Brandons Accident

Last night on my way home from my office less than 2 miles away, I lost control of the car on a steep hill covered in ice, and ended up sliding down the hill, through a stop sign, and right into a rock wall. And if that wasn't bad enough -- it was in Kristen's car.  Airbag and everything. Results below:

Immediately after the hit the horn started honking and this grabbed the attention of a couple of the nearby homes.  I think they figured I was slumped unconscious over the steering wheel since the horn wouldn't stop.  Someone who came to help had to grab some pliers to disconnect the battery to turn it off.

I didn't get hurt (that I know of), other than my damaged ego.  The funny part was that when Kristen met me over at the body shop where I had the car towed, she went straight over to the car and practically burst into tears.  I had to go up and remind her I was actually ok ;)  I'm just glad she didn't make me walk home!  

B&K: Our first snow of 2010

The Joy of Shoveling...

B&K: A few of My Favorite Things

In the past I've seen people post things they love or just can't get enough of, sort of like "Oprah's Favorite Things." Well, since we don't have kids to blog about (believe me, we are working on that) and you're probably sick of seeing pictures of projects and our turtle I decided to do a post on things I love!

1. Sonicare Toothbrush- I will never go back to manual, seriously. It's thorough- penetrates sub-gingivally and removes plaque, it's soft on my gums, and it does all the work for me! It leaves me with that dental clean feeling you have when you leave the dentist. As a dental hygienist I strongly recommend it to all of my patients. Sitting next to the charger is a UV sanitizing light which kills the bacteria left on your toothbrush. Costco sells these as do many other stores, like Amazon, Target, etc.

2. Ugg Slippers- These feel wonderful on my feet during the winter and are a great shoe to just lounge around the house in. They are super warm and comfy and they don't make your feet sweaty at all! They just came out with a red color which is way cute too. I bought mine at REI but Nordstrom and other stores online carry them as well.

3. Poinsettias- I love this festive holiday plant, and the pop of color it brings to any decor. Now a days they come in a variety of shades and colors so you really can't go wrong! This year I splurged and bought a large one at Costco. Having fresh flowers or live plants around my house always puts a smile on my face!

4. Aveda's Phomollient Foam- I am a fan of Aveda's products- all natural and good for the environment. Whether I'm styling my hair straight or just pulling it back for work this product does well to give my hair hold and body without feeling heavy or like I've got a lot of product in it. Aveda.com is their official site or you can purchase it at Remedez Salon in the University Mall.

5. Buxom Lip Gloss from Bare Minerals- These glosses go on easy and stay on! They have also have peppermint oil in them so they feel fresh on your lips and pump them up a bit. I know some people don't like the feeling of their lips being on fire but I do! I also love the colors they come in too. My favorites are Ruby (which I always get compliments on), Amber, and Kanani. I buy these at Nordstroms where they sell Bare Minerals makeup or you can purchase them online at bareescentuals.com

6. Fun Pillows- I just purchased this one from Pier 1 to go with my whole snowflake theme for the holidays. Choosing different throw pillows with various colors and textures is an easy way to update the look of any room without spending a lot of money. Great places to buy throw pillows are TJ Maxx, Pier One, Target, and Pottery Barn. I like to buy the inserts from Pottery Barn or Downeast Outfitters.

7. Swarovski Crystal Earrings - Most people who know me know that I love me some bling bling!!! I love to make my own jewelry and I try and only use quality materials so the pieces I create last a long time and don't fall apart. Recently, I've purchased beads and supplies from Fire Mountain Gems. Their sterling silver is a fairly good price and I love the selection of swarovski crystal. It's hard to see from the picture but these gems really sparkle in the light. This is a cluster style earring which is my favorite. One of my favorite brands of jewelry is Nadri. I have these earrings in both silver and gold cause they're my favorite although I wouldn't mind getting these ones for Christmas!

8. Athleta Workout Capris- These capris are awesome for working out. They are sporty and flattering on every body type, they even make your butt look good! I wish I had found these sooner. I'm looking forward to trying more of Athleta's active wear.

Fall is here and evidently The Witch is here too! I love putting up fall and halloween decorations! I don't know why but I seem to have a lot of them. I love the warm colors and they way they make your home feel worm as cozy as the temperature drops outside.  I love the fall smells- pumpkin, spiced cider, etc. Lately we've been busy with work, the house, and getting ready for the holidays. I was called to be on the activities committee so I've been busy planning the Christmas Party and other activities and Brandon is working with the Cub Scouts. Here are some pictures of projects we've done around the house, fall decor that I love, and some rooms downstairs I never posted pictures of.

Here is a cute glass pumpkin I got from my grandparents house in WA. My grandfather recently passed away and my Grandma now lives in an assisted living home. The family has been sorting and dividing things up which on one hand is hard but on the other has to be done. My grandma always had the cutest decorations and loved all things glass!

I got this cute idea from a magazine cover. Simply take real candy corn and use it as a candle filler!

My spooky halloween lantern lights and a black glitter "Boo" sign. 

A view of our front porch and eve lights. You probably can't tell but these windows are new- so easy to open and will help keep the cold out and the heat in!

A programable light switch for our outside lights. It's nice because we don't have to remember to turn them on and off each night

We installed new outside lights on each side of the garage. I think they look nice and go with the whole look of the house. Now I just need to find an outside fixture for the front porch that goes with these.

New tile back splash. We liked the tile we did behind the kitchen sink so much that we decided to tile this wall as well.

We finally got "Brandon's Man Cave" set up downstairs. If you can believe it this room use to be a hair salon from the previous owners. It has a half bath hooked on to it and an outside door. It gets lots of natural light which is great since it's a walk out basement.  We've joked that all he needs is a mini fridge and TV and he never has to leave! 

Our guest room! We hope we will have lots of visitors. Now we have a queen size bed instead of a full and a comfy memory foam pad! That's for you Mom and Dad! We are looking forward to having Nyle and Terri come stay with us in a couple of weeks!

 Our House!

     It's a work in progress but I thought I'd take a moment and share with you some pictures of our new place. It was built in 2003 but the basement was finished later. Here are some pictures of the outside and main floor. In the basement, it has a two bedroom mother-in-law apartment along with a guest room, office, and half bath. I'll try and post some pictures down there in the future. It's amazing how much there is to do when you own a home! The list just never seems to end! But we are enjoying our place and the close proximity to everything. One of the main reasons why we bought this house was LOCATION! Time is money and we both decided we'd rather have a smaller and older house, closer to work, and a bit higher in price than have to commute 30-40 min. each way. We realized when we bought this house that it wasn't brand new, things are worn, needing repair and TLC. We have been trying to tackle things one project at a time as our budget will allow. Brandon is a very handy guy and I have to hand it to him he has really surprised me with his handyman skills! His new Little Giant ladder is his pride and joy and boy it's really come in handy!

Looking up the street to the north, there is a really nice park just a block up this way perfect for kids. I'm going to whip out the rollerblades and go for a ride

Looking south, nice view of the mountains.

Couple of nice medium size trees give us a little bit of privacy.

We have been busy with yard work, the front bed was quite overgrown and we had a grub problem with the grass. We also have cleaned all of the windows inside and out...I don't think they had been cleaned before. We are in the process of replacing the two in front and the two in the master bedroom. The ones in the front will really help with the western sun, controlling the amount of heat in the afternoon and overall will be better quality. Another project I have is to replace the light fixtures on each side of the garage, maybe in a month or so. I really like these spot lights underneath the eaves, they look really cool at night!

My favorite part about owning a house is the garage. Those who know me know I am a little particular about my cars. When I was raised, we were taught to take really good care of our cars- inside and out. No eating, I keep towels on the floor, etc. Luckily, I married a man who does the same thing so it works great! Now after we wash our cars they actually stay clean for several days!!!

Here is our back deck. We live on a hill so these trees below are also ours. We also have a nice view of Timp too which you really can't see from this angle. Brandon made the comment that in the winter the trees will look really cool covered in snow. The playground in the background is ours so hopefully it will get a lot of use when we have kids. The previous owners left a sandbox which you can sort of see in the corner there, but we got rid of it. We would like to get a table, chairs, and umbrella maybe next year and our little grill will stay where it's at!

Me painting the entryway. The previous owners had applied a brownish/reddish glaze to this wall and it was just too rustic for me. So, I applied a primer and painted it "Crisp Kaki" to match the rest of the house.

Making our first dinner in the house (okay the crock pot is making it!)

My office! You might be wondering why I have a tablecloth on the desk. Well, I'm building up the motivation to refinish it. It's been through some wear and tear over the years but the desk has sentimental value to me. My dad bought me this Ethan Allen desk in high school and I've used it ever since. It is actually a very beautiful desk with nice lines.  Refinishing furniture is time consuming so I'm waiting until I get some other projects completed before I take this on.

Tobias also resides in here too!

Our bedroom, it looks a lot smaller than it really is in this picture. I love the vaulted ceilings

Master bathroom. It's a little smaller than we would have liked but we get up at different times so it's really not a problem. 

Family Room

A view from the family room into the entryway

I'm planning on adding a console table on this wall and doing some more with the ledge up above. We had new carpet put in the family room and hallway, and will eventually replace the carpet in the three bedrooms down the hall.

Here's a shot down into the kitchen.

We put in a tile back splash and plan to do the same thing on the opposing wall where the stove is. It's a glass and travertine mosaic tile

For those of you who visited us in our condo you know we didn't have a kitchen table so we ate most of our meals on the couch or at the bar. We've had to get use to the idea of eating at a table! We of course plan on getting a few more chairs over the next few months.

This wall was originally a brownish glaze as well but it didn't really go with the whole look of the kitchen and countertops so I had this idea to paint it a grayish/charcoal color to tie in with the backsplash and countertops. Lets just say it ended up looking more blue than I had hoped. Instead of repainting it I decided to sit on it for a few days. Well, it began to grown on me and now I really like the color. I think it will look even better once we have the tile installed on the wall adjacent to it.

I had been eyeing these Pottery Barn drapery panels for awhile with the grommet holes at the top. They were the perfect color and I loved the vertical lines (they help play up a room's height). Anyway, as my luck would have it when I went to order them it said they were on back order until July 2011!!! CRAZY! So I checked out eBay and found the exact color and length I wanted brand new for a little cheaper. SCORE!

By all means this is not a glamorous or flattering picture of me but I thought I'd show off my "Farmers Do It In The Dirt" shirt. I'd thought some of you would get a kick out of it! Brandon has a matching one too!