More mini house facelift

Last night at about 10:30 p.m. I started to get antsy  waiting for Bryce to come home and decided to do something productive. So I grabbed a few tools and started to attack the entryway floor. Now I like my house, but the entry drives me nuts! It is only big enough for one maybe two people, but you can't open or close the door with more than one person in it. Its tiny, and frustrating when you are trying to welcome people into the house. Well I can't do anything to make it bigger, but I can make it look prettier.

So with Bentley looking over my shoulders and giving me looks like, "Are you sure you should be ripping that up?" "Shouldn't we wait for Bryce to come  home?" I ripped and scraped and tore up the ugly flooring. And guess what is underneath it? Even uglier flooring!! (We did find yet another of the nastiest looking vinyl too, but decided to just go right over it)

Then this morning with Bryce's help we laid down the new flooring. I decided to go with a dark flagstone looking tile.

Now I think Bentley has decided it was a good idea

In other news, Friday night I was coming home from work extremely crabby. I had worked like mad at the church and was exhausted. Normally on Fridays I am home by 4:00 and have everything done for the upcoming service. This week I hadn't even started my normal duties by 7:00 pm and just annoyed with life. So I drive home in a not so happy mood and open the door and was greeted by these two handsome gentlemen.

Bryce had made a delicious candlelight dinner, had classical music playing, and transformed the house into a beautiful restaurant. My mood instantly lifted and I was so grateful for such a thoughtful and wonderful husband.

Thanks for letting me brag a little!

Bathroom Facelift

 Bryce and I decided that we wanted to do a little work to spruce up the upstairs bath. This one is used by all our guests, and even though we did a lot of work on it a year ago, it still needed a face lift.

So here are the before pictures:

Bryce sanded down the vanity, getting it ready for it's new color...

 Ripped up the existing flooring. Goodbye cheap looking vinyl

 even the inside of the medicine cabinet got in on the action, no more rust spots!!!

And here it is, new paint on the walls, new stain on the vanity, new floor and I love it!

Perfect Sunday Afternoon

Football and naps,

A perfect Sunday afternoon for these two!

Ten on Tuesday

 I hope you all had a wonderful Christmas! We sure did, it was marvelous but I am sure enjoying being back in my own house and taking a lazy morning. Well I am, Bryce is busy taking apart things so we can make them better (pictures to come) 

Here is the Ten questions I know you are dying to know about me!!! Taken from this website

1. What was the number one item on your Christmas wishlist?
A sewing machine. I don't have a certain project in mind right now to work on, just want to have one to be able to use in those situations that come up that you really need one.

2. Did you get the number one item on your Christmas wishlist?

I did! My husband gave it to me. I had told him what to get, and then it was delivered in the middle of December in a clear plastic bag, just sitting on the front steps when I came home one day. So it wasn't a hue surprise. He did manage to fool me though. He took the machine out of the box and hid it in one of the spare bedrooms and filled the box with other pampering things. So I open the gift and fake act surprised, and then he told me to look inside and it wasn't a sewing machine. He brought that out later. Not only that, I got a sewing machine case from my grandparents, and my in-laws gave me an adorable case for all my sewing tools they gave me, I am set! To top it all off, my parents gave me a nook, which I didn't even know was on the top part of my wish list, but it is great and I can't wait to really play with it and learn what all I can do on it.

3. How long has it been since you’ve had a pedicure?
I've only ever had one, and that was so long ago probably 4 years ago or so. I would much rather have a manicure than people playing with my feet.

4. How cold is it in your city today?
It is a whole 25 degrees today and it feels great! It was so cold back in MN this weekend that this feels like a heat wave.

5. How many pillows do you sleep with?
Two, always two.

6. Can you roll your tongue?
Roll it and flip it!

7. Do you always buy the same mascara or do you try new ones each tube?

I don't have any brand loyalties when buying mascara. It all depends on how much I feel like spending that day. If I want to splurge I go with Maxx Factor, and if I feel like being cheap I'll grab Rimmel. Most of the time I'm somewhere in between.

8. What’s your favorite cookbook?
I love using Recipezaar online. Its great. But if I want a tried and true good old Norwegian hot dish or cookies I turn to my hometown's church cookbook they put out years ago. I know so many of the people that submitted recipes that it makes it feel like you're cooking with them.

9. What was your first pet?
I honestly don't remember. We always had barn cats around and a dog. The one that was always loved when i was little was Fluffy, my gray barn cat. She was amazing, loved to ride on my shoulders, when she was about to have kittens she would sit at the front steps and meow so I would come down to the barn with her, and just so lovable.

10. Do you wear jewelry on a daily basis?
I always wear my wedding ring, and lately I've been wearing one of my Claddagh rings. If I feel like dressing up I'll maybe put on a necklace or earring in. 

Ten on Tuesday

Well its Tuesday again, so here are 10 random things about me.

( once again the questions came from Chelsea over at this website)

1. Growing up, what was one favorite item that you had to have with you at all times?

When I was really little I had my Mockey, a blanket of my sister Liv's that I stole and claimed as my own. I wore that thing out to just the embroidered edges. 

2. Being an adult, what is one favorite item that you have to have with you at all times, and what happens if you do not have it with you? Do you lose your sanity or just go back home to get it?

Hair Ties. Not so much anymore now that I have shorter hair, so maybe now it is bobby pins. I can't stand when my hair is in my face and I don't have anything to pull it back with. I don't think I would go back for it, but it sure would drive me nuts.

3. Where is your favorite place to be to just hide away from everything and breathe for a moment?

Ronnevik Lake Cabin. A.M.A.Z.I.N.G. There isn't a place that is more suited to just getting away from everything and letting go.

4. What is your favorite thing about your partner? (If you don’t have a partner, then someone who is very close and will always be in your life)

How do you pick one thing? Bryce is full of wonderfulness. I love his thoughtfulness, his weird humor, the fact that he does a jig down the ice cream aisle because he is so excited to pick out the next flavor to grace our freezer, his steadfastness, the way he loves me, his family, and friends, the list could go on forever.

5. What is your favorite thing about your job? (If you don’t have a job, then what is your favorite thing that you do during your day?)

The fact that it is completely flexible, and I only have to work a few hours a week.

6. What is your favorite lesson that your parents taught you growing up? Looking back, is it something that you want to use to teach your children when they reach that age?

Once again, how do you pick a favorite. My parents raised the four of us in a Christian, loving, and fun household. They taught us how to love our family, how important Christ is to us personally, how you can have fun in a car without a DVD player going constantly, how important Christian education is, that you don't need to go to Mexico every year as a family vacation to have great vacation memories, how to work, and the list goes on.

7. What is your favorite song, that will always bring a smile to your face and make you think of something happy?

Love Story by Taylor Swift. It was really popular when Bryce and I started dating. The morning after our first date I woke up with that song in my head. Now it always reminds me of how much fun, and the hours in the car driving back and forth to each other, our dating relationship was.

8. Do you have a passport? What countries have you been to?

Yes, Grenada, Russia, China, Norway, Canada, Mexico

9. Are you light packer or do you pack everything but the kitchen sink?
Everything but the kitchen sink. Although since being married I've learned its easier to do without the fourth extra pair of shoes than it is to explain why I think they are necessary. So I've started to pack a little lighter.

10. Do any activities on the road? (like road games, reading, sleeping, etc. )

Growing up we did a lot of road trips and mom was alway super prepared. We had books, toys, snacks, games, and it was all planned out so fantastically. Now I usually bring a book and food and maybe a Sudoku for a change of pace.

Some things never change

There are some traditions that I just don't let go of. Case in point, we were decorating our Christmas tree last night and after getting the tree set up we started on the ornaments. The first thing I do is put up this ornament:

It has been the first one that I put up every year since I was five (?) not quite sure but I don't remember ever not having it. It is a clown that I got from my grandparents, actually I don't know if they gave it to me or if I just liked it so much that I claimed it as my own. It used to have a little musical box on the bottom of it that played a really annoying song. I don't think my family minded at all when that fell off.

Just a fun part of decorating the tree and officially welcoming in the Christmas season.

Me and my boys, doesn't Bentley looked thrilled!

BTW - Bent turns one tomorrow, one year left of puppiness (hopefully)!

Highlight of Thanksgiving

making silly faces in the "fort" (dog kennel) with Uncle Bryce

4 seemed to be a bit to many for the fort though.