Winner Winner :)

and it's...

Kelsey  with her extra entry for posting it on her blog :)

Sweet! I'll be getting your address and mailing it to you soon! Thanks you guys for entering! Next week we'll be having Giveaway 2 & 3 (cuz well I never win at giveaways and I thought it'd be fun to give more people a chance to win) So stay close :)

Thanks+Giving Week Giveaway 1• Headband Ear Warmer

I love Blogging-- and a big part of that reason is because of the amazing people I've been able to meet and get to know more about through blogs-- I can't tell you how many times I've read through the comments that are left and how they have just made my day and made me so happy! here are  some of my favorites :) and there are so many more---

 Calise said...I just found your blog through the CSI Project (The table turned out beautiful, not picnic-tabley whatsoever :D) and I have a serious blogcrush now. I was scrolling through your posts, saving everything in sight, then I saw this post and was filled with glee since I was scouring the internet just earlier today for good pettiskirt tutorials and yours is so straightforward. Whew, getting long-winded. Anyway I wanted to compliment you on the blog and tell you I will be following with girlish anticipation.

:D Calise

 Ana White said...Ali, your work needs to be in magazines! This table is absolutely beautiful! 

 Christina said...That is so funny. I'll never get the pink hammer:( Just so you know, I linked to you from Knock Off Wood and have spent the last hour+ reading your blog. I just seemed to connect with you on so many different levels so I kept reading and reading. We have a lot in common. Based on a couple things I read, we may have even lived close once (I live in Ucon,ID). Anyway, didn't want you creeped out in case you noticed a stranger viewing your blog for such a long time. Good luck with #3. It was a hard adjustment for me, but it's so wonderful now:) BTW- LOVE the bed. I'm going to have my hubby make one for our toddler boy this summer. Can't wait.

 The Special K's(0: said... Love it love it love it. And even better when it's for FREEEEEEE (loved that movie too, btw). So much light! Your sweet family has worked so hard, and it turned out AWESOME! Way to be(0:

You Guys are awesome! So my small way of saying thanks is to have some giveaways this week cuz' it is Thanksgiving isn't it. So I'm going to be GIVING in order to THANK :) ya get it right :)

Giveaway Number 1 is......This soft, warm, chic Headband earwarmer!

Because it did this here this week-- ugh Snow!

To Enter:

Leave a comment telling me one of your favorite things to do when it snows :)

{open only to US and Canadian residents :( and please make sure I'll be able to email you for your address}


-----Ends November 19th all winners for the week will be announced on Sat. the 20th-----

and if you want to double your chances steal this button and blog or facebook about it with a link back

The Basement Update

What I have been doing............../where have I been......... / is it ever going to end................

- Installed Kitchen Cabinets 

- Layed flooring + Cut Baseboard

  Make mess- clean mess- make mess- clean mess :)

Tile-- ugh oh the tile-- and we still have to grout :)

and Painting now-- :) who said this was gonna be fun- Cuz it feels like it's taking forever

I guess it hasn't all been bad-- it's made me so frustrated with how slow it's been going I finally got the courage to dye my hair dark-- Hey it was something I could change and get some instant gratification from and I kinda like it:)

So sorry my blog's been well prolly boring but this project has literally taken over my life-- and I guess it's a good thing cuz' we do need a place to live :)

Fall leaves!

One of the Reasons we love Idaho is being close to Family! For FHE we decided to go and serve grandma & grandpa by going and raking up their leaves! The Kids Loved it!

 Payton jumped right to work and wouldn't share the rake with anyone :) 

 even Ellie chipped in :)

 and yes I know this picture is beyond blurry thanks to the fact that literally it was dark and I only had my rebee with me who doesn't handle low light as well-- but I still love it- it captures bryn to a T.

 Dad had to bring out the big guns cuz' it was getting dark and man there were a lot of leaves!

of course we had to jump in the leaves 2! It was Dark but so much fun I even jumped in :)

and yes I was finding leaves where they shouldn't have been all the rest of the night :)

and to end my sweet sweet Ellieana! I love this girl! What were we thinking  when we thought of stopping at two! Crazy :)

Momma knows Best

So it kind of is a rare occurance that my mom actually reads my blog-- I know kinda weird--- but now that I'm living at her house she really see's no reason to :) but today she got on to look at a picture of her new grandkids and made my day by saying that she loved this picture and this picture ect ect :)

So because my mom made my day and because she said she'd love these pics on her wall I'm sharing them with you to Download- Print- and well do whatever you'd like with them {except please no commercial use}

 This is my Favorite pic-- and will probably be on my background forever cuz it makes me so happy -I don't know why I'm such a sucker for white flowers but I so swoon over them :)

You will need to click on the pic which will take you to the full res size where you'll magnify to it's greatest size and than right click save :) Hopefully you'll enjoy them

Before & After Recent little projects {Dresser, Bed, & Chair}

Little Projects--- cuz' well I don't have space right now for the big projects and I know craigslist has been missing me-- it calls to me everynight and I ignore it and go cry into my pillow-- oh Colorado's Craigslist how I miss you so-- :)

Anyways so I am almost positive I took some more pictures of these projects but ya I may not have who knows I'm pretty sure I've lost all my brain now with my third-- there is no retention abilities left

So the only before picture I have of my little newborn bed prop

It was well okay-- a bit to much gold going on for me and I really wanted a more vintage looking bed so.......

The after-- and I love it-- If only it was a little bit bigger I'd go cuddle up with a good book on it :)

and the chair-- I found at D.I. in Utah for $2 and I have absolutely no before pics--- just use your imagination and picture GOLD-- lots of gold--- 

I tried to get Brynley to be my model on it but alas she was sick of pictures--ya it happens sometimes.

And my last before and after is my favorite Dresser in the whole wide world-- I named her Delila :) She's been done for along time now but for some reason I never took her picture-- she's my Craft dresser and holds all my ribbon and hairbow making stuff, and craft paint and ya lots of yummy fun stuff. 

Before:  Once again a already into the project picture-- I get a  little anxious to start-- anyhow she was oil based white paint all over-- and it was blotchy and dirty and yellowing so I stripped her {oh my} 

The After:

I love her sides-

and the knobs-- :) I've loved glass knobs for a while and found these at hobby lobby and from than on she became my delila-- my oh so petite girly dresser :) come on I can't be the only one who names her furniture right?

Halloween

It was fun, rushed, a little stressful for mom aka me, glad it's over, glad the kids liked it. The end. period :)

Really I'm secretly glad it's over-- but I knew I'd better blog about it for my kids cuz' when it boils down to it this is more of my journal than anything else---

First off was the costumes-- Payton wanted to be toothless- sweet hey walmart, check-- wait what they can't wear masks to pretty much anything hmmmmmmm hmmmmmmm hmmmmmm an hour later walking around walmart I find a toothless beanie cap-- sweet double duty- halloween and a winter hat :) now I just have to convince Brynley that she just really really wants to be a princess again :)

Toothless worked out-- the boy so happy at school parade---

Brynley content at school parade dressed up in princess skirt-- although she was a little confused at why to clapp when they walked by :) she did say to the people standing next to us though "my brother looked so cute"-- ha ha ha he he

But now after seeing all the costumes she wants to be Tinkerbell-- ahhh which she had been hinting at all week-- "mom I want to be tinkerbell" no no you don't want to be tinkerbell-- pretty princess's all the way-princess, princess, princess. no? Dang--Dave, Dave can you after work go over to walmart and look for a tinkerbell costume---please pretty pretty please with lots of sugar on top.

He came home with this-- Brynley knew it wasn't tinkerbell but luckily she's still young enough we can sell her on how stinkin cool and cute this one is and I'll even do her hair like tinkerbell's and put leaves and ribbons in it-- yay! :)

and Hey we didn't slack all the way we did carve pumpkins-- " Hey Jake and Jenni so well we thought it'd be fun to hang out and carve pumpkins since we have no house though were gonna invite ourselves over to yours :) 

and it was a ton of fun! Kaytee even showed up so we could steal all her pumpkin carving stuff and leave her left to sit on the floor with the crappy knife :)  

good old yummy pumpkin guts :0

Payton had Dave carve something similar to toothless-- 

and well Brynley got left with my less than spectacular caving abilities and sadly we forgot tea lights 2 :)

but hey we aren't dumb- we know how to light those things up in other ways :)

Ultimately we know what it's all about-- Eating Lots of yummy Candy and ending the night hanging out with family! now those are some good times!

House Help

So we are planning on building in the spring and I've dreamed of building our final house for years-- I've drawn up plans and had even the kitchen cabinets planned down to the exact layout and dimensions for each cabinet-- {let's just say I had a lot of time on my hands when my kids were babies and I had never heard of a blog yet :)}

but now that it is time to actually really seriously get down to business about this I am so undecided and I don't know what I want--- ahhhhhh--- well I know what I want but I don't know all at the same time :) My ideas and likes have changed over the years and this is a home that I am going to be living YEARS in and I'm a little worried about the changes in life, for instance- right now my kids want to be close to me but I'm sure as teens they are going to want to be far from mom and dads room as possible--  and the other thing is is I do not, do not, do not, want a big big house. I don't like them I don't like vaulted ceilings and wasted space and don't like having a dining room that you eat in only once or twice a year- I don't need a gourmet kitchen cuz' hey I sure am not a gourmet cook I just want a moderate sized comfortable (warm and inviting) home :)

I know I like the craftsman bungalow outside style of a home-- with the big porches and the top stories built into the roof-- {my hubby still shakes his head over this but I love the look of older homes I just don't so much like the oldness of older homes :)}

I also know that I really really would like a white kitchen with wood accents and a bar island-- these pictures make me swoon looking at them--  I probably wouldn't have my kitchen as big as some of these but ya their yummy

I know I want a mudroom/command center area--of course -- I think I'd die without one

and I want lots of details and bookcases ect.

and for complete randomness I really really want a blue door like this :)

See I know some things :) but some of the things I have ?'s with is.............

~ would you ever have your kids sleep on a different level than you when they're young

~ If you have a family room on your main floor and one in your basement doesn't one of them pretty much become neglected and just more of a formal room kinda wasted space? or do you love having two of them

~ and a desk in the kitchen-- Love need Hate?

and my Uncles favorite quotation "Opinions are like butt cracks- everyone has one" So I'm inviting you to share them-- not so much your cracks though- you can spare me and you the embarresment- but your opinions-- I really want to know--

What would you be putting in your dream house?

{ps. I have no rights to any of these pictures and sadly I don't know where I got them from they've just been randomly collected over the years and put in my house inspiration file-- so if they're yours and you want credit just tell me and I'll add it}