Melissa, Andy and the kids' Blog

Over Christmas break, my sister and I were looking at ways to make necklace organizers. We were looking for her, but once I saw some ideas, I wanted to make one too. I forgot to take pictures along the way, but I will still explain how to make one. You will need a plaque or a piece of wood, paint, scrapbook paper, mod podge, ribbon, door knobs, a drill and a seesaw hook. Paint the wood, and then mod podge an assortment of scrapbook paper on the front. After it all dries, you can mod podge some ribbon around the edges or even between the different paper. Then you will want to decide where you want your door knobs placed. Drill the holes, and then screw in the door knobs. You will also want to attach a seesaw hook to the back, so that you can hang it on the wall. Andy actually helped me with this craft. He picked out the ribbon, provided the drill, and drilled the holes for me. I did drill a couple of holes, but he is the one that really did it. Then we put in the door knobs t...

I know sometimes I don't enjoy living in Utah during the winter, but it does have it's perks. This past weekend Andy and I went to Temple Square to see the lights and such. I love this nativity scene. It is a great reminder of why we have Christmas! It is because this world was blessed to have a Savior born to save us all. He was born in meek circumstances, but He truly has blessed us all. Christmas is a time to celebrate Christ, our Savior! I hope we still remember to seek as the shepherds and wisemen did. The amazing thing is that He still lives, and because of Him we can all live forever. It is also a time to spend with those you love! (Temple Square is a little packed, so sometimes you get pictures of people you don't know.) This picture is from my ward Christmas dinner.

So last weekend my boyfriend, Andy, finally got to take me shooting. (He was going to 2 weeks prior, but I decided to take a hospital trip instead.) We went with his brother (James) and 2 of his friends (Bret and Kara). I had a really good time. It was a little cool, but not too bad. Andy brought plenty of gourds and milk jugs full of water to use as targets. There were quite a few guns there, not that I could tell you what kind they were. I do know there was a shotgun and a handgun, but those weren't my favorite. (My pictures are totally out of order.) We set up tons of gourds and jugs out on the land. James brought an old stove to use for target practice, but we put it to some good use first. Here the guys are disks or whatever they are called. Kara is attacking the gourds. Andy is also using the stove. As you can tell, it was already in bad shape. Boys and their toys!!! However, I like my boy's toys! I did get one injury from the handgun, but it was only a broken ...

Last Saturday morning (Oct. 30th) around 8:15 a.m. I was driving around trying to find the church building where I was supposed to meet up with my stake for a stake service project. I couldn't find the right building (there were too many to choose from), so I decided to just go home. My abdomen was also starting to hurt a little, so I didn't feel too horrible about not finding the service project. On the drive home the pain got worse. At home I thought it would help to curl up in fetal position, but nothing helped and the pain got worse. I called my mom thinking I had a bladder infection or something. Then I called my boyfriend, Andy, because he is going to pharmacy school and is very knowledgeable about the body. He told me that I probably had an infection, so he was going to come over to take me to Insta Care. It took him a little while, and later he told me that he got a speeding ticket on the way over. (He doesn't normally speed.) He had to come help me off th...

Pumpkin carving is a fun activity to do with a boyfriend! I surprised my boyfriend, Andy, with a pumpkin when he came over. Andy was more than willing to let me dig out the pumpkin guts. He finally put his skills to use by outlining the picture. I was more than willing to let him do the rest of the work. He is concentrating really hard to carve the pumpkin. He did a fantastic job! Look at the wolf howling at the moon. I then started separating the seeds from the rest of the stuff. Then I rinsed them, put them on a baking sheet, salted them, and baked them. The seeds were yummy! It was a great date!

This last weekend I went to Oregon for Fall Break. My new niece, Mya, got blessed. My dad and Darlene came up of Friday. This was taken at Olive Garden. On Saturday my brother, Brian, and his family came down. Here is my happy little nephew, Liam. We all went to a pumpkin patch and enjoyed the beautiful weather. Here I am with my sister, Trisha, and Mya. Mom and Bill also came out for the festivities. We got to watch some pumpkins shot out of some pumpkin launcher. Kiera, Ava, and Kael thought it was a little loud. Kael's birthday is coming soon, so I got him this little art set. He loved it! Kael is quite the artist! Here is Mya in her first white dress! Isn't she adorable? We took some family photos, but this was my favorite. My sister is my best friend! Below is Brian's family, Trisha's family, and myself. (I think I was talking.) Mommy and daughter! My little redheaded nephew, Liam. He is normally really happy, but he was sick and didn't sleep much. Grandpa ...

So I did buy mostly new furniture, but I bought this little desk at DI for $15. It had a few scratches, so I decided to add a little color. Here is the new and improved desk. I used colors that match my bedspread. I didn't even have to go shopping for paper...I already had plenty! I also decorated some letters for my new niece. You can actually spell 4 words with these 3 letters. I like this name the best! Here is a new frame that I decorated for myself. I have yet to put a picture in it, but maybe I'll wait until after my visit to Oregon. Then I could get a family picture in here with the 2 new babies from this year. It is so fun to decoupage! I actually find it kind of relaxing as well. If you ever want to come craft with me, just let me know!