a nice welcome

i received many wonderful traits from my mother. but there is one that most people (neighbors and husbands and myself) dont really appreciate.. its what i like to call "burnt cookie disorder". from what ive been told taryn has the same thing! it must be hereditary. 

with that said. ive definitely embraced my own (maybe yours too) home-aid style of baking... if i ever bring you cookies, you will know precisely how they were made!

with a little betty and a little crocker!

although they arent my own, anyone who eats them cant complain because they are much better than if they were!

i decided to welcome my family to some cookies, taco soup and a nice banner made from my beloved cricket!

welcome hansen family! we are so happy to have you here!

p.s. my mother-in law gave me the taco soup recipe. if you love taco soup you will love this one!

1 lb ground beef (browned)

1 medium onion chopped (limp)

1 16 oz can stewed or diced tomatoes

1 tbl chili powder

1 16 oz can kidney or black beans (with liquid)

1 1/2 cups water

1 8 oz tomato sauce

1 package taco seasoning

1 16 oz can corn (with liquid)

i usually just put mine in the crockpot for a couple of hours... so easy and DELISH DELISH DELISH!

i couldnt be happier.

because within 24 hours

him and her

these two cuties

and the shaginator!

will be at my home for a week!! YIPPEE!!

(little jas doesnt get to come due to football camp!)

we will miss you bro!

awesome.

MY HUSBAND ROCKS!!!

man he is amazing.

card holder

well i finished my card holder. im not completely in love with it. but it looks a little better than before. and for a dollar-something its not a bad makeover.

before

after

like i said i dont love it. so who knows another makeover might be in order. 

and until i actually make all the cards to fill up the thing, it will hold my magazines and other odds and ends.

x0x0

did you notice i used the "knobs" that were once shower curtain holders that i also got while thrifting?

courage.

im realizing more and more that courage is something i lack. 

i dont think that i have ever had a problem with it until now (or the past few years). maybe its because ive grown up a little bit, or maybe its because ive begun to care more about how people look at me.

isnt that somehow backwards though? arent you supposed to care so much more about what people think of you when you're young and trying to fit in?

i rarely cared before about what i wore, how i looked, if i would get hurt while sky diving, driving on the freeway, calling people i didnt know, etc.

now im more than apprehensive about most of those things. maybe not so much those sort of trivial things, but things that will help me progress. things that will matter ten years from now.

i think im afraid of failure more than i thought. 

im a graphic artist, but im afraid of how people will perceive what i do, so i dont put it out for the world to see. i dont try.

maybe thats it. maybe im just lazy.

no i think im scared. i lack courage.

i lack courage with my job, my schooling, my calling. so i dont progress as much as i should.

i guess i need to take a good look and search hard for it.

i dont mean for this to be an extremely dreary post as it has become. i have just been thinking about it for the past few days. i think writing it down makes me understand it a little bit better.

much love to you all

i am happy i promise. i am just a chicken and need to try something new.

im overcoming a fear by posting something so weird yet personal! :)

x0x0

 

thrifting, crafting and joes.

first of all OH MY GOSH! i just stole this picture from my cousin jen's blog! they had a family talent show in island park this year for the fourth! my DAD DID NACHO LIBRE!! OH MY HECK I AM LAUGHING SO HARD! LOOK AT OLD SCOTTIE DAWG!

i just had to post that picture~! anyways... :)

im at it again. every thursday at unique is 25% off. my friend sara called and asked if i wanted to go... of course i did!

 and rob we will not have to rent a u-haul for the way home! we will squish!:)

i got some random fabric scraps! ive seen a lot of people make cute fabric flowers and little things like that so i decided why not give it a try!

you can never have enough buttons! i got a big bag of them for super cheap!

isnt this wooden box a beauty.. no not really! so i am sprucing it up and when it is finished it will hold all of my cards!

another dress. kind of hippy-ish but i really like it! it will be a fun flowing summer dress!

pottery barn lanterns! brand spankin new! 10 for a little less than $4 with the 25% discount. pottery barn was selling them for $25

a super cute new blouse!

here i am wearing it. those necklaces are thrift store finds from awhile back!

ok today i decided to do a few craft projects. you can see that ugly wooden box being transformed!

a headband and some of the buttons from the bag of buttons

walah!

i got these flowers at michaels for like 30 cents so i decided to make some baby headbands. we give these to the mothers in our ward when they have little girls! the regular headband one is for me though! 

this picture frame was originally black. i spray painted it and left it on the plastic bag i was using for protection. it stuck on the frame. needless to say it was a mess i almost just threw the frame away but tried some sanding and such and now i think it looks pretty cute. still a little messy but hey it works!

yes in the picture we are holding a shark! yikes! :)

sam has never been to joes crab shack before and it is one of my absolute favorite places to eat! so we took a date night on thursday and enjoyed some crab and coconut shrimp (my favorite). dont you hate when you leave your leftovers on the table! 

my eyes are buggin!

hope everyone is having a fantastic weekend.

much love

until next time 

x0x0

thrift "SCORE" thursday

i went thrifting yesterday to the WONDERFUL unique! (the walmart sized thrift store)here are some of my "SCORES"

i think this chair is rad! sam however is questioning my mindset... he wants to know how i think we will get it home... but trust me we will find a way! i am going to recover the seat and perhaps paint... or touch up the wood.. $3.49

this is the detail of the backrest. i really like it!

i love this silver two tiered platter. i will use it to hold jewelry! $3.00

i kind of splurged on these picture frames. but with a nice fresh paint job and some different vintage art inside they will look sweet! $3.43 each

a new purple high waisted skirt. $2.00

another sweet dress. i added on my "staple" and think it will be really cute! again i kind of splurged but i think it was worth it i might add on different buttons though. $5.99 someday you will actually get to see me in these.

those were my finds! do any of you have any awesome thrift "scores" to share?

on a bit of a different note, in a post awhile back i wrote this:

"while we were walking around downtown dc i saw quite a few homeless people. it was interesting, because people just walked by them without even a look or a smile (i did it too) but afterwards as i was thinking about it, it reminded me of the parable of the good samaritan. its interesting that we have all that we need and want, yet i am willing to just pass someone without anything by without anymore than a thought. as i have thought more about this, i have promised to my Heavenly Father that i won't allow something like this to happen again. i know that many of those people that are in need have made decisions and have used their own agency to bring those circumstances on themselves, but who am i to judge. i might not be able to do a lot, but i can do what i can do. and i will."

anyways back when i wrote it i wanted to incorporate a certain scripture that i was thinking of, but i couldnt find it until now. i read it yesterday and feel like i want to share it. Mosiah 4: 15-21:

15 But ye will ^ateach them to ^bwalk in the ways of truth and ^csoberness; ye will teach them to ^dlove one another, and to serve one another.

  16 And also, ye yourselves will ^asuccor those that stand in need of your succor; ye will administer of your substance unto him that standeth in need; and ye will not suffer that the ^bbeggar putteth up his petition to you in vain, and turn him out to perish.

  17 Perhaps thou shalt ^asay: The man has brought upon himself his misery; therefore I will stay my hand, and will not give unto him of my food, nor impart unto him of my substance that he may not suffer, for his punishments are just—

  18 But I say unto you, O man, whosoever doeth this the same hath great cause to repent; and except he repenteth of that which he hath done he perisheth forever, and hath no interest in the kingdom of God.

  19 For behold, are we not all ^abeggars? Do we not all depend upon the same Being, even God, for all the substance which we have, for both food and raiment, and for gold, and for silver, and for all the riches which we have of every kind?

  20 And behold, even at this time, ye have been calling on his name, and begging for a ^aremission of your sins. And has he suffered that ye have begged in vain? Nay; he has poured out his ^bSpirit upon you, and has caused that your hearts should be filled with ^cjoy, and has caused that your mouths should be stopped that ye could not find utterance, so exceedingly great was your joy.

  21 And now, if God, who has created you, on whom you are dependent for your lives and for all that ye have and are, doth grant unto you whatsoever ye ask that is right, in faith, believing that ye shall receive, O then, how ye ought to ^aimpart of the substance that ye have one to another.

i hope we all listen to this counsel and truly serve one another and give of our substance to whomever is in need.

i love you all 

until next time

x0x0