhGHwDR8kMkrxCoU0GXu2AJlR_ryosnokxrDZOe7jW4_OcB2O8rHC4a56lVOk/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgJIco_zukmJ_-kiMDODpVvThhx4LOp5yutIbWM0EJ3TRyU69eJRIHZJMnYmTrG5yaEZDabTvxREbl81KZhGHwDR8kMkrxCoU0GXu2AJlR_ryosnokxrDZOe7jW4_OcB2O8rHC4a56lVOk/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="298" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McKay: Green Lantern</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvV_0MYA6WYtCrA-IHrm1evhoWmnYiTD64xdjqKrGLrC34KoXThuWMIriFJZNoMbGSUTCNg_mAu3meXDTVhJICqxxK8Z_R5tIgL6DVP7CQl0oG3T3FpjvYgotchr_YJkDA5oiXqBdYfQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdvV_0MYA6WYtCrA-IHrm1evhoWmnYiTD64xdjqKrGLrC34KoXThuWMIriFJZNoMbGSUTCNg_mAu3meXDTVhJICqxxK8Z_R5tIgL6DVP7CQl0oG3T3FpjvYgotchr_YJkDA5oiXqBdYfQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie: Olaf (my personal favorite!)</td></tr>
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But aside from the carving, I really love Halloween! The kids get so excited about it, and it's just fun to have fun with them!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxOoo_0A-fX6_efoy751pFvsH2l-ohDsEdOhJcnfYvqWKh5Kgauskj7i_YjE9yNWBp67OjU5WrOJykliKqeVTlOwya582yIdyD0wKdAWemtlzMOBL_qvdv-Pc7ZG5le-oQELWOpuYA-w/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwxOoo_0A-fX6_efoy751pFvsH2l-ohDsEdOhJcnfYvqWKh5Kgauskj7i_YjE9yNWBp67OjU5WrOJykliKqeVTlOwya582yIdyD0wKdAWemtlzMOBL_qvdv-Pc7ZG5le-oQELWOpuYA-w/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McKay: Wolverine</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcprlLu0MTSSOV43M-snIx3M_qrqqoR1IUcpwveDUs8ZzehGjGKjQiud1iNoftlvj-J2iQs8s8pV_5GKtuSqiPa0GZbGQYJGPofbt9tbFAV-NjJeVKzp2O8z5aly6pPtBToG6faH_XmQo/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhcprlLu0MTSSOV43M-snIx3M_qrqqoR1IUcpwveDUs8ZzehGjGKjQiud1iNoftlvj-J2iQs8s8pV_5GKtuSqiPa0GZbGQYJGPofbt9tbFAV-NjJeVKzp2O8z5aly6pPtBToG6faH_XmQo/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty: The Falcon</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyrJ9IeeokumLkX65QimEX4WAoYNOEuI6AnkhzSJ-RkQO_9iZL9RmGau5plsF1L0FiwxlYx-n8GBhz0uoRGgylf8wf9yeJvs9QejgotnYCQXNOBCJaxqs5ODNUVxTubL93DT_Zlj9oYQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjKyrJ9IeeokumLkX65QimEX4WAoYNOEuI6AnkhzSJ-RkQO_9iZL9RmGau5plsF1L0FiwxlYx-n8GBhz0uoRGgylf8wf9yeJvs9QejgotnYCQXNOBCJaxqs5ODNUVxTubL93DT_Zlj9oYQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie: Minnie Mouse</td></tr>
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I absolutely love how Annie has her arms out in this photo because Ty did in his!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYjbVwnzRtB_0l5J5JW6xlZfxvq_uviNE8DMWzSNDTTnePeiBUGcibvar24n03Q7dTnWNCc8FoWkQsXtA_SHD5q9td0ICTy6BL6egh_l23CKA141bI0a1HAm7GyRolg3Z4VU6v3DvwQQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKYjbVwnzRtB_0l5J5JW6xlZfxvq_uviNE8DMWzSNDTTnePeiBUGcibvar24n03Q7dTnWNCc8FoWkQsXtA_SHD5q9td0ICTy6BL6egh_l23CKA141bI0a1HAm7GyRolg3Z4VU6v3DvwQQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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The kids have a new principal this year, and he allowed them to wear costumes to school. That was a first for them, and it was so exciting! After school, we went down to Main Street to participate in the trick-or-treating, games, and bounce houses there. It was less awesome than last year, just because it was SO crowded. It stressed me out big time to have all three kids wandering, and no daddy with me to help out!<br />
After our traditional mummy dog dinner, we went trick-or-treating around the neighborhood. The weather was really quite mild, which was super great not to have to freeze all night! <br />
The loot:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMfIS83H3sAvEksStFTK2gu-bjBBKVJysu2kqmtYXLM5ctQe8RqHrAhqgR9MJeayURMQq9OB3ASXUE0zOmVBmIQdiDeqZHZiuYQG9-YPDwyRimMIA4Yd_Uj7IHXkaTNg-mjzuNZgCzhc/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKMfIS83H3sAvEksStFTK2gu-bjBBKVJysu2kqmtYXLM5ctQe8RqHrAhqgR9MJeayURMQq9OB3ASXUE0zOmVBmIQdiDeqZHZiuYQG9-YPDwyRimMIA4Yd_Uj7IHXkaTNg-mjzuNZgCzhc/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteDeWj5L0EBGyVOvUNAzb72qkDuDFOGLPikY7dD8JizsGz9mAm3mpGAxg0CySKaMq1LH3YmB5bX8tzVOKp-zs9WYgsoHtRRtxOi11Dhmaqij1_NE7M3-wGya80-DmlPEQTOtFKDnf3xQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgteDeWj5L0EBGyVOvUNAzb72qkDuDFOGLPikY7dD8JizsGz9mAm3mpGAxg0CySKaMq1LH3YmB5bX8tzVOKp-zs9WYgsoHtRRtxOi11Dhmaqij1_NE7M3-wGya80-DmlPEQTOtFKDnf3xQ/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I_vzD7zou3HzKBV0qR5wga7Buj9_IdzCBNvJX1Vhf4EbKul-WEKeRFcwvjlUNis6ERZfVvW4Nw2LTCRYI8zEQYUOyGFCFlKYSPm_nPLBTIx7irERlpT4of2mGQ_IgWH1-tdyTxByL3g/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0I_vzD7zou3HzKBV0qR5wga7Buj9_IdzCBNvJX1Vhf4EbKul-WEKeRFcwvjlUNis6ERZfVvW4Nw2LTCRYI8zEQYUOyGFCFlKYSPm_nPLBTIx7irERlpT4of2mGQ_IgWH1-tdyTxByL3g/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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And this was from our ward's Soup and Spook the following evening: </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuAsUMOZT5IRAPhzOsVefs8lx0s54xO2gbQhdfQfNIxWOZO6kDJOceZvSVRbZ8m72phui8QpE_BNevDQgUR-M5S9-DjL_qiXQx45ryUCmBY_45rivDVWSvGLOdZJpx3P5fyhGu4qM8FY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkuAsUMOZT5IRAPhzOsVefs8lx0s54xO2gbQhdfQfNIxWOZO6kDJOceZvSVRbZ8m72phui8QpE_BNevDQgUR-M5S9-DjL_qiXQx45ryUCmBY_45rivDVWSvGLOdZJpx3P5fyhGu4qM8FY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I sure do love those littles of mine!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-10220289154499155092014-09-08T22:05:00.002-07:002014-09-08T22:07:41.237-07:00Weekend Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
A couple weeks ago, I ran into a friend I hadn't seen in a while. She asked me to teach her how to frame in a bathroom mirror like I did in my <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2014/04/guest-bath-update.html">guest bathroom</a>. I told her I hadn't framed in the existing mirror, that I had simply replaced my old mirror with a new one. But the more I thought about it, the more convinced I became that framing in an old bathroom mirror was, in fact, a project I definitely wanted to try. I looked up an online <a href="http://www.somewhatsimple.com/how-to-frame-your-bathroom-mirror-over-plastic-clips/">tutorial</a> and decided it looked easy enough, so I gave it a go last weekend. And I figured that as long as I was framing the mirror, I might as well re-finish the cabinetry, too. You know how much I love honey oak! </div>
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Adam left at 5AM on Thursday morning for a scout training, and wouldn't be returning until Saturday night, so I set a goal to complete the entire project while he was gone. It seems I often take on fairly major projects when he is gone, and I have discovered that it is a coping mechanism for me, so that I can keep myself busy and not feel too lonely at night after the kids are in bed and I am all alone. </div>
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So without further ado, here is my vanity.</div>
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSiiiVHxlhoH4Yi8V8Lp18-3LOYRCDj3WaddoqWWuLMi80dKOi57f6AmnF7oS6kDUponbYi1T8Gt9Fx0XdJoynPZ4aVOV-PKn6GiV7L9oUNcIfNdgzToMnzRimTc1feoEgRP3aYx3RZs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEglSiiiVHxlhoH4Yi8V8Lp18-3LOYRCDj3WaddoqWWuLMi80dKOi57f6AmnF7oS6kDUponbYi1T8Gt9Fx0XdJoynPZ4aVOV-PKn6GiV7L9oUNcIfNdgzToMnzRimTc1feoEgRP3aYx3RZs/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cVEf_opzyY9k4INr70FIlO8sM6zCbhyphenhyphentWSzD8KUw9F4eRG3yXhuhyB-juDGYtcMxAc56kMQGfo3tinXjIolTvcOv-eUJMGfoVERdbV7guA2fdcRU4FfU9sCZmAkhsFhlbymUT4heeyM/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj1cVEf_opzyY9k4INr70FIlO8sM6zCbhyphenhyphentWSzD8KUw9F4eRG3yXhuhyB-juDGYtcMxAc56kMQGfo3tinXjIolTvcOv-eUJMGfoVERdbV7guA2fdcRU4FfU9sCZmAkhsFhlbymUT4heeyM/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" style="cursor: move;" width="300" /></a></div>
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And Adam's. Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLrr-88qceCggNQM1MXiqcjnuc0nZ_zoIgCiKd6uZalN6g15hZZc0Wwuopc5VAF-0pkuHfcprmYCYvsAqQZS-sUDQhVcYQai8hkN5XDYT6UlnAxmgRuW3oNisbQR24UUB_wNbKtoihBY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSLrr-88qceCggNQM1MXiqcjnuc0nZ_zoIgCiKd6uZalN6g15hZZc0Wwuopc5VAF-0pkuHfcprmYCYvsAqQZS-sUDQhVcYQai8hkN5XDYT6UlnAxmgRuW3oNisbQR24UUB_wNbKtoihBY/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="400" style="cursor: move;" width="300" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOx-tHPXqRN2ZFqAN6N-hFPCuGPvbo0DrHU3CGfFlByV9aRUw1Tmvb-Gi3wOeTmNIWOLUEu036S9LIQacRx2oU_1ZTQy7F3UnpA9np-aYdPflqO8nsEZ9q8GHUeW3MPcA3oEMIZZ7FBLg/s1600/unnamed_3.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOx-tHPXqRN2ZFqAN6N-hFPCuGPvbo0DrHU3CGfFlByV9aRUw1Tmvb-Gi3wOeTmNIWOLUEu036S9LIQacRx2oU_1ZTQy7F3UnpA9np-aYdPflqO8nsEZ9q8GHUeW3MPcA3oEMIZZ7FBLg/s1600/unnamed_3.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Close up of the cabinetry:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcaP44ij_QGY4MqUPdJHHiB1f-JxPJf7FxFLT25yAq7L8gS7O776_VqHxMADwzA228K7kK9vwvEorzCaDTytqe1ttWy0WtkhdF_-reX3omqUxQI7bj1JFxOaPyVdk9-0uUFhEQLj4txU/s1600/unnamed.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjmcaP44ij_QGY4MqUPdJHHiB1f-JxPJf7FxFLT25yAq7L8gS7O776_VqHxMADwzA228K7kK9vwvEorzCaDTytqe1ttWy0WtkhdF_-reX3omqUxQI7bj1JFxOaPyVdk9-0uUFhEQLj4txU/s1600/unnamed.jpg" height="300" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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And the framed mirror:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrVqR0k8ztu585SFnwifpZhP0k8F9uvAVp6FdGMGLs6ST3AnE-6C5W_gZL-QT27ydlyp57qJusbJ4b3K_59Qs-t6D5LKuo7nEd5689D0xFQ-HOirUrV6SWSdeWtTzq69x8N1dH9D0MBI/s1600/unnamed_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEggrVqR0k8ztu585SFnwifpZhP0k8F9uvAVp6FdGMGLs6ST3AnE-6C5W_gZL-QT27ydlyp57qJusbJ4b3K_59Qs-t6D5LKuo7nEd5689D0xFQ-HOirUrV6SWSdeWtTzq69x8N1dH9D0MBI/s1600/unnamed_2.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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If the cabinets look a little familiar, I re-finished them exactly the same as I did the cabinetry in our <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-latest-and-greatest.html">old master bathroom</a>. I loved the way it looked there, and decided to replicate it in our new home!</div>
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It was a pretty simple three-day project, and I am quite pleased with the end result. Adam was happily shocked when he came home, too! I would love to install new lighting fixtures, and I am dying to lay new tile, but that's not in our current budget! For now, it's at least a nice upgrade to what it was before. </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-52673127878771858512014-07-09T21:10:00.003-07:002014-07-09T21:13:45.102-07:00The Race<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Let's backtrack for a minute back to June 6th. My first triathlon. Truth be told, I never thought I would find myself racing in a tri. I'm not a swimmer, and I don't cycle, so it makes sense for me to stick to running races! Last August, one of my best friends decided it was time for me to learn how to swim. She taught me a basic freestyle stroke with the idea that we could train together for a tri. Unfortunately, she had some medical issues that prevented her from competing, but she was really the one who pushed me to sign up for this race. Thanks, Alicia!</div>
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I was a nervous wreck for several days leading up to the race. A few days before, Alicia and I went out to the reservoir so I could practice open-water swimming for the first time. It made me MORE nervous than I was before! The water was frigid (it had snowed significantly just three weeks before!), and I was gasping so much that I was having a hard time breathing. I recognized that it was making my exercise-induced asthma flare up (it's always worst when it's cold), and I really started doubting if I would be able to complete the swim, which was 750M, or about a half mile. I was terrified that I would get way out into the reservoir and then not be able to make it back.</div>
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Alicia and her husband (who was also competing) picked me up the morning of the race to drive out to the reservoir. I was so grateful that she was there to show me the ropes and help calm me down. She snapped a quick photo of me before the race started, too:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9-vwwGOO5WHxaGNLSNB8iTIuqGYolCwfQlQHuxbgb-zs70govZFPB_X94vtvbKpzCSnRyA1mguiCj6qrHXjxTQ32fz0wX4HxVUL7ECSwc07YlWEXiKwV7dl19sclHI-kcEvDJCGFczo/s1600/20140607_072415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-9-vwwGOO5WHxaGNLSNB8iTIuqGYolCwfQlQHuxbgb-zs70govZFPB_X94vtvbKpzCSnRyA1mguiCj6qrHXjxTQ32fz0wX4HxVUL7ECSwc07YlWEXiKwV7dl19sclHI-kcEvDJCGFczo/s1600/20140607_072415.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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I have the best friends! I borrowed the wetsuit from Sarah and Nicole lent me her awesome road bike so that I had all the equipment I needed to compete. </div>
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This particular triathlon was unique in that it had a wave strictly for beginners. We were the last wave to start. As we were down on the beach watching the other waves begin, I was able to chat to a few other women who were also first-timers. That helped more than anything else to alleviate my fears. ALL of us were concerned about swimming in open water, and I quickly realized that nobody would be swimming over the top of me or shoving me under the water in this group. That was a big deal!<br />
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And in fact, the swim went really well for me, surprisingly! I didn't have to hang onto any of the kayaks, and though I wasn't the first one out of the water, I certainly wasn't the last! I even passed a handful of swimmers that had started in the wave ahead of me (the swim caps were color-coated by wave--that's how I knew)! I probably swam about half of the distance freestyle, and the other half on my back. It worked for me--I didn't drown! :-) <br />
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My friend, Sarah, had recommended that I take my time in the transitions, so I did. I got a drink, changed out of my wetsuit, and made sure my feet were nice and dry. Then it was on to the bike portion of the race.<br />
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And it was my favorite part. This past winter, I started doing a cycling class at the rec center at least once a week. That was 100% how I trained for the bike, and it was pretty good training! Nicole's bike was great, and the course was just beautiful. It was lots of rolling hills, and some of them were pretty tough. But I absolutely loved it. My only close call came when I was flying down a hill and I saw a huge rattlesnake in the road. It was dead, but I didn't know it as I was approaching, and I tried to swerve out of the way so I didn't run over it. I about biffed it, but luckily I caught myself. Disaster averted!<br />
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Adam and the kids were back at the transition area to cheer me on when I came back from the ride. Ty had had a late baseball game the night before, so it was a slow-going morning for them. I totally get that! But it gave me such a boost to see all their cute faces before I started on the run!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ohjxb8RCgiQ26FKwhPKMEjP40uDQ46Lr5jMkpGDgEWAG6xVKxlC0leWnbs0Js3RGEHAf3jMCbT6-gZnOB8lHQ06JmkyVnpHCMKBLQKZ5ZFiUgCOBSQeEXu4Ns6gp-UBWv1zOPyPq7sc/s1600/IMG_0137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4Ohjxb8RCgiQ26FKwhPKMEjP40uDQ46Lr5jMkpGDgEWAG6xVKxlC0leWnbs0Js3RGEHAf3jMCbT6-gZnOB8lHQ06JmkyVnpHCMKBLQKZ5ZFiUgCOBSQeEXu4Ns6gp-UBWv1zOPyPq7sc/s1600/IMG_0137.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vwZTnKNCd9oi3rFYYupOoUj7OxJP9Iye8oik0JLqQoY5TIR5m29r0y0p-hTnZrwoLPw3UZ5azpgKHI6PyZfIq08mU-dkHschyUTNWkeaSQPVENKd-2JqbrbORrp_abij66QtRaHrOx0/s1600/IMG_0138.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi_vwZTnKNCd9oi3rFYYupOoUj7OxJP9Iye8oik0JLqQoY5TIR5m29r0y0p-hTnZrwoLPw3UZ5azpgKHI6PyZfIq08mU-dkHschyUTNWkeaSQPVENKd-2JqbrbORrp_abij66QtRaHrOx0/s1600/IMG_0138.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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Surprisingly, the run was the hardest part for me! About halfway through, I got a terrible cramp in my quad and had to stop and stretch for a couple of minutes. I was slow. Actually, it was the slowest 5K that I have ever run! I guess the fact that I had swam half a mile and biked 12.5 miles before explains that. But that was the only disappointing part of the race for me. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5p5w7YDSai24ZNGHT7BhtIpuASnAwFXbXeKpNbIEp5fSMWJQfOQVZi9Zb0kTyhRmYTyJ-Awp2dbn1Phj6YUE7VTXBfIpYUgl8npY-wBgCFiyVj8QQdmXLP4zAawZAYW3FQPvM0SzLRY/s1600/IMG_0143.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjf5p5w7YDSai24ZNGHT7BhtIpuASnAwFXbXeKpNbIEp5fSMWJQfOQVZi9Zb0kTyhRmYTyJ-Awp2dbn1Phj6YUE7VTXBfIpYUgl8npY-wBgCFiyVj8QQdmXLP4zAawZAYW3FQPvM0SzLRY/s1600/IMG_0143.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
I felt great after finishing. After each of the half marathons I have run, I am exhausted! I want a five hour nap, and I can hardly walk up and down the stairs for a couple days post-race. I never felt that after the tri. I felt like I got a great workout, but I wasn't sore in the least. I recognize that it was only a sprint triathlon, and if I were to do a longer distance, that would probably change things! But I do think that mixing things up with three seperate exercises, rather than just running, is a lot easier on your body. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOXhxFDJAVeIjMDszVUc8uAe9lJV9zEDW-bTFjILlC9S_Ty0MYee-hEC-o0ER_3woxrZWRVd0MKPSYPF0tuvdqIo7zrcF76ZKwVE0K2I1jJ2k9gFhrDym1hza6dujT2sfBZmcB6GKrTI/s1600/IMG_0145.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEipOXhxFDJAVeIjMDszVUc8uAe9lJV9zEDW-bTFjILlC9S_Ty0MYee-hEC-o0ER_3woxrZWRVd0MKPSYPF0tuvdqIo7zrcF76ZKwVE0K2I1jJ2k9gFhrDym1hza6dujT2sfBZmcB6GKrTI/s1600/IMG_0145.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
My official results:<br />
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Finish Time: 2:01:29<br />
Swim: 25:03<br />
T1: 04:44<br />
Cycle: 55:48<br />
T2: 01:19<br />
Run: 34:33<br />
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I didn't have a "goal time" in mind, since I had never done this before, so I was completely satisfied with my results. Even more so when I learned that I had finished 13th out of the beginner wave of 60. But I know where I can improve and what I will do differently in the future to beat that time! <br />
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Yes, I am planning on doing another triathlon. Actually, Adam and I have plans to compete together in another sprint tri at the end of August. I really loved competing in a triathlon far more than I expected to! I think I might be hooked!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-68198651058985970272014-07-07T21:30:00.000-07:002014-07-07T21:32:07.059-07:00Happy Fourth!Well, once again I have fallen behind in my documetation. I have a triathlon, a trip to Utah, Ty and Annie's birthdays, and more home projects to catch up on. But I'm going to start with July 4th, because if I don't it won't ever get done!<br />
Our day began at the church for our annual Independence Day Breakfast. <br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukt1X661NCaVSk4yxwY8FJK5uWslny1lbIAlBYMN4OoTqOLO1B5Gz1NQi4_BdaJrZXILys0fO_8UMLp289Rqmb7TWt-62YyZIE8LwQCUjWjLNQG-WrpTLo_f-0tdAA4TNhOv8BsxpcXE/s1600/IMG_0256.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiukt1X661NCaVSk4yxwY8FJK5uWslny1lbIAlBYMN4OoTqOLO1B5Gz1NQi4_BdaJrZXILys0fO_8UMLp289Rqmb7TWt-62YyZIE8LwQCUjWjLNQG-WrpTLo_f-0tdAA4TNhOv8BsxpcXE/s1600/IMG_0256.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2/3 Marchant kids participated in the bike parade. McKay chose to sit it out, because McKay is just like that sometimes. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfSzZfs99ahb3tdk34O79dBZnIlWiD5mO23n6dkGoBokZCLYaYTfeGvoSPHu7py6GTFPgNMh-M2GfVbdMZCSTnvYn17zgIIaZNXFo1Dx2BvsxFco9LzZBFFHVcj0w9OU13aFe0kat2mA/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUfSzZfs99ahb3tdk34O79dBZnIlWiD5mO23n6dkGoBokZCLYaYTfeGvoSPHu7py6GTFPgNMh-M2GfVbdMZCSTnvYn17zgIIaZNXFo1Dx2BvsxFco9LzZBFFHVcj0w9OU13aFe0kat2mA/s1600/IMG_0258.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty zipped around the parking lot on his scooter</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5UbVflGM37h98jgDtz3VBwy7-8DRQvAg9COabRZvEnMKyH5Cm84pcKUw_8WrmzD8H3DpI87FKe8mUbDF6f0tBXAJEu3ckK6aLYzVdjPmUmcrfsKzGIPEL9rhDGAbmK1fUvlry0MC3Ek/s1600/20140704_094822.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjy5UbVflGM37h98jgDtz3VBwy7-8DRQvAg9COabRZvEnMKyH5Cm84pcKUw_8WrmzD8H3DpI87FKe8mUbDF6f0tBXAJEu3ckK6aLYzVdjPmUmcrfsKzGIPEL9rhDGAbmK1fUvlry0MC3Ek/s1600/20140704_094822.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And Annie scooted herself around on the plasmacar. </td></tr>
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After the breakfast, we attempted our annual "Kids By the Flag in the Front Yard" photo shoot. Problem is, Annie is in a major anti-get her picture taken-stage, and was NOT having it. Here's the progression:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxQEPksDWwpy3B63u-Z7sC8ArMruLX9xT6IQRHUsU9_s6dWEB0FL0YmKgAWQTbJSKpLCVHBLa2JqxfrqLJOp8Ph6U_IUdlMpGB9t3gN4y0HAQAaWCsvwrZDJxB-uV_9kW1-QHkIZqKZ4/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJxQEPksDWwpy3B63u-Z7sC8ArMruLX9xT6IQRHUsU9_s6dWEB0FL0YmKgAWQTbJSKpLCVHBLa2JqxfrqLJOp8Ph6U_IUdlMpGB9t3gN4y0HAQAaWCsvwrZDJxB-uV_9kW1-QHkIZqKZ4/s1600/IMG_0264.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
But you know, it's real life, and documents this stage accurately. (If you want to see previous years, click <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2013/07/its-independence-day.html">here</a>.)<br />
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After our failed photo shoot, I let Annie see the phone and take a picture of herself. That elicited a wee grin out of her. <br />
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And then she started waving at herself and saying, "Hi, Mom! Hi, Annie!" She's really cute when she wants to be!<br />
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The whole crew:</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">July 4, 2014</td></tr>
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I spent the better part of the afternoon hanging cabinet doors and installing new hardware on my kitchen cupboards. Then we had the Elders and some new friends from our ward over for a barbecue and homemade cotton candy. That's one of our favorite Fourth traditions--cotton candy. It's always a hit. We were able to view our first fireworks show in THREE YEARS later that night. Because it's been so dry the last few years, Parker has had a fire/firework ban. It was so fun to lay out on a blanket with my favorite people and watch fireworks again! I really love the Fourth of July--it's one of my faves for sure!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-27412019318220310852014-05-27T21:55:00.000-07:002014-05-27T21:55:01.721-07:00Surprise Trip to SF!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I have the greatest husband ever! Last weekend, he surprised me with a weekend vacation in San Francisco for just the two of us! It was the best! As it worked out, he had to be in Oakland during the beginning of the week for work. He was supposed to fly home on Wednesday night, tell me about the trip on Thursday morning, and fly back out to San Francisco with me Thursday evening. That was the plan. But you know, things rarely go as planned! His flight home to Denver on Wednesday night was cancelled due to hail and tornados that were especially bad out by the airport. So he called me Wednesday night and told me about the trip, and we decided he should just stay put and I would meet him there the next day. </div>
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I was so surprised, though! Adam had arranged everything--flights, hotel, rental car, dinner reservations, without me knowing a thing! He planned to leave our kids with my Uncle Kirk and Aunt Kendra in Broomfield. Only three times in (almost) nine years of marriage have we left the kids for an extended period. So I was a little concerned about that, especially for Annie, my little shadow. But I was beyond excited, too!</div>
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My flight ended up getting delayed by more than two hours. I was SO nervous it would be cancelled like Adam's had been the night before! But finally, at almost midnight, I was airborne!</div>
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Adam had scheduled an Alcatraz tour on Friday morning. I woke up to a slew of wonderful happy birthday texts, reminding me that it was in fact my birthday, and I was 30 years old. It was a wonderful way to turn 30!</div>
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Alcatraz was so interesting! Neither Adam nor I had been there before. We took a tour in which we learned about all the escape attempts that had happened on the island. Then we took an audio tour of the actual prison. I really felt like I learned so much!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiptMoewT5198egvgLCYgRZi56XKK3OGfc1r1dgme8lL1LBEMDCmQA2rn7Ed0sV645OXnyeH-hO67w3AOW-UsgOXUDoDX2gmlm62u0qkyHKW0VN6Kh4Aghmn_Pa4RBECfxDjJMXMawuU/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiiptMoewT5198egvgLCYgRZi56XKK3OGfc1r1dgme8lL1LBEMDCmQA2rn7Ed0sV645OXnyeH-hO67w3AOW-UsgOXUDoDX2gmlm62u0qkyHKW0VN6Kh4Aghmn_Pa4RBECfxDjJMXMawuU/s1600/IMG_0041.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the ferry heading to Alcatraz</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K3XCSeX94UMR2bHm2XiweX_AXDI3-4v-vZ4NkjUnS0JvWZ_47waJKlkcI6sD7Uv8F78KAKaNXHnOWf2jCoGKN3L46HlozZdmWbsgzmDS-3ult1VgPr-r2pTPm0NbJdMO22uzEdDtlcg/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-K3XCSeX94UMR2bHm2XiweX_AXDI3-4v-vZ4NkjUnS0JvWZ_47waJKlkcI6sD7Uv8F78KAKaNXHnOWf2jCoGKN3L46HlozZdmWbsgzmDS-3ult1VgPr-r2pTPm0NbJdMO22uzEdDtlcg/s1600/IMG_0043.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"The Rock"</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPoP-l7ETuzXsUn1lRx_FvKzyKNA0I15jmd_ktXc6xdleEutexZ6Qznc8C5aAiwel25cmh_imnIbXOykj9RtXj2xedZJvPvCTRqKXHo5vtU_JaCeNPUbVtsNVwMVtFFkOLf3Lp8dLKrg/s1600/IMG_0053.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHPoP-l7ETuzXsUn1lRx_FvKzyKNA0I15jmd_ktXc6xdleEutexZ6Qznc8C5aAiwel25cmh_imnIbXOykj9RtXj2xedZJvPvCTRqKXHo5vtU_JaCeNPUbVtsNVwMVtFFkOLf3Lp8dLKrg/s1600/IMG_0053.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Common Showers</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4ckwfr1t4Dx160CbZNfSKjQ297wNtgRYFEnWLKuIga-vc5anCX3vUiyMiC0TL0SbWf8jLQoEIVSq7E7Gl0uS3lgJO4syPg85Z-L8BiSsQ3mPN0ZXhrjYPLAjiALkU3ZuRI9TBUejnbM/s1600/20140523_120006.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEii4ckwfr1t4Dx160CbZNfSKjQ297wNtgRYFEnWLKuIga-vc5anCX3vUiyMiC0TL0SbWf8jLQoEIVSq7E7Gl0uS3lgJO4syPg85Z-L8BiSsQ3mPN0ZXhrjYPLAjiALkU3ZuRI9TBUejnbM/s1600/20140523_120006.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Alcatraz Jail Cell<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_nZSb0N5G35B15AuHcVeToDtUPVCWiLolK6RMLB-campZJr95CDtWHILnULhhbRqEZ2P13_au7d1alXY1UiKgfGfIL9fTuzbxJlXMn-VA9W8stsSbUA-zYvqt8PjXXzH9djagoP8BWQ/s1600/IMG_0061.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEil_nZSb0N5G35B15AuHcVeToDtUPVCWiLolK6RMLB-campZJr95CDtWHILnULhhbRqEZ2P13_au7d1alXY1UiKgfGfIL9fTuzbxJlXMn-VA9W8stsSbUA-zYvqt8PjXXzH9djagoP8BWQ/s1600/IMG_0061.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Broadway"<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9fq8abnKxGmlh3aXUrFBiSQ7qg8e7E2Xdsz-2jBeMLG4pxOqKgDz-nhhx2zYf5XweIZGWVsOwQpnna9mLjfgy5ay_qIq-JKJYYkybmOJBBE1lsiOuonCyM8zaoIGukAUYK2_Evx1Iw0/s1600/20140523_120624.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiB9fq8abnKxGmlh3aXUrFBiSQ7qg8e7E2Xdsz-2jBeMLG4pxOqKgDz-nhhx2zYf5XweIZGWVsOwQpnna9mLjfgy5ay_qIq-JKJYYkybmOJBBE1lsiOuonCyM8zaoIGukAUYK2_Evx1Iw0/s1600/20140523_120624.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inmate #578 :-)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fAY4DaDMPFmvVyCZepmqIY8dW4r2x1tLPVKghJCXvRwbz4oHQRXYnIJHY0FP1UxB0OyX6cy0Ss5dv72MaSnCX2h6PDpdal8eyCLdX-UX0yMQxONHEsuf4bhCpL5NuHjA0zq70TSuA08/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0fAY4DaDMPFmvVyCZepmqIY8dW4r2x1tLPVKghJCXvRwbz4oHQRXYnIJHY0FP1UxB0OyX6cy0Ss5dv72MaSnCX2h6PDpdal8eyCLdX-UX0yMQxONHEsuf4bhCpL5NuHjA0zq70TSuA08/s1600/IMG_0065.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In "The Hole" (Solitary Confinement)</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzqIZYnlU4t6AECqUtjtu1daBKH2dgcNaKdnKOWftbmcslZ8okNairgzh3Sy9fc-3lr7d029wHWZePEtqnjWKKMD8wBwfNP-RwwKpEYQ9DTOr2w7oD4sHiARkdT-F0-vICza989TeYGQ/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhzqIZYnlU4t6AECqUtjtu1daBKH2dgcNaKdnKOWftbmcslZ8okNairgzh3Sy9fc-3lr7d029wHWZePEtqnjWKKMD8wBwfNP-RwwKpEYQ9DTOr2w7oD4sHiARkdT-F0-vICza989TeYGQ/s1600/IMG_2106.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On "The Rock," with San Francisco in the background</td></tr>
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<div style="text-align: left;">
After we were done on Alcatraz and were back in San Francisco, we headed to pier 39. We had a yummy lunch of clam chowder in sourdough bread bowls, and browsed around the pier for a while. Then, since we had been up until 3AM traveling, we headed back to our hotel and took a nice, long nap.</div>
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We set our alarms so we wouldn't miss our dinner reservation--a birthday dinner to remember! We went to Scoma's on Fisherman's Wharf, and it was some of the best sea food I have ever had in my life! The restaurant was right on the water. It was both beautiful and delicious! This was seriously such a foodie trip--most of the highlights can be measured in food!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8n2l3i2k625MSXJupZSO4leiVhMwxAbEhr_C0CQsXwgHaw3PamIzSjMekwmvo591S0oHlCSD1L97RHPGqWTKnVyNNgrPC3QbQW_vcyGi4Y2OcCB91pAn50mQ4VOKjFvATNj3ptXBlpw/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-8n2l3i2k625MSXJupZSO4leiVhMwxAbEhr_C0CQsXwgHaw3PamIzSjMekwmvo591S0oHlCSD1L97RHPGqWTKnVyNNgrPC3QbQW_vcyGi4Y2OcCB91pAn50mQ4VOKjFvATNj3ptXBlpw/s1600/IMG_0074.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Scoma's Fish Receiving--just across a little alley from the restaurant. Now that's fresh fish!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgTjjm981fWFB3WAn3lkEsJ1OYzGQtBScEy7ExfBXNJ_DxKmI-cbr5zpbLkJ6mUvcOEA3dP_Zcsfu8EzT6op6Kth0OdK5weGGYv1Q3gz_bFXRWGor067Vd619-KXIO-Fn_b8iknbauzA/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivgTjjm981fWFB3WAn3lkEsJ1OYzGQtBScEy7ExfBXNJ_DxKmI-cbr5zpbLkJ6mUvcOEA3dP_Zcsfu8EzT6op6Kth0OdK5weGGYv1Q3gz_bFXRWGor067Vd619-KXIO-Fn_b8iknbauzA/s1600/IMG_0080.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the Wharf</td></tr>
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We walked around Fisherman's Wharf and did a little more window shopping, and then we decided to catch a trolley to Union Square. As we were waiting for the trolley, we caught the most glorious sunset over the Golden Gate Bridge. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolvg2Z6UcnGVzQ1FICiijDVH93Q4bhNHm73QwV8ftacvMstJnA7oCyfjQhmKLJdHfGy9gTPQMjuMWi41Um_1UeHfwIrCqx8Xk4APWp62jLaCKJnm3wr8ugC2sauc4nBI9t6AcQ2U668s/s1600/IMG_0083.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjolvg2Z6UcnGVzQ1FICiijDVH93Q4bhNHm73QwV8ftacvMstJnA7oCyfjQhmKLJdHfGy9gTPQMjuMWi41Um_1UeHfwIrCqx8Xk4APWp62jLaCKJnm3wr8ugC2sauc4nBI9t6AcQ2U668s/s1600/IMG_0083.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgSmZ0rTuj98_KJWG0efBjfYErfeKjHQ17doBG-Jd8HR0NhF3iK3ewY9KLwjufZTeG2gRmJDQ0Cg8UfCybCv5hb6iQsCgX-CUQU6unmoxe6KmypGy1kMZekIbto3wAU8yrpjQg0MvkFs/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFgSmZ0rTuj98_KJWG0efBjfYErfeKjHQ17doBG-Jd8HR0NhF3iK3ewY9KLwjufZTeG2gRmJDQ0Cg8UfCybCv5hb6iQsCgX-CUQU6unmoxe6KmypGy1kMZekIbto3wAU8yrpjQg0MvkFs/s1600/IMG_0091.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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While we were on the trolley, our driver had me come stand up in front and the whole carload of people sang "Happy Birthday" to me. They were terrible. And it was awesome. </div>
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Once at Union Square, Adam indulged me by shopping with me at H&M, where I chose out a couple things. Then we went to the Cheesecake Factory for some Oreo Overload cheesecake. I'm telling you, this trip was all about the food!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmBsQFDzoKCIh4H_Xn5Zrgm6SQ6SKMnXVHzyW9OQxAm_ApIF90XrtpZSdu3NKl0sgDBid2b8kpYKce6FkRimBlZ0b4XqmKlD1yutzKJ4eK9-NxeGOJprhTdn5S-eGOpFkhhrszWGYnnY/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMmBsQFDzoKCIh4H_Xn5Zrgm6SQ6SKMnXVHzyW9OQxAm_ApIF90XrtpZSdu3NKl0sgDBid2b8kpYKce6FkRimBlZ0b4XqmKlD1yutzKJ4eK9-NxeGOJprhTdn5S-eGOpFkhhrszWGYnnY/s1600/IMG_0092.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Union Square</td></tr>
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On the way back from Union Square, we stood on the outside of the trolley! It was a bit nerve-wracking to be standing on a tiny platform with my heels hanging off while traffic drove by right next to me, but it was SO FUN!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedJf9OYcqiqlqh6-PtlZwotJLQPv8uIX78bdnQH5Dia_az8sVE3Pc-DdpRrToGKmEv52l_SWNkbcfQ1zZH5l91cJ7mk6DkMwyWtLuTyNU8c9i9LVPNjWyCRduflus7gOCSfMGOBkKC4o/s1600/20140523_215530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgedJf9OYcqiqlqh6-PtlZwotJLQPv8uIX78bdnQH5Dia_az8sVE3Pc-DdpRrToGKmEv52l_SWNkbcfQ1zZH5l91cJ7mk6DkMwyWtLuTyNU8c9i9LVPNjWyCRduflus7gOCSfMGOBkKC4o/s1600/20140523_215530.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Selfie on the Trolley!</td></tr>
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We got off at Lombard Street, just so we could see it. It was seriously one of my very best birthdays, ever!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYu4MFoJWQj7i2XeBO0x1Fkmxhb4g1vY8rEJGNvPMZsES8gJhDTCj8bbYxz9xyy2GqRtOksCDdKHrIFuyfmsIXsE6rcCL6HatIldlJ6z33dQi6DM7F9YQpiTm1Lz4PUGIw0NwO5UyU5E/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMYu4MFoJWQj7i2XeBO0x1Fkmxhb4g1vY8rEJGNvPMZsES8gJhDTCj8bbYxz9xyy2GqRtOksCDdKHrIFuyfmsIXsE6rcCL6HatIldlJ6z33dQi6DM7F9YQpiTm1Lz4PUGIw0NwO5UyU5E/s1600/IMG_0094.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lombard Street</td></tr>
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<br />
The next morning, we rented bikes and cycled across the Golden Gate Bridge. As wonderful as all the food was, this was the <i>real</i> highlight of the trip for me. Adam said it was like a "bucket list" item that he never even knew he had until after he had crossed it off the list! That pretty much sums it up! It was AMAZING! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtvMg0PILMoBrS8OnVHiJViS8fJZeRbbRW27wzwsR1E4NLr6h7XicvkWbuJk1u9PhSsZfL2z-WvECmqBgRQEpFhexFE89xVGYTsVtcxqAE-VPhOgnMzom1OuwIbq0T1D-ZjPnREuxVr4/s1600/20140524_104454.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrtvMg0PILMoBrS8OnVHiJViS8fJZeRbbRW27wzwsR1E4NLr6h7XicvkWbuJk1u9PhSsZfL2z-WvECmqBgRQEpFhexFE89xVGYTsVtcxqAE-VPhOgnMzom1OuwIbq0T1D-ZjPnREuxVr4/s1600/20140524_104454.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMB98n37xfMYKGc9N7votBpqLa7SHg0MsY9cHJfpbPnLb5s0_yjCmY85rO0JLjQJvOQD1RFsm7M2KB-_JqZtLvtJI7xcZ3sek5-uTMFF5PVU0V-_hlBMH825Ck77EMPRKgn7hMyqWxn4I/s1600/20140524_111819.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMB98n37xfMYKGc9N7votBpqLa7SHg0MsY9cHJfpbPnLb5s0_yjCmY85rO0JLjQJvOQD1RFsm7M2KB-_JqZtLvtJI7xcZ3sek5-uTMFF5PVU0V-_hlBMH825Ck77EMPRKgn7hMyqWxn4I/s1600/20140524_111819.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I was really that excited!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nxgFo2FlrhUp3u8oXgt1HgTa1Q2UIMUWV6ilxekGtBaSWRCpMg4vP8e95yw5_vjwS_f89tXsvyW6ixgob0UdFHLr3FKFiLLfo6onG5l4fnHK3vWj1SpGT_OzrqIgvq4_xORp42mtZe0/s1600/20140524_111833.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1nxgFo2FlrhUp3u8oXgt1HgTa1Q2UIMUWV6ilxekGtBaSWRCpMg4vP8e95yw5_vjwS_f89tXsvyW6ixgob0UdFHLr3FKFiLLfo6onG5l4fnHK3vWj1SpGT_OzrqIgvq4_xORp42mtZe0/s1600/20140524_111833.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It was amazing!</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoib3VdeNOl5MZlw4c0arQZNfEWpdHM8AuukM68N9yOgnVJKd3ZPv9xWSl-Q9z9Km4lsoQ1YjMS3nt9lHnIxwduJjgcqfqkf33ZyrTuum-7EIs5AOsk8jogPEi_uQdguqifVN7szjVBg/s1600/20140524_113559.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVoib3VdeNOl5MZlw4c0arQZNfEWpdHM8AuukM68N9yOgnVJKd3ZPv9xWSl-Q9z9Km4lsoQ1YjMS3nt9lHnIxwduJjgcqfqkf33ZyrTuum-7EIs5AOsk8jogPEi_uQdguqifVN7szjVBg/s1600/20140524_113559.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">On the other side!<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJzGo4BBzeYK9qHf7TXH_WsqF4JYtegeWqAHjCHKNMfrmmOsWXla0tRbdnr1NOTKG6atgocmu9Zl7CVlVjT5G0qg4jX64_fn7LNeY4quylS-qeQv2Yv0xhmm7Jb4Q0LQC8xFxnW8djmM/s1600/IMG_0102.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOJzGo4BBzeYK9qHf7TXH_WsqF4JYtegeWqAHjCHKNMfrmmOsWXla0tRbdnr1NOTKG6atgocmu9Zl7CVlVjT5G0qg4jX64_fn7LNeY4quylS-qeQv2Yv0xhmm7Jb4Q0LQC8xFxnW8djmM/s1600/IMG_0102.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMl0Nwr6jkAkiIdmRV0QOSI13xukKCU25hpOF-rznuQqMfK1gqbnOseNnwI3If47dkp3wZOxrUvt5QcgAOKi5n_UZNd_dwJNihJJP9QVPWrGbtFAAFRiDDtcxtqwJOmmr5v2ayjAb9Fc/s1600/IMG_0109.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFMl0Nwr6jkAkiIdmRV0QOSI13xukKCU25hpOF-rznuQqMfK1gqbnOseNnwI3If47dkp3wZOxrUvt5QcgAOKi5n_UZNd_dwJNihJJP9QVPWrGbtFAAFRiDDtcxtqwJOmmr5v2ayjAb9Fc/s1600/IMG_0109.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">So Iconic!</td></tr>
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We biked into Sausalito--an adorable little town on the North side of the bridge. We had lunch at a great restaurant right on the water--more way yummy food!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygZP0MD2RiOcBJZPBGaj4jJDM6Q8uXnRfBqNfVX2mthMZ0Ny_f-AfIKvJVvnmKC9kNmXogUpMwiQpwqzD5gUBfGJhAI8YiGl-ZOPH-rKqup77qycWkCYPfkgvFrKONa5KJRP6BT2c1RI/s1600/IMG_0118.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgygZP0MD2RiOcBJZPBGaj4jJDM6Q8uXnRfBqNfVX2mthMZ0Ny_f-AfIKvJVvnmKC9kNmXogUpMwiQpwqzD5gUBfGJhAI8YiGl-ZOPH-rKqup77qycWkCYPfkgvFrKONa5KJRP6BT2c1RI/s1600/IMG_0118.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_KbRv27BcOzVAR2z0Q6S5lcpndfUCHeQQHcIsS_fbT-L47KPArlulE4wsNtPCGA3XjYmb18VQaU5wdwaSny8EIkYoqM91_8P-wdsYdrGdYZHlF00Q9bMmcN0gokSskbBouDxVO_vqNc/s1600/IMG_0119.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgE_KbRv27BcOzVAR2z0Q6S5lcpndfUCHeQQHcIsS_fbT-L47KPArlulE4wsNtPCGA3XjYmb18VQaU5wdwaSny8EIkYoqM91_8P-wdsYdrGdYZHlF00Q9bMmcN0gokSskbBouDxVO_vqNc/s1600/IMG_0119.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sausalito</td></tr>
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We walked around Sausalito, and then caught a ferry from there back into San Francisco. I will note that I was ALL for cycling back over the bridge, but Adam vetoed that idea.<br />
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Once we had showered and relaxed at the hotel a bit, we walked back down to Fisherman's Wharf. We ate more clam chowder in sourdough bowls at Boudins--oh so good. We bought some souveniers to take home to the kids, and then walked around Ghirardelli Square. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmK7z7-Y_bzsHR7iJ0xHuTUq9hsYEO3PTDp7HHSJibkpwwEms9UkZHAetFgk0jMoz6XgsYii5oSQgGZRCsC8Qm2Ui7VIUkAErwUqsPbG1XkbDvl2EPlkNOHZTcIuF7UaqhwVHKyPbVFk/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgzmK7z7-Y_bzsHR7iJ0xHuTUq9hsYEO3PTDp7HHSJibkpwwEms9UkZHAetFgk0jMoz6XgsYii5oSQgGZRCsC8Qm2Ui7VIUkAErwUqsPbG1XkbDvl2EPlkNOHZTcIuF7UaqhwVHKyPbVFk/s1600/IMG_2112.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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No trip to SF would be complete without a stop at the Ghirardelli soda fountain! Yep--more food! Adam and I each ordered our own sundaes, but neither of us could even come close to finishing them. But seriously, it was one of the best things that I have ever put into my mouth!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gQigzl6fb5kqSY6D2f9wOvTRog7qUy_fkX6iTqgYLbY4QuHY5j5zjAgXVceI2SE0IVz3QGeLnFsKjX8rtgayi7g-_PHJQvNd2o5hw74qRmGN_ttIn_hQBp_N-0SpOjyFpr9TCNA6XmA/s1600/IMG_0126.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj5gQigzl6fb5kqSY6D2f9wOvTRog7qUy_fkX6iTqgYLbY4QuHY5j5zjAgXVceI2SE0IVz3QGeLnFsKjX8rtgayi7g-_PHJQvNd2o5hw74qRmGN_ttIn_hQBp_N-0SpOjyFpr9TCNA6XmA/s1600/IMG_0126.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></div>
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On Sunday morning we attended church in a little tiny ward that was right inside the city. It was awesome, and also made us feel very blessed to be in the ward we are! We flew home Sunday afternoon.<br />
I probably gained 20 lbs. in three days, but I don't regret a single moment of that trip! It was the perfect way to spend the weekend--with the person I like best, having fun and making memories together. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-69378345260910847972014-05-19T09:17:00.002-07:002014-05-19T09:19:01.031-07:00Family Room Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My latest project was painting/updating the family room. I feel like it was the biggest and most time intensive project that I have completed in this house to date.</div>
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1WjwrWJftrwcRF9-WGK-XECKd68qVOOQuZuxV7FwHklshEKZYMteDnNLoJ5GeegBrUo5HJQ1YWzuf0CGSF2Hpdawa7xGtukTN0-ptkFXbnILMEm9GSUn-ST-Bq0_7i0ATpYhn7Vv_YE/s1600/IMG_2084.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI1WjwrWJftrwcRF9-WGK-XECKd68qVOOQuZuxV7FwHklshEKZYMteDnNLoJ5GeegBrUo5HJQ1YWzuf0CGSF2Hpdawa7xGtukTN0-ptkFXbnILMEm9GSUn-ST-Bq0_7i0ATpYhn7Vv_YE/s1600/IMG_2084.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
After:<br />
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I had a friend who told me that it's possible to actually spray-paint the gold trim on fireplaces to give it an updated look. I used masking paper to tape everything off, and sprayed it with a heat-resistent spray paint. It was SO easy. Seriously. Even with all the taping, it didn't take me more than half an hour to make this transformation. <br />
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I'm not a fan of oak. And after I finished my living room mantle white, I knew the family room mantle and built-in shelving would soon follow. <br />
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When the previous owner painted, they left the overhang over the mantle white. It looked really bad. So when we painted the walls, that overhang got a fresh coat, too. We actually unintentionally went a shade darker on our wall color, but ultimately I really like the contrast between the wall color and the white trim. <br />
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I'm not trying to be unkind, but whoever painted this house before us did an AWFUL job of it. They didn't tape anything off, and there were (and still are in the places I haven't got to yet!) paint drips all over the basebards and door and window casings. So before I could paint the walls, I had to sand and re-paint all the baseboards first. Maybe it sounds silly, but that's actually my favorite part of the whole finished product--seeing the clean line between baseboard and wall!</div>
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It was WAY much work, but I am so glad I did it! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-62104230259093483922014-04-21T21:27:00.003-07:002014-04-21T21:30:33.874-07:00Guest Bath Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
My most recently completed project is the guest bathroom. My plan was to get it finished before Russ and Mary Ann came to visit at the beginning of the month, but sadly, remodeling always takes longer than planned. But it's done now, if anyone else wants to come visit! </div>
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXY2__UuKAfUwEB-C6zNwJQmVJ8igpwKlsJ4pylUMafajKqSIHYdD_J2v_igxROttIuU3k6VHk07p9civqrKZsaEEGsi7RpwXYPfIIblMz-h2ndf-l4Pp0SRnSAbAMuv2ttZJR0Qlw64/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizXY2__UuKAfUwEB-C6zNwJQmVJ8igpwKlsJ4pylUMafajKqSIHYdD_J2v_igxROttIuU3k6VHk07p9civqrKZsaEEGsi7RpwXYPfIIblMz-h2ndf-l4Pp0SRnSAbAMuv2ttZJR0Qlw64/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIuONdJYdSFW-p2ljNdyvwqwIziOoEh7Ms8FMSd39cKG7lWdt6GMoohcsRi9XRabFM4hoXK0RcxcMtfa4qd6gjAf4rc7p28yOR1ScJerba_A0lHyOJ6Yf7ddDI3_iswI2lOQg993K_zM/s1600/IMG_2027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhoIuONdJYdSFW-p2ljNdyvwqwIziOoEh7Ms8FMSd39cKG7lWdt6GMoohcsRi9XRabFM4hoXK0RcxcMtfa4qd6gjAf4rc7p28yOR1ScJerba_A0lHyOJ6Yf7ddDI3_iswI2lOQg993K_zM/s1600/IMG_2027.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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When I pulled the old Hollywood-dressing-room-style light bar down, there was a hole about an inch wide and 9 inches long across the wall. The old lightbar covered the hole, but the new one I had already bought wouldn't. So I went to the Depot and asked them how to repair it. I didn't take a before photo of that, but this is during the patch job:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi297nQX4ZRT1t2zQ9qEvLPVYgDz1wp4juiLUs9D0Mck-r4zu59jfqPoo2_yC3n1AfdxC0mw5HJyUQs5x3mTi2rUcz0lYtT_yae07ktUmcrUst7sPF2wRotHJ2gAD9Vw31oAxY2iY3BXUg/s1600/IMG_1963.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi297nQX4ZRT1t2zQ9qEvLPVYgDz1wp4juiLUs9D0Mck-r4zu59jfqPoo2_yC3n1AfdxC0mw5HJyUQs5x3mTi2rUcz0lYtT_yae07ktUmcrUst7sPF2wRotHJ2gAD9Vw31oAxY2iY3BXUg/s1600/IMG_1963.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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You would never even know it was there. It wasn't a hard fix by any means, but it was something that I had never done before. The whole time I was working on fixing it, I kept thinking, "My dad would be so proud of me if he could see me right now. " That thought is actually what inspired me to take these photos, so he could see what I did! </div>
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So to recap, I patched the wall, painted the walls and baseboards, replaced the mirror (Adam actually put the new one up), replaced the light bar, put in new hardware (towel bar, towel ring, and toilet paper holder--Adam did all of that, too), refinished the cabinetry, and put new hardware on the cabinets. The granite countertops were already there, which was one less project to do! I really love the way it all turned out! And as much as I would love to re-do my other bathrooms, too, I am getting a little burned out and am taking a house-project break for a few weeks! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-33666415564451553652014-04-21T10:22:00.001-07:002014-04-21T10:22:53.649-07:00Easter<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our Easter was wonderful, but my photo documentation of it was anything but. On Saturday night we dyed eggs, and I did manage to get a few pictures of that. </div>
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The Easter Bunny brought all the kids new jammies, and Annie put hers on on top of the pajamas she wore the night before. I tried to get a picture of her, but she kept running away screaming, "No!" So this was all I got, and it was the ONLY picture I took on Easter morning. Mom fail.<br />
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My plan was to take pictures of all the kids in their church clothes right before we headed out to church. Adam was long gone by that point, though, and since we have afternoon church, Annie had just woken up from her nap and wanted nothing to do with the camera, her brothers, or really anything besides her blankie. So I got a couple quick shots of the boys, with the thought that we could get all three of them together after church. <br />
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But then I didn't get home from church until 4:30, and I had the elders AND the sisters coming over for dinner at 5:30. The ham was supposed to cook for an hour and a half, I had fruit to cut, asparagus to steam, potatoes to bake (twice), rolls to get into the oven, turkey to trim, ribbon jello that still needed its final layer added, a table to set, and a baby who needed a diaper change. In other words, the pictures were the last thing on my mind. In fact, I didn't remember at all until they were in the bathtub. Mom fail AGAIN. <br />
But, even though I was a rotten photographer, we really did have a great day! Adam was able to be home for quite a while in the morning--his first appointment wasn't until 10:30. So the kids were able to hunt for eggs and we were able to have a nice breakfast together. Church was great, and once the dinner was actually prepared, it was wonderful to have all four of our full-time missionaries in our home. I LOVE Easter. It really is one of my favorite days of the year. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-4630545435016402902014-04-17T20:39:00.002-07:002014-04-17T20:40:59.040-07:00A Day for McKay<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Yesterday McKay turned five. Five is a big birthday in my mind--sort of the graduating point from "little kid" to "big kid." I cannot believe how quickly the years have gone! We decided to have a birthday party for McKay on the morning of his actual birthday. That's the nice thing about this age--most of his friends are in afternoon preschool or just home with Mom all day--so it's possible to have a morning party like that. We invited friends from his primary class, and a set of triplets who are in primary <i>and </i>preschool with him. He said he wanted a superhero-themed party, but wasn't picky about which superhero(s) he wanted ("I don't care what superhero it is, as long as it's a superhero or ninja party!") We were able to find lots of spiderman party supplies, so we had our theme. My dear friend, Alicia (whose son was invited) offered to "trade" kids for the morning and take Annie so I could focus solely on the bigger kids. She's just amazing like that. </div>
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We played "Stick Spidy on his web." </div>
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The boys LOVED it. The girls were not terribly interested. In fact, two of the three opted to play with Annie's princess castle rather than play. I was totally ok with that. I understand it was not the most girl-friendly party ever. </div>
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We also played "Spiderman Obstacle Course", in which the kids had to try to get through Spidy's "webs" without touching them. Everyone loved it, girls included.<br />
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We played another game called "Don't Eat Spidy" which was super simple and turned out to be everyone's favorite of all. Which goes to show that for a five-year-old birthday party, keeping it simple is really ok.<br />
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McKay opened presents from his friends.<br />
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And then we had pizza and Spiderman cupcakes. <br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuPKanhP5XvEgh08zdecb_SmHO0hiwLZEhF-7mtKLE_UwDJPxIaH4PgTD2tDYrdmsD_7ClvMr-14wNDIjxRvK9vs3yeMtM7umq9rbQCvGgV1iAmmTLWmjHfSU79CYRlNu6eSgmdAuogM/s1600/IMG_2021.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjXuPKanhP5XvEgh08zdecb_SmHO0hiwLZEhF-7mtKLE_UwDJPxIaH4PgTD2tDYrdmsD_7ClvMr-14wNDIjxRvK9vs3yeMtM7umq9rbQCvGgV1iAmmTLWmjHfSU79CYRlNu6eSgmdAuogM/s1600/IMG_2021.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I <i>ADORE</i> this boy!</td></tr>
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I thought overall it turned out to be a raging success!<br />
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McKay selected Chuck E. Cheese for his birthday dinner, so later that evening we went there as a family. It was the third time in two days we had pizza for a meal. You know what they say about too much of a good thing. I can go a LONG time before I will be ready to have pizza again!<br />
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After dinner and playing, we came home and had more cupcakes. <br />
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And opened the presents from Mom and Dad and Grandma and Grandpa. <br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie's face says it all--we were pretty much partied out by the end of the night. </td></tr>
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Lest you think it was the perfect day for our little man, the night ended on a rough note. After some extreme defiance and disobedience, McKay lost all of his birthday presents. The night ended with two little boys crying their eyes out--one because he was making bad choices and losing his stuff, and the other because he felt so bad that his brother was making bad choices and losing his stuff. I'll be honest--I felt like the meanest mom ever for not letting McKay use any of his birthday presents today, but he was obedient today and earned everything back for tomorrow. Whew. <br />
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McKay is great. He is a party waiting to happen! He loves to joke and have fun. As the middle child, he has a great relationship with both of his siblings. He and Ty are best friends and usually play super well together. Since he and Annie are home together in the mornings, they have a really special relationship, too. McKay has this crazy stubborn streak in him that can be SO difficult at times, but he has a tender heart and is a really great kid. I love him so much. Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-59122051561068986682014-03-31T20:13:00.000-07:002014-03-31T20:13:06.819-07:00The Home Tour: Upstairs<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<b>MASTER BEDROOM</b></div>
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Why oh why did I not take any before pictures of this room? Just imagine a big, very white room--a perfect blank canvas for me to paint and decorate!</div>
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We bought a king bed frame/mattress last summer, and that's also when I decided to go yellow and gray. I didn't do much with it at the other house, though, besides the new bedding and then refinishing the <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2013/09/diy-dresser-project.html">furniture</a> and <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2013/10/my-latest-and-greatest.html">cabinetry</a> there. Remember? <br />
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We have never owned a bedroom set or even a headboard in our entire married life (almost nine years). It is something I have always wanted, but has always been low on the priority list. When we were buying new furniture for this house, I finally convinced Adam that it was time to get a headboard. We went with black to match the furniture I re-did last summer. I think it makes a HUGE difference!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLKUlC_opHe3UdA-PkvbQu18jrFuDQ5tuDmfHqadr9sum3TBBtpBpBqKnHnusJXBckK1rFrmTu1J_WP7ZjsGP1PlgHWTB5Gz-FVR6TNKp04nCCpMQ9lYDsASbD8y7E3cVhuBTC15-8BU/s1600/IMG_1934.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiWLKUlC_opHe3UdA-PkvbQu18jrFuDQ5tuDmfHqadr9sum3TBBtpBpBqKnHnusJXBckK1rFrmTu1J_WP7ZjsGP1PlgHWTB5Gz-FVR6TNKp04nCCpMQ9lYDsASbD8y7E3cVhuBTC15-8BU/s1600/IMG_1934.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
I bought new bath towels and a shower curtain last summer, too, to go along with the yellow and gray theme I was going for. At our new place, though, there is a walk-in shower in the master bath, eliminating the need for a shower curtain. I loved the fabric from the shower curtain, and rather than just toss it, I decided I would use it to make window valances! And, as a funny sidenote--Adam is <i>convinced</i> that he thought of this. In all actuality, he was extremely dubious about the idea when I first suggested it. It has become a total joke between us, but let me assure you that it was ALL my idea! ;-)<br />
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There is a fireplace in the master, which is nice and cozy! I absolutely have plans to paint the mantle in here like I did in the living room, but I just can't commit to the nine hours that I now know it will take me to complete right now. Someday. <br />
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I found this chair at Target (best store ever!!) and knew it would be perfect in this little corner by the fireplace. A scripture-study spot or something. And when I finally bought it, it rang up at 50% off! My day was officially made!<br />
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I bought lampshades with the same print and used them with some old lamps we already had. They are perfect on our nightstands! Target actually has a bench in the same print, too, that would be fabulous at the foot of the bed. Unfortunatley, I have exhausted my budget, so that one will have to wait. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80cIg7-krdiBC0Yfq1fvrBkzX_tM2eKOgtwmoBpYAcuh64W83qoRVrlGKlxWFn7IhNS81bxXah3tAad5WDS-wGv0H_WPwhTZ8H1YmWrFXbQ47gBpa_a9JrIXPUL2HJyZAa8xI0RUe-dc/s1600/IMG_1939.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi80cIg7-krdiBC0Yfq1fvrBkzX_tM2eKOgtwmoBpYAcuh64W83qoRVrlGKlxWFn7IhNS81bxXah3tAad5WDS-wGv0H_WPwhTZ8H1YmWrFXbQ47gBpa_a9JrIXPUL2HJyZAa8xI0RUe-dc/s1600/IMG_1939.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
We put a new ceiling fan/light combo in here, too. Remember how there were basically no lights upstairs? Yeah.<br />
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<b>MASTER BATH</b><br />
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There are no before & after photos here, because I haven't done anything to it yet! The space is nice, though--five piece bath, double vanities, jetted tub. But whoever had the idea to put carpet in a bathroom was not the wisest man on earth. It's obnoxious and nasty. I am just <i>itching</i> to rip it out and lay tile in here! At least there is tile in the toilet/shower area. <br />
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And the walk-in closet is pretty much a paradise to me. WAY more space than we are used to having. I guess that means I need to go clothes shopping now! Kidding, Adam. Kidding. </div>
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<b>BOYS' ROOM</b></div>
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Since the boys are sharing a bedroom, it seemed only fair to give them the biggest one. And since their new room was quite a bit bigger than their old one, we decided to try out un-bunking the beds. The verdict is that McKay loves it and Ty would rather have them bunked up. Can you guess which boy had the top bunk?!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4WM-Q68qJQVbM_gzt8GNr3Ccjdgpow62iMe_sCbEV7ntsa83b8-2CI02M0KGnEMseP4is9dA0rjAk-WY1dN8vk6inIvEu4TteKefKhSbFDGDOoLMTbJ1SXTUejwZtyNXVbtEV1rweho/s1600/IMG_1943.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhZ4WM-Q68qJQVbM_gzt8GNr3Ccjdgpow62iMe_sCbEV7ntsa83b8-2CI02M0KGnEMseP4is9dA0rjAk-WY1dN8vk6inIvEu4TteKefKhSbFDGDOoLMTbJ1SXTUejwZtyNXVbtEV1rweho/s1600/IMG_1943.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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You might notice there is nothing on the boys' walls yet. My mother-in-law got this adorable plaque for the boys a couple years ago, and while I have always loved it, I really didn't have a place to put it. But it works as the perfect centerpiece to this little photo collage! It will go up once I get the white frames painted dark blue. And I am thinking I might add another picture on each side of the plaque. Additionally, when we are in Utah next month, I am going to let each of the boys choose out some art at the Seag to go over their own beds. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7LJqo0VWaKnpHw0E-sLnxeCz84WOKxELNHPfQ7Mz8L9eNaso5mTTTo-06dci3-5YzHhtXGaONsN5W9HveiYp1WXaDJOk28bTTxz8QJEJXoKjoWe4T00vCFyfYtQ6rm1L_b0RUVnufks/s1600/IMG_1919.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgG7LJqo0VWaKnpHw0E-sLnxeCz84WOKxELNHPfQ7Mz8L9eNaso5mTTTo-06dci3-5YzHhtXGaONsN5W9HveiYp1WXaDJOk28bTTxz8QJEJXoKjoWe4T00vCFyfYtQ6rm1L_b0RUVnufks/s1600/IMG_1919.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi6_ljL7OSzFXoLwniylDwXqUAYkAMxXnNyZRm8i3LiVcJbYZCF6GJNBMT7xIxsDf8MU5YSQxK3XgmlNGbU_Rt5JbI8uLusaufovYBrRcDRk5SLNfRWtecSN20dypMRxakPwQBzbChaE/s1600/IMG_1920.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOi6_ljL7OSzFXoLwniylDwXqUAYkAMxXnNyZRm8i3LiVcJbYZCF6GJNBMT7xIxsDf8MU5YSQxK3XgmlNGbU_Rt5JbI8uLusaufovYBrRcDRk5SLNfRWtecSN20dypMRxakPwQBzbChaE/s1600/IMG_1920.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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The kids have small walk-in closets in their rooms. I love the built-in shelving and the wall space that has allowed me to hang up a tie and belt rack in there. Goodbye messy tie basket!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADwzWib_57Ru-kteEcxmKXSpKnh2BjIeZg12xKx-bUoZNSnEyffGrvOcAAssHMxOvfwkrqAJQJ8dOzdOtHtgix7rUX5KfGvtMaDA_NivcQWB8b6-XB1AsgG5PfP3uzOzvhUqTIu6Ht-c/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgADwzWib_57Ru-kteEcxmKXSpKnh2BjIeZg12xKx-bUoZNSnEyffGrvOcAAssHMxOvfwkrqAJQJ8dOzdOtHtgix7rUX5KfGvtMaDA_NivcQWB8b6-XB1AsgG5PfP3uzOzvhUqTIu6Ht-c/s1600/IMG_1938.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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We put up small ceiling fans in the kids rooms, too. We initially bought cuter lights to put up, but our electrician friend ultimately convinced us to return them and put up the fans. I don't think we will regret that choice. Style was trumped by functionality in this case.</div>
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<b>ANNIE'S ROOM</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos_s8ja5QLuVVRHrjjaxzz9WSDNqPXXWZMTz67AfPBEbvzXhgFjZBx42nzTaIzTgm-pDW7XjpGh-XrVlnunujelyfqnUUc1TVF5mX2pq0OjVx1j64v1RhnoctbfDTFG6i7Yz7sCixHDQ/s1600/IMG_1923.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjos_s8ja5QLuVVRHrjjaxzz9WSDNqPXXWZMTz67AfPBEbvzXhgFjZBx42nzTaIzTgm-pDW7XjpGh-XrVlnunujelyfqnUUc1TVF5mX2pq0OjVx1j64v1RhnoctbfDTFG6i7Yz7sCixHDQ/s1600/IMG_1923.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gzCiPZs-4G4PIm3PLmjkboWVMVKkno8vUBCnKuyKdJLOJelpOztau96TRhbgXscgBBS2y1egrg2QJfXw077ZnhuwE-ruQfQ5I_962uS48oat2wvsQslgUQGGApF_p26t4itS9IzkV0A/s1600/IMG_1924.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8gzCiPZs-4G4PIm3PLmjkboWVMVKkno8vUBCnKuyKdJLOJelpOztau96TRhbgXscgBBS2y1egrg2QJfXw077ZnhuwE-ruQfQ5I_962uS48oat2wvsQslgUQGGApF_p26t4itS9IzkV0A/s1600/IMG_1924.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
I haven't done anything in here yet, either, including even taking down the old curtains that the previous owner left. I just barely put pictures up on her walls a couple days ago! <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOruRvaOcAc4WJY9MgZEAl1jrWYtHXByuKjez_k7zX-SxA5xYMvLcOlZW0fwwJOBrsY5Ag3oISAPeafOGGo1RR2BpU2qVZgiUtQlcv1HYjoA9Pz8JXxRDdec-NCe0IIo1Idgg2d5MfU4M/s1600/IMG_1925.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhOruRvaOcAc4WJY9MgZEAl1jrWYtHXByuKjez_k7zX-SxA5xYMvLcOlZW0fwwJOBrsY5Ag3oISAPeafOGGo1RR2BpU2qVZgiUtQlcv1HYjoA9Pz8JXxRDdec-NCe0IIo1Idgg2d5MfU4M/s1600/IMG_1925.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
But again with the closet space. So great!<br />
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<b>KIDS' BATHROOM</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQ8PHvVnAZF_8nldldIqaq5K9mqNruX5xyKCZhQsBrbdmvyEVmBBlpCPNwaBmbNEDsRXPNTwlzRvucvymesdIyvCi-gh-x8sb2aUd7AAc6JTuOqL82MvaYNW7Oan4dVo3gMNCvis4VJw/s1600/IMG_1910.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihQ8PHvVnAZF_8nldldIqaq5K9mqNruX5xyKCZhQsBrbdmvyEVmBBlpCPNwaBmbNEDsRXPNTwlzRvucvymesdIyvCi-gh-x8sb2aUd7AAc6JTuOqL82MvaYNW7Oan4dVo3gMNCvis4VJw/s1600/IMG_1910.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUr6-OgBAw7skjoWAeS1bV3053uj3EILr1yFyVGDNuL0tyYrCGZb_u9hyphenhyphen9HKITKAREsvKYIhm9iZ__xnopVU0EavkqKvr-5TxoGvBRLTg66dQeRdrQTSMIrV50t_FnCcqZLUvHVYM6kY/s1600/IMG_1911.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjfUr6-OgBAw7skjoWAeS1bV3053uj3EILr1yFyVGDNuL0tyYrCGZb_u9hyphenhyphen9HKITKAREsvKYIhm9iZ__xnopVU0EavkqKvr-5TxoGvBRLTg66dQeRdrQTSMIrV50t_FnCcqZLUvHVYM6kY/s1600/IMG_1911.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
There is still lots of work to do in here, too (are you sensing a pattern?). The main floor and master bedroom have pretty much gobbled up all my time thus far. But my plan is to decorate in bright green, pink, royal, and aqua blue (the color of the kids' new towels). I am planning on putting up towel hooks, because I kind of hate having a bar in the kids' bathroom. They are too small to fold and hang their own towels, so they either get dropped on the floor, or it becomes my job to hang them all. I will also put in new hardware and eventually paint the cabinetry.<br />
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<b>GUEST ROOM</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsHdAQ-udDgr186rtiCE7kuLDR-eaHY08nV5L5u1Ms5irBAYL94mQHAx3vHkBwazWCoqQcjL36_Sys4yDwJXLwuWIU48veMcU0TNetLz1kvIF5_TSP0UEJEnnzVyyuDKHh0RT0CGPyfE/s1600/IMG_1909.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhMsHdAQ-udDgr186rtiCE7kuLDR-eaHY08nV5L5u1Ms5irBAYL94mQHAx3vHkBwazWCoqQcjL36_Sys4yDwJXLwuWIU48veMcU0TNetLz1kvIF5_TSP0UEJEnnzVyyuDKHh0RT0CGPyfE/s1600/IMG_1909.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
Some of our lovely young women set up and made this bed for me on the first day we moved in. And that is ALL that has been done so far!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvHFhYGDEXRQGv2xYil9U95PF3wCpChwhbzPsPAZMUZdSWJ5jqDMDsA03oC5jBLMIMeLbGHk4Pel8dXZcjH_1uS1ruliog1Nyg9fuI6QHt3n6qwYDUoaSZ8QwRrtT-25LysFRSTgV1j4/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYvHFhYGDEXRQGv2xYil9U95PF3wCpChwhbzPsPAZMUZdSWJ5jqDMDsA03oC5jBLMIMeLbGHk4Pel8dXZcjH_1uS1ruliog1Nyg9fuI6QHt3n6qwYDUoaSZ8QwRrtT-25LysFRSTgV1j4/s1600/IMG_1908.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
The greatest thing about the guest room is that it has its own en-suite bathroom. Since all of our family on both sides lives out of state and we have guests fairly often, it will be wonderful for them to have their own bedroom AND bathroom space. This is the project I just started today, actually, in anticipation of the weekend guests we will be having! I clean, re-caulked, and painted the baseboards today. I am hoping to get the walls painted and new hardware hung in the next couple of days so it will be all ready for Russ and MaryAnn's family!<br />
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<b>LOFT</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8BeFbO4l_a8ufcjVpn21l-SBZLNzyRbp9_dz3IXGE6962w8Kcg5YyB9aBgpfZWhotvsyPOsnEWPQbiRom7i1AvyRViEPJUmuadfr95cBtb6jO7RBIImYLf0igKGIubhhPEVQfnFhuY0/s1600/IMG_1914.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjN8BeFbO4l_a8ufcjVpn21l-SBZLNzyRbp9_dz3IXGE6962w8Kcg5YyB9aBgpfZWhotvsyPOsnEWPQbiRom7i1AvyRViEPJUmuadfr95cBtb6jO7RBIImYLf0igKGIubhhPEVQfnFhuY0/s1600/IMG_1914.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-vU9BD0qxEETKQZXJGpzMsAA8oq9iG6xKNvBUxwxNEVBk5Qyb5mHx4VWWQzGnP6g2Pspn7Fog1chlIOHMmfgL32Z8JFh5VvqR1M78DDkBggxJEoN6AmrrjHnBalATdxWkWZ1hKJDg_A/s1600/IMG_1915.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhX-vU9BD0qxEETKQZXJGpzMsAA8oq9iG6xKNvBUxwxNEVBk5Qyb5mHx4VWWQzGnP6g2Pspn7Fog1chlIOHMmfgL32Z8JFh5VvqR1M78DDkBggxJEoN6AmrrjHnBalATdxWkWZ1hKJDg_A/s1600/IMG_1915.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>PLAYROOM</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLNZ7YSs3acujwtfJtRaK8CDA1bFLHOOeFjBs5tucOD8H1miOTkKy_rvjGNq5XkTPoh2iNNORS5ja6czGRJlTNAodt5qmBN7LUrLgOa7_RP6_9MBJLsG_Xek3lC9tkE6NVVZz3aMF8ms/s1600/IMG_1916.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqLNZ7YSs3acujwtfJtRaK8CDA1bFLHOOeFjBs5tucOD8H1miOTkKy_rvjGNq5XkTPoh2iNNORS5ja6czGRJlTNAodt5qmBN7LUrLgOa7_RP6_9MBJLsG_Xek3lC9tkE6NVVZz3aMF8ms/s1600/IMG_1916.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa-IC50Q58fjFoSprUQFK1sQ0d-U6v1MaDe-_eh29NMYdUP4OqlQpGyCygraKw3TIQHcvA_GGYrh29HtX2q5S-TVVJyAe1h1T-kkFb2UkqHqUrJO4PDxbi711PGVqgvfo9iVzC7BCbRA/s1600/IMG_1918.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqa-IC50Q58fjFoSprUQFK1sQ0d-U6v1MaDe-_eh29NMYdUP4OqlQpGyCygraKw3TIQHcvA_GGYrh29HtX2q5S-TVVJyAe1h1T-kkFb2UkqHqUrJO4PDxbi711PGVqgvfo9iVzC7BCbRA/s1600/IMG_1918.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOBns__gsMWL7Ioi94c5akuXsss5g3I7qJ-_5KQUUxYYocVBtosODMzZyjXSoLUhkSvKF_LazMlTCXhyphenhyphen04e3F5LwC0F47G7V2Z4QKmChMQznUaQjNtkwfzFE038WcmUqyKCaoR9h_Fm8/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgfOBns__gsMWL7Ioi94c5akuXsss5g3I7qJ-_5KQUUxYYocVBtosODMzZyjXSoLUhkSvKF_LazMlTCXhyphenhyphen04e3F5LwC0F47G7V2Z4QKmChMQznUaQjNtkwfzFE038WcmUqyKCaoR9h_Fm8/s1600/IMG_1947.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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This room was one of the main things that sold me on this house. There is almost always at least one of my kids in this room (as evidenced by the first picture!). It's an incredible play space. I love the built-in shelving that we are using to hold our board game collection, and those french doors are a great feature, too. When they are closed, the room is almost sound-proof. It's perfect for when Annie is napping and the boys are playing together. Plus, I can pull them closed on a messy room without having to see it or think about it too much. It's a dream. This room is wired for surround sound, so eventually it may become a theatre room. Right now, though, our kids just need a place to play. But I totally envsion this room evolving with our family as our kids grow up. It will make an awesome hang-out space for them when they are teenagers, as well. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9Nwe-AYHclJ2SPiRcvoU3DQLjWvjoFHoLhx07l7x2HFuG1O9R3FeTq294GToFnvyMFRQVnDm-eCE6BvcaOxbgp2UeRNbM0WxiC5nhkrszlDv8eY-oFT4kLAwSOBst1Lw9Nh_b81fbq0/s1600/IMG_1948.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhy9Nwe-AYHclJ2SPiRcvoU3DQLjWvjoFHoLhx07l7x2HFuG1O9R3FeTq294GToFnvyMFRQVnDm-eCE6BvcaOxbgp2UeRNbM0WxiC5nhkrszlDv8eY-oFT4kLAwSOBst1Lw9Nh_b81fbq0/s1600/IMG_1948.JPG" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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Here's a shot from the top of the double staircase, with one side going down to the entry, and the other into the kitchen. </div>
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And that pretty much wraps it up! I will probably post more before and after pictures as I complete more projects, but this house has already changed a lot in a month's time!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-39848939196394946252014-03-30T20:16:00.001-07:002014-03-30T20:21:36.505-07:00 The Home Tour: First Floor<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Well, yesterday marked the one-month anniversary of moving into our new home! I have wanted to post pictures, but I haven't because everything has been such a disaster! Our ward boundaries were re-aligned three weeks ago, so Adam has been crazy busy meeting all our new ward members, extending callings, etc., which has left me to settle in pretty much single-handedly! Don't get me wrong, Adam has been a huge help when he has been here, he just hasn't been here all that much. ;-) And we had TONS of help initially from ward members--moving, unpacking, changing locks, fixing a broken toilet. That was HUGE. But since then, it has been pretty slow going, but I am getting there! In one month's time I have: painted the master bedroom, the living room, and the office (including sanding and re-painting all the baseboards); re-finished the living room mantle; sewn ten curtain panels, installed new curtain rods (that was one Adam helped with, too!) sewn a dozen throw pillows for living/family room couches, unpacked the entire house (with the exception of one box of curtains that have yet to be hung), deep cleaned almost everything, bought new furniture and decor items, hung pictures on walls, and somehow still managed to get dinner cooked most nights ;-). It has been possibly the busiest month of my life, but I am just starting to feel like things are getting settled. And that feels great! </div>
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Here's the exterior of the house from the front yard:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCnP0vsiXThV6At1YYRKS79L7361581d1D9nsZLpjjZOUB7UXgoaC5Yjvzdw4Kp6W2sE1y0NUtx08T3HXpllcd2fGimPsxCXMr8-T2TgE1cWjBmIb0fPm8SSPt5EF1MXdHMnr4XXji2g/s1600/IMG_1940.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigCnP0vsiXThV6At1YYRKS79L7361581d1D9nsZLpjjZOUB7UXgoaC5Yjvzdw4Kp6W2sE1y0NUtx08T3HXpllcd2fGimPsxCXMr8-T2TgE1cWjBmIb0fPm8SSPt5EF1MXdHMnr4XXji2g/s1600/IMG_1940.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our biggest project initially was to replace/install new lighting throughout the entire house. NONE of the bedrooms had lights in them, and all of the lighting downstairs was dated and in my opinion, ugly as sin. So we hired an electrician from our ward to install lighting upstairs and replace all the old fixtures downstairs. That was a project I loved--I got to choose out all new fixtures and didn't have to do any of the work of putting them in!<br />
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<b>ENTRY</b><br />
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TzB-TFRUXDtpvC4zED2W-WveKvFW_OHujdn8WOoMyF-g9TrOyQ1uExZ4_pkvpYJNeMQw2Xm4Qx99iei8ZYvrfpO7v-POIpUmpTMljqfIXuFUCtrJ48cjPESQ3ZU5FhRWp5M_bWqVewk/s1600/IMG_1810.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_TzB-TFRUXDtpvC4zED2W-WveKvFW_OHujdn8WOoMyF-g9TrOyQ1uExZ4_pkvpYJNeMQw2Xm4Qx99iei8ZYvrfpO7v-POIpUmpTMljqfIXuFUCtrJ48cjPESQ3ZU5FhRWp5M_bWqVewk/s1600/IMG_1810.jpg" height="400" width="225" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<br />
<b>DINING ROOM</b><br />
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Before:</div>
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After:</div>
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The dining room light is nearly identical to the entry light, only it is a 5-bulb fixture instead of a 9-bulb. Other than the lighting and putting the table in, I haven't done much to this room yet. My mom is coming in a couple weeks, and she is going to help me re-cover my chair cushions. I also need to make a table runner or something to pull in the blue from the living room. Just not there yet. <br />
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<b>KITCHEN</b><br />
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Before:</div>
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After:</div>
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The kitchen lights are my FAVORITE!! When we bought the house, there was a wooden box with flourescent lighting inside over the kitchen island. Blech! I envisioned two pendant lights hanging over the island. We looked at some island light bars and other options, but when I found these lights I just knew they were the winners. And I absolutely love the difference they make!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQzcSIP3lEUCpB6Qi24S8evHyy0_veRE32dnzKdHh-lL-YooSgChLJhjOMxT_ENBbPUi39-bQo6yjjgsygI-AjGqXaVb8kn7ZROI-iaBgUAEhyphenhyphenijjqm9mZtAEDpeKbl1Ois_KLkqGxa4/s1600/IMG_1878.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsQzcSIP3lEUCpB6Qi24S8evHyy0_veRE32dnzKdHh-lL-YooSgChLJhjOMxT_ENBbPUi39-bQo6yjjgsygI-AjGqXaVb8kn7ZROI-iaBgUAEhyphenhyphenijjqm9mZtAEDpeKbl1Ois_KLkqGxa4/s1600/IMG_1878.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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In general, I really like the new kitchen. It is open, bright, and spacious. The granite is definitely my style, but the bummer is the oak cabinets. Oak cabinets and I are just not friends. But, I have refinished cabinets before and I will do them again. I am planning on that as my summer project. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM6lb_IlnF7Mn6SV2Ud_Wqxs4x-mNsmsZlHuwWHVMnP8zUmTgWWqVqN8DW8sMy-FevnTVKM831z5we-abKyytmgXXp7n8vJyMyq_npu-FgQvcR1CtcNTZXSRDz6LkywEH73uoLUUBNeA/s1600/IMG_1889.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJM6lb_IlnF7Mn6SV2Ud_Wqxs4x-mNsmsZlHuwWHVMnP8zUmTgWWqVqN8DW8sMy-FevnTVKM831z5we-abKyytmgXXp7n8vJyMyq_npu-FgQvcR1CtcNTZXSRDz6LkywEH73uoLUUBNeA/s1600/IMG_1889.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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I made these kitchen curtains out of tablecloths I found at Target! I just loved the pattern, and it was the exact color I wanted! And some of the hemming was already done for me--bonus!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiSQ_7eZnlJ4gFZpE8V-JM_vUJfLDY5e-D8SNJGUVI-YHrVk_uM3BUA7A2w_KAlZtETbktYOfJg6dwsbjqT0VxT655FEqd781lJ-kkBk8KJ069MlYHFrDbB0NVMob2SLmDF45J82ikfA/s1600/IMG_1886.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGiSQ_7eZnlJ4gFZpE8V-JM_vUJfLDY5e-D8SNJGUVI-YHrVk_uM3BUA7A2w_KAlZtETbktYOfJg6dwsbjqT0VxT655FEqd781lJ-kkBk8KJ069MlYHFrDbB0NVMob2SLmDF45J82ikfA/s1600/IMG_1886.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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I have a walk-in pantry for the first time in my life, and I am a little obsessed! And these wire racks that the previous owner had fastened to the wall are perfect for organizing the little things that have a way of getting lost in a pantry. Love!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyIG6OqAri6DoC7CZG7rbQ-9d8PnrfAQBTwF6fI3Vb7ZHmh_U_PWHLktIwxePjVRSjPnZznx6uX-ZwaVkthJMrfuqp49wSHticpzt0BqzPNN-9z8Ijtvhy-3eBLpFMuCJe7_xdpAtBX4/s1600/IMG_1902.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhyIG6OqAri6DoC7CZG7rbQ-9d8PnrfAQBTwF6fI3Vb7ZHmh_U_PWHLktIwxePjVRSjPnZznx6uX-ZwaVkthJMrfuqp49wSHticpzt0BqzPNN-9z8Ijtvhy-3eBLpFMuCJe7_xdpAtBX4/s1600/IMG_1902.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></div>
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Another cool feature of our new house is that there is a double staircase--one set comes down to the entry, and the other side comes straight down into the kitchen. It a nice, convenient feature!</div>
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<b>BREAKFAST NOOK</b></div>
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlR9KhkJ_dXSyaG-dT2jB3dmuOCLjjW0EtTQDESeryBEYUli0jcA7rVTsWhkmJzU6YXX5XC0fXqweFajrWbq99nY8d6YAzuk0FjhdvMZlN1DedTVllQ5zGY9V9iunp5PvvmqULH_YNJY/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgYlR9KhkJ_dXSyaG-dT2jB3dmuOCLjjW0EtTQDESeryBEYUli0jcA7rVTsWhkmJzU6YXX5XC0fXqweFajrWbq99nY8d6YAzuk0FjhdvMZlN1DedTVllQ5zGY9V9iunp5PvvmqULH_YNJY/s1600/IMG_1814.JPG" height="266" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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New lighting and new table and chairs in here. </div>
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<b>DECK</b></div>
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Not much to say here, except this is kind of a big deal. We have never had a deck before, and I am SO looking forward to the barbecues and summer evenings that we will get to spend out here.</div>
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<b>LAUNDRY/MUD ROOM</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFYXOiS3rBedgeHLn7VBv2jt91vKCbayNyCeDCxBYHZ5TGK98XUsaBeyE-G05vkcAXceoNj0JHa1EecXYNqW1_OHZYkddhsqssB5s8JaTlkt29OOYy4y9qCGyWYkDS59x67i9CkLCLj0/s1600/IMG_1887.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxFYXOiS3rBedgeHLn7VBv2jt91vKCbayNyCeDCxBYHZ5TGK98XUsaBeyE-G05vkcAXceoNj0JHa1EecXYNqW1_OHZYkddhsqssB5s8JaTlkt29OOYy4y9qCGyWYkDS59x67i9CkLCLj0/s1600/IMG_1887.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyH-2M-vz4SYNvssuroAj8HjG9TwHv-GOh56YAv3UlhGAItLC0pwvP9KyihsTtMTotlQRkwNSsZMQYXuoYnUCms_UbPAE3wbYSYWXNkUC9SyUDQ7g9I1qO9uV2vOsWliFePYhIPJN73M/s1600/IMG_1888.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLyH-2M-vz4SYNvssuroAj8HjG9TwHv-GOh56YAv3UlhGAItLC0pwvP9KyihsTtMTotlQRkwNSsZMQYXuoYnUCms_UbPAE3wbYSYWXNkUC9SyUDQ7g9I1qO9uV2vOsWliFePYhIPJN73M/s1600/IMG_1888.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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Also a big deal. Although I do miss my upstairs laundry, it's so, so nice to have a dedicated laundry room, rather than just a closet. And I totally love that there is a huge coat closet in the mud room, too. That was just some good planning right there!</div>
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<b>FAMILY ROOM</b></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8M5fW3YQ5HUV-3iDoTOqgbPNwv8M5ClE_IIR9BM7D-Mt6ex-Yx1Txt3Wz-4F-XQYznjRzOmTgVqkLzpqeEzV5ZZ-3mZ5VZ18lzktD91tjTQrLyKKUCnJ1p4pEFj6f8jQWfLYFxflxpg/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi-8M5fW3YQ5HUV-3iDoTOqgbPNwv8M5ClE_IIR9BM7D-Mt6ex-Yx1Txt3Wz-4F-XQYznjRzOmTgVqkLzpqeEzV5ZZ-3mZ5VZ18lzktD91tjTQrLyKKUCnJ1p4pEFj6f8jQWfLYFxflxpg/s1600/IMG_1890.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31kURsRQzkaUo-R-wGQyjyZOfFGEdDlMq8hMjGoZgMpPIIzXNo8txHUUG3UUCaziuUyzZKb6SytqEnt71RVP7f2GAwp_wnC4erejW0aERP5XM-z2g8UIqbQDFzEFHBxi2ufmMuv1RNUU/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi31kURsRQzkaUo-R-wGQyjyZOfFGEdDlMq8hMjGoZgMpPIIzXNo8txHUUG3UUCaziuUyzZKb6SytqEnt71RVP7f2GAwp_wnC4erejW0aERP5XM-z2g8UIqbQDFzEFHBxi2ufmMuv1RNUU/s1600/IMG_1891.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoGvgxZjXO42ODq72JhNdBdLDdtxE4WALY7ADTkeg8kA95aN9JkQY1TzBZGRwzaTNMpP_azxULTXEdmb3iP039thd0Sj8WmrSB4q08_S2KhyphenhyphenLbbl1W5kriFOjLOpiGV7qmiBGYKxN4Wo/s1600/IMG_1892.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhtoGvgxZjXO42ODq72JhNdBdLDdtxE4WALY7ADTkeg8kA95aN9JkQY1TzBZGRwzaTNMpP_azxULTXEdmb3iP039thd0Sj8WmrSB4q08_S2KhyphenhyphenLbbl1W5kriFOjLOpiGV7qmiBGYKxN4Wo/s1600/IMG_1892.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7r2fkeY1F0MnL1o3cSvboMHUfyb8Q3D3odb4f5GmrtiOMGd_EpEBtkfx9rS1gbP_DReOF3ZOdyDzm9Z26OiSh5kdozAMM7keqXpTaE4UDO3T2kThzvwsM_pH61ITmHND1-hlBk671Ld8/s1600/IMG_1893.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7r2fkeY1F0MnL1o3cSvboMHUfyb8Q3D3odb4f5GmrtiOMGd_EpEBtkfx9rS1gbP_DReOF3ZOdyDzm9Z26OiSh5kdozAMM7keqXpTaE4UDO3T2kThzvwsM_pH61ITmHND1-hlBk671Ld8/s1600/IMG_1893.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
I still have a fair amount of work to do in here, but it's coming along. I want to put large pictures of each of the kids over the long mantle shelf. And I still have some painting and other decorating to do in here. But the sectional is new and super comfy, and it's a fun, comfortable room.<br />
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<b>OFFICE</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvQOUMMhqoJ4gyay_4agactuiPaPBrcpSYWf4jWhQrPVwB7qIOVHCpBBePXo6HvEnn_vtGNSEyaDkAqjsm2fSoBQ4dpYDBrZdVEVXJ6DduxD1SgxVbUWa52SEW1UEAxzUrowxozxwQVE/s1600/IMG_1896.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihvQOUMMhqoJ4gyay_4agactuiPaPBrcpSYWf4jWhQrPVwB7qIOVHCpBBePXo6HvEnn_vtGNSEyaDkAqjsm2fSoBQ4dpYDBrZdVEVXJ6DduxD1SgxVbUWa52SEW1UEAxzUrowxozxwQVE/s1600/IMG_1896.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b>POWDER ROOM</b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUG9wTOg3N10CGXP0GvoUNEDoYMs0W5rxQQsG4SNgSNkKmU0vZOil4_fIHifeybt6KY7HMM-FviGt5ePYnXyW_s7UHJdZ7IZwXs6tM2Bcn39slsTx_tAtwMShBTSp0nzMVgOSyJMPF2w/s1600/IMG_1897.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOUG9wTOg3N10CGXP0GvoUNEDoYMs0W5rxQQsG4SNgSNkKmU0vZOil4_fIHifeybt6KY7HMM-FviGt5ePYnXyW_s7UHJdZ7IZwXs6tM2Bcn39slsTx_tAtwMShBTSp0nzMVgOSyJMPF2w/s1600/IMG_1897.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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<b> LIVING ROOM</b><br />
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLalvbaRDYJc9K8Rowsqy9d-3NuFL0GuQjmjFUZEC3kykwLWHZ1zzHMTN6vdPX1EAAJcwvIC9Qv_s4Q2VVz3AYCTNpnZI9RbKj_gwKzpA7r_WYHDKLSln4cK12ocbxRsHndtnq7Nzw58g/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLalvbaRDYJc9K8Rowsqy9d-3NuFL0GuQjmjFUZEC3kykwLWHZ1zzHMTN6vdPX1EAAJcwvIC9Qv_s4Q2VVz3AYCTNpnZI9RbKj_gwKzpA7r_WYHDKLSln4cK12ocbxRsHndtnq7Nzw58g/s1600/IMG_1811.JPG" height="225" width="400" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHpA7A8uWKKHtOQ483UitukrCSvJfVg-e_mmRoE620ckT968LOoK3U7ncLNMRFDv9e0H53dTlxOWpAYcuWnVABZpsoz_CM3eOGKHRO5kmpgVe8YcckGFhTNl22xzFFzzVth_mt6Qo6DQ/s1600/IMG_1895.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMHpA7A8uWKKHtOQ483UitukrCSvJfVg-e_mmRoE620ckT968LOoK3U7ncLNMRFDv9e0H53dTlxOWpAYcuWnVABZpsoz_CM3eOGKHRO5kmpgVe8YcckGFhTNl22xzFFzzVth_mt6Qo6DQ/s1600/IMG_1895.JPG" height="266" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUD-bfcD4TEvKXzcEXN00e3tyYH8fjevBpcY2hV5kZN3REYE_4hgQ91ovx1Ev5NEC568nJwX_gMiBrpnrPkRHilKYkuzrz7XSSZwtWg0A_R0qWlkClHNLjB23ArHSq21y-cQCDSjYKKc/s1600/IMG_1894.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiiUD-bfcD4TEvKXzcEXN00e3tyYH8fjevBpcY2hV5kZN3REYE_4hgQ91ovx1Ev5NEC568nJwX_gMiBrpnrPkRHilKYkuzrz7XSSZwtWg0A_R0qWlkClHNLjB23ArHSq21y-cQCDSjYKKc/s1600/IMG_1894.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
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This is my favorite room in the house! It's also where I have spent the most time and energy. We put in a little semi-flush mount light because when we bought the house, there was NO LIGHT at all in here. I painted the walls and the trim. I found some inexpensive frames at Ikea for my little photo collage wall, and I spray-painted a few turquoise. I still need to make curtains in here (I am thinking sheer panels in the darker turquoise color), and I need to replace the glass on one side of my coffee table. But I feel like it's coming together in here exactly the way I planned. And that usually doesn't happen, so I am thrilled!</div>
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I also re-finished the mantle in the living room.</div>
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Before (This is actually the master bedroom because I totally spaced taking a before photo of the living room firepace! But the actual mantle was identical in both places.): </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsts_KbmQ21Mxn-HycubYVT-K0OJHZ7PnYofjSpO9cozQ2Q-EU0zGTmVtlImmlP-p7P6CJ7sLTPBVhwIODrPIp9eSZ6XjRzLf_bsCejAlvwi9-Xm2TkOrOKpYtX5FXoSw4RY5ldrjAp4/s1600/IMG_1818_2.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvsts_KbmQ21Mxn-HycubYVT-K0OJHZ7PnYofjSpO9cozQ2Q-EU0zGTmVtlImmlP-p7P6CJ7sLTPBVhwIODrPIp9eSZ6XjRzLf_bsCejAlvwi9-Xm2TkOrOKpYtX5FXoSw4RY5ldrjAp4/s1600/IMG_1818_2.JPG" height="266" style="cursor: move;" width="400" /></a></div>
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After:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_NL4jkyCRjGcpIrMR2KEECYyyeG0dsJcliq-DdP0R1gPL9ai05ICQ-xWR8uirShSogeKGrsaZuTf3KUKLFBiUDsVRZNfiTO26acbg-w_2nxOsAD4opPYu4dMbe5pIa7uRseXFSfBBEY/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhv_NL4jkyCRjGcpIrMR2KEECYyyeG0dsJcliq-DdP0R1gPL9ai05ICQ-xWR8uirShSogeKGrsaZuTf3KUKLFBiUDsVRZNfiTO26acbg-w_2nxOsAD4opPYu4dMbe5pIa7uRseXFSfBBEY/s1600/IMG_1903.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQsVOVfuNulKN41AWrOhcgkzR3K_sUYqSsl340XcBnH7VK9Xt7sTf3yrpQmn6kGYGaWCARdeI19WoBGzLfsOwsUvVk1P_wK-PQAlwFlrsADBlfNCH_nDz7zRfGFvV1KHWYVAvLtKiOoM/s1600/IMG_1904.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtQsVOVfuNulKN41AWrOhcgkzR3K_sUYqSsl340XcBnH7VK9Xt7sTf3yrpQmn6kGYGaWCARdeI19WoBGzLfsOwsUvVk1P_wK-PQAlwFlrsADBlfNCH_nDz7zRfGFvV1KHWYVAvLtKiOoM/s1600/IMG_1904.JPG" height="180" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDIEF-I6uLav5MCNusr8Brg56j4YmJyO05YGiyfZCHfJsu1a2CjjyCtn-nFth_YMsI7aghrsP_nHz-2i8afgbdRwhKYcR9JFw7pdUC1ii4-AmyGYclWbi1qd6qQdhU6rm0Q_ROSXf7aM/s1600/IMG_1906.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhJDIEF-I6uLav5MCNusr8Brg56j4YmJyO05YGiyfZCHfJsu1a2CjjyCtn-nFth_YMsI7aghrsP_nHz-2i8afgbdRwhKYcR9JFw7pdUC1ii4-AmyGYclWbi1qd6qQdhU6rm0Q_ROSXf7aM/s1600/IMG_1906.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22rVl-W5lYpLM8nTIb1oGGhf9R0Xru9uMF4fjJ3dCmuD1mf6TvlCwLHwQg4AQqETL_M_C_5vnbeEQ33jL3TLWV0VwhTjWgPVNKvuxnimV6MZLxkWMqmQYyTyVapOCqu3cEyi4uVuHz64/s1600/IMG_1907.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg22rVl-W5lYpLM8nTIb1oGGhf9R0Xru9uMF4fjJ3dCmuD1mf6TvlCwLHwQg4AQqETL_M_C_5vnbeEQ33jL3TLWV0VwhTjWgPVNKvuxnimV6MZLxkWMqmQYyTyVapOCqu3cEyi4uVuHz64/s1600/IMG_1907.JPG" height="213" width="320" /></a></div>
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The mantle actually took me NINE HOURS alone to complete. We are talking sanding, three coats of paint (I didn't prime--dumb, I know!), and a lacquer to finish. It was so much work! But I love the way it looks. I found a few fun new trinkets and used that trusty turquoise spray paint again on some old items to pull it all together. Oh, and a family photo will go in the big frame. Also, I have been told that you can actually spray paint the gold on your fireplace black for an updated look. So that project will likely be happening in both the living and family rooms in the next week or two. </div>
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So there you go! Main floor tour complete Upstairs photo tour coming soon!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-33529417071431187592014-02-16T08:42:00.001-08:002014-02-16T08:42:39.764-08:00Photo Overload Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I realized how little blogging I have done lately in the midst of a move, and decided that at the very least, I would like to post some of our pictures from the last couple months. So here are (quite!) a few of our photos documenting what we have been up to the last little while!</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFX7KyZxfSJQjjh2IqvMbH2t1rV9WliNWoZ9B0MzTXATsebkD7dO23UW04vFA2onLw8Z5RLgB_4ad7bpmBIMMuIiAPEr87ZVsv0-Enuj2QcIwrr24ZvpM2I87HijlHSxmOCswKeqtwsA/s1600/IMG_1719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEizFX7KyZxfSJQjjh2IqvMbH2t1rV9WliNWoZ9B0MzTXATsebkD7dO23UW04vFA2onLw8Z5RLgB_4ad7bpmBIMMuIiAPEr87ZVsv0-Enuj2QcIwrr24ZvpM2I87HijlHSxmOCswKeqtwsA/s1600/IMG_1719.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty and two of his best buddies. They were having a pillow fight in the living room and Ty got one of his front teeth knocked out! I realized they all had matching one-front-tooth-only grins, and I had to get a picture. Priceless!!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMLg-ruioAC7_bzKPReOFyGCFFpEOK9WMhyphenhyphen7grp-cpmtb-pr_1nmlGj_Vme9O5OyXSm-meEpyVc7s_a2Ky-92aZMLh83vxxmllMv7JplSZuTFmizWwrsLwM26UpFaIV_Vhem1dHT2e3M/s1600/IMG_1728.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMLg-ruioAC7_bzKPReOFyGCFFpEOK9WMhyphenhyphen7grp-cpmtb-pr_1nmlGj_Vme9O5OyXSm-meEpyVc7s_a2Ky-92aZMLh83vxxmllMv7JplSZuTFmizWwrsLwM26UpFaIV_Vhem1dHT2e3M/s1600/IMG_1728.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our annual downtown-Parker Christmas carraige ride. Somehow this is always the most FREEZING night of the year, but we keep going back for it time and again. Oh, the things you do in the name of tradition!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKPvfVD7EN4D1a6YA1L0vlTIrKYUAKep6SQwUnnjKbmQy5cH0oOYTN3sN7sKqaatp2ZctkTlvkwkTz5tQe9psrZ2HSlQA_i2Hg2QZW595-tDjLB4uydPnYoKuihW8pDOuuZ7bWZtQ0ew/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinKPvfVD7EN4D1a6YA1L0vlTIrKYUAKep6SQwUnnjKbmQy5cH0oOYTN3sN7sKqaatp2ZctkTlvkwkTz5tQe9psrZ2HSlQA_i2Hg2QZW595-tDjLB4uydPnYoKuihW8pDOuuZ7bWZtQ0ew/s1600/IMG_1730.JPG" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A snowflake went in front of the lens just as we were taking this photo. I thought it was pretty cool!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggCi-8WDumRkgMnlG2ektCJmYLaXYpMIasUMXLS3s9SL439ItC93eVFjdVJbIxNVfJoBvUAIc1XwigBgbzzvE66BLZ2FlrJ1tamEelSlRWwI0DQPFLCX9FUDKIYs71yHBLbdV5irDgfE/s1600/IMG_1746.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhggCi-8WDumRkgMnlG2ektCJmYLaXYpMIasUMXLS3s9SL439ItC93eVFjdVJbIxNVfJoBvUAIc1XwigBgbzzvE66BLZ2FlrJ1tamEelSlRWwI0DQPFLCX9FUDKIYs71yHBLbdV5irDgfE/s1600/IMG_1746.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The boys in their Christmas Eve jammies</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yUOs-t1hAn0SQ04CgmZxZf7XzGwlhOZWXExMp2KKqNprAPX-1kP0Krp5IeResdV8mt2yjcsZo0TR_hEQ8vQowSG8h0TVuE8kSevd6DIDYzNkQPSwZjaH9mRys62y6r1Hr9CtpkLCgHs/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi8yUOs-t1hAn0SQ04CgmZxZf7XzGwlhOZWXExMp2KKqNprAPX-1kP0Krp5IeResdV8mt2yjcsZo0TR_hEQ8vQowSG8h0TVuE8kSevd6DIDYzNkQPSwZjaH9mRys62y6r1Hr9CtpkLCgHs/s1600/IMG_1748.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The girls in our Christmas Eve jammies</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk1v-rXt50Z-XZChnU68_-h-MWETjjYMWzgMkTmEVRlPpXrt-zFG7y_HelTz_Q4ZmTMbeaPKo2dpW0q-2pcRek7rzToLi8dixha-sm41v5w5BWRx8ag-cscGjPwHlm-gyrjpDbUEeXnY/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhIk1v-rXt50Z-XZChnU68_-h-MWETjjYMWzgMkTmEVRlPpXrt-zFG7y_HelTz_Q4ZmTMbeaPKo2dpW0q-2pcRek7rzToLi8dixha-sm41v5w5BWRx8ag-cscGjPwHlm-gyrjpDbUEeXnY/s1600/IMG_1756.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie being silly on Christmas Eve</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fN_IPGg6pZw7H8BDVU8eUULR4wDDvRSdyWOKbbL2k4vK1kO-Bc4Pa5F-mBZ55c1jowFVNB4wu3jvVPOMJvE076oLUdRIjfK6Juk9wao0ajMrJW3bhwkiCQvExtNLHYm8myKGMWgKCSY/s1600/IMG_1762.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4fN_IPGg6pZw7H8BDVU8eUULR4wDDvRSdyWOKbbL2k4vK1kO-Bc4Pa5F-mBZ55c1jowFVNB4wu3jvVPOMJvE076oLUdRIjfK6Juk9wao0ajMrJW3bhwkiCQvExtNLHYm8myKGMWgKCSY/s1600/IMG_1762.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My total girlie-girl! She was absolutely thrilled with her princess castle on Christmas morning!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawboP1HXp6uAKq5wf96DigoHWHIilr-dlg1j1ld3tH9NldazMI8yNUGn1BiuXajQKc9Rsie8sw-AfPlLoyyY30EnHFGXoqwtB9TuUTH7nyhMMeATMcTkA8n-MHNoiVgEYcyrSheFBPKg/s1600/IMG_1763.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgawboP1HXp6uAKq5wf96DigoHWHIilr-dlg1j1ld3tH9NldazMI8yNUGn1BiuXajQKc9Rsie8sw-AfPlLoyyY30EnHFGXoqwtB9TuUTH7nyhMMeATMcTkA8n-MHNoiVgEYcyrSheFBPKg/s1600/IMG_1763.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I am obsessed with this girl!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4njl6kniHZUC6YIIhqmF-4sS0RO1YRBRV0ry7RsBhTbaaDMwSk1aM2yclTypK8ebfo9XKpXggwj5t_8lZjboU9wwoj3qisecjeocdtc58jm1wIul8TVKz9LlYFWtrbpG8EPkboXXy54/s1600/IMG_1773.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiK4njl6kniHZUC6YIIhqmF-4sS0RO1YRBRV0ry7RsBhTbaaDMwSk1aM2yclTypK8ebfo9XKpXggwj5t_8lZjboU9wwoj3qisecjeocdtc58jm1wIul8TVKz9LlYFWtrbpG8EPkboXXy54/s1600/IMG_1773.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took advantage of all the snow we got in January to go sledding as a family.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbxSkDyYeIaCzANwO-CBbtlsKKqbjqfX3-8Yj_NyqBwFaMh7B8I__UFENbE7WwABlYrSI-VtNpQN9T9-YKVpld_bPqLr5En9nn_t38aGX4Jkq2o0D7oQzItI7_f3iu9RSZ2G8umxEZJ4/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVbxSkDyYeIaCzANwO-CBbtlsKKqbjqfX3-8Yj_NyqBwFaMh7B8I__UFENbE7WwABlYrSI-VtNpQN9T9-YKVpld_bPqLr5En9nn_t38aGX4Jkq2o0D7oQzItI7_f3iu9RSZ2G8umxEZJ4/s1600/IMG_1775.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I wasn't sure Annie would like it, but she loved it! Now whenever she sees the sleds in the garage, she will say, "Whee! Again? Again?"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG5AmMQenTZsMnAFRt1abbQUBxhppkE8HvPl30TmYuqAtaXTgPdTPRrD7B071b3o34AxvYdUcKK-bg25SOxzzK51IF2MvfZTC0BMA9MVPzjE0Czs9mjAA3q1usGssYtmZwLUUVJxLXl0/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWG5AmMQenTZsMnAFRt1abbQUBxhppkE8HvPl30TmYuqAtaXTgPdTPRrD7B071b3o34AxvYdUcKK-bg25SOxzzK51IF2MvfZTC0BMA9MVPzjE0Czs9mjAA3q1usGssYtmZwLUUVJxLXl0/s1600/IMG_1776.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My sweetheart boys</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYusBIbdXZ6wT4tmgWzmLZkdOhfky9RaNVJm_gSDzvrvAtL8iTncelUACyRSPTGjsf2hRo9YR2AZMIHR6NIfA73tIJFgQguyCoSITVEVMuwfjxnJ-pqfAmWeSd5pGCwswXkftS6ORRvUE/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYusBIbdXZ6wT4tmgWzmLZkdOhfky9RaNVJm_gSDzvrvAtL8iTncelUACyRSPTGjsf2hRo9YR2AZMIHR6NIfA73tIJFgQguyCoSITVEVMuwfjxnJ-pqfAmWeSd5pGCwswXkftS6ORRvUE/s1600/IMG_1774.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty kept trying to crash into everyone else going down the hill!</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMwfvdp8IknDvBOnJi1umnKvjToDaUCz2z9-EYiqNSZF4SRoD_rCEoNPOO3oLi9QFBj3huFfXMmxSXmUL0W0JBifcj6z_IHKIQqjuRLkNeF4rQSu5L8mIW2OoVLSDjepLGOvRLIfYMzs/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZMwfvdp8IknDvBOnJi1umnKvjToDaUCz2z9-EYiqNSZF4SRoD_rCEoNPOO3oLi9QFBj3huFfXMmxSXmUL0W0JBifcj6z_IHKIQqjuRLkNeF4rQSu5L8mIW2OoVLSDjepLGOvRLIfYMzs/s1600/IMG_1784.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">FHE a couple weeks ago--we played a family history game that was seriously SO FUN!</td></tr>
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</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflP6XxIJJyoOrEi87f18oOzld8ij4kQzvE7P9fWjdHhRV-MPr-SdriXhfK3vZnRw5fP0nvXnzUHcdrjiHLKMk2ruBa3ZlJuFRu2vt5JbyEwzbKUQoAObOKDKM0EoImaqMiLyy7MEhinc/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhflP6XxIJJyoOrEi87f18oOzld8ij4kQzvE7P9fWjdHhRV-MPr-SdriXhfK3vZnRw5fP0nvXnzUHcdrjiHLKMk2ruBa3ZlJuFRu2vt5JbyEwzbKUQoAObOKDKM0EoImaqMiLyy7MEhinc/s1600/IMG_1786.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The kids displaying their pedigree chart</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0GbZhj6IVVx1sdCSCaGjwwysCIzxAlsPuUoIcTdT6xaPLwf1A-pOygPqT7K_zSYWRqZ10cfUP1sZOCcLfJLziMnPdhveMTodeiKPvz9bGoSGNc7q-q8rcaq1K5imrKoTrv3BLt86kK0/s1600/IMG_1788.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiz0GbZhj6IVVx1sdCSCaGjwwysCIzxAlsPuUoIcTdT6xaPLwf1A-pOygPqT7K_zSYWRqZ10cfUP1sZOCcLfJLziMnPdhveMTodeiKPvz9bGoSGNc7q-q8rcaq1K5imrKoTrv3BLt86kK0/s1600/IMG_1788.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie at Sunday dinner last week</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW4ye8LYPB7zXLSdGtxUnCbg3bR0nMDzdqgvNs8yZgBLfKPr0GNWn19afm1U59cIAnBAPYX0r1Wic53MZb9XpKEyAHv7PvY1OAXhevQ8CX-XxeUHiL26b2EWqxqfPyLIqapgWViEBYjc/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgSW4ye8LYPB7zXLSdGtxUnCbg3bR0nMDzdqgvNs8yZgBLfKPr0GNWn19afm1U59cIAnBAPYX0r1Wic53MZb9XpKEyAHv7PvY1OAXhevQ8CX-XxeUHiL26b2EWqxqfPyLIqapgWViEBYjc/s1600/IMG_1793.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McKay was dying to build a snowman--finally the weather warmed up enough that I was willing to do it with him! <br />"Look, Mom! I'm holding the snowman's hand!"</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSDiZxjn8r4arJZ3Q3S3o78ftwYyN-GZBGCltCyKfya5zidegEH9BiQq88URgm9VYjOK7Mr_YXJweEPu0bBBc88r3LGNNw4bU00WcVVS9n8iefl2KD6vJSNZT_iLwTVE8D6mm6YI1JkA/s1600/IMG_1798.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifSDiZxjn8r4arJZ3Q3S3o78ftwYyN-GZBGCltCyKfya5zidegEH9BiQq88URgm9VYjOK7Mr_YXJweEPu0bBBc88r3LGNNw4bU00WcVVS9n8iefl2KD6vJSNZT_iLwTVE8D6mm6YI1JkA/s1600/IMG_1798.jpg" height="400" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie shows off her Valentine's Day outfit</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9lMgCW_b5LUHqcPfi6_9z9oz37tU3pbrUsa2SgIPYx7wQkzEC_mMIAun3HuEoJKMHTc_fIHHgCXFoTrVciYEclGJGKGv__futo0Z_T-C-D7GPta36GbOBN6BYJQO2zZ8_nn-A1ZzGBc/s1600/IMG_1805.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiJ9lMgCW_b5LUHqcPfi6_9z9oz37tU3pbrUsa2SgIPYx7wQkzEC_mMIAun3HuEoJKMHTc_fIHHgCXFoTrVciYEclGJGKGv__futo0Z_T-C-D7GPta36GbOBN6BYJQO2zZ8_nn-A1ZzGBc/s1600/IMG_1805.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tried to get all the kids together on V-Day. This was about the best we got.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilC7nBzL-q3egMYCo2bbG6SLpBn9xnm37urfmoD4LzxnyLj8-rIAdHJ1Y-koqw1Iysl56bBadj9Xn9fhxNUgK8eHtEcIjOucUTQzClcCrqTNj7JUz9_vPoQMK2qWU8RSxHjMSr36KRtrc/s1600/IMG_1806.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEilC7nBzL-q3egMYCo2bbG6SLpBn9xnm37urfmoD4LzxnyLj8-rIAdHJ1Y-koqw1Iysl56bBadj9Xn9fhxNUgK8eHtEcIjOucUTQzClcCrqTNj7JUz9_vPoQMK2qWU8RSxHjMSr36KRtrc/s1600/IMG_1806.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">But you know, it's real life. And it's pretty great!</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-79280325986907180082014-01-26T20:18:00.002-08:002014-01-26T20:18:46.678-08:00Moving!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I hate when I let myself get so far behind on my blogging, because then I feel like I have to dig myself out of the catch-up hole I have fallen into. Life has just been so crazy lately. I feel like that's an ongoing theme, but it's been an especially wild ride lately!</div>
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The biggest news is that we are moving!! It's not far--just a few blocks, actually, but it's still been stressful and crazy. For about six months, we have had our feelers out for a bigger home within our ward boundaries. Due to Adam's current calling, we have really felt like we need to stay in our ward, but we have also started to feel like we would like a little more space. We have a good friend in our ward who is a real estate agent, and he has had his eyes open for properties in the ward boundaries that we might be interested in. Whenever something new would come up, he would email us the MLS listing. We looked at a handfull of homes in the area, but none of them really felt like the home we wanted to raise our family in long-term, and that's really what we were searching for. </div>
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The week after Christmas, though, another home popped up on the list. We checked it out, and it really felt like exactly what we were looking for. It met most of our "wants": four bedrooms all on the same floor, a three-car garage, an enormous master walk-in closet, a main-floor office for Adam, and a "kid space" that our children can hang out in with their friends, especially as they get older. It also had lots of great extras that we weren't necessarily looking for, but that we love anyway--three fireplaces, a walk-out basement, a jetted tub, a fabulous guest suite, and small walk-in closets in the kids' bedrooms, too. We loved it!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfjWaGrr7lRe4U50QalU4v28ElZqqr9OSF_Cup7gmJCBYy3gWI7283lU8T68cvm72GE4Zf4QqUPasrufsw7IAwVd9BIL0mz_j7btN7xseX3ht4_085sLNz_pAX4P4a7JDE2YJecwzaMm8/s1600/GetMedia.ashx.jpeg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjwfjWaGrr7lRe4U50QalU4v28ElZqqr9OSF_Cup7gmJCBYy3gWI7283lU8T68cvm72GE4Zf4QqUPasrufsw7IAwVd9BIL0mz_j7btN7xseX3ht4_085sLNz_pAX4P4a7JDE2YJecwzaMm8/s1600/GetMedia.ashx.jpeg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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We decided to put an offer on it, but our real estate agent friend told us that in order for the seller to take our offer seriously, we needed to have our house on the market. We talked on New Year's Day, spent the day cleaning our home, and the next morning we listed it to sell. By the end of the day (!) we were under contract both on our home, and on the home we wanted to buy.</div>
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It seemed a little too good to be true, and it was. Our initial buyers terminated their contract after mold was found in our crawlspace during the home inspection. The good news, though, was that we had a second buyer waiting in the wings to make another offer on our home, without our having to put it back on the market. The second offer was a few thousand dollars less than the first, but we felt blessed to move forward without too much hassle. </div>
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There have been a number of ups and downs as we have moved forward. It has absolutely been stressful and challenging! We feel like buying a house is stressful, and selling a house is 100x worse! But it looks like this is actually going to happen! We are set to close on both houses in just over two weeks!</div>
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So I have been packing our lives into boxes. Gratefully since the other house is so close, it will be much easier than it would be moving across the country. But it's still a whole lot of work. At least I have cute little friends to help me!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vua2P80p5G1P6RurwpSxtxPXqxh5j5jmUd23j12CNR5E0aYVXT97p5ea9Njb-048Igy5KBk5HaQkRxWJkKKxquepKRXruSf5Do-8VVlZB0yCBLaemLLH5jiJXIRDgYJ1coXJIdnnSbCI/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_vua2P80p5G1P6RurwpSxtxPXqxh5j5jmUd23j12CNR5E0aYVXT97p5ea9Njb-048Igy5KBk5HaQkRxWJkKKxquepKRXruSf5Do-8VVlZB0yCBLaemLLH5jiJXIRDgYJ1coXJIdnnSbCI/s1600/IMG_1767.JPG" height="266" width="400" /></a></div>
<br />Megginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743854924838526944noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-62546355674815900622013-12-22T12:40:00.002-08:002013-12-22T12:40:18.333-08:00'Twas the Sunday Before Christmas...<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...And Mom was in a lurch, trying to get three kids ready and smiling before church!</div>
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Annie wanted Mom to hold her, Ty wanted to read a book, McKay was refusing at the camera to look!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogm0sBPNuBmML0meZXX3rER6Jq1Teil91PWqKZv4Rj7h2ZBOnkQtPKy_i-yLbc93l7xlVpUu3dJ8shtaJNKkY6enwbO8RwT7DophOYc31z0Vg8UVmvxbgzhIymG9CVSDEww3wGE3QHxM/s1600/IMG_1740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgogm0sBPNuBmML0meZXX3rER6Jq1Teil91PWqKZv4Rj7h2ZBOnkQtPKy_i-yLbc93l7xlVpUu3dJ8shtaJNKkY6enwbO8RwT7DophOYc31z0Vg8UVmvxbgzhIymG9CVSDEww3wGE3QHxM/s400/IMG_1740.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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We had to give up without getting a photo that was first-rate. Mom was yelling, "Load up! We're going to be late!"<br />
After church we tried again, and this was our best shot. At least everyone was looking, while before they were not!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5y1SbjbCvUXOqrc5mY-xSzp81cc4ehogG9sNr1hyiohFOkxDvoSMv4iQ_x_Pyu1ZcH1s-OVtttnuXpwoEcyoEJ4octwhKjALaRMcnuF6QBLW5HS2oZ5ZNSe6tQazjovtxWuWPjR-xULY/s1600/IMG_1741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5y1SbjbCvUXOqrc5mY-xSzp81cc4ehogG9sNr1hyiohFOkxDvoSMv4iQ_x_Pyu1ZcH1s-OVtttnuXpwoEcyoEJ4octwhKjALaRMcnuF6QBLW5HS2oZ5ZNSe6tQazjovtxWuWPjR-xULY/s400/IMG_1741.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Then Annie took off running, and we got one of the brothers. And what a miracle that at this moment they were getting along with one another!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLY9gm9iFzFmkCkGN2LD-auO2YRwaK9sxXwgRSZUz4ADeBG9s3NVQ8o0tpGiNEaX6PPupgJFknWv4531xUyWxsbFZRtH6EHH6GTDRynT-IfA08ohab5OnNh7iueROz1_dacETKolGtW0/s1600/IMG_1744.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlLY9gm9iFzFmkCkGN2LD-auO2YRwaK9sxXwgRSZUz4ADeBG9s3NVQ8o0tpGiNEaX6PPupgJFknWv4531xUyWxsbFZRtH6EHH6GTDRynT-IfA08ohab5OnNh7iueROz1_dacETKolGtW0/s400/IMG_1744.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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Well, that's the best that the Marchant kids could do for today. Now they are all in their jammies, and that's how they are planning to stay.Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-17572923304773569472013-12-15T12:42:00.000-08:002013-12-15T12:42:04.932-08:00Look Who's 18 Months Old!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
...And headed to nursery! Well, technically she's not officially 18 months until <i>tomorrow,</i> but since she was born four days late, and she was only born an hour after midnight (meaning if she would have come an hour earlier she's be 18 months <i>today</i>), and mostly since I was teaching Relief Society, I felt totally justified in sending her to nursery class today. And I figured if anyone said anything about it (nobody did), I would just tell them that she had Bishop approval to start attending today. Because, let's be honest, there aren't THAT many perks to the calling, so you have to take advantage of the ones you can!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg9Wbh6Ulf4WN4mSpHnwOkRacP7xLN-7xKppPAjE4TtxK4Vqg4qgP_gg5J67LEZYSdbNNOHJqgkzLk4W0TS6fNzin1EYsj9bBkqailAWL8KSIy_Fsi64FbolDQXxuaAgLc3JT3M3dBIE/s1600/IMG_1715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQg9Wbh6Ulf4WN4mSpHnwOkRacP7xLN-7xKppPAjE4TtxK4Vqg4qgP_gg5J67LEZYSdbNNOHJqgkzLk4W0TS6fNzin1EYsj9bBkqailAWL8KSIy_Fsi64FbolDQXxuaAgLc3JT3M3dBIE/s400/IMG_1715.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4dUnxJsDJvQmDokcPoQEiS3NB3tiU3VxR5UgMCC0_3Kv3oSP3gPKH1Zi7ZtgM4DEh-J-429eUDmFrTIPTy2TNIUKKlalz1yt0A-85pHiOKLJnVDZXFoce7YF0MnAImdEicTJzmpYNz4/s1600/IMG_1716.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgq4dUnxJsDJvQmDokcPoQEiS3NB3tiU3VxR5UgMCC0_3Kv3oSP3gPKH1Zi7ZtgM4DEh-J-429eUDmFrTIPTy2TNIUKKlalz1yt0A-85pHiOKLJnVDZXFoce7YF0MnAImdEicTJzmpYNz4/s400/IMG_1716.jpg" width="266" /></a></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXt0j8KFvh0Xw_vQE486HZWytjUP_WrcumztJPwUMZOX9Idu6yzWSm5YLYiDqWu_V-CMmr7S9k5oSp3CX3NkrIAPfqtRxUvEo5y81qEacYuRXzvHEDUp2RRRU5-H7wYXGlnvmYacNy_M/s1600/IMG_1709.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjYXt0j8KFvh0Xw_vQE486HZWytjUP_WrcumztJPwUMZOX9Idu6yzWSm5YLYiDqWu_V-CMmr7S9k5oSp3CX3NkrIAPfqtRxUvEo5y81qEacYuRXzvHEDUp2RRRU5-H7wYXGlnvmYacNy_M/s400/IMG_1709.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She was very proud of her paper that she colored. Actually, with the exception of her name and a little squiggle at the bottom of the page, it was devoid of all color. But it was a picture of Jesus, and she loved it nonetheless.</td></tr>
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And just because I think it's so fun, here are pictures of my other two on their first days of nursery, too!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmzTjjcC0sHsJXreWaSUXcn1hHhOOVGvOhpo6yo4WRa23zIC1izPdeGEV0m0OsJMZuM8KOtrJXByTeShLRwPJSjxHe4PM__iiGugjG_PFJrOXpU9LSuy1OZGANaW0SpeKDys04pQuk20/s1600/STA71818.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdmzTjjcC0sHsJXreWaSUXcn1hHhOOVGvOhpo6yo4WRa23zIC1izPdeGEV0m0OsJMZuM8KOtrJXByTeShLRwPJSjxHe4PM__iiGugjG_PFJrOXpU9LSuy1OZGANaW0SpeKDys04pQuk20/s400/STA71818.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4BLGd-mFOoSkrnp4C6WNngEOzZtpBP8Op9DptuHiO3hx4WBJ9DxdeqsVHC_-M2yxAsvpaKAyUTyDD4_RvkZGAv9ZmP-fL4Pi2EqK13sdPdzNpiVFb_UV9iS2cjTMAbSr3042bt0kz38/s1600/STA73283.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjF4BLGd-mFOoSkrnp4C6WNngEOzZtpBP8Op9DptuHiO3hx4WBJ9DxdeqsVHC_-M2yxAsvpaKAyUTyDD4_RvkZGAv9ZmP-fL4Pi2EqK13sdPdzNpiVFb_UV9iS2cjTMAbSr3042bt0kz38/s400/STA73283.JPG" width="300" /></a></div>
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I don't think I have ever been so excited about sending a kid off to nursery. Having your husband serve as Bishop is sort of a game changer--here's to only one hour spent in the hall instead of three!!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-64316781390607494102013-12-01T13:10:00.001-08:002013-12-01T13:11:59.069-08:00Thanksgiving in Utah<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
About a month ago we decided to spend our Thanksgiving week in Utah. We had the perfect plan--since Matt would be reporting to the MTC the day before Thanksgiving, he and I would fly out together with the kids and meet Adam there (since he was working in CA the week before). Then we could have Thanksgiving dinner with my family early, before Matt entered the MTC, and with Adam's family on the actual holiday.</div>
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Oh, the best laid plans. As it turned out, Matt's MTC date got moved up a week, which left me to fly to Utah alone with my three littles. The flight didn't scare me at all--surely it couldn't be harder than church every Sunday!--but I wasn't sure how I would haul three kids, three carseats, three suitcases, a backpack, a diaper bag, a purse and a stroller through the airport. Gratefully, some dear friends from our ward took pity on us, took us to the airport, and helped me get everything to the ticket counter. Disaster averted! And honestly, the kids were pretty well perfect on the flight, even though we were delayed almost an hour after we were sitting on the plane. Whew!</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGOIVb5snbquHILk1APutTbGP_7IKeKMXFT5LdsF6DAABZSSjfP7CbALzES8xQklESaAb_bX22z3B2FrtkaJ3SD9mQAkz0vKbgA5TIWn5kaZ0MapACwcsckgaGEVtHtuSMrOVFVEtSbk/s1600/IMG_1570.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiGOIVb5snbquHILk1APutTbGP_7IKeKMXFT5LdsF6DAABZSSjfP7CbALzES8xQklESaAb_bX22z3B2FrtkaJ3SD9mQAkz0vKbgA5TIWn5kaZ0MapACwcsckgaGEVtHtuSMrOVFVEtSbk/s400/IMG_1570.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A week before our trip Annie got a good black eye. So she sported a nice shiner throughout the whole vacation.</td></tr>
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While we were in Provo, we decided to take the kids down to the MTC so they could see where Matt was. We were hoping to get a photo by the big "Missionary Training Center" sign, but unbeknownst to us, it was gone! So we did our best. Funnily enough, the guy that took our family picture was an instructor in Matt's zone. We thought that was pretty neat! <br />
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We got lots of great cousin time in, both in Provo and in Salt Lake. <br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0LOtiW1aysTJg_nIEtGHxoVhkWeuCbFVeG-wjciNjNogyNfeUGOyKspIl02FrdpPFQxfdECu_yhf94ekuiRvWQ7VYjkM56i5OPkpH0nPBkBpaNbBXBfwEtvZwqTGTCgNawx8CAxxIb8/s1600/IMG_1664.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg_0LOtiW1aysTJg_nIEtGHxoVhkWeuCbFVeG-wjciNjNogyNfeUGOyKspIl02FrdpPFQxfdECu_yhf94ekuiRvWQ7VYjkM56i5OPkpH0nPBkBpaNbBXBfwEtvZwqTGTCgNawx8CAxxIb8/s400/IMG_1664.JPG" width="266" /></a></div>
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I was able to meet up with a high school friend/college roommate that I haven't seen in <i>years. </i>I am pretty sure the last time we saw each other was at my wedding reception 8 1/2 years ago. She is working in the Church Office Building, so we had lunch together in the cafeteria there and caught up on many years of each others' lives. It was wonderful!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAYPXsLM241LyOY6R2S22Mhusi7V8gyC9K-4AuhLWIs5wviLuz8ynxnEKaHHG5U2VnCRRd-sr_Jr-qu-8-L83MNSIx6ZmIXJWsbHN5obFi3iJlo8E9Z2VtMYp9e3O5wndplRJlKUhQqA/s1600/IMG_1667.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="266" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgiAYPXsLM241LyOY6R2S22Mhusi7V8gyC9K-4AuhLWIs5wviLuz8ynxnEKaHHG5U2VnCRRd-sr_Jr-qu-8-L83MNSIx6ZmIXJWsbHN5obFi3iJlo8E9Z2VtMYp9e3O5wndplRJlKUhQqA/s400/IMG_1667.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Our actual Thanksgiving feast was pretty quiet this year. It was an "off year" for Adam's brothers, so it was just our family and Bryan with Grandma and Grandpa this year. We missed everyone else (although we saw them all for pie later that evening), but we loved the time with Grandma and Grandpa Marchant!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUtAmQhPWAoVvc2JiUaFtz2JgMLzvaN6Xo1xmp18fCjk5YU1aiv0ycvOffDyHHplRBV54X5a17oj17AAuEASyDBRZxCqvvnNCYkhCXvc9dwOetV1docnpgor3mQ6JvW-Uogj61Bc3JDk/s1600/IMG_1668.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzUtAmQhPWAoVvc2JiUaFtz2JgMLzvaN6Xo1xmp18fCjk5YU1aiv0ycvOffDyHHplRBV54X5a17oj17AAuEASyDBRZxCqvvnNCYkhCXvc9dwOetV1docnpgor3mQ6JvW-Uogj61Bc3JDk/s400/IMG_1668.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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The evening after Thanksgiving we decided to head to temple square for the first night of the Christmas lights there. We stopped first at the Church History Museum, where the kids had lots of fun playing at the Book of Mormon exhibit with some of their cousins.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n1juGB8eMGlHHrmXPcLMFGmeDzZVMWlKQuiGd8XrAjj875YPDE5nCRpuQ4gIjYCDTNdCx_7hn2wMRsSOh9NXzy0Z9LoLsN-dXQDBV14U4CaDjpL-uuAYJyGYWBJwu8IU5LWVyog-i3E/s1600/IMG_1671.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7n1juGB8eMGlHHrmXPcLMFGmeDzZVMWlKQuiGd8XrAjj875YPDE5nCRpuQ4gIjYCDTNdCx_7hn2wMRsSOh9NXzy0Z9LoLsN-dXQDBV14U4CaDjpL-uuAYJyGYWBJwu8IU5LWVyog-i3E/s400/IMG_1671.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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Then we had dinner at City Creek and headed across the street to Temple Square to see the lights and beautiful statues. It was CRAZY crowded. Like, insanely so. But it was nice to see it all while we were there.<br />
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The whole time we were walking around Temple Square, McKay kept complaining that he had "0% energy." He took turns riding on Daddy and Uncle Spencer's shoulders. I guess he wasn't kidding--as soon as we got in the car and started driving he zonked out and didn't wake up again until morning! <br />
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It's safe to say that we tuckered our kids out pretty well. This is Annie the following morning as we were going through the Denver airport after our flight home:<br />
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We loved being able to spend time together as a family, as well as strengthen our relationships with our extended family. It was a great trip! </div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-12080834339984312082013-11-10T19:48:00.001-08:002013-11-10T19:48:36.234-08:00Getting RealChruch started out fabulously today. We had our annual primary program during Sacrament Meeting, an opportunity for our children ages 4-11 to share their testimonies through word and song. It was just beautiful. Our primary presidency chose to have the children write their own parts this year, and it was extra special to be able to hear them share testimony through their own words, rather than a scripted part. The music was wonderful. Both my boys were on the front row of the stand, and from where I was sitting in the congregation I could literally hear their individual little voices singing each of the songs. The icing on the cake for me was when my boys and Matt, along with a little girl and her aunt who will also soon be leaving on a mission, sang a medley of <i>I Hope they Call Me On a Mission</i> and <i>I Want to Be a Missionary Now.</i> It was Matt's last Sunday in our ward before he gets to become a full-time missionary and report at the MTC. Hearing and seeing him and my boys up there together destroyed me. I was kind of a wreck, but in a great way! It was so awesome!<br />
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But after Sacrament Meeting, things went down hill quickly. I was asked to help out in our nursery since they were short-handed today. I won't lie, it's not my favorite place to be. So when church was over I wasn't in my very best mood. Usually after church, the kids and I will go to the Bishop's office and check in with Adam, say a quick "hi" and "bye" before we take off. Since we usually don't see him until late in the evening, it's really the only couple minutes we get with him until late on Sunday. But Adam wasn't in his office after church, and we circled the building trying to find him. I was carting my Sunday bag, the diaper bag, and Annie--probably 40 pounds worth of kid and stuff. People kept asking me where my husband was, and I wanted to scream, "Do I LOOK like I know where my husband is?!" Once we finally located our guy, we had our rendezvous, I located my then-missing son, and we were on our way. So is it any wonder that I was feeling frazzled and just DONE? <br />
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We got out to the parking lot and McKay announced that he needed to use the bathroom. I was like, Nuh-uh. I am <i>so not</i> going back into that church buliding today. I told him he would have to hold it, that we would be home in five. He insisted that it was an <i>emergency. </i>Let me just tell you something about McKay...he loves public restrooms. So he often has "emergencies" while we are out so that he can check out a new bathroom. I was not falling for it today. I told him to hold tight, we would be home soon, and I proceeded to corral my brood into the van. <br />
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Well McKay, being McKay, stood in the middle of the van and said, "Fine. I'm going right now." I freaked out. I was envisioning urine-smelling carpet in my van for months to come. I screamed, "Get out of the car!" My thought process being, if he pees his pants, it will run onto the pavement and not onto my carpet. <br />
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The next thing I know, McKay has his pants around his ankles and he is "watering" the bushes on the median of the parking lot! And boy oh boy, did he spray those bushes down good! I was mortified!! All I could think of was, "Behold, Clarke Farms Ward, here is the Bishop's kid peeing in the parking lot! Let our family be a model and standard to you all!" Gah. McKay got back in the car and muttered, "I <i>told</i> you it was an emrgency." That boy. <br />
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This real moment has been brought to you by the Marchant family. Just in case you were incorrectly thinking that I have it all together.Megginhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/11743854924838526944noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-66839548943131765932013-11-03T20:59:00.001-08:002013-11-03T20:59:07.908-08:00Backtracking a Bit<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I was reading back over this year's blog entries this evening, and I have to admit that I felt sad about how much I have failed to record. I'm totally chalking it up to being a new bishop's wife, having a busy young family, and trying to help my awesome brother prepare for his mission. But, believe it or not, it has been NINE MONTHS now since Adam has been called, and I feel like I have figured out our new "normal", and am pretty well adjusted to this stage of life. </div>
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That being said, though I am nearly five months overdue, I wanted to blog about the half marathon I ran last June. It was kind of a big deal for me, not because it was a new experience or anything, but because I finally achieved my sub-2-hour goal that I have been chasing since 2010. </div>
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In <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2010/06/race.html">2010</a>, I finished in 2:00:42, just 43 seconds slower than my goal. I was ok with it, especially since it was my first time, but I knew I was going to run it again. So I did, in <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2011/06/rather-large-hiccup.html">2011</a>. That year was a bit of a disaster though. After having a major car break-down on the way to Utah the day before the race, not getting into town until super late, not eating the right foods and only getting a couple hours of sleep before running, it wasn't any real surprise that I couldn't perform at my best. I ran a 2:08:15. And though that was understandable considering the circumstances, it was way disappointing. Last year, <a href="http://www.adamandmeggin.blogspot.com/2012/06/welcome-to-world-baby-girl.html">2012</a>, I had a baby the day of the race! So I had to take a bye-year. </div>
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So this year I really felt like was the time! My strategy was a bit different this year: take off super fast through the first half of the race (down Provo Canyon), and give myself a comfortable cushion to take the second half of the race slower. I ran the first 7 miles down the canyon in about 53 minutes--easily the fastest 7 miles I have ever run! Then I slowed up and took the flat 6-mile stretch down University Avenue at a nice leisurely pace. It was a great strategy! I ran my best half marathon time ever!</div>
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My very favorite part of running in races is seeing my beautiful family at the finish line cheering me on. It is so symbolic to me--how as a family we are each other's biggest cheerleaders in life, and it never ceases to make me emotional. </div>
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And here's the proof that I finally accomplished my goal! (My official time was 1:57:35, I was a little slow stopping my watch.)<br />
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My mommy and me! Another one of my favorite things about running this race is that my mom has participated with me every year! <br />
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Just a week before Baby Girl's first birthday!<br />
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This year was the inaugural year for the Kids' 1K race after the marathon. My boys were both so, so excited to be able to run in their first road race! And it was pretty special to be able to have that experience with both of them!<br />
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Another awesome thing about racing: all the goodies at the end! My boys were totally loving the Jamba Juices!<br />
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The boys with their running partners: Tooge ran with Ty and Dad ran with McKay.<br />
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Now that I have hit that goal I am considering what to do next. Run it again and try for an even better time? Try a FULL marathon for my thirtieth birthday next year? Maybe give a triathlon a try? The jury is still out on that one!Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-19794915932322322482013-11-01T12:47:00.004-07:002013-11-01T12:47:56.718-07:00Happy Halloween!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Our Halloween this year was a hit. I went easy on the costumes--I actually bought both of the boys' last year after Halloween on clearance for 5 bucks. I'm pretty sure that neither boy has actually ever played Mario Brothers, but they were hugely excited to be them, nonetheless. </div>
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We had a mellow morning, and then Adam was able to come home and work from home in the afternoon while Annie napped so that I could go to the school and be in the boys' classrooms for their class parties. It was so fun to see them in the school setting--I don't get to be in either of their classrooms nearly as much as I would like to be because of Annie and her nap schedule.</div>
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After school, we headed to downtown Parker for the festivities they have there. We had heard it was a good time, but had never been down there on Halloween in all the years we have lived here. But it was a blast!! All of the businesses down Main Street had trick-or-treating, there were carnival games and bounce houses, a hay maze, and dressed-up characters the kids could get their pictutres taken with--and all for FREE. I cursed myself for having left my camera on the counter--where I had set it so I wouldn't forget it. AHHH!</div>
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My very favorite part of the entire day came while we were downtown and there was a dance company dancing on Main Street. They were doing simple dance moves that kids from the crowd could copy. Both my boys ran out into the street, right into the throng of dancers, and totally <i>rocked out.</i> I was laughing so hard at their totally lack of inhibition, and again could not <i>believe </i>that I didn't have a camera. But at least I have stored that memory into my heart in the place where I keep things that I will never, ever forget. Because it was a priceless moment.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAB5IVty_gK3aO9pde0r-LoIHogfqHIroaiagQQztRbzYWnIlSZ8jzgVW-3Qo07viw7-PALsg2aCf2ZHbd04Fc0vVepZSSMRcY1C4jFQ24ick43zmlOCLw3pllmMnOcWDUf7da_JVTg0/s1600/IMG_1528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGAB5IVty_gK3aO9pde0r-LoIHogfqHIroaiagQQztRbzYWnIlSZ8jzgVW-3Qo07viw7-PALsg2aCf2ZHbd04Fc0vVepZSSMRcY1C4jFQ24ick43zmlOCLw3pllmMnOcWDUf7da_JVTg0/s400/IMG_1528.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luigi</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHtXv_Cj0wVjyw3Pe3fZ16P9eg_x37ujMedPaZAIpIclncK0Yhaj2AuXEBNbGdDFunfjn7oaZWKcoaz9932jaW-T44-0VDLhezz1QdBk0Cn2GiBLtsI7FRZ9Dba44SEJQPRIWaVm19ck/s1600/IMG_1530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhsHtXv_Cj0wVjyw3Pe3fZ16P9eg_x37ujMedPaZAIpIclncK0Yhaj2AuXEBNbGdDFunfjn7oaZWKcoaz9932jaW-T44-0VDLhezz1QdBk0Cn2GiBLtsI7FRZ9Dba44SEJQPRIWaVm19ck/s400/IMG_1530.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luigi and Mario</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmno8qQhJNiasAzeem0AiwiGM0Uc1J9odM6UCwLmnNXeERlWl5Ka-hjVUYsigPO529jTMaI8uHRSfFXN6g6klneE2e-oqiDQSz4Mxd1QuClV-dw64jagZ0XkqsMLPeYzL1GuSn_05ixSc/s1600/IMG_1531.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhmno8qQhJNiasAzeem0AiwiGM0Uc1J9odM6UCwLmnNXeERlWl5Ka-hjVUYsigPO529jTMaI8uHRSfFXN6g6klneE2e-oqiDQSz4Mxd1QuClV-dw64jagZ0XkqsMLPeYzL1GuSn_05ixSc/s400/IMG_1531.jpg" width="266" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mario</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />And Annie was our little strawberry. She has been cutting her canine teeth the last couple days and has diarrhea and a bad diaper rash. So she was less than thrilled with her life.<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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But I DO love this picture of McKay trying to comfort her while she was crying her eyes out. <br />
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And this was the very best we got all night of all three kids together. You win some and lose some.<br />
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It also didn't help that every time I tried to get a good picture of Annie, Ty kept photo bombing! I asked him where he learned how to photo bomb and he said, "From Grammie!"<br />
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Fortunately, once we got out and about the neighborhood, Annie was happy as could be. I tried to get her to say "Trick or Treat" but she never did. Once she caught on that everyone was giving her candy, though, she would rub her chest (ASL for "please") and say "Bease!" at every door. Which was cute and probably more polite, anyway. :-) <br />
She choose suckers at every house that had them, and started on that huge orange tootsie pop with the wrapper still on sometime while we were still making the rounds. <br />
All the kids had a pretty good haul!<br />
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Even though these mustaches bothered the boys and they refused to wear them while we were out, I insited that they put them on for a minute to get a picture. They were just too cute not to!<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie and Her Daddy</td></tr>
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Uncle Spence came into town yesterday for a tennis conference that's in Denver this weekend. So he got to join in the trick or treating fun, too. And McKay needed to make sure that we got a picture of him. As soon as he took this photo, he said, "Great picture, Spence!" which cracked us up.<div>
Another adorbale anecdote: while we were going around the neighborhood, McKay grabbed Ty's hand and said, "Brothers are best buddies. So I will walk with Ty, and Dad, you walk with Spence." And every time Adam and Spence were not right next to each other, McKay would remind them: "Brothers stick together!" It was beyond cute. <br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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One last cute story: as the kids were sorting through their candy after we returned home, McKay saw a pack of fruit snacks in his pile. Fruit snacks are Annie's favorite thing in the world right now, and without saying a word to anyone, McKay walked over to Annie's candy bag and put his fruit snacks in her bag. It was no big deal to him; he didn't do it to get praise or attention, and that's why it was so sweet. He just has a golden little heart that I adore!</div>
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I was exhausted by day's end, but we had a really wonderful Halloween this year!</div>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-72415189641867558052013-10-28T21:13:00.001-07:002013-10-28T21:13:24.722-07:00A Little of Life Lately<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Which is code for lots of photos of Annie! Seriously, this little girl is so fun!</div>
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She is seriously sassy, though, too. Lately she has been making this scowly face, and though I have never been able to capture it perfectly on camera yet, it is adorable and hilarious! It always makes the recipient, whoever it may be, laugh.<br />
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She is not lacking at all in the personality department!<br />
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Grandma M sent a fun package for the kids for Halloween, and we loved the little witch headband for Annie. We were surprised she actually kept it on her head!<br />
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Love that little dimple!<br />
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Our kids had a week-long fall break, and one day some of our friends in our ward called and asked if the boys wanted to go to a fun park with them. They ended up running into <i>more</i> friends from our ward, and it sounds like everyone had a blast! Annie and I missed out--we were home napping. Which maybe means we didn't miss out so much after all. ;-)</div>
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Since we really didn't have any big plans for fall break this year, Adam took the Friday off of work so we could have some family time. Thursday night we went up to Northglenn, booked a hotel, took the family out to dinner, went swimming in the hotel pool, and jumped on the beds. The next day we went to Boondocks, a fun center right by where we stayed. It was an absolute blast!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dZw8nVCrsdjn6ZyuEpr3sVNgRw8AUXbkiI54FoqpDTO_c8lfmvS4BE6gMdQjK1hGk753ZfQ2aXkVNtH7AOr7lD4ifYYpbDVpbr1UVdYOMj8YjcHiyNkWKSYUS531FetgDsXyVNsFw4w/s1600/20131018_131235.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7dZw8nVCrsdjn6ZyuEpr3sVNgRw8AUXbkiI54FoqpDTO_c8lfmvS4BE6gMdQjK1hGk753ZfQ2aXkVNtH7AOr7lD4ifYYpbDVpbr1UVdYOMj8YjcHiyNkWKSYUS531FetgDsXyVNsFw4w/s400/20131018_131235.jpg" width="400" /></a></div>
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We went to an adults-only Halloween party with some friends last weekend. We were a little hard-pressed to think of costumes, so this was the best we came up with:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11caFQX1bbfTe0d2rzZGnUbAyjcHmzej8F_v7oSHdFWA6r6TH4OdlN7fCnV5fwb4y3pAV4e1iR7jnnhPnQsqf4v47EfRzAZAgyD10Xz4rz3IVy0R4Y1k2jtngxfP8dJIYPV2nhzQ-qhI/s1600/IMG_1498.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg11caFQX1bbfTe0d2rzZGnUbAyjcHmzej8F_v7oSHdFWA6r6TH4OdlN7fCnV5fwb4y3pAV4e1iR7jnnhPnQsqf4v47EfRzAZAgyD10Xz4rz3IVy0R4Y1k2jtngxfP8dJIYPV2nhzQ-qhI/s400/IMG_1498.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
Adam thought I have never looked better. :-) I told him not to get used to it!<br />
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I am 100% obsessed with these spriggy little piggy tails that Annie has been sporting lately. She is totally growing a mullet, so we often put pig tails in to make it look presentable!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsDbIh4ejU2HXAewSpFzN8KA7zIcFgVKUUdK5hhRqr7g641XCz4cD4JlwnLbA3XO7GcTTdreoj9KSfDb18c27fJJsHTpJ1Fc-imO3P0MEG7Y-qIorDbVaBjMI46xzQ442Gmp6z-60lIQ/s1600/IMG_1499.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihsDbIh4ejU2HXAewSpFzN8KA7zIcFgVKUUdK5hhRqr7g641XCz4cD4JlwnLbA3XO7GcTTdreoj9KSfDb18c27fJJsHTpJ1Fc-imO3P0MEG7Y-qIorDbVaBjMI46xzQ442Gmp6z-60lIQ/s400/IMG_1499.jpg" width="285" /></a></div>
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And here's a couple of my two little people jumping on my un-made bed as I did my hair this morning. I miss Ty so, so much while he is gone at school, but the time with just these two is a lot of fun, too.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ6Px601U3hTrDvdCM-W5is9C44vpfeaUszU7mwZtiaXf7g5EVh4gMIjMfEXLRSPcLyPwEp110IaA7Ivwy2n7LpmSFfecz3vbM8A13ffbjOKMk_g7Ma8NkdJNhoQKYDePgq_diPVzO6Y/s1600/IMG_1505.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgnQ6Px601U3hTrDvdCM-W5is9C44vpfeaUszU7mwZtiaXf7g5EVh4gMIjMfEXLRSPcLyPwEp110IaA7Ivwy2n7LpmSFfecz3vbM8A13ffbjOKMk_g7Ma8NkdJNhoQKYDePgq_diPVzO6Y/s400/IMG_1505.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0lNsKeclKAI1tlAqWJmla8PNhl6uLsgPNmjZv2L2Gi-PtLZ8g6pZR4MwObCanDSsL9nTDcuujKCtGrCyDv9H3yKIjWmnMU8WEUVqy-EAKPd46HpymhPLLke-xs3ZMoCuUxTQIveKIcU/s1600/IMG_1506.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="285" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgj0lNsKeclKAI1tlAqWJmla8PNhl6uLsgPNmjZv2L2Gi-PtLZ8g6pZR4MwObCanDSsL9nTDcuujKCtGrCyDv9H3yKIjWmnMU8WEUVqy-EAKPd46HpymhPLLke-xs3ZMoCuUxTQIveKIcU/s400/IMG_1506.JPG" width="400" /></a></div>
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My cute friend, Evelyn knitted this sweater for Annie before she was born. It's still a little big, but it <i>almost </i>fits!<br />
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And tonight was our annual FHE pumpkin carving contest. We have a system: Adam guts and I carve, and the kids "help" where they can. These were fully the kids ideas, except of course the Minnie Mouse. Annie loves Minnie right now, so it seemed like the right choice for her!<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkoi8coOcbPFaCUx-4VVQH-ftcQfec4F86I7gnC3M1vWBN0Nnl2FvglHOtoHrfkUcvM7Y-RdvzfG-b0uFbK_3BwGG3bNPgG11z4UnwCSzH6Pj8vy__ECdH1Oa0LUHT_EgxtkJGVlFpOU/s1600/IMG_1513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiqkoi8coOcbPFaCUx-4VVQH-ftcQfec4F86I7gnC3M1vWBN0Nnl2FvglHOtoHrfkUcvM7Y-RdvzfG-b0uFbK_3BwGG3bNPgG11z4UnwCSzH6Pj8vy__ECdH1Oa0LUHT_EgxtkJGVlFpOU/s400/IMG_1513.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">McKay: Batman logo</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wgVP6OhyBZqCWQLpmcxy95WPlBxLLn10rp0uFOV8d9rmbra2k28kddh8lYOzpkNFrjAJWMjgknbhAadQk67hL2qA3ktmgIvEww6kD7_uKh7Mqoymn4iJ6-QPaQkSEw8t0oUkAOxAM0w/s1600/IMG_1514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4wgVP6OhyBZqCWQLpmcxy95WPlBxLLn10rp0uFOV8d9rmbra2k28kddh8lYOzpkNFrjAJWMjgknbhAadQk67hL2qA3ktmgIvEww6kD7_uKh7Mqoymn4iJ6-QPaQkSEw8t0oUkAOxAM0w/s400/IMG_1514.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ty: Ironman<span class="Apple-style-span" style="font-size: small;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbw7S3A7G-sNXJvSu_pfgW3M0ffpFAnFABg3GVxfrPjQzSMPqo90lOHyPhFrZzr9Egejk3zq30AvF84JLW63-lrP28anQ_Gr2FlpMsW2gzRxQ82Lvbr3R7vmKLqL8vtzF4fWUc4Ld-GI/s1600/IMG_1516.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHbw7S3A7G-sNXJvSu_pfgW3M0ffpFAnFABg3GVxfrPjQzSMPqo90lOHyPhFrZzr9Egejk3zq30AvF84JLW63-lrP28anQ_Gr2FlpMsW2gzRxQ82Lvbr3R7vmKLqL8vtzF4fWUc4Ld-GI/s400/IMG_1516.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Annie: Minnie Mouse</td></tr>
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Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-38145001650862370302013-10-05T20:34:00.001-07:002013-10-05T20:37:09.523-07:00My Latest and Greatest<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
Here are the photos of my latest project: my master bathroom cabinet re-finish. The before pictures were taken 4+ years ago before we bought our house, but the bathroom has pretty much looked the same since we moved in.</div>
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Before:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-oqJxtiOcVWd3AB0duz1la9_DL_1hv4O1PEPw_Ml1Ik9FJe92O1Jttqj1GvOhU8aCvxDdqW-6AcSJLvT26bq_9X0XpZvCWsHa7iFZvGtEpvi2vehMGKVv_bLa19Awc42Ppigz-SDmiM/s1600/STA72298.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiF-oqJxtiOcVWd3AB0duz1la9_DL_1hv4O1PEPw_Ml1Ik9FJe92O1Jttqj1GvOhU8aCvxDdqW-6AcSJLvT26bq_9X0XpZvCWsHa7iFZvGtEpvi2vehMGKVv_bLa19Awc42Ppigz-SDmiM/s320/STA72298.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7BkUgeonjLQWG5idA6_CswChgxDIlMSJzEV5Dh64OGD17q93FIJoj8gWpkJSn5kKIfw-GliwQSWo9MSbJDhHLp1aCB_Fzcpl4U3sABt-YNmOEC69zEcdyv6MB-g_nBF47kBj7RF33Z8/s1600/IMG_1461.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjs7BkUgeonjLQWG5idA6_CswChgxDIlMSJzEV5Dh64OGD17q93FIJoj8gWpkJSn5kKIfw-GliwQSWo9MSbJDhHLp1aCB_Fzcpl4U3sABt-YNmOEC69zEcdyv6MB-g_nBF47kBj7RF33Z8/s320/IMG_1461.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Before:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCBlphvlyhx2pl6yPkeLRG1gxeq2CuLf6eriaPEHtw7jvj2BOvO9CJhrHODzmjPAAeakWc1ABnzoo1M-9jJ0KsUNFJgil3mkFmYfB7TGPHu-BV4RSffbXemHZw6YhKyPsBC-Y1VjtVBU/s1600/STA72295.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQCBlphvlyhx2pl6yPkeLRG1gxeq2CuLf6eriaPEHtw7jvj2BOvO9CJhrHODzmjPAAeakWc1ABnzoo1M-9jJ0KsUNFJgil3mkFmYfB7TGPHu-BV4RSffbXemHZw6YhKyPsBC-Y1VjtVBU/s320/STA72295.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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After:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnPp9I_7cUL4iYcA-PHLfRXuhlU0YkwZwbr4cQmn8dRZi_uku7bXApoivNykVFgUGKL2J4eua15McAmTBYTWdgnwdGJoD0FhHnEQRU2is-8M9yao83QCkElOlsSW03qSVfYgYd_I3z9c/s1600/IMG_1463.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpnPp9I_7cUL4iYcA-PHLfRXuhlU0YkwZwbr4cQmn8dRZi_uku7bXApoivNykVFgUGKL2J4eua15McAmTBYTWdgnwdGJoD0FhHnEQRU2is-8M9yao83QCkElOlsSW03qSVfYgYd_I3z9c/s320/IMG_1463.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And a few close-ups of the cabinets:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L76eI0OIDYMSJvyERTH1ybGEoIy3Cg-lh5kKQkUP0_3OiHlvIC1gzDne4XtQN04lgLoHkhFqmT469suvXpuWWBCMjDnW_Fg9TEIB-vh9LHNSFsGSwNi-k7Yg3woF1kDD_mw2oIQQ9as/s1600/IMG_1471.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="207" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh1L76eI0OIDYMSJvyERTH1ybGEoIy3Cg-lh5kKQkUP0_3OiHlvIC1gzDne4XtQN04lgLoHkhFqmT469suvXpuWWBCMjDnW_Fg9TEIB-vh9LHNSFsGSwNi-k7Yg3woF1kDD_mw2oIQQ9as/s320/IMG_1471.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2Nw7v32G1soJfPERddZv9vso0yTivoY9y3i0QWWy8ySxzxC6ClFoBi6Dl4fawfCLYqWefQl817cSBG6pi65qQVd-zjFJpvBxlgTEGYPovTl8Ofk2AzSAtHvzh1vm0MOdpdqKpYgok-I/s1600/IMG_1473.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhz2Nw7v32G1soJfPERddZv9vso0yTivoY9y3i0QWWy8ySxzxC6ClFoBi6Dl4fawfCLYqWefQl817cSBG6pi65qQVd-zjFJpvBxlgTEGYPovTl8Ofk2AzSAtHvzh1vm0MOdpdqKpYgok-I/s320/IMG_1473.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUfCkBCg71gMYcKj1B_GByMLwrwo5XdMvkymEhwd5PjmWB6wT70ZcoyTi1AQ84cAc1Ea0cHXrwwyVeBN4BojGtu28tPKdSMD7Gs0wrB0HLG5ZrUVnV_KbE_cuYOb2uswyyoU2NJlGuPc/s1600/IMG_1474.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxUfCkBCg71gMYcKj1B_GByMLwrwo5XdMvkymEhwd5PjmWB6wT70ZcoyTi1AQ84cAc1Ea0cHXrwwyVeBN4BojGtu28tPKdSMD7Gs0wrB0HLG5ZrUVnV_KbE_cuYOb2uswyyoU2NJlGuPc/s320/IMG_1474.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I seriously LOVE the way the cabinets turned out. Last night at about 1:30 AM, after I finished hinging and re-hanging the doors for the <i>second </i>time (long story), I took a long look and thought, "Yeah. I just did that." I really enjoy the feeling that comes with improving things. </div>
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Oh, and this project cost a grand total of $34 ($12 for black hinges and $22 for knobs). The black paint was leftover from the dresser project. I originally planned on using the leftover hardware I still had from my kitchen reno, too, but unfortunately the pulls were too wide. So it was slightly more than I had anticipated paying (always is!), but still super cheap for a project like this.</div>
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My next idea is to pull out the formica countertops and sinks and replace them with a gray granite counter and modern, raised-square, white sinks. Adam isn't really on board with that idea, since it would probably become HIS project more than MINE, and I probably won't push it too hard. He kind of has a lot of other things going on right now! </div>
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And Grandma, I know you are probably tired of seeing pictures of my house and not your grankids! I will post pictures of them soon!</div>
Anonymoushttp://www.blogger.com/profile/02057224772266951048noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3379511432726597271.post-64254305316100790872013-09-07T14:12:00.000-07:002013-09-07T14:22:50.524-07:00DIY Dresser Project<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
I love a good home project. Unfortunately, I haven't done one in quite a while. Warm weather is ideal, because when you have to spend a fair amount of time in the garage, it's preferable not to freeze to death. And since last summer I had a newborn, the timing wasn't right to get anything major done. About a month ago, we finally bought a king-size bed, which I have been wishing for for <i>ages. </i>And since we got all new bedding, I decided the time was right to finally re-do our bedroom furniture.</div>
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Our dressers and nightstand were given to us as newlyweds. And we were thrilled to have something, anything, to put our clothes in! Our meager student budget didn't allow for new bedroom furniture! But even when we received them eight years ago, they were a bit outdated. I have so been wanting to switch these up for a long time!</div>
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Before:</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP0BWUB2sFSkMhoZD5s7g8wucg-zt-7FANb566OsJvTlUL7D-k-FFWqlUaiEcQ1bBGIxUJ_EmJA8A9pL6iOZLsMRVGxkRXWoY4Lm-WwjTj_TxDJMsakptXQkqvue4yYTYV1XnR2DFhu8/s1600/IMG_1411.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgdP0BWUB2sFSkMhoZD5s7g8wucg-zt-7FANb566OsJvTlUL7D-k-FFWqlUaiEcQ1bBGIxUJ_EmJA8A9pL6iOZLsMRVGxkRXWoY4Lm-WwjTj_TxDJMsakptXQkqvue4yYTYV1XnR2DFhu8/s320/IMG_1411.jpg" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Honey oak finish with broken, missing, and otherwise dated knobs.</td></tr>
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After:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TNsShyphenhyphen3nEPVaLLyVIgIvwjRHRGi-ntDVFuqCriATgRDDOQqCbWBLzGFpxAMcdoUSqD-wWPv8Hm-9J0dyM5tmvxvLEcXggEtc-e7plvpXZ_QVgu6F_-BilY1VQ30ygeTHh6fiGwAsFSw/s1600/IMG_1417.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5TNsShyphenhyphen3nEPVaLLyVIgIvwjRHRGi-ntDVFuqCriATgRDDOQqCbWBLzGFpxAMcdoUSqD-wWPv8Hm-9J0dyM5tmvxvLEcXggEtc-e7plvpXZ_QVgu6F_-BilY1VQ30ygeTHh6fiGwAsFSw/s320/IMG_1417.jpg" width="180" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Black finish with glass knobs.</td></tr>
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I totally forgot to take before photos of Adam's dresser and nightstand, but you get the idea. They were pretty much identical to the before photo of my dresser.<br />
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After:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcen460k35NAvoDeLXwv6MXVpSVYMUfpXkttsgOJu8UDHgd7Lj3mGzFzCQwcD1KuGwpbpM3Q73jt0Mn1MSwVAFForQy_mI_RIcnKytpuCk6NtTOZLgksG604EkJRDMzhnmLsTXy4P14o/s1600/IMG_1421.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAcen460k35NAvoDeLXwv6MXVpSVYMUfpXkttsgOJu8UDHgd7Lj3mGzFzCQwcD1KuGwpbpM3Q73jt0Mn1MSwVAFForQy_mI_RIcnKytpuCk6NtTOZLgksG604EkJRDMzhnmLsTXy4P14o/s320/IMG_1421.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JPch4wv-guebT6Nvucw08DPOM055j2APnbHBE8m9WazVaEIKZYOPM89zJJOsxJlzq29e_BxfDNIuVBDqbwhuVQxJJt_Z89kOs5i2jVJLIX6VB4vsMyCz1YsG9QPH41iXuMeRCSL24as/s1600/IMG_1422.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0JPch4wv-guebT6Nvucw08DPOM055j2APnbHBE8m9WazVaEIKZYOPM89zJJOsxJlzq29e_BxfDNIuVBDqbwhuVQxJJt_Z89kOs5i2jVJLIX6VB4vsMyCz1YsG9QPH41iXuMeRCSL24as/s320/IMG_1422.jpg" width="180" /></a></div>
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I pretty much only buy hardware on Amazon, because it's so expensive to buy in a home improvement store. These drawer knobs were no exception. In my mind, I had a vision of a really cool vintage round, glass knob. The ones I wanted were $6 a pop at Home Depot. I was able to get these ones off Amazon for $28 for all 20, with shipping included. And since I had 2 free $10 Amazon gift cards, I only paid $8 bucks TOTAL out of pocket.<br />
But when they showed up, I was disappointed. They were not at all what I had in mind. They were small, for one thing. And the real kicker was that they were a round <i>diamond-cut</i> glass knob. Not the vision I had for this furniture at all. <br />
But I drilled them in, just to see how they looked. And you know, even though it's not quite what I pictured, it was ok. I was still too cheap to pay $120 just for hardware. So we went with it. I was worried Adam would think they were too feminine, but he liked them. Or at least he <i>said</i> he liked them so I wouldm't spend more money on replacements. Ha, ha!<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHzDVUHOQEWHmNVXGaX-tynK2s81O2awEug5ZDwQpua4eYgj8fKu6n_7TFcNp8a0YnRoTG35pU3O5Lx_59oISRD0Snd2FpI8aSQD1T6H1GZ7ntBqdO0EtrQJZK_oaCZYi716iVit1VIY/s1600/IMG_1420.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="213" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHzDVUHOQEWHmNVXGaX-tynK2s81O2awEug5ZDwQpua4eYgj8fKu6n_7TFcNp8a0YnRoTG35pU3O5Lx_59oISRD0Snd2FpI8aSQD1T6H1GZ7ntBqdO0EtrQJZK_oaCZYi716iVit1VIY/s320/IMG_1420.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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This side table we actually found with a "free" sign on it in someone's driveway a couple years back. I had Adam pull over immediately and load it into the back of the Santa Fe. I forgot to take a "before" picture of it, too, but it was the same honey oak color as the other furniture.<br />
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After:<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74L7VlJAag7075LY4ejMzQY5coIWQQJy1-wd3jZJ8YOS9ELZ2FHkdBldpL9RcTkzSnMAgI5se5fncSq926brblL0iEugt5sjGTc_qWqbRM668l1BxxGJIGWp9_OBc2p8jWe5EKlrHIfY/s1600/IMG_1423.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh74L7VlJAag7075LY4ejMzQY5coIWQQJy1-wd3jZJ8YOS9ELZ2FHkdBldpL9RcTkzSnMAgI5se5fncSq926brblL0iEugt5sjGTc_qWqbRM668l1BxxGJIGWp9_OBc2p8jWe5EKlrHIfY/s320/IMG_1423.jpg" width="213" /></a></div>
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And here's a picture of the new bed, just to get a feel for the flow of the whole room.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8I3iOPf1-tIP0up4RzAioe8Os8nT4uef4i3lkYw0fy-BczfTDZjHhsGT8ZRJQp_drNZ7ya_gDvhIOMsOi6gkdn8AG_8pdwnLe8Ch7e9WkQwXnvacq9Rgnr5dIjwae1v772IvXdEYDxU/s1600/IMG_1425.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjr8I3iOPf1-tIP0up4RzAioe8Os8nT4uef4i3lkYw0fy-BczfTDZjHhsGT8ZRJQp_drNZ7ya_gDvhIOMsOi6gkdn8AG_8pdwnLe8Ch7e9WkQwXnvacq9Rgnr5dIjwae1v772IvXdEYDxU/s320/IMG_1425.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Actually the thing that I felt the most accomplished about in this whole project was fixing the broken tracks on the bottom of three of the drawers. I thought I would maybe delegate that to Adam, but it turns out I could do it. I have a decidedly un-feminie love of having a drill in hand!</div>
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Cost breakdown: I paid about $40 for paint and supplies and $8 for the hardware. So a total bedroom makeover for about $50!</div>
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Also, this project inspired my next one: master bath reno! I have enough black paint leftover from the dressers to paint the cabinets, and tons of extra brushes and rollers. When I madeover the kitchen three years ago, I ordered cabinet hardware in bulk, and I have the EXACT number of pulls leftover from that project to use in the master bath. So I can re-do the bathroom for only the cost of new hinges for the doors, probably about $10. Stay tuned!</div>
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