Re-upholstered Chairs

After updating our living room, we realized that our white couches just didn't fit the look we were going for.  After countless hours looking at furniture and not being able to find exactly what I wanted, I decided to take an upholstery class so I could create exactly what was in my head. I admit that the vision changed a few times, but in the end, I got the look I was going for:  French parlour with a twist of modernism.  I am very happy with the way they turned out.  Thanks to my friend Kathy who helped me with sewing the cushions!

BEFORE

Cute, but it wasn't quite what I was going for and it didn't match the decor.

AFTER

Now, this is more ME!

What a labor of love!  I've had several people ask me if it was worth it with time and materials.  I say absolutely!  I love the chairs so much more because I created them and I can say they are 100% unique.

Sacramento Zoo with the Nephews

Last Saturday, Aaron and I watched our nephews Zachary and Jared while Phil and Becca went to a wedding.  We took them to the Sacramento Zoo and for ice cream after.  It was actually easier than I thought it would be.  No meltdowns!

Isn't he so cute?  I love my Zackie!

Jared really liked the wooden tiger.

Phil and Bec forgot the stroller but it was all good because we rented this cool jeep for the kids to ride in.  It was very convenient and the kids loved it!

Zack really wanted to see some elephants but I guess those aren't at the Sac Zoo.  Lame!  He did love the Reptile house though.  So did Jared!

This was so cute!

Finally captured a smile!

Walker Disney Mania

The beginning of May, we went to Disneyland with most of Aaron's family.  It was a lot of fun.  As you know, Aaron and I go to Disneyland a lot, but this trip was really special.

Highlights of the trip:

*Getting Kaylin her first set of "ears"
*Riding Dumbo with Kaylin and Zachary
*Getting to hold Zachary when he was asleep
*Riding Pirates of the Carribean with the whole clan
*Seeing Russ, Danette, and their kids
*Watching some youtube videos with the boys (George Michaels saxophone guy)
*Getting a Disneyland ring

I've already posted pictures on Facebook, so I'll just post a few pictures from the trip.

Becca got "mom of the year" for posting this on Kaylin, Zachary, and Jared's back.

Kaylin and Zachary, ready to go in the park the first day.

Aaron and Kaylin on Peter Pan.

Two sets of ears.

The Walker gang

Zachary LOVED the bumper cars, especially because he got to drive.

Literacy Me Quilt

For my Rhetorical Studies class this semester, I had to do an assignment highlighting the events or individuals in my life that have contributed to my development as a reader.  This is what I wrote:



The most influential person who contributed to my growth and desire to be a reader came from my mother, whose picture is in the lower left-hand corner of the quilt.   However, each picture on my quilt somehow relates back to my mother.  My mother has always been an avid reader of all books:  secular and religious.  She has always been an example to me of a woman seeking after knowledge.  She is definitely responsible for my love of reading today.  I remember she would read to me and my sisters when we were little.  We loved hearing the stories of Peter Rabbit from The Beatrix Potter Collection.  As we grew up and learned to read, she would help us with our reading assignments and help us to sound out words.  One of the first books I remember reading was If you Give a Mouse a Cookie.  About 8 years old is when I received The Silver Slippers, which taught me about self-confidence and came with a matching necklace.  I learned a lot from books.  When I got to be about 12 or 13 and summer vacation would come, my mother would take my sisters and me to the library and we would pick out a stack of books.   My older sister and I shared a room at that time and we would just sit on our beds and read for hours.  I remember that we especially liked the Goosebumps series by R.L. Stine and the Sweet Valley Twins series by Francine Pascal.  From these experiences, I fostered a love for reading and a love for going to the library.  I started tackling The Work and the Glory series when I was a teenager, due to my development as a reader.  Those books propelled me into the genre of spiritual books in which I have learned much about the Gospel.  Reading was a positive experience that has carried into my adult years and the more I read, the more knowledgeable I become.

Let there be curtains!

So in front of our slider we have these really annoying hideous blinds and one by one within the last few months, the blinds have been breaking off.  This leaves streaks of light on our t.v. and during the day, if it's a dark scene, you can't even see what's on the screen.

Today was a momentous occasion for us as our curtains came in the mail from JC Penney (courtesy of Phil and Bec).  We almost had a bonfire as we tore down the hated blinds and put up the beautiful curtains.  What a difference!

BEFORE

AFTER



Pedi gone bad

So for weeks, I've been needing a pedicure.  I've been wearing open toed shoes to church and let's face it, it's been embarrassing.  So a couple of weekends ago, I had planned to get a pedi with a friend but my family was in town for the weekend, and yadda yadda yadda...it didn't happen.  So I chopped my claws just so I could get by.  Today, Aaron and I had to go to Target and he mentioned he was going to get a haircut, so I decided to pop into a little nail salon right there while he was getting his hair cut.  I usually go to a nice place in El Dorado, but I really needed a quickie.  I always pick french when I get a mani or pedi because why pay for something that I can do myself?  So because I had cut my toenails down to the nubs, my french looked a little different.  Then, when they stuck me under the dryer, one of the asian ladies pulled up a seat beside me and literally stared me down for the next 10 minutes.  I was SO uncomfortable.  She was just watching me.  She did say one or two words to me and then continued to stare at me with her chair way too close.  It was actually very creepy.  Oh and she asked me a couple of times if I wanted a haircut.  (I guess I was kind of scrubby with my hair in a bun, but geez....leave me alone already!)  Needless to say, I probably won't be going back to Rancho Cambodia's finest any time soon.

Storms will blow

So this is the damage to our backyard from the recent storm.  Yes, we used to have a table and an umbrella.  The wind just gets so crazy here.  I think it'll get better once some houses go in behind us to break the wind.  We didn't even bother putting out our trash cans yesterday.



Our glass top table shattered.  Bleh.