Why I haven't posted

Happy News! Ben and I bought a house! It all happened so fast and we are currently trying to make a few cosmetic changes before moving in.

Ben and I knew we wanted to buy a house whenever it seemed fiscally possible. That seemed so far away. However, with the higher pay each time he went to Diavik (Canada- Arctic Circle- Diamond mine) we were able to have a good down payment. While he was away I was in charge of looking at houses. Our realtor was absolutely fabulous, so if you're looking for someone, let me know! Anyway, Ben returned on Friday, February 6th. That weekend we went up to Midway to spend some quality time together after his long absence. The following Monday we spent the day looking at some houses, one of which I fell in love with and hoped he would too. And he did! Immediately after looking at the house we made an offer! This was Monday, February 9th. The offer was accepted on the 11th and then we started going back and forth working out contract details with the seller. We received the final contract on Thursday, February 19th and closed on the house Tuesday, February 24th!! How fast is that? It was meant to be!

What's funny is that the house is in an area we didn't originally want to live. We were hoping to find a house closer to my sister and brother-in-law, who live in Sandy. Our house is much more west. Conveniently close to my work (the drive is like 3 minutes!) but inconveniently farther away from my beloved sister and niece. *Sigh* What is distance when it's family, right? But, I've digressed. Even though we originally didn't want to live there, as I was looking at houses I would drive past the neighborhood on my way home from work and the thought kept popping into my head "I NEED to look in that neighborhood for a house." Day after day the thought would be there and I never did look. Fate made sure I got there when the house we bought showed up on a list our realtor sent. Imagine my excitement when I realized it was in that neighborhood!!

Here's a picture of the front. I have some other pictures of the house, which were taken while Ben was in Canada, but Ben's made notes all over them. Once I have some (without the unnecessary notes) I'll post them. I want to do a before and after post anyway, since we'll be changing the flooring and painting. I'm so excited to decorate!!



Cute, huh? I hope to paint the front door red. The house is on a little less than a 1/4 acre lot, is 2,135 sq ft, 5 bedrooms and 3 full baths. The downstairs has the most awesome bedroom with a huge closet FULL of SHELVES!!! CRAFT ROOM! Yippee!

So that's what we're spending our time on. It's really hard to make projects in our cramped office right now when I know there is a huge room that I will soon have all to myself with triple the space!

Oh, and what's even cooler is that one of the girls in my demo group lives in my neighborhood! She has her own blog and you should check it out! She's awesome!

Lotsa Cards

Remember how, in my previous post, I made the promise to stay productive while Ben was away? Well, I have been! I was released from the RS Presidency about two weeks ago. The president, knowing I will be moving out relatively soon (Ben and I are in the process of buying a home), wanted to get my replacement all settled in before I depart. She recently asked me to make a bunch of cards for her to give out to the sisters in the ward. So, here are some that I've made. Enjoy!

Home Decor

I had originally promised to make stuff while Ben was away. Yeah, that didn't really happen. In fact, the only things I made were specifically for classes. I didn't even make or send out any Christmas cards this year! GASP! And when he came back it was just so nice to spend time with him that I didn't make anything either. We hardly even cooked! Bad us!

Anyway, Ben left again for the arctic yesterday. He will be gone for 30 days this time. I am determined to keep my self productively busy. So, last night in my first night of solitude, I made a home decor item. I've seen a lot of these floating around, so I give credit to all of you who made them first. The sentiment in the middle says "The season of friendship lasts forever." The picture really doesn't do it justice. Especially the spring tree- the camera didn't pick up the light pink petals. Oh well. Also, the frame actually does come with glass I just decided to take a picture without the glass to eliminate the glare.

Thanks for looking and I hope you're having a WONDERFUL New Year!

A Wonderful Christmas

I'm a bit late, but what a wonderful Christmas Ben and I had! It was quiet- just the two of us. We were cozy in our new pajamas (Christmas Eve tradition) and we watched it snow from the warmth of our home. Anyway, the happy news for this blog is that Ben bought me:


A NEW DIGITAL SLR CAMERA! How fun is that? I'm still getting to know all it's bells and whistles but there will be much better photos of the projects from now on.

Speaking of better photos, here is a photo of my holiday decorations. We don't have a lot of space right now, so I'm currently only decorating the top of a bookshelf. When we buy a house (which we are currently in the process of finding one) there will be much more space to decorate!


And here are some cards that I've made recently:

Yes, it's ANOTHER punched flower card. They are so easy and cute to make. They are also a great way to use up scraps of paper.

Anyway, it's time for me to finish cleaning up the after-the-holidays mess. Ben leaves again for the Arctic on Tuesday. I'll try to keep myself busy again while he's gone. Until then!

Last Minute Christmas Gifts

On December 6th, two other demos and I will be hosting a "Last Minute Christmas Gifts" class. It will be in a Open House/Super Saturday format where you can pick which projects you would like to make and how many you would like to make. Below are the projects which will be available that day and the prices. If you would like to come, please RSVP to me by Monday, December 1st via email to stampinelisabeth at gmail dot com.

All Occasions Plate: $12 without easel; $18 with.
Holidays include Valentine's Day, Easter, July 4th, Halloween, Thanksgiving and Christmas
Created by Cindy Petersen

Glass Block and card: $12
Created by Elisabeth Bellville

Card Pail (includes rubons): $25
5 cards which are blank, and the rubons allow you to choose the sentiment. All you have to do is rub! Very easy!
Created by Sheila van Uitert

Merry Banner: $8
Created by Sheila van Utiert

2009 Calendar:$10
Created by Cindy Petersen

Candy Tin: $6 without candy $8 with
Created by Elisabeth Bellville

Tea light Centerpiece: $15
Created by Elisabeth Bellville

I can't imagine anyone NOT loving gifts like these! And you can receive the added bragging power of saying you HAND MADE it for them! Who can beat that?

You gotta love the web!

While taking a break from work I did my usual perusing of the favorite blogs. One blog leads to another and viola! I come across a cooking blog (a beautiful blog at that with pictures that make me want to eat my computer screen) that is created by a girl I went to High School with! I haven't seen or talked to her in over 10 years. It's a wonderful blog and you should check it out. Here's the link.

I love the internet! Even with all it's possibilities to harm, it connects us with people we haven't talked to in years, gives us information to help improve and beautify our lives and is all around awesome.

It looks like Ben will be leaving next Monday, November 17th. We'll see though since they keep pushing it back. Until then, I'm trying to spend as much time with him as possible. When he's gone I'll be filling my time with cooking and creating and reading and will have lots to share! Take care!

Grandpa's Funeral

My dear Grandfather passed away on Friday, October 24th, after a painful battle with Alzheimer's.

My grandfather was a true family man- always putting the needs of his family first- and it was wonderful to see so many of our family members putting him first and attending his funeral. I was able to see cousins and other relatives that I haven't seen in nearly 10 years.

The funeral services were lovely and my Aunt April, cousin Lisa and I sang a musical medley of "On My Honor" and "I Am a Child of God" (arranged by my lovely cousin, Katie Keil). I lost my composure during the opening hymn and thought I was a goner when singing the musical number. However, we all held together well. Grandpa must have been helping us.

Grandpa Davis served in the Air Force and was a BYU football season ticket holder for over 40 years. At his internment there were military rites and the pall bearers wore BYU baseball caps in honor of "papa." Here are some of the pictures (which I took with my dad's camera since I was a dummy and forgot to bring mine):

The sign on the street let us know where to go

My youngest cousin, Paden, putting on his baseball cap

Taking the coffin out of the hearse

The trumpeteer (?) who played taps.

Laying

boutonnieres on the coffin

My father and his mother

The grandsons (minus Tyler Keil who is serving an LDS mission in Georgia)

Expressing how I feel in writing is somewhat difficult for me. I hope that even though my wording is simple that doesn't take away from how much my grandfather meant to me and how much I will miss him.