Johnson Christmas Highlight Video

Chicago

Nick went to Chicago this week with my dad and brother, Brody. Lots of the kids in our family have taken an aptitude test in the states by the Johnson O' Connor Research Foundation. They test anything and everything that your mind and body are naturally good at. They give you direction as to what types of careers would be suited for you based on your already present natural abilities and talents. Most of you have probably already taken some kind of aptitude test before, whether in school or online. This aptitude testing is quite extensive, it requires a whole day spent doing all kinds of tests. From finger and tweezer dexterity, visual perception, divergent thinking, 2D and 3D spatial visualization, memory for designs, tones, numbers, color vision, the list goes on...Once your testing is complete they spend time going over your results in conjunction with your interests. The aptitude test was the real reason for the trip, but if you've ever been on a trip with my dad it usual involves some kind of sporting event as well. This was Nick's first NFL game and he said it was a blast! 

1 year of marriage A-Z

August 23, 2013

A - Apples - Nick's go-to snack when he can't find food
B - Brownies - sunday night weakness
C - Cruise - our honeymoon to the Bahamas - our first cruise! we loved it!
D - Deals - Safeway monday night FHE meal. My fav
E - Endless - the amount of youtube videos Nick can watch on the newest cell phones coming out, or WWII planes
F - Flooding - the reason our basement was a hot mess for 2 weeks
G - Garage sale finds for our new house
H - Hair cut - I chopped my hair off
I - Ice Cream - what Nick shouldn't eat, but somehow convinces me to get most Mondays for FHE
J - Just one more year at the Lethbridge College!
K - Ky - what Nick calls me when he's being especially tender :)
L - Lactose Intolerance - we found out why Nick kept getting sick.. boo.
M - Money - we learned how to budget and work together with finances
N - Netlifx nights watching Breaking Bad
O - One year - the timeline we initially thought we'd try to have our first baby. Ya, that's changed.
P - Photo radar - we Nick has gotten too many of these!
Q - Quiet - the introvert book that helped me learn a TON about myself
R - Root canal - poor Nick
S - Snoring - why I wear earplugs every night
T - Tacos - Nicks favorite. And a meal I never made before getting married
U - Universal Studios - first theme park together
V - Vegetables - I try to get Nick to eat them in sneaky ways
W - WiiU - because I wouldn't let Nick buy an Xbox One
X - eXplosion of babies!!... why we no longer have any couple friends...
Y - Yellow and Navy - the color of our wedding, and now our guest bedroom haha
Z - Zits - Nick refuses to let me pop his!

Dining Room Table Makeover

This is one of those projects that should only take 3 days, but ends up taking 3 weeks. I had to completely re-do and start from scratch THREE times. I came close to tears a few times. But just grit my teeth and told myself "I have not failed. I've just found 10,000 ways that won't work." (Thomas Edison). If anything I learned a LOT about refinishing wood and I know how to use so many products now.

BEFORE

AFTER

BEFORE

AFTER

The pictures really don't do it justice. We have such terrible lighting in our basement suite. The chairs are actually and heirloom white color (look way more starch white in the pictures) 

Here are a few pieces of advice I had to learn the hard way....

1. Don't just read the instructions on the product. I had to completely strip my table after round #1 because I didn't apply the product correctly. I found some awesome youtube videos that SHOW you how to use products. Minwax has some awesome tutorials that explain how their water-based and oil-based products are different and which are appropriate for your product.

stripping and sanding the table AGAIN

2. TEST YOUR PRODUCT. I saw this one all over the web, on blogs, on tutorials, on youtube videos... And I thought BLAH BLAH BLAH. I picked out an extremely dark stain for my table but it didn't stain nearly as dark as I wanted. So instead of testing on a little piece of wood or part of the table I stained the entire table and leaf before I realized it wasn't going to be dark enough.... On to round #3....

not dark enough!! Ugh!

stripped and sanded again.... my poor neighborhood had to suffer through SO much sanding.

testing the stain this time.. I had to basically use a black stain to get the dark brown color I wanted

testing on the leaf first

3. WITH THE GRAIN PEOPLE. I finally got a beautiful dark rich color stain. It was perfect. I was laughing!! Only took 3 tries! Wrong. I applied the Minwax Wipe-on poly. A lot of tutorials mentioned the "hand rubbed" look. So I rubbed it in nice and good, let it dry. Well... I didn't wipe with the grain at the end. I left the poly to dry in the swirled pattern. After about 8 very thin coats some areas of the table were milky and the finish was uneven now. This was the closest I came to crying. Seriously?! I had to screw up the LAST step? UGH!!!!!!! So I sanded off some of the finish and wiped on a Minwax polyshade which is a 2 in 1 stain/polyurethane. Bada boom bada bing.

Good to know...

Pre-stain Wood Conditioner - It helps the stain absorb more evenly on softer woods. Use an extra coat or 2 of pre-stain wood conditioner on the edges of your table. The edges naturally will stain darker than the top of your table. I didn't end up doing this but I wish I would have! BEWARE, if you use a wood conditioner the color will end up lighter. I didn't end up using a wood conditioner on round #3 of my oak table, its not as soft as other woods and I wanted a dark color.

Stain - never shake your can of stain to mix it up. Use a paint stick and stir it so the particles that settle on the bottom of the can get mixed back into the stain. If your staining is taking a long time make sure to stir your stain every 5-10 minutes

Water-based vs Oil-based (http://www.homedepot.com/c/Stains)

Stain Base	Major Advantages
Oil-based(alkyd)	Better penetration Excellent durability Longer drying time allows more time to achieve an even finish Special deck stains deliver maximum durability for harsh conditions
Water-based(latex; acrylic)	Better color retention Less odor Breathable Nonflammable Soap and water cleanup Quicker drying

Polyurethane - apparently there are different sheens.Gloss, Semi-gloss, Satin. If you want your table super shiney do a gloss finish. If you want more of a matte look use a satin. If you want something in between use the semi-gloss. Make sure you buy the right one!

Wipe-on poly - It isn't streaky like some lacquer or polyurethane. 2-3 thin coats = 1 coat of polyurethane. Just remember to wipe WITH the grain. It was awesome to use on the dining room chairs, its so thin that you can get in all those little nooks and crannies. I also liked the wipe-on poly because it didn't make my table look like it had a plastic finish on top, it still had the beautiful wood look. 

Kindness

A couple of weeks ago I was having a particularly bad day. The kind of bad day where you drive around, tears in your eyes, trying to get away. No place to go. I ended up at Costco. So I walked around trying to distract myself. Voila. The book section. And what is this?! A Roald Dahl book set. I will add this to my children's book collection!! Sidetracked... so I pick up the book set and a couple other books I've been wanting to read and head to the check out. I'm waiting behind this man with a large cart full (I mean who doesn't have a huge cart full at Costco right?). He takes one look at my 3 items and says "Is that all you have? You can go in front of me." Uh oh. I feel tears coming on. "Umm that's okay I don't mind waiting you go ahead." He insists. "No really, please, go ahead". So I slipped in front of him after thanking him again and again and the lady checked me out. Such a small kindness and yet it made a huge difference in my bad day. You never know who needs it most.

Nigel

Look at this handsome guy eh? He was as handsome inside as he was out. This is my cousin Nigel. He would have been 31 today. Ninth day of the ninth month, I remember him saying that a lot. Sept 9th was his birthday. He used the days he had left on this earth to bless the lives of others and strengthen his testimony. It was not an unusual sight to see him face first on his scriptures, because he was studying away, only to fall asleep from all of his medication. He served the Lord in the temple, going regularly - his oxygen tank and cane in tow. No matter what state he was in he made it to the temple. Happy birthday to a beautiful person - I know he looks down on us from Heaven.

Obituary

Nigel Seth Warren 1983 - 2005 Nigel Seth Warren Scott passed away peacefully at home in Medicine Hat, surrounded by his family on May 17, 2005 at the age of 21 years. Nigel was born in Edmonton, Alberta on September 9, 1983 and as an infant moved to Fort Macleod where the family lived until moving to Medicine Hat in 1989. Nigel was active from an early age, intensely enjoying a variety of sports and excelling as an athlete. He was involved in Scouts and loved to camp and participate in water sports. He has always been outgoing, kind, considerate, friendly and intelligent and loved to share his great smile. He was a natural leader. When Nigel was diagnosed with cancer in November of 1998 at age fifteen, he set himself a goal to serve the Lord. This experience proved to unfold the amazing spiritual side of Nigel. In October of 1999, the Make a Wish Foundation granted his wish for his entire family to meet the Prophet of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, an experience the family will forever cherish. He was also privileged to serve a Full-time Mission for the Church beginning in June of 2004. Nigel fought cancer for seven years overcoming unbelievable odds with a positive attitude and without a complaint. Nigel has inspired many at the Cancer camps while serving as a counselor and as a mentor with other cancer survivors. He has demonstrated faith and courage in all he has done. Nigel was loved by all who knew him and will be dearly missed. Thank you to the many doctors, nurses and other caregivers who have been a part of this journey.

Fall y'all

I love fall. I loved going back to school as a kid. Shopping for school supplies, being with my friends again, I loved learning and reading. Fall came a little early at our house. I am just SO ready for boots, scarves, sweaters, hot chocolate, pumpkins... It has been such a long summer. I'm ready for a change :)

Made a new wreath today. TOTAL experiment. Turned out pretty good!

my DIY hacks

Pinterest. It took me a while to really figure out how it works. You see, I kept pinning pins solely from Pinterest, and I kept wondering what the point was because I had all the same ideas/pins as my friends. So instead I started visiting blogs, peoples webpages, taking pictures of things I see in stores and putting them on my Pinterest so I can remember them. There are so many amazing ideas and creations out there in the internet world that aren't on Pinterest. Go find them!! Then pin them to your boards so you can remember them later. One day I actually went through all my pinterest boards and de-junked all the useless pins I know I will never use. Some of them seemed like such a great idea at the time....Here are a few of my pins I actually put to use.

Etsy:

Mine:

cost

barn board: free

can of spray paint: $8.00 (used maybe 1/4 of can)

WINNERS

$7.99

snapped a pic and uploaded to Pinterest. I just KNEW I had to make this

MINE

cost

jar: $1.00 at dollar store

vinyl lettering: free (thanks mom!)

I keep my gift cards in it :)

PINTEREST:

MINE:

When I re-did my bathroom I had to take down my cute his/hers shower hooks Bryanna Peterson gave me for my wedding. It was a sad day. I knew I needed to use them somehow. They are too cute to not be hanging somewhere! I bought these 3 cute flower drawer knobs at Tai Pan Trading in the states. I think they were $3.00 each.

We desperately needed somewhere to hang our coats, hoodies, purses etc. So voila! Way cuter in person

BLOG:

MINE:
you might remember my tutorial from a few months ago

PINTEREST:

MINE:

cost

table: $5.00 at a garage sale

paint: free - some extra lying around at my moms

The talk that changed my marriage, before it even started

Have you ever had one of those moments where truth touches you so deeply that you get that anxious and nauseous feeling like you're going to burst? I think of the Grinch who's heart grew 3 sizes and I swear mine is pounding so hard that it is growing larger by the minute. There are so many words to say and ways to say them.

I have been reminiscing over the past year as Nick and I's first anniversary is coming up. A thought came to my mind at work today, it was a whisper reminding me of a talk that I had read a few years ago. It is one of my favorites. It changed the course of my life. I would not be the person I am now if I had not read it and tried to live the principles contained in it. My marriage would not be as strong as it is today if Elder Holland had not taught these principles to me years before I got married. Many lessons that might have been learned the hard way this first year of marriage have been avoided because of Elder Holland's warnings.

I printed it off and read it again. It's funny how words you've read a hundred times, words you know so well... you forget. When you read them again you get that same feeling you did the first time. This talk is a must for every relationship - boyfriend/girlfriend, fiances, spouses, it is a good reminder of how we should treat each other.

It's a BYU Devotional by Jeffrey R. Holland entitled "How do I love thee?" from February 15, 2000.

Here is the link:
http://speeches.byu.edu/?act=viewitem&id=326

Never in any other time or circumstance in my life have I understood more about charity than in marriage. I have never felt or exercised Christ-like love more than in my marriage. There is unlimited patience, kindness, selflessness and ability in charity. It is a love I wish I could exercise in absolutely every relationship I have, but it is easiest to exercise with my husband, Nick. I love him more deeply than I knew there was capacity for in this tender little heart of mine.

If you're ready for God to show you your (not your spouses... ) weaknesses in your marriage it's time to read this talk, even the strongest marriages can become a little stronger :)

Ether 12:27
And if men come unto me I will show unto them their weakness. I give unto men weakness that they may be humble; and my grace is sufficient for all men that humble themselves before me; for if they humble themselves before me, and have faith in me, then will I make weak things become strong unto them.

My favorite quotes from Elder Holland's talk
- Think the best of each other, especially of those you say you love. Assume the good and doubt the bad.

- Most problems in love and marriage ultimately start with selfishness

- There are lots of limitations in all of us that we hope our sweethearts will overlook. I suppose no one is as handsome or as beautiful as he or she wishes, or as brilliant in school or as witty in speech or as wealthy as we would like, but in a world of varied talents and fortunes that we can't always command, I think that makes even more attractive the qualities we can command-such qualities as thoughtfulness, patience, a kind word, a true delight in the accomplishment of another. These cost us nothing, and they can mean everything to the one who receives them.

- In a dating and courtship relationship, I would not have you spend five minutes with someone who belittles you, who is constantly critical of you, who is cruel at your expense and may even call it humor. Life is tough enough without having the person who is supposed to love you leading the assault on your self-esteem, your sense of dignity, your confidence, and your joy. In this person's care you deserve to feel physically safe and emotionally secure.

- Temper tantrums are not cute even in children; they are despicable in adults, especially adults who are supposed to love each other. We are too easily provoked; we are too inclined to think that our partner meant to hurt us-meant to do us evil, so to speak; and in defensive or jealous response we too often rejoice when we see them make a mistake and find them in a fault. Let's show some discipline on this one. Act a little more maturely. Bite your tongue if you have to.

- No one ought to have to face such trials alone. We can endure almost anything if we have someone at our side who truly loves us, who is easing the burden and lightening the load.

- [Charity] is there through thick and thin. It endures through sunshine and shadow, through darkest sorrow and on into the light. It never fails. So Christ loved us, and that is how He hoped we would love each other.

-You want capability, safety, and security in dating and romance, in married life and eternity? Be a true disciple of Jesus. Be a genuine, committed, word-and-deed Latter-day Saint. Believe that your faith has everything to do with your romance, because it does.

Safeway's best kept secret

Have any of you heard about Safeway's monday twitter deal?? It is amazing. Every Monday on my way home from work I stop at safeway and pick up the deal and we eat it for dinner. This is especially amazing for a family of 2, it's just enough food. If you have kids you might need to take your husband and both of you might have to snatch it up separately. It's SUPER easy. Even if you don't have twitter you can still look it up on their twitter page without having to sign up! Just google "twitter safeway canada"

1. On Monday check @safewaycanada on twitter. They will post a picture of the deal. It is only valid for that day and that day only. Here are a few examples:

2. Screenshot it on your phone or print it off and take it with you to Safeway

3. Grab ALL of the items in the deal. Make sure you grab the right items - it's extremely specific! It will tell you what size and brands you must buy. 

4. When the cashier is ringing you through he/she will put in the PLU code and it will automatically take off all of your savings.

I have my mom and all of my coworkers hooked on it. So when you have the Monday blues next week at least you will have something awesome to look forward to! Good Luck! Happy Mondays ahead everyone :)

the man cave

We had new renters move in in July so we took possession of the garage finally. We started planning for some sweet shelves to put up for storage so we could park one of our cars in there. But holy smokes the garage filled up fast! Nick loved spending time in the garage. I think it became his little getaway spot. Slowly but surely the man cave was born. He took our extra couches, rolled out some extra carpet, found a tv (thanks Garrett!), set up the WiiU and voila. Many weeknights in the man cave are spent drinking Vanilla Pepsi, eating chips, watching netflix and playing WiiU (MarioKart obvi) Sometimes I don't see him for hours! One date night we snuggled up in the garage and watched a movie on the projector with some popcorn and I gotta say... there's something about that stupid man cave that I love :)