Sunday, April 1, 2012

Mi Casa Su Casa

Here are some pictures of the new Abode. Nothing is official of course until closing but as long as everything goes well it's ours!

 Front of the house

 The awesome kitchen :)

 Main Bathroom (strangely it is the same color we painted our bathroom at our last house)

looking down the hall towards the rooms from the living room (hall on the left goes to the front door)

 Standing in the corner of the living room looking at the dining room, kitchen is to the right of the dining room.

 Standing in the hall looking at the living room

 The turquoise room

 The light blue room

 The dark blue room

 Master bedroom

 Master bathroom

 Backyard

Backyard, other side


Well......what do you think? Pretty cute huh?

Tuesday, September 20, 2011

365 days of girl

Well it has happened. Elaine has turned one. I'm only a week or two behind posting about it but I'm just happy I had the chance to do it at all! We have loved the change of dynamics our little Miss has brought to our home. We love you girlie!

Elaine right now you...

Love to do ANYTHING with Daddy (he's your favorite)
Have three teeth
Want to eat anything with sugar in it (especially cake or ice cream)
Can say 6 words (Mama, Dada, night night, Hi, yeah, and dog)
Adore your brothers
Love to "read books" by yourself
Want dinner at 5pm every night (on the dot!)
Can blow kisses
Add sweetness to our lives :)

Love you baby girl, we don't know what we would do without you!

Posing in her birthday hat. There's some serious attitude in those lips :)

Wednesday, August 3, 2011

The Month in Pictures...



We said goodbye to Jimmy on Saturday. We will be without him for 30 days (which Ammon tells me is ALOT of days) We are all doing well, Jim is in Seattle on an acting internship in Neurosurgery for the month. How awesome is that? Anyway, he already misses our faces so this pict-o-rama is for him.

Love you Jimmy













Monday, May 9, 2011

Places to Shop...Modestly ;)


I have to chance to help out with a Young Women's activity in our ward tomorrow night. We will be talking about modesty and where/how to find clothes that cover (and are still cute) I pulled together this roundup for the girls and thought I might share it with you as well!

Enjoy!

http://www.halftees.com/


(Cute under layering half tee with 5 sleeve length options and 7 color options. Priced between $14 and $17, relatively fast shipping) And I might add AWESOME for nursing...easy access ;)

http://www.downeastbasics.com/

(Good place to find layering tees and tanks. Skirts are mostly modest. Tops are hit and miss. Well priced, but expensive shipping)

I have a rant waiting to happen about this company, ask me sometime, maybe I'll blog about it.

http://www.elizamagazine.com/

(New Modest fashion magazine, right up there with Vogue in style but all the styles are modest! They always have great reviews of new modesty clothing companies.)

http://www.modcloth.com/

(This site is not dedicated to modest fashion; however most of their clothing is modest or could easily be made modest. Cute and retro.)

http://www.themodbod.com/

(Another great site for layering shirts. I really like their sleeve options the most. Well priced around $17-$20)

http://www.vintagehem.com/

(I LOVE this store! They have to cutest way to lengthen your dresses/skirts with a ruffled slip. Awesome!)

http://www.shabbyapple.com/

(This site is fairly expensive but they have the most classy and stylish dresses available in my opinion. However, some of their styles are really REALLY tight fitting, so not everything is perfect.)

http://www.clothedmuch.com/

(This is a fashion blog written by an LDS woman. She has fun taste and great tutorials)

http://www.divinitasole.com/

(Really cute modest swim suits. Very affordable, lots of options.)

http://www.kneeshorts.com/

(Modest length shorts and capris for guys or girls)

http://www.mikarose.com/

(Really pretty Dresses and skirts! They only have a few shirt options, but they are really cute too. Inexpensively priced as well.)

http://www.beautifullymodest.com/

(This site carries really lovely prom/wedding dresses.)

http://www.modestprom.com/

(This site is AWESOME! They have links to all the modest formal sites as well as ideas on making your dress modest, or how to sew one of your own.)

Simcha’s Spectacular (local shop)

(1839 South Taylor Road Cleveland Heights, OH 44118 (216) 932-3130 Open from about 12:30-6 Monday through Thursday and on Fridays till about 4 or 5 depending on the time of year. Jewish owned fashion shop. Very friendly owner, SUPER cute clothes. Her prices are about the same as shopping at Macy’s but the quality is really nice.)

____________________________________________________________________________________
These shops and blogs have made shopping for modest clothes so much easier! There is one thing however, that you should still remember. Even though these sites say they are dedicated to modesty, it doesn’t mean that everything they sell is actually modest. It is up to you to define your standards, no matter what they claim. Even if they are members of the church that doesn’t mean they are truly modest and virtuous.
“You are the strength of the present, the hope of the future…You are second to none. You are daughters of God…But, my dear friends, we cannot accept that which has become common in the world. Yours, as members of this Church, is a higher standard…

Modesty in dress and manner will assist in protecting against temptation. It may be difficult to find modest clothing, but it can be found with enough effort. I sometimes wish every girl had access to a sewing machine and training in how to use it. She could then make her own attractive clothing. I suppose this is an unrealistic wish. But I do not hesitate to say that you can be attractive without being immodest. You can be refreshing and buoyant and beautiful in your dress and in your behavior. Your appeal to others will come of your personality, which is the sum of your individual characteristics. Be happy. Wear a smile. Have fun. But draw some rigid parameters, a line in the sand, as it were, beyond which you will not go.” (President Gordon B. Hinckley, Ensign, May 2004)

 
*These opinions are my own, I am not getting paid in anyway from any of these companies for my review.

Saturday, April 9, 2011

Thursday, March 17, 2011

It's a special day...


 I've been saving that obnoxious bow just for this day! Happy St. Patricks day!!! Thank you Grandpa Bates (and perhaps some other mystery person on my dad's side, Help me out here Dad...) for a claim on this Irish holiday. While I may be a very small percentage Irish (and my children even smaller) I love this day. Beside loving the color green, it's just kinda cool to celebrate my cultural heritage for a day. Yea for that tiny island on the other side of the pond, I love your hills and your cheerful accent, I love your corned beef with cabbage and fish and chips. I REALLY want to kiss your Blarney Stone and search for Nessy. I hope to play a penny whistle with skill and reel on my fiddle. I will play a jig today in honor of you.

Are you having a St. Patty's themed dinner tonight? What's on the menu?

Monday, March 14, 2011

Per your requests.......The Girl

She's six months old, She rolls like a champ, She eats baby food, She giggles sparingly and smiles freely, She sleeps through the night, has her Daddy wrapped around her little finger, She's our girlie!

Enjoy




It's tough work to be the baby :)