Where Did November Go?

I've totally been in a slump, blogging and otherwise.  Aiy yai yai.  Somehow life has caught up with me over the last three weeks and has been kicking my trash.  I haven't been sick, just off kilter, and it's kind of caught up with me.  Maybe it's just the change in the weather or something?  Last night was just awful, so many things piled up and I just cried myself to sleep, tragic, I know.  Sometimes being a girl is overwhelming; we're a little crazy like that #letsbereal.  

Anyway, I have a few pictures piled up in my phone, and I am waaaay overdue for a post, so here we go!

Today my sweet kidlets sitting on the window seat and watching the birds eat the bird berries off the tree.  It was too cute not to snap a shot.  This window,  in our dining room is eye-level with the tree-top (our house is on a hill), so it's perfect for watching the little birdies.  I see some pine-cone/PB/bird seed feeders in our future!

 Oh, Marin.  Getting off the bus today, the friendly neighborhood cat (not ours, but very well fed, so *someone's*) was there, and Marin plucked him up and lugged him home.

 She cracks me up, that cat is half as big as she is.

 Funny girl.

 I was never a huge fish sandwich fan growing up, but my parents loved them.  It wasn't until I went to NY in March to spend time with my very ill father, that I developed the most insatiable appetite for fish sandwiches.  Crazy!  So sometimes I like to whip myself up a fish sandwich, and this was on Sunday.  Homemade tartar sauce, YUM!  Super simple, I'll need to post this to my FOOD blog, which is also needing some love.

 Last Saturday morning, we woke up to this, gorgeous snow.  Hey, as long as it's past Halloween, it's OK in my book.  This picture was taken from our bedroom window, it's technically the second story, but it's also on the lower hill side, so it seems like three stories up, and faces the east mountains.  So so so pretty!

 And, it's that season again :(  So sad for my girl.  She really struggles with her breathing, especially when the air quality is poor.  She just gulps for breath, and it make me sad.  This one day was particularly bad, we couldn't even see 2 miles through all the stale, junky air, we had to do her puffer AND her nebulizer.  I am at least glad we're not still in downtown SLC, it would have been way worse for her down there, the air is at least a little better up here.

 Love my sweet girl.

 Playing firefighter with Owen.

 I kind of sort of had a conversation with to my hubby about food storage and needing bigger shelves.  And he just whipped this bad boy up before work one day.  What a stud.  Now I need to fill this thing up, darn ;)

 Daddy raked some leaves a couple of weeks ago, and Owen was his little helper, of course.  Daddy has reached super-hero status in our house, by the way.  Owen *loves* his daddy, and daddy rough-houses to Owen's little heart's content.  It's so cute to watch.

 Yup, this is how I found my little guy one afternoon when I went to wake him up from his nap.  Sword shoved into his shirt.  After all, a true pirate never leaves his sword far away.  Made my day.

 I added a couple little things to my dining room, which I've been wanting to do for a while.  The picture frames/ leaves on either side of our window, and the gold branches on the table.

 I saw this idea for finding some fall leaves and spraying them gold, so I did it!  I had previously painted the frames.  These ones were black, and I painted them silver, and glazed them with some Martha Stewart stuff.  Turned out great!

 These frames were from DI.  I picked them up for next to nothing and did the same treatment to them.  And I love the sprayed leaves.!  The two pictures after this are of the branches I sprayed...before and after.  I love having them on the table, so pretty!!

 

 This is Owen and his future roommate, Bronson.  Bronson's dad is BJ, Kristoffer's best friend since forever ago.  We went to lunch with them a few weeks ago, and it's so fun to watch those two boys together, they crack me up....and the little boys, too.  ;)

Hopefully we'll have more happy pictures soon, my mama is flying to town next Wednesday for a few days to spend Thanksgiving with us...as she heads out for a trip to HAWAII!!  So excited for her, she needs it.  Anyway, we'll have a bang up dinner...are you surprised?  I can't help myself!

Floors, DONE.

Can I finally say that the floors are pretty much done?  Wohoo!  The whole process, moderate.  The prep work is pretty meticulous, laying the actual flooring is actually easy, but when you come to angles, and areas that require custom cuts, it's pretty un-fun.  We busted out the whole room in pretty much two days, but the final patch in front of the front door and around the stair area took an entire day in and of itself.  Poor Kristoffer.  I am so impressed with how it looks, and amazed that I'm liking a laminate floor this much.  Honestly, this stuff was cheaper than our carpet...a STEAL!!!


Take a look!!

It opened up the space SO much, and the whole house jumped 20 years into the present considering that blue carpet that used to be there.



It truly brings everything together.

I'm still planning on giving those two chairs a makeover.  Well, there is a third chair, so all three.  No rush.  This floor has kicked us, we need a little break.

Yeah, I need to capture the moment when it's actually nice and clean....

Today Kristoffer finished running electrical to his shed.  So happy for that.  The shed just needs power, and I will need some power for my chicken coop.  Just finishing up some big projects feels great, so happy to breathe and soak in the fall...which, seems as though it ended, well, today.  I took Owen for a nice long walk at the park and it sure was breezy, and then around 2pm, the winds got cold and blew off all the leaves from the trees and rain came.  Sounds like November weather to me!

Perfect Fall Saturday

This past Saturday, we really needed to just be together as a family.  It had been a busy week, and we were ready for some fun.  We headed to a family-fall-farm...place, honestly, I don't remember the name.  It was a perfect day, so gorgeous.  Sunshine, a light breeze, blue skies, just perfect, I couldn't have picked a more perfect fall day.

It was just the right size, too.  Not overwhelming like when we've been to other places...just way too huge.  Our kids are still little, so this was fun, they had some medium and big slides, a tube slide, a corn-box (like a sand box, but with corn), hayrides, tractor rides, corn shooting, animals, etc.  

I tried to get a shot of Owen sitting in the pumpkin box, but he had his sights on something else....

 ....like this giant wheel that, to him, resembled a wheel on a pirate ship.

 Awww, there's my cute babies, I guess they aren't really babies anymore.

 Feeding the baby cows.

 Owen loved playing in the corn box, he just laid down and rolled around.  I didn't really mind.  I much prefer these corn boxes over dirt sand boxes.

 They had a couple of these slides fixed to some hay bales, this was the bigger one.  It was actually really fun...I know, I tried it ;)

 The other one was smaller, and both kids played so well together.  Marin would climb up and wait for Owen, and they would hold hands and go down the slide together.  Priceless.

 They also inflated a hot air balloon, which was just neat to watch.

We had a minor scare, Marin went missing for about half an hour.  I was waiting in line for some popcorn and hot cider, and Kristoffer had the kids playing on the slide, and she must have run off to do something else, and we couldn't find her.  The whole area was fenced in, so I knew she didn't wander into the wilderness.  We thought maybe she was waiting in line (up the stairs) to go down the tube slide, so we waited at the bottom for a while.  No Marin.  Finally I started to make the round and look for her, I found her on the opposite side of the 'field', and she was just running around looking for us.  She started crying when I found her and the poor girl was so scared we were going to leave her there.  We'll have to make sure we decide on a plan next time in case anyone gets lost.  

All in all, so glad we had the day together, it was just what we needed as a family, and soaked up the fall sun.

A Change

Saturday was a happy day, and at the end of the day, Kristoffer needed to stop by Home Depot on our way home.  I told him I would join him since I wanted to look at tile for the kitchen.  We had just bought tires for my car, which turned out to be not as pricey as I thought, we found a killer deal on nice tires at Wal-Mart, and had some cash from a mild fender bender a few months ago.  ANYWAY, as we were walking toward the tile, we passed by some flooring, and I was actually really impressed with one particular laminate flooring.  It was extra thick, looked like hardwood, didn't have that shiny-laminate look to it, and was the right shade.  The price?  A STEAL!!  We talked to the associate who is putting the same flooring in her own home, and she mentioned she called another dealer (haha, dealer??), and the best price they could offer was still way more than what HD had it priced at.  So....we jumped in with both feet.  This is pretty typical Lyman shenanigans.  BUT, we can FINALLY say goodbye to the blue carpet!!

I took a bunch of before's, even thought the flooring isn't fully installed yet.

 Oh-so-blue in the dining room.  So glad I'm not going to have carpet in the dining room anymore.

 The living room all cleared out, and my little Pirate boy to the right.  He loves his Halloween costume.

 We let Owen take the pliers to the carpet, he loves to help, of course!

 Just after ripping it up.

 Towards the end of the day, I started to really not feel well at all.  My back was killing, and I was starting to come down with a nasty cold, so Marin stepped in to help daddy.  She's getting to big, and can really actually help out!

 This was a picture of where we stopped that first night.  The actual laying of the flooring goes pretty quick, but the prep-work takes forever.  Especially when your ripping out tackboard and nails and staples, oh my.  We've completed more since this picture, and have ripped up the small strip of actual hardwood that was in front of the door...which was in pretty rough shape anyway.  I'm super excited to finish this and take a full on AFTER pic, so hopefully by this weekend??  This is about the last BIG project we had to do.  Now, it's all details...you know, things that won't put my house into chaos, that will be nice!!

Stay tuned for a finished room!

Some Lyman Family Fun

We've been loving fall, ok, well, I'VE been totally loving fall.  We've been working on this house full tilt throughout the summer...the hot weather, and now that we have a some of the big items done, it's nice to slow down with the weather and take a nice deep breath of cool, crisp air.  We still have things we'll be working on over the winter, but nothing huge.  PLUS, with cooler weather, you get to decorate for fall (which I LOVE), it's my favorite season to decorate for...not as cluttered as Christmas, not as flowery (which leads to dead flowers) for spring, and more dressed up than summer.  AND you get to bake delicious fall treats, mmmmm!

So here's my little guy, and I think we have reason to celebrate, he's pretty much daytime potty trained!!  Wohooo!!  I was dreading it, honestly.  I hate potty training.  It's just messy and gross.  It goes against every little fiber in my mother-being...which is to prevent messes!  And I have zero tolerance for those kinds of messes, knowing I created the situation to have a mess.  Kristoffer totally heard me, and we decided to spearhead the potty training the weekend of General Conference, since we would be home all weekend.  Kris totally helped out SO much, and that was a lifesaver, especially in the early days...with the messes.  My hubby is so patient, love that man.  It's been almost two weeks, and Owen is doing *great*.  He runs right in when he needs to go, and tells his teacher in nursery at church.  Such a big boy.  So glad not to be using diapers anymore (well, except at night)..

 This is a mouse.  We were cleaning out the garage Saturday, and I heard some squeek-squeeking from behind the freezer...I listened closely, and no doubt about it...mice.  We set some traps and we've caught six mice so far.  Yeah, not sure how I should feel about that.

 Where I work, they make these *amazing* baked apples, they are really so delish.  So I experimented and made some the other night, and they were YUMMY!  I'll need to practice a few more times to get it just right, but it sure was a tasty start!

 Oh, and we had breakfast for dinner one night, gluten free banana nut brown sugar waffles....my fave.  So so so good.

 I saw this at the NPS store the other day, it totally made me laugh.  This was an actual ream of paper, haha!

 My cutie girl.  She loves to play pumpkin shoppe, so she gathers all of my pumpkins/gourdes/halloween decor and sets up shoppe.  Cute girl.  This was Sunday before General Conference.

 Oh, my son.  Owen found the bleach spray the other day.  That boy.  We just bought these two articles of clothing...fortunately at DI...and he bleached his own shirt (my favorite of the bunch) and daddy's new sweatpants (his new favorite).  That little boy, my Mr. Mischievous.

So here we are, just loving fall and breathing deep.  Enjoy it before the snow comes!!

A Rooster Named Bertha

I'm sure you all know by now that I have chickens.  Six...er...five to be exact.  I've watched them grow from tiny little peepers, into big fat chickens, and I've had many a vision of happy, egg laying years ahead.  The thought of what to do with my hens when they stop laying has also crossed my mind.  I've always known that whatever I choose to do, it's my responsibility since I'm the one wanted them, cares for them, etc.  It's like having any other animal, really...but with chickens, when they stop laying, they need to be killed...which is unlike any other animal.  As the one who took responsibility for them from day one, I knew the final responsibility would also be mine.  BUT, I knew I had a few years a least to prepare myself for that day, until the one day when Big Bertha let out a big, FAT cock-a-doodle-dooooO!

We had been wondering for some time whether or not Big Bertha was a rooster.  She didn't really have many rooster like characteristics, she didn't have that extra long neck, or the super long tail feathers.  Her comb and wattles were only a smidge bigger than the rest of the ladies, and her body was a little larger.  I never saw her try to mate with the other chickens, and she was a terrible protector; any time I came through the fence and tried to pick up a chicken, Bertha would squawk loudly and be the first one to run away....every chicken for them self, evidently.  I thought I had head a faint crow last Sunday, and on Friday, while I was at work, Kristoffer confirmed our worst fear....Big Bertha, was in fact....Big Daddy.

I was super bummed.  Mostly because I hadn't prepared myself for doing the deed this year.  So because I was at work and wouldn't be home until almost 7, and I didn't want this rooster crowing all day after Kris left for work at 1, I asked Kristoffer if he felt comfortable...doing the deed.  He did, and I felt awful for pushing the responsibility off on him.  So Kristoffer whacked him.

I told Kris to put him all wrapped up into the freezer, and I would clean him out the next day.  I watched a multitude of chicken plucking/cleaning videos on YouTube that night, and felt relatively prepared.  So I got to it the next day.  The hardest part was stripping the feathers, not physically, that part was easy, but because it was my chicken, you know?  I dunked it in hot water, tied it up and they came out relatively easily, although, it would have been easier if he were fresh, not quite as easy after freezing and thawing.

Then I took my sharpened knife and got to work.  There are a couple of tools I wish I had to make it a little easier, but I got the job done, although it wasn't the prettiest butchering job.  I ended up slicing off the breasts (which were quite small) and the legs and planned on using them for biscuits with chicken gravy, which I did.  The breasts were quite yummy, I wish there was more to them, the legs were very tough, not my fave.

All in all, it was tough, but I'm glad I did it.  I'm a country girl with a dad who hunted and cleaned his own animals, and I like to think he would have been proud of me.  I've always tried hard to push myself to do things that may not always be easy, but that give me experience and wisdom and mad skills that make my hubby a proud man.  I'm a great wife, by the way, and if the government ever shuts down and the grocery stores can't afford to ship in their food from heaven-knows-where, this girl right here can get it done and feed her family.  And anyway, I totally have a new appreciation for where food comes from.  It's tough plucking and cleaning your own chicken!

So here are a few pictures, if you're interested.

Ripping off the feathers:

 Hard at work!

 Here's my final product!  Some meat on the right, and a carcass that I made into chicken stock.

So there you have it.  One rooster dinner!

A Rather Large Wall

Since we've moved into this house, I've been doing little things here and there to love my new home.  And it's really warmed right up to all this loving and has loved me back; except this rather large wall that you see here.

 Granted, I've hung one teeny tiny picture on it, but it's because I've totally struggled with what to do with this wall!  I don't want to just throw things up on the wall without having had a clear vision as to what this room was lacking...you know, blind shooting.  (Sorry the pics are so dark)  But the other day...it hit me.  There is no clear focal point.  that's the problem with this room.  There are so many things to focus on, they eye scatters and almost creates a bit of optical chaos (Is that even a term?  Sounds good.).  We bought the house because we *loved* all the windows and natural light and the gorgeous mountain view out the dining room window in the back; but there are almost so many windows, and so much light, and nothing to really rest your eye on and steal the show in order to ground all of the other lovely things.

 So, as you can see, the side wall in this house extends from the formal living area in the front of the house (where there is yet another window (not wall), to the back of the house  which is the formal dining room (where there is also another window, no wall).  The layout is a bit tricky as far as where to put furniture, but I think once I get my "focal point", the furniture arrangement will just come together.

 At first, I thought that a faux fireplace would do the trick, and I pinned a bunch of super cute ones on Pinterest.  And they were pretty easy peasy as well as cute.  And then I realized....there is no ROOM for one!  Oy, I was sad.  So I continued to think and think and think.  At first, I thought, well, maybe I could do a huge reclaimed-ish wood wall, aaaallll along that whole big wall.  That really scared me, I'm not that good of an interior designer.  So I scratched the idea, but what I liked about it was that the reclaimed wood would have drawn the eye upwards towards the vaulted ceilings that have and love.  It was a focal point.  THEN, I had another idea.  My final idea which I'm going to implement.  It's a going to be a gallery wall!

 I've loved the idea of a gallery wall, anyway, and with this particular size, height and length of wall, it's really going to look great.  It will certainly be quite a focal point for both rooms and draw your eye up towards the high ceiling, which you really need in here.  And, it will bring that warmth to the area that I just haven't been able to get in that area; my kitchen (kind of) and family room have regular ceiling heights, and feel cozy and warm, and that's what I want to mimic.

I've never EVER done anything this huge with pictures, and I'm looking for tips on how to make it work right, so if ya'll have any ideas on this, please let me know!  I'll be trying to complete it over the winter, it's a good cold weather project, you know?  So, I'm going to be on the lookout for great frames!  Keep an eye out for any progress!