Our Home

A couple people have requested that I post some pictures of our home, so here they are!
The pictures were all taken with my phone, which has no flash, so they aren't the best quality. You get the idea though!

DINING ROOM


 KITCHEN

 OFFICE



I love the window bench!

FAMILY ROOM

 POWDER ROOM

 UPSTAIRS BATHROOM

GUEST ROOM

There is a 3rd bedroom, but it is currently just being used for storage and will be our future baby room (when the time comes).


MASTER BEDROOM

MASTER BATH



Our Coffee Table

Lucas and I have been wanting a coffee table for our family room. We have searched the stores and online. The problem with the tables in the stores: we don't like any of them! The problem with the tables online: super expensive!! We decided to solve this little problem by building our own!

We started out by sketching out a design that we both liked. We went to Home Depot and got all the wood then took it over to Lucas's shop to put it all together.

I got to learn how to use some fun tools!

We stained it a dark chocolate brown and added some steel strips to the top.

We also added 2 drawers to store things like remotes.

On a side note...... I got these beautiful flowers from Lucas on my birthday! Daisies are my favorite, but the store didn't have any, so he decided sunflowers were kind of similar.

Valentines and Other Events

Wow, January was over before I knew it! Time has been going so fast and we have been keeping very busy!

A couple weeks ago we had a huge snow storm! It wasn't the biggest, but it was enough to close school which meant a day off for me! :) Lucas still had to work, but came home early. I think we ended up getting about 16 inches. In our new home we never have to shovel. We have a neighbor who has a snow blower and clears our driveway every time it snows. He is an old Vet., but says he grew up in Minnesota so he loves doing it because it reminds him of his childhood. As the snow was melting over the next several days we got some pretty sweet icicles on our house!

Last week we went to Cirque Du Soleil: Dralion. It was amazing! I had never been to a Cirque Du Soleil show before (Lucas has been to several) so Lucas decided to get tickets as part of Valentines Day. I loved it!

For Valentines Day  we went out to Texas Roadhouse for dinner (we stuffed ourselves for sure). Lucas gave me 2 roses since it is our 2nd Valentines together. He also gave me peach rings (one of my favorite candies) and, of course, the Cirque Du Soleil tickets. I got him a new ring. I know, I know, we have only been married 4 months and he should not need a new ring already, but let me explain. For our wedding I got him a white gold ring to match the white gold band on my ring. White gold is very soft and Lucas works with construction, which means his ring gets scratched up all the time. For Valentines I decided to get him a Titanium ring that was a similar design as his wedding ring to be his "work ring". He wears that one while he is at work, and wears his actual wedding ring all other times.

Of course I also have done a couple new projects. (what can I say? I love having projects to work on!) Last Christmas I was looking for a tree skirt and didn't like any of the ones in the stores. I decided I would make my own. I bought fabric, but did not have a sewing machine to actually make it. I just swaddled the fabric under the tree and imagined what it would look like when I finally was able to make it. In January I bought a sewing machine and I now have a finished product!

I also made my first attempt at making a blanket. Lucas's beautiful sister is battling cancer for the 2nd time. I wanted to do something for her, so I made her a blanket for her birthday. Purple is her favorite color. Though it has many imperfections (I am learning as I go) it is definitely full of love!

Projects



We have been working on a few projects around the house lately. I just love DIY things You save money by doing it yourself and also give it your own special touch.  Here are a few of the projects we have done lately:

I saw this on Pinterest.  They had used vinyl lettering to make it.  Since I am cheap :) I had Lucas cut me a board, got out my paints, and went to work!

I found a great deal on a sewing machine!! Even better, I love this machine! It can do so much and it is so easy to use! I am excited to start making things!

These were my first sewing project. They are rice bags to use as hot packs.

Lucas is quite the handy man! He built these shelves in our garage for storage.

And the never-ending project: CLEANING!!!  I am amazed at how many things you can do with baking soda! You can get this huge bag at Costco for just $6.
~I read online a tip for cleaning my flat cook top stove. I decided to try it out and it worked great! First, sprinkle the burnt spots with baking soda.  Then, put a rag in a bowl of HOT soapy water and ring it out.  Lay it flat over the stove. Set your timer for 15 min. When you come back, just scrub the whole thing with the rag and the burned food spots come right off! After it drys, use a dry cloth (or paper towel) to buff away any baking soda residue that gets left behind.
~Another tip I put to the test was soaking my kitchen faucet in a mixture of baking soda and vinegar.  After it had soaked for a couple hours, a little scrub brush took the hard water deposits right off!
~Another cleaning tip I want to share doesn't use baking soda, but it is awesome! Use a used dryer sheet to take the soap scum off your glass shower doors.  make sure it is dry and just wipe the sheet across. The scum is gone with hardly any elbow grease!

One last thing while I am on the topic of cleaning.  For our wedding my Dad's siblings and my grandma got us an awesome vacuum! It is seriously the best vacuum I have ever used!! If anyone is in the market for a new vacuum, get the Shark Navigator and you will not be disappointed!

New Year

Well, it is always a little sad when the holidays are over and all the decorations get put away for 11 more months, but on the positive side of things, we have a brand new year to look forward to!

We had a great Christmas this year!  We started out celebrating the 23rd by going to my Dad's cousin's house.  We had the most amazing homemade taquitos and then ate desserts while we had a fun (and funny) time doing Christmas karaoke!  When we finally burned out on that, we played "Around the World" Ping Pong.  We had so much fun that we didn't get home until midnight. (My mom had so much fun that she bought a ping pong table the day after Christmas!)

Christmas Eve my family came over for dinner and we played games.  We also had our traditional gingerbread cake with whipped cream and bananas!

Christmas Day was a marathon for us!  We woke up and did Christmas just the 2 of us.  Then we got ready and went to my parents' house.  We exchanged gifts and had brunch with them.  Then we changed and went to church with them because Lucas's sister was singing in their ward.  (She did a beautiful job!)  Then we went straight from church to Lucas's parents' house.  We had a Mexican themed dinner with his family and exchanged gifts.  We visited with everyone and took a Fannin family photo.  It was a long, but great day!

Now as we begin the new year we look back at all the blessings we have received in 2011.  We truly feel blessed to have each other and we look forward to what 2012 will bring!

Christmastime is Here!

Well, the stockings are hung, the tree is up, and most of the gifts are wrapped.  Christmas is my favorite time of year and I am really excited to spend my first Christmas with my wonderful husband!  My sister came home for Christmas on Sunday and spent a couple of days at our house.  My brother comes home tonight and I am excited to see him! It is so great to spend time with family during the holidays!!

Last weekend we went to Carrabbas for a surprise dinner for Lucas's parents.  We were celebrating their 40th anniversary!  His siblings and their spouses were all there and Lucas and I had invited his parents.  They thought they were just having dinner out with the 2 of us.  Our table was not ready when it was supposed to be so Lucas got a pager from the hostess as a prop (his sister had the real one) and we intercepted his parents at the door.  We told them it was really crowded and there was no where to sit, so we waited in the car.  Lucas's sister texted him when they were seated and we went in pretending that our pager went off.  The hostess took us too the table and Lucas's parents were very surprised to see all of their children there!  It was a great evening!

We have been enjoying the season as we go to Christmas parties, look at lights as we drive places, and partake of some of the holiday baking I have been doing! :)  As we take the time this wonderful season to remember our dear Savior and to reflect on all of the many blessings in our lives this year, we wish all of our dear friends and family a MERRY CHRISTMAS and a WONDERFUL 2012!

THANKSGIVING

This year we had Thanksgiving dinner at my parents' house, then went to visit Lucas's family.  I made rolls (thanks again for the great recipe, Sami!), stuffing, spiced yams, pumpkin pie, and apple pie. Boy did my house smell good! :) Lucas and I watched the Macy's Parade (a tradition of mine) while I cooked.  It was a great thanksgiving and I have a lot to be thankful for this year!

Some of the things (but certainly not all) that I am thankful for this year:

• My AMAZING husband!
• My AWESOME family!
• GREAT friends!
• The fact that we only have to drive 3 min to get to church! (before we got married I drove 20 min to church)
• The friendliest ward with so many great new friends!
• Our house! (which was a headache and a half to get. We went through so much, including religious discrimination, to get the mortgage for this house)
• My job that allows me to work with cute kindergartners every day!
• Lucas's job that pays the bills!
• My Brita water filter, since Thornton water does not taste very good!
• Learning how to coupon!
• And much, much more!!!.......