Learning New Talents--or at least trying :-)

Now that we have lived in our new home for almost an entire month we have come to really love it here!  We both feel extremely blessed for the opportunity to live in the area that we do. We LOVE the views and the neighborhood. The neighborhood is like stepping back into a "Leave It To Beaver" sitcom; everyone is SO friendly, people pull b-ques out to the middle of the street to socialize together, and kids knock on your door to ask if they can play with your kids (you should see the disappointment on the kids faces when we have to tell them that we don't have any kids yet. Luckily, when we tell them that we have a cute little dog, they get excited that they are allowed to play with her--little do they know that they are doing us a favor)!

There are, however, "items" that I feel need to be changed to our home in order for me to feel more comfortable living here (I get that from my mother!). When we first purchased this home I had a LONG list of "items" I felt "needed" to be changed in order for me to be able to "love" this home...you see Shay was more in love with this home than I was when we made an offer on it. I think those feelings came because I was selling my beloved condo that I was personally able to build and customize to my exact taste and this home did not have items I would have chosen (I am a want-to-be designer by heart). So when we officially moved our bed over and started living here I learned that many of those "items" on my long "must change list" were really not that big of a deal.

However, I still have a "list" of items I would like to change. So after being in our home for about 2 weeks I had a contractor come over and give me a bid on some changes. After the $10,000+ bid came back (and this bid didn't cover the whole "list") I realized that I needed to prioritize what it was I really NEEDED done in order for me to be SUPER happy in this home (OK, I do realize that I don't NEED any of these items on my list...I do have lights, water closets that work, a roof that doesn't leak, etc. but for the sake of my post I am going to call them "needs").

Therefore, after receiving the bid I decided we had better wait a bit longer to see if my list would change again with time....which I am pleased to say it has! I also asked myself, "If these individuals can do these changes why can't I learn how to do some of them as well???"

Well, being "my dad's daughter" that I am, I decided to find out what items on my "list" drive me ABSOLUTELY crazy and would be a "simple" thing that I could learn how to do myself in order to save us some money.


Here are a few success stories of ours.

1-- The first items to go were the following fans. I had told Shay, when we were in the process of purchasing the home, that "I could not live in that house with those fans" (I think I would have been committed into an institution if we had actually moved in with them still hanging). Shay didn't like them as well and promised they would be removed immediately. So the fans became the first project. We removed them prior to us actually moving in (I couldn't wait to see if they would grow on me).

Here is a picture of what the fans looked like:

The prior owners must have loved these fans because they were in each of the bedrooms upstairs and also in the master suit. I have to give them credit, the fans are very well constructed, heavy duty, quality fans but I didn't want them in each of the rooms.


Also, because of how long the base comes out of the ceiling, I could actually touch the blades of the fans (that is saying something when I am trying to hit 5'4"). Each time I would walk into a room upstairs I felt like I was being hit in the face with a flying palm tree.

Shay and I lucked out in that Lowes was having a sale on ceiling fans. We purchased two and some replacement blades for the spare bedroom.

To save some money we decided to just switch out the "leaves" of the above fan and replace them with the blades you see in the picture. We felt that since it is only a spare bedroom and it has such a high pitched ceiling that we could get away with only switching out the blades.

Shay's spare room fan:
This fan gave me an ulcer! When I installed it (I did this one all on my own) I somehow flipped the breakers to all of the rooms in the house. I freaked out! Shay somehow was able to get all the rooms working except this one. After a number of tries, trying to get the electricity to work in this room again, we gave up. We actually quit doing my projects when this happened, fearful we might cause more damage.

Then when we finally moved in, I decided it wasn't going to lick us.  I walked into the room determined to figure out the problem.....it took a few days, a few choice words, feelings of failure, etc. but I finally got it working. I have to be honest this really made me feel good. Not only did I install it all on my own but it also included a remote that I had to figure out how to install.

This is a picture of the remote (which happened to be the problem I had to figure out):


Here are some pictures of the master bedroom before we switched out the ceiling fan:

This is the former owner's furniture:



Here is the new fan we installed (OK, really Shay mostly installed. He did a great job!):

I think it looks so much better.

2--Paint. We also started painting our master bedroom prior to moving our furniture in the home (too bad we weren't able to finish it all before we had to move furniture in). We used the same paint color we had in our condo (which we absolutely loved!) but have found that the color looks different in our south facing master bedroom than in our north facing condo. I do like it but am having to get use to the difference.


#3--Toilet seats. Why would anyone save a few dollars by purchasing toilet seats that are not the correct size? I know of some individuals because we bought a home from them.

Below is a picture of our downstairs bathroom. If you notice (it is hard to see) the toilet is a "round" toilet and the seat on it is oval. Yep, if I lifted the seat there was actual space between the bowel and the seat cover. I could see the tile below?!?!! Not a "NEED" per say...but I couldn't open the door without seeing it, cringing and wondering if anyone was going to have an "accident" and miss the bowel and hit the tile (YIKES!). So I went down to Lowes and Walmart (had to price check) to find the correct seat cover. The seats cost only SIX dollars-ish (BTW: Lowes had the best bang for the buck--better quality and parts)!

Excited, with my new purchased toilet seats in hand, I returned home to wrestle a bit with the old covers but finally was able to get them off. I then successfully was able to attach the newly purchased ones and the following pictures are the results:Doesn't this look so much better than the first picture. Seriously, I am a bit proud to know that I actually was able to switch out a toilet seat!
The above is our main floor powder room. Doesn't the new seat look fabulous. Now with two successful installations I feel completely confident to switch out the other two toilet seats myself and know I won't break the bank either! Hooray for learning how to do new things!


#4--I love and can appreciate the "old world charm" that is so dominant here in UT. It is beautiful and so tastefully done in so many beautiful homes here. The family that lived here tried really hard to capture that look. Unfortunately it wasn't the look I particularly wanted in every single one of our water closets (they all looked the VERY same). So I prioritized what I felt "needed to be done" and concluded that since we have 4 water closets in our home it was OK to leave at least one (if not 2--we will see) bathroom alone. So I chose to leave the upstairs "guest bathroom" alone. The fixtures didn't particularly clash in that room and matched the bathroom towels and accessories I already owned (more savings--HEY!):

Here are the faucets that dominate every single water closet in our home:


It is a nice faucet....it just drives me crazy that in other water closets other fixtures in that room clash with these types of faucets. As for me and my house (I am really not bothered by what others choose for their home) I can't have too many clashing types of medium and styles in the same room. I know I must be O.C.D. or something. If anything is going to clash in my home it has to be because I made it that way :-)

Here is a picture of the Vanity in our upstairs "guest bathroom." I think the faucet goes OK in here along with the brushed bronze towel holders.
With the dark browns found in the shower curtain, towels and rug I felt that the brushed bronze didn't clash too badly with the brushed nickel shower curtain I already owned.....don't you?

Now the only thing left is to paint this water closet and it will be on the "done" list. Cost--NOTHING--so far! Savings--TONS!

#5--Is really part of number 2 but I want to make my "done" list look longer so I can feel more successful :-)

Like I stated before, every water closet was the VERY same. When I walked into the master bathroom, right after purchasing the home, I noticed that the sink faucets didn't match the garden tub faucet....that didn't match the shower....that didn't match the light fixtures, etc. This rubbed on me every day I went into that room. I quickly had to do something. I decided that I would remove all of the brushed bronze fixtures and replace them to match the other fixtures in the room (BTW: I am selling them on KSL if you are interested. They are in great condition....it's just that I have to have some form of consistency in that room).

I think Shay was SCARED to death when he saw them all taken down.

I even pulled out the 2 faucets:

I then went to buy a faucet. Much to my surprise faucets are REALLY EXPENSIVE. Walmart's cheapest (OK, not the nasty $10 special--I am talking a decent looking faucet) is about $40.00 without the drain pieces....which is at least another $20. Lowes and Home Depot were the same, if not more expensive. I immediately went online only to find decent faucets running anywhere from $60 to over $1,000 dollars a piece (O.K. who in their right mind would buy a faucet for a $1,000???). My heart sank. UGH! I didn't want to put the brushed bronze faucets back in my master bathroom! They don't match!!!

Well, I ended up going to Costco for something and ran into a display of faucets on a special mark down!!! What, I had never seen them before. Apparently they were a new item at Costco and they were having a sale on them as well. They were the exactly type of faucet I had to buy to fit on my sink, it came with EVERYTHING needed to install it AND the nozzle is identical to my garden tub's faucet (and as you know matching is very important to me!). I was SO excited! I immediately bought 2 (and later purchased another 2).

Picture of our tub faucet:



It did take me awhile to work up the courage to actually install these (a few days Shay and I had to actually use our "guest bathroom sink to get ready because of my fear of "messing" up). Yet, with encouraging comments from friends that it wasn't that hard I finally embarked on the whole project. Luckily I had Shay next to me to help me out. He was great at tightening things I couldn't do and helping to double check my work. The first one went in perfectly (the one seen below). Not one hiccup. The second took a few days to figure out but success nonetheless. Now Shay and I have two lovely faucets that match....Shay honestly could care less if they match or not and is completely confused by my "need" to have these things done in the home.....but he loves me anyway and supports what I do--at least most of the time :-)

This is the 2nd one--Shay's sink.



6-- Of course I had to replace the brushed bronze toilet paper holders that didn't match along with towel holders and hook. These were the cheapest one I could find. I think they don't look that bad for being super cheap.

I have already replaced 2 toilet paper (one in our basement water closet and another in our master bathroom):


7--I learned how to change out a bathroom hook for robes:
8--I learned how to change out towel racks:

9--I learned how to change out the hand towel holders:




10-- Hardware--or should I say the lack of hardware--issues. So another problem I am facing in my home is the lack of hardware. Now don't get my wrong there is nothing wrong with not having hardware on your cabinets, it's just that my cabinets are made out of knotty alder (AKA: I scratch SUPER easily wood). I will never forget talking to my mother's contractor in Chicago and telling him how popular knotty alder is in Utah. He literally stared at me in complete disbelief and said, "You mean the wood pallets are made out of?" He then told me that he didn't think he could even purchase alder cabinets there. He then highly recommended that I NOT buy alder cabinets because it is such a soft wood and would easily scratch....I thought he was crazy. Well, when I built my condo I didn't have a choice in wood--only stain color. So alder it was. I LOVED them! They didn't scratch at all. Unfortunately that is not the case in our new home. When I moved into our new home, I realized he was correct. Some of the wood above the drawers are chipped where fingernails have hit them (another future fix it myself project). I don't want this problem to increase so I decided it was imperative that I get hardware on the cabinets in my master bath.

Now picking hardware isn't super easy for me. I find myself standing in front of the options overwhelmed at the variety and diversity of them all. It took me about 2 1/2 weeks to finally make a choice.

Here are what the drawers looked like prior to installation:

Here are the results after:

The before:

After:

I am amazed at the color difference in the pictures. The first one is actually of the cabinets in our basement bathroom that doesn't have any natural light coming in (forgot to take a before picture in my master bathroom). The completed pictures are taken during the day when the natural light is coming in from the window in our master bathroom. The wood is the very same but it looks completely different!



The final results (showing the new faucets, towel holders, and hardware):


Now the master bathroom is about complete.....only two more "items" on the "to do list" and then I will be finished with it! :-)

To do items:
1. Paint

2. Replace the counter tops (The counters are not pink like the picture shows above....but they are a tan that has a pink undertone that in not my favorite.).

There is a 3rd, but that probably will never happen:

3. Replace the picture window with a window that opens (this is really on my wish list and probably won't happen---but a girl can dream right).


So those are a few of the things I have been doing with what little time I have off this summer. I have loved the opportunity to make myself stretch, critically think and problem solve when doing these projects. We love the money we have saved in doing them ourselves! Hopefully we will continue to only have success stories!

It's Officially Ours

Today we got the anticipated phone call......we are official owners of 93 West Fox Hollow Lane!
Although we don't think we will ever go through a short sale purchase ever again, we are so grateful for the miracles that have happened that have lead us to this home. To be honest, trying to purchase this home (through the short sale process) was one of the most stressful things we have ever gone through. Back and forth, up and down, he said she said, banks requiring illegal actions, calling people on their illegal actions, you owe me, we owe you, phone calls, texts, emails, etc. Yet we survived and were able to see miracles happen. Then today we were finally told that the funding went through and it's official......we are now the owners.

What is weird is we are starting to feel overwhelmed by the whole thing actually....probably because we now need to sell our condo ASAP, we still haven't gotten the keys (or know when we will be able to get them), and we are not ready to leave our wonderful home and friends! Weird how something so exciting, anticipated, and sought after can also become so scary and overwhelming. Does that even make sense?

We do look forward to sitting outside on the porch and enjoying the view. We have learned through the house hunting process that we are all about "the view."

We LOVE this house mostly because of its views. This is the backyard of our home. You can see all the way to Nephi.

I LOVED this house mostly because of its views. This is the backyard of our home. You can see all the way to Nephi.

Christmas 2010

For as long as I can remember my mom and dad required each Christmas that we children stood by our Christmas gifts and took a picture.  

We then would feel tortured when they required us to video tape ourselves telling the camera everything we got for Christmas, along with thanking the grandparents (etc.) for the gifts we got.  We now laugh at those videos and can see the yearly changes that happen as one grows older.

Well, right now it is just Shay and me 

and I have to keep the "tradition" alive.  

I have a habit of keeping all "traditions" alive 

(I am the perfect Fiddler on the Roof personality!).

So Shay flattered me and took "Christmas Pictures."

 Below is Shay with his Christmas presents for 2010:

His all time favorite was the TV. 

(although it was technically for "both of us" I think Shay will get the most use our of it!)

The Agricola expansion, people, etc. were also a highlight.

However the gift that CRACKED him up the most was the Obama head, Chia pet, that was given to him by his sister (Shay is NOT a fan of Obama in the least so this gift was classic).

Here I am with absolutely no makeup--UGH!  

Forgot that when we decided to take pictures early in the morning.

We loved the lazer level and monies my brother gave us for Christmas!

If you noticed we got many games for Christmas.  

Shay and I really enjoy getting together with family and friends and playing games!

Christmas Slumber Party With the Nieces and Nephews

Christmas time is a special time for Shay and me!  

I love to decorate the house to make if feel cosy and special 

(I get it from my mom and grandmother).

This year I decided to go more modern in my decor.  

I scrapped the traditional green and red and opted for blue and silver.

Shay said he loved how it turned out 

(blue is his favorite color).

From the above picture you can see the covers sprawled all over.  

Yes, it was niece's and nephew's slumber party night.  

Each year I try to get the nieces and nephews over for a slumber party.

This year, however, had a twist to it.  

Shay and I had been discussing  the possibility of getting a dog.  I am not sure what got into me (I normally am not a huge dog fan) but I all of a sudden thought it would be nice to get a puppy.  I had owned a chihuahua before, named Bitzy, and loved having her as a dog because she was so small.  I also thought, "If we ever get a dog I want a small non-shedding dog."  Shay and I had seen a few dogs up to this point but didn't find the "right" one.  

Well, as I was leaving my school the friday before Christmas break, a co-worker showed me her baby chihuahuas she had brought into school.  We started to discuss my thoughts on getting a dog but not knowing if I really wanted to take on the responsibility again.  She then came up with a not-so-brilliant plan...that of course I thought was brilliant at the time....to take home one of the puppies for the night to see if I would like the "work" they required.  So I called Shay to get permission.  Shay of course was reluctant....as he should have been.  I reassured him that it would be for just one night.  I thought that if I took the puppy home for one night it would get the desire for a dog out of my system.  

My co-worker showed me two puppy choices.  I requested the one she called Nutmeg, because she was so tiny, her ears flopped down, and she was too cute for words.  I packed her up into a box and took her home.  

WRONG night to take her home!  

My nieces and nephews came over and instantaneously fell in love with her.  

They spent most of the time arguing on who's turn it was to hold her!

The plan had been to make sugar cookies together, so once I put Nutmeg down for a nap, I herded them all into the kitchen.  I had looked up a new recipe the day before and was super excited to try it with the kids.  I got out my large selection of cookie cutters and allowed the kids help me mix up the dough......well, Aunt Winnie obviously had a different idea than the recipe book on what sugar cookies are.  The dough that was made was not a dough you could roll out and use cookie cutters with.  It ended up being a European cookie called "sugar cookies."  They reminded me of the cookies you can buy that come in tin cans during the holidays.  Well, it ended up being a bust!  They were good but it wasn't super fun to make, compared to real sugar cookies.

My nephew saved the day though by making his famous brownies 

(and I say the word famous in all seriousness---THEY ARE DEVINE!).

While everything was cooking we decided to watch a movie.  We had set up a projector so that the kids could enjoy their movie in style.  

When we went to bed I moved Nutmeg into a nicer tote so that she could see out when she was awake and I wasn't prepared to keep my eyes on her.  Below you can see the floppy ears I was talking about.  She was so tiny that the child's white snow cap, that is next to her, looks large compared to her.

During the night Nutmeg began to cry for her mother.  I felt so sorry for her, yet I was too tired to do anything more than lift her up and place her on my chest and go back to sleep.  Nutmeg slept like that all night.  Only when she needed to use the restroom would she lick my face to wake me up.

Well, that night my heart melted for Nutmeg.....although I didn't tell Shay that.

Shay too became attached and loved that she already seem potty trained but didn't say anything to me either.

The nieces and nephews had been rooting for us to keep her from the very beginning.  

The next morning I made the kids a yummy breakfast.

After breakfast, some were immediately back on the coach to watch another movie, while others were in off playing with the puppy.

You can see 2 of my nieces and nephews here.  Two nieces and one nephew are missing in this picture.

After finishing up another movie, we pulled out the games.  

Shay and I LOVE to play games, along with both of our families!

We played for a few more hours before they were picked up by their parents.  We were sad to see them go!  We LOVE having kids around and look forward to having kids ourselves!

 Our hearts have been very tender this year as we are learning that most likely we will not be having biological kids.  We try to stay positive and know that God is aware of us.  We decided that if we can't have biological kids we will just have to adopt.  Either way we hope to have kids of our own some day....and the sooner the better in Shay and my opinion! :-)

Well.....we took Nutmeg back to my co-worker.  I was sad when she was gone. That night we really missed her and discussed keeping her.   Shay was still a bit hesitant.  Nutmeg wasn't old enough to be taken away from her mother permanently yet but Shay and we both agreed that she needed to come live with us in our home.  2 weeks later, when she was old enough, Shay and I purchased her.  We brought her home and tried to name her a few different names.  Nothing seemed to sound right.  My youngest brother, who owns a chihuahua, was insistant that we give her a Mexican name since her bread is from Mexico.  We tried Mexican names, traditional names, etc.  Nutmeg didn't seem to pay attention to any of them.  Than one night Shay and I were in bed talking and I googled "popular dog names."  At the top of the list was Lucy.  I believe it was Shay who said Lucy Lou.  Nutmeg turned and looked up at us.  That was it, Lucy was officially named Lucy Lou that night.  So our little family has just grown a little bit more.  Lucy isn't a child, and we are not crazy dog owners, but she is a special addition to our family whom we love very much!

Happy Thanksgiving

"Thanksgiving dinner takes 18 hours to prepare. They are consumed in 12 minutes. Half-times take 12 minutes.....this is not a coincidence."

This quote is dedicated to my hubby, who can't seem to get enough sports in his life.

No matter how you celebrate your Thanksgiving today.....may it be filled with love, joy and thanksgiving!

Happy Thanksgiving All!

Feeling Thankful!

"We may not have it all together, but together we have it all. "

I read this on the wall of my hair dresser's entryway. It struck a cord in my heart. Like it says: I really don't have it ALL TOGETHER......shoot, I sometimes forget what I have ALL TOGETHER......but (and especially during this season) I know that I do have IT ALL. The Lord has been so generous with me. How grateful I am for the knowledge of our loving, giving Savior and my Father in Heaven. How grateful I am for the sweet spirit that touches my heart and helps me plug through this journey called life.

In addition, how grateful I am for Shay. As I am writing this I realize that Shay has gone into the kitchen and cleaned up all the dinner dishes--and pots--without me saying a word!!! I can't believe I am married to such a sweetheart!  Love you babe!!!!

Some of Winnie's Favorite Things

I have come to realize (after living in Southern California, Utah, Chile, Belgium, and Michigan) that every place has its "good things" and "bad things" about it. After having visited Southern California at the beginning of this month, I have realized there are a few things I really miss about living in Southern California....

FABULOUS Mexican food:



Home of the HUGE burrito:

We watched the owner give two guys a free t-shirt for eating one of these babies on their own.

Fabulous pizza and the best anti-pasta salad I have ever eaten (this is a one of a kind pizza place in my home town):

(although, Chicago deep dish at Giordanos is by far the best pizza I have ever sunk my teeth in).

GREAT donuts. I have yet to find donuts, where I live, that are even close to the quality and flavor found at Rainbow Donuts in Diamond Bar.

The boldness found in California (kind-of explains me a bit doesn't it):


The beautiful LA Temple and its grounds:


and fond memories made here (the home I lived in from junior high through high school -looks the very same as when I lived there):


Of course there are many more favorite things I love about Southern Cal, but on this particular trip this is what I was able to remember. :-)