There is something quaint yet luxurious about a handmade gift. It is unique and thoughtful; something particularly tailored with the recipient in mind. Handmade gifts {in my opinion} are the most precious gifts; for handmade gifts, cannot be bought nor duplicated.

While I do not have the time to make each special person in my life a handmade gift for every occasion, I always find time each Christmas season to make my mom a scrapbook highlighting certain moments of the year's past. Despite the simplicity of these small books, the impact they make is remarkable. Each photo showcases a day worth remembering. I enjoy creating and gifting these simple treasures, yet more than that, I love the surprised look on my mom's face each year as she opens it.

Merry Christmas Mama. Thanks for always {acting surprised} and being appreciative of these handmade gifts.

Passion

“Find something you're passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”- Julia Child 

To feel passionate towards something is one of the greatest feelings you can experience. It is an overwhelming feeling of energy, happiness, desire and at times, possibly even a tad of obsession. Our passions are that which we never tire of doing. Our passions are what separate us from the rest.

Wyet is incredibly passionate about art. While he does have a God-given talent, he has undeniably worked extremely hard to become the artist he is today. Whether it be experimenting with different mediums to discover his niche or staying awake late into the night to finish a project, his efforts to create a masterpiece have always been meticulous.

Airbrushing has become an extension of Wyet; it is a hobby that has encompassed his life. There have been occasions when I have watched Wyet paint, and I can't tell where the movement of his hand stops and the airbrush begins. He is fluid and precise, and it is truly amazing to watch. Being able to observe as Wyet makes the step-by-step progressions on his artwork is astonishing to say the least.

Living with Wyet has been incredible for various reasons. However, one of the best reasons is the motivation and creativity he radiates. Being around a motivated person, encourages me to be more motivated. Living with a creative person, inspires me to think more creatively. Thanks to Wyet and his undying passion, I have been able to be my most creative self over this past year.
 

I am beyond grateful that I am able to share my life with someone who keeps creativity and passion alive in our home. He has established a creative spark in our lives, and it is here to stay.

Wyet's most recent painting in progress.

One of the best things we have done was making room for this creative space in our home.

The finished product {this photo was snapped from my phone and doesn't even begin to give this painting justice}.

One Year

It has been one year {365 snuggly nights, 52 lazy Sunday afternoons and 2 couples retreats} since Wyet and I moved into this tiny yellow house. Since day one, it has been an adventure. Even though we have known each other for nearly a decade, we have learned many new things about each other since that cold day last December when we moved in together. With all of the surprising facts learned and all of the great memories made, this past year has been the happiest of my life. I suppose it is true, "Sometimes right back where you started from is right where you belong."

Here are a few of my favorite highlights of this first year living together:

• We successfully climbed one of the highest mountain peaks in Utah
• We discovered our desire to be granola's {sleeping under the stars, picnicking on hiking trails, enjoying nature at its finest} Our favorite granola moment of the year was our Soldier Summit getaway
• We learned how to work together as a couple { for example: the do's and don'ts of arguing}
• I observed as Wyet made a 180 degree life change and trained for {and kicked ass at} the Spartan Race
• We hosted Christmas dinner at our house just weeks after moving in together {which I am happy to say has become a new tradition}
• Wyet cooked dinner for me nearly every night {I am too lucky}
• We planted our very own garden {and gave it hell to make it grow}
• We saw our favorite band, HIM, together live {I credit this band for persuading us tiny teens to fall in love}
• We found the serenity in late night porch sitting and early morning coffee dates
• We made the little moments count {from the good morning post-it notes stuck to the bathroom mirror to the surprise gifts left on the kitchen counter}
• We finally became a family of our own

Here is to one year under our belts and decades more to come. This little yellow house has been good to us. Thanks for the great start.

Christmas Day 2012

Thankful

Once a year we are asked to acknowledge all of the things that we are grateful for; to be verbally appreciative for the beautiful lives we are fortunate enough to live. We always mention how thankful we are for our families, our friends, our jobs and our homes.  As always, on Thanksgiving Day, the food is a little bit tastier, the family time is a little more precious and the blessing said always brings tears to my eyes.

This Thanksgiving, I realized how important this holiday has become to me. It is a day I look forward to each year as that Thursday in November approaches. I look forward to a day of uninterrupted family time. I look forward to remembering all of my blessings. Hell, I even look forward to the family drama that {naturally} accompanies every family get-together.

The overwhelming feeling of appreciation and love that Thanksgiving resonates in me of each year is outstanding. As this holiday season continues, I want to keep this conscious feeling of thankfulness present. I am incredibly fortunate for this beautiful life of mine, and that needs to be spoken of more than once a year.

I am thankful for the unselfish helpfulness my {not so} little brothers always offer.

 I am thankful for Cameron and Jerrod's sense of humor and their ability to always make me laugh.

 I am thankful that my mom is my best friend, my confidant, my role model and greatest supporter.

I thankful for my parents' beautiful home. This house will always be the most comfortable place in the world to me.

 I am thankful for having two diligent parents that taught me the importance of hard work.

 These two again- because they are just that great.

 I am thankful for Wyet and Patye because they know just how dorky I am, yet they love me anyways.

 I am thankful for relaxing evenings on the couch with wonderful company.

I am thankful for having these two women as role models. I have never met anyone more hardworking, dedicated, family oriented and completely inspiring as these two. They work harder than anyone I know, and they still make time for the finer things in life. I am a better person because of them.

 I am beyond thankful for Wyet. He is the one who brings out the happiest version of myself, and I will forever be proud to call him mine.

{JC and Alexsis weren't able to make it down until later in the evening, and by this time, I had put the camera away. However, I do want to say how grateful I am for having an older brother that never gives up, and I couldn't be happier that he has found someone like Alexsis to spend his life with.}

A Christmas Craft

As far as the holidays go, I can barely control my excitement this year. I continue to blame it on the fact that this is the first year that Wyet and I have spent living together as a couple {which, for some reason, has given me the excuse to be excessive}, but nonetheless, I have a gone a bit overboard this year on the festivities. Christmas, obviously, has not been an exception. I began decorating as soon as the Halloween decorations came off the shelves. Naturally, I needed to add another decoration to my collection; thus, the crafting began.

I loved the wooden owls I made earlier this year and decided to do something similar for Christmas. I went to my local watering hole for craft supplies, Remember Your Memories, and I picked out some unfinished wood pieces I wanted to work on. Rather than crafting solo, I picked up something for my mom, as well, and we made a night of it.

Though I love to craft, I have to admit, it's not always fun and carefree. That's exactly how this project started out. I wanted to have the projects ready to go so that when my mom arrived we could get right to the creative and fun part. I needed to paint the side and back pieces of wood so that the projects had a clean, finished look. I took the wood outside, laid them on some newspaper, and began to spray paint. Being in the rush I always am in, I didn't bother taking the time to change out of my work outfit. Naturally, I ended up getting black spray paint all over my favorite leather boots. If you know me and my love for shoes, I am sure you can imagine the fit this caused {oh yes, tears and all}. I wasn't off to a very good start.

Even though I was being a bit of a cry baby, my mom came over nonetheless {moms are awesome that way}. She showed up with a list of ways to get paint out of leather, and I began feeling better about things. We started our projects and enjoyed some great laughs and conversation along the way.

Though we made some mistakes {and wasted a bit of our supplies in the process} we had a great time. We each ended up with a unique, handmade decoration and were able to enjoy some incredible mama/daughter time while doing so. I am so grateful for the relationship I have with my mom. She is one of the few people who understands me, and the only person who can cheer me up when I ruin a great pair of shoes. Our craft turned out wonderfully, and our night together was even better.

The supplies: wood from RYM, papers from American Crafts and Mod Podge from any local crafting supply store

Halfway there!

I owe all of my craftiness to this lady. She had me tole painting and scrapbooking before I could read.

Adding this fur {found at Michaels Craft} was the messiest part of the project!

The completed project!

My mom's project all finished! She added some Christmas bells inside of the O for the finishing touch!

Just Like Family

Families come in various forms. We are all born into one. Some of us marry into others. Then there are those of us {well, me} who happen upon people that become as close as any family can be. I have been incredibly blessed to have been born into a family that loves unconditionally and also to have stumbled upon another family that radiates that same warmth of familial affection.

The Ingrams have been nothing short of family to me for the past decade. When I started coming around, {in 2004} we just clicked. Wyet's parents were always welcoming and sincere. They made me feel like I belonged since day one. Matye became the sister I never had; creative, confident and a complete badass, I admire everything about her. I have always considered myself lucky for landing such an exceptional guy, but I am fortunate that he came with such a great package.

As the years have passed, my love for this "second" family has only grown stronger. As Wyet and I embark on starting our own life and family together {referring to our furry little ones, of course} I am grateful for the strong family ties we are linked to.

A special thanks to our photographer for capturing us just as we are.

"It's not so much about the shoes, but rather about the people that are wearing them."

Two Tables for Two

There are so many things we use day-to-day. Things that have just always been there. Things that have no special significance rather than their usefulness. Things that one generally wouldn't take time to appreciate; for example, a table.

Tables are such understated pieces of furniture. Most of us have at least one {after taking the time to count, I discovered I have 8 scattered about our home}. While I have never given it much thought before, the tables in my home are essential to our daily life. At our tables, wonderful things happen.

Sitting around the kitchen table at night is where I get to hear all of the details of Wyet's day. In front of the coffee table in the living room is where we spend quality family time together {with the puppies lying underneath}. In our art room, Wyet has his paint table set up where he creates masterpieces within the comfort of our home. Right next to his workstation, I have my scrapbook table where I get to document all of our memories.

After realizing how much time we spend around these tables in our home, I decided to give them a little attention. Our kitchen table, {which has been a family hand-me-down since the 80s} has a unique formica surface. I had Wyet cover this for me a few years ago, but it was time for an update. I asked Wyet to pick whichever design he liked the best and switch up our look. {Living with a sign-guy has proved to be incredibly convenient when it comes to household projects.}

Our coffee table is probably the most used table in our house. Therefore, it has suffered from quite a bit of wear-and tear. The top of the table was covered in knicks and scratches and was beginning to look really worn. I decided to follow my mama's motto "A little paint goes a long way," and update the color.

Altering these two tables was incredibly simple, yet it changed the look of them entirely. While I have to admit, working on a DIY project is always fun, but the real enjoyment with these projects will come from the future memories Wyet and I will share sitting around these tables. Together.

Before {my design choice}

Wyet applying our new tabletop

After {Wyet's design choice}

Before {covered in scratches and water marks}

After {I used a basic interior black paint and finished with a polyurethane clear coat} I kept the legs of the table natural which gives the table a unique look.