recent projects

its been far too long...

i guess i feel this need to have something special and profound to talk about but ive got to figure out this is not the case.

i was woken up really early this morning and peered out the window to see that snow had snuck up on me. and would you believe it but not very long ago i actually said 'i want it to snow' but i wasnt expecting it this time.

i admit it....it is beautiful. i love it when the sun isnt quite up yet and everything has a blue tint to it from the white all over.

and i was lucky enough to have josh shovel my driveway and uncover my car today. :)

ok so here are some things ive been wanting to share....

josh and i went through a phase of going to color me mine. you know where you paint ceramics and they fire them for you so you have your own personalized dish!? well here was my first project....

im pretty proud of it i have to say.

ok so im a total dork and when i see something that i like i take a picture of it with my phone in hopes of it inspiring me later. this cup was inspired by a calendar at barnes and noble.

so next time we went back i found a tea cup! which was perfect after the excitement of just buying my first tea set. so i decided to start a theme and took some of the same colors and patterns from my first cup....

hopefully there will be more tea cups to come!

please excuse the crappy pictures for the next few...

i had a framed print that i got from my roommate a while ago because she didnt want it anymore. it said "all because they fell in love..."

which sure, is cute if youre married. but i'm not and it didnt really fit in my bathroom like i wanted it to. so i decided to do something with it.

there are these beautiful red japanese maple trees that are outside the window of the olive garden. and in the fall and spring i absolutely LOVE it because every time i walk out the kitchen i see this beautiful tree. and when the trees were changing color they were a flaming red color.

finally on a really slow lunch shift josh and i decided to go out and pick a few. and this is what i did with them....

unfortunately dried leaves dont keep the same color they were. but i think it turned out ok. it makes me happy every time i see it now...

and last...my table center piece.

the table is apparently the only thing im allowed to decorate in my apartment with my crappy roommates (i found my vase with blue sticks that was my ONLY decoration in the living room put in the garage) so i decide to go all out.

every christmas season when i'm at the store and i walk past those pine cones that smell like cinnamon i tell myself i will get them when i have my own house. but i thought thats dumb so i decided not to wait and get them. so i put this together. a bowl...then i walked past a few candles on the way out and made this! i love the place mat (loove target)....

but they smell delicious and add a little cheer when i walk in the door. (i need it here)

i'm going to be better. no more of this waiting for something cool to write about..

just do it!

a house vs. a home

i just got home from a wonderful trip to oregon for thanksgiving. i got to spend the day with my bestest friend zannie and her husband p today. it was so nice to be able to go to church with them and then to take a nap after having a snack. but coming home has really helped me understand something i already knew a little better. the importance of a house vs a home.

after spending the day with them i came home to my apartment and this is what it was like;

i walked inside to see my roommate at the kitchen sink.

she didnt acknowledge me. i said hi and she finally turned around.

but didnt respond.

i hauled my luggage through the kitchen and living room making sure not to step on all the crap on the floor from one of her projects.

i sat in my room for a while and eventually left to make food. i found myself crying as i was standing in the kitchen in a place that i felt totally uncomfortable in. and only after hurting my wrist did i realize here i was alone and feeling icky becuase of the place that i live. all this time i was alone and still managed to feel so gross when usually being alone is a relief.

im so grateful that i was able to go home this week. it always leaves me feeling grounded. things that are important become more clear to me when they may have been a little foggy before. and i am reminded of how important a home is after being in such a good environment with my family. heres what i think makes a house a home:

1. the gospel

2. a loving relationship with my husband and kids.

i really want to make sure that these things are in my home. i am so grateful for parents who have taught me the ways of the gospel and who have continualy had the spirit in our home. i love my parents. i am so grateful for their example and loving relationship. it really gives me something to strive for.

im grateful for the spirit and that the lord has specified that our homes should be a holy place. it may be tough now but i have an awesome example of what i want my home to be like in the future.

blehhh.....

i dont know what to do right now.

i feel like writing but i havent allowed myself to just have time to sit and think things through. and i dont feel all creative like i want to in order to blog.

i dont want to go to bed but i dont want to watch tv or do anything else. why do i do this?

.....

maybe i'll just go to bed.

i was looking through pictures on my computer...i kind of miss my short hair....thoughts?

maybe its just my tan and thin face....i should start working out and bleaching my teeth. hah!

eh i found a re-run of the office. that'll keep me busy for a half hour.

my happy things today

1. i didnt have to work today. (which means i got to catch up on my disney channel shows)

2. i got to see baby monson. i got to feed him and hold him and take adorable pictures of him.

3. i downloaded an app where i have to take care of a kitty. i may or may not already be addicted. it will just have to do for now til i can get a real one. haha.

4. i spent the evening at barnes and noble with josh. i read 'the giving tree' to him. (he hadn't ever read it!)

5. we ate pretzel bites with nacho cheese facing each other on a bench in the mall.

6. i bought a new wallflower for my room. they were on sale! spiced cider is the perfect holiday scent. bath and body works just makes me so excited.

7. i bought a new ring!

it looks like this...but is purple in the middle.....i pretty much love it

8. i ended the evening with fresh chocolate chip cookies and the office.

:D

my duck tape

i bought a roll of duct tape with my mom at target when i was in idaho a few months ago and i have yet to find a good use for it....until today!

i pulled out my go-to headband this morning to pull back my greasy bangs so i could go snap a few pictures really early this morning. only to find out it had snapped in my drawer of junk.

my thought process went like this;

i should tape it

but that would look ugly and i wouldnt want to wear it

thatd be cool if i had cute tape

....wait i have cute tape!

so it began....i took this:

and made this:

yay!! im so excited i may just wear it to work tonight.

in other exciting news i bought some new boots. i had decided i wanted some boots with a heel and in my process of looking for things at ross for my photoshoot i found these amazing brown shoes for only 16 bucks. i couldnt pass it up and have worn them almost every day since i got them. i know this is dorky...but i took this picture for my sisters to see how stylin their older sister can be. (they tend to be more in touch with whats cute these days)

you didnt know i was a model did you?

i went out and took some pictures of timp this morning. it was absolutely beautiful with the sun rising and all these clouds around the snow covered mountain. if it wasnt so honkin cold i may have gone out and taken a few more. i plan on doing that tomorrow. but for now:

all these leaves that have fallen make me so happy. it is my favorite time of the season when EVERY tree has changed colors and they have even started to fall. the best thing is when there is a small pile under the tree on the green grass where they have all settled.

its my favorite to drive behind a car on a leaf filled road to see them all flitter up and down as it passes over them. so fun! i just dont want it all to leave. but i'm beginning to say goodbye to them and hello to the snow......

i heart babies

i struggle because i dont ever know how to separate my journal and my blog. sorry but i just dont feel like writing my deepest thoughts and desires to the whole world on the internet but i do like the creative vent it is for me that my journal just doesnt give me.

i went for a run the other day.

ya i know....its been forever. but i was feeling sluggish and gross and decided getting my heart pumping would help. it was in the middle of the day which is even more weird for me because that means i have to shower again. but oh man what a perfect fall day for a run (ok jog/speed walk because im so out of shape right now)!

i just love living in a neighborhood because i get to interact with people who arent students. as i turned around at the top of the hill a lady cutting her bushes (who i admit i got jealous of for getting to do yard work. i seriously felt like asking her to help just because i thought it would be fun) said "good for you, i would have walked up the hill and ran down it." then a few seconds later i got asked for directions to the mtc. the guy was foreign and hardly understood english and even though it was the slightest act of service it left me feeling good.

jogging gives me time to think about......everything. i think so many things ran through my mind in those short 30 min. but the cool thing is it always seems so positive. i was thinking of things i want to do to be better and things that get me all excited. maybe i should stop being so fat and do it more often....ok before the snow comes.

i got to hold a baby this week.

what an amazing feeling! i had warm fuzzies for the next few days. i cant even imagine if it was my own baby that i had been carrying for the last 9 months. it will be amazing.

i get to take more pictures of him tomorrow. i spent my day walking through ross and tj maxx looking for cute fabrics and things to put him in. this is my first 'photoshoot' so i'm nervous but so excited. it feels good to have something i HAVE to be creative about. wish me luck.

here is a picture of him from the hospital....

hes so tiny!!

ps. a bird pooped on me today! in my hair.....sick. i heard *splat* and a *tweet* and then said 'i thiiiink i just got pooped on' sure enough it was true. this is the second time! both in my hair even. sick.

for the beauty of the earth

it takes a lot effort for me to just write what im feeling. i erase and re-write over and over until i finally feel like i've said what i wanted. in fact i just erased that last sentence five times. and even then i dont feel like its exactly how i want to say it.....but simply... what i want to say is i had an absolutely wonderful sabbath...and weekend.

yesterday i was so happy to make josh help me sweep all the yellow leaves off my driveway. this is the first time ive had to 'take care' of a 'yard'/driveway. and oh boy was i so excited yesterday. this may be the landscape manager in me or just the dunn in me but i miss yard work! so i was very excited to get out and work up a little sweat. while i did this a tree down the street caught my eye so afterwards i went and took a few pictures. i met a little old lady who decided to do the same thing and we stood next to each other marveling at this gorgeous tree. i tried to enjoy it as much as i could since the weather called for a storm and chances were it wouldnt be as beautiful the next day.

maybe i liked it so much cuz it matched my mustard sweater...

robert d. hales taught me today in stake conference that, 'its mortality, deal with it. you chose to do this.' haha in addition to that i dont even know how many times he repeated i am a child of god and he loves me. even after the closing song and prayer he got up to apologize for not being able to shake hands with everyone because of his health but that he loves us and wants us to know that we are children of god. what a sweet man. i hear the song 'i am a child of god' so often but do i really know it? do i really know i am a child of god? he said its the beginning of everything. he taught to look yourself in the mirror and say 'it is good enough to be lucy' so grow and cultivate what you have. what a great message! i left with such a high spirit today. i am so grateful for the mercy of the lord and the opportunity that he gives me to start over and to progress. i have hope for the future. i walked home today from visiting teaching enjoying the weather and playing with grasshoppers just thanking heavenly father for everything he has done for me. i cant even begin to express how blessed i feel.

today marks six years since i got my patriarchal blessing (yes i got it on halloween) and i have learned from it to enjoy the beauty the earth. today i took about 150 pictures of just stuff because i thought it was pretty.

i took a nap in the park and woke up to this

and this

and then i went for a drive and stopped to look at this little guy

and for some reason he did this

only after taking a bite of my skirt getting snot all over me.

then drove down to the lake to marvel at this

and this

and this

i feel so happy and so blessed. what a wonderful wonderful weekend!

the beginning of a new crafty lucy

I laid in bed this morning til twelve browsing tutorial blogs and etsy.

There are so many things I want to do!

I feel like my head is exploding with ideas of things I want to create.

--CREATE--

that word has been reeling through my head ever since i graduated and realized i have time to do what I want to do. i often think back on a talk president uchtdorf gave at a general relief society meeting.

"the desire to create is one of the deepest yearnings of the human soul. no matter our talents, education, backgrounds, or abilities, we can have an inherent wish to create something that did not exist before. everyone can create. you dont need money, position, or influence in order to create something of substance or beauty. creation brings deep satisfaction and fulfillment. what you create doesnt have to be perfect...dont let fear of failure discourage you. if you...feel incapable of creating, start small."

so thats what i did. i started small. i pulled out a box from under my bed that i had mentally marked 'crafts to do' and got some fabric and thread that i had bought right after i graduated to experiment with. i played around with making fabric flowers. now i'm going to be honest i dont feel so great about how they turned out but like president uchtdorf said, it doesnt have to be perfect. so i plan on practicing a little more to get the hang of it.

ive started a book with all of my ideas. and if i really had it my way this book would have been one i created with the perfect type of paper with the perfect texture that included cutouts and sketches to help with my ideas. but my little notepad will just have to do for now.

and in all of this exploration i've decided i want a sewing machine to help facilitate some of my ideas. i'm thinking it will be the perfect christmas present. i cant think of anything else i want, i have everything already.

in other news i was happy when i got a random text saying 'theres something on your doorstep' from my daddy i immediately jumped up from my project to find a harry and david box on the porch. mom and dad sent me a halloween treat! yay for candy corn moose munch! the bag is already half way gone. haha but thanks mom and dad for thinking of me. i'm so blessed to have such wonderful parents.

time for work!

p.s. this blog is on my list of 'creative ideas.' hopefully there will be more to come. and hopefully i'll learn how to be cool and create my own graphics with a cool name that represents lucy.