15 February 2009

{ this is how we keep orva quiet at church }

As long as Orva has free reign with her dress, she's quiet at church. She's happy, we're happy, but her poor dresses end up a soggy mess.











I always want to take pictures of Orva in her Sunday finery, but if we don't do it within 30 seconds of her having her dress on, it doesn't work.

13 February 2009

{ my house }

Almost four months after moving in, here are pictures of our new house. We're really enjoying it and have gotten things to a "live-able" point. However, there are a lot of projects I want to do - so for fun, I'll list all the ideas and plans for each room below the pictures.



* I'd love to completely re-landscape (lots of aspen trees and tulips), paint all the trim black, build a new overhang for the porch (wooden posts with wooden slats above), and REMOVE the ugly half circle that is currently over the front door.







* Paint the walls a dark, dark blue (almost navy with a touch of grayish-green), re-do the tile around the fireplace, put in darkish (but still lighter than my bookshelf and chairs) wood floors, paint the coffee table a brighter red, re-cover the ottoman with a zebra print fabric, get new throw pillows (some multi-colored ones in bold oranges, reds, yellows, and greens), pull more silver in (the vases and globes on the bookshelf and the vases on the side table have big plans to become silver), put in some mirrors or glass blocks behind the statues on the bookshelf that you can't see at all, get some glitzy silver and glass lamps, get some mirrored side tables (or somehow mirror the one I have and make it a little taller), paint the fireplace screen silver (or maybe black), and get lots and lots more funky colored vases to go on my mantle (I want the whole thing full, overlapping with the mirror). There. That's all.



* Replace the current light fixture with a funky glitzy crystal chandelier, paint the walls the same blue as the family room, and do something different for the centerpiece, maybe an assortment of small funky clear glass bottles and vases on a bright silver tray with bright green and white flowers in them (a similar look to what I have now, but on a WAY smaller scale, because yes, I know those vases are too large but I just can't bring myself to part with them - I may put some on top of Francisco and then I could maybe live with putting the rest away).





* Yes, that is my whole kitchen. This room will be completely gutted and re-done at some point. We'll be pushing the wall with the stove and fridge back about three feet and then including the little hallway as kitchen space rather than a hallway to our hall. I want a darker slate looking tile, white cabinets, stained concrete countertops (gray-green), a milky see-through green glass tiny tile backsplash, and stainless steel appliances. A dishwasher, garbage disposal, and more than one electrical outlet would be nice, too.



* All I want to do here is paint the walls a chocolate brown, replace the mirror with a smaller framed one, and replace the light fixture with a silvery (small) chandelier. I also am working on finding a cream shower curtain and cream towels that I like (harder than you'd think). Brad wants to completely gut the whole thing and get rid of the pink tile, but I like it - it's vintage and I'm positive I can make it look good with all the chocolate brown, silver, and cream.



* I happen to like the bedroom the way it is and am pretty happy leaving it alone. I am, however, debating painting the walls a mustardy yellowy gold (that sounds awful, I know - but I'm picturing a prettier color than I can describe).







* Orva's room still needs a lot of work...I want to paint the walls a light golden green (the same color our master bedroom was at our old house), paint the changing table cream with a brown antique glaze, paint the baskets brown, fix the changing table shelves (you can't see them in the picture, but there's going to be a roll-out shelf underneath and another shelf on the top right) so that the baskets all have places, finish a cover for a changing pad that will match the rocking chair cover, finish her bedding (I have brown, red, yellow, blue, and green ribbon for the bottom of her dust ruffle and for the pillows in the red basket), paint the dresser (I'm going to leave the top and sides cream, but paint each drawer a different color - blue, green, red, yellow - and then put a brown antique glaze over the whole thing), hang the mirror and plate above the dresser (currently sitting on top of it) so that they balance the height of the mirror next to the dresser, and finish the wall above her crib (with pictures of her, my mom (Orva), and my great grandma (also Orva), along with a really cool letter "O" I have).


Okay, that ended up much longer and much more detailed than I had anticipated. As you can see, my brain is quite full of all the random ideas I have for my poor little house.

And, after typing this post, I'm pretty sure I need more time and more money.

10 February 2009

{ rock - a - rock - a }

Orva LOVES rocking in her rocking chair. She usually giggles while she's rocking, but of course, with the camera in sight there was none of that. She did smile a lot for the video, though. It's sort of a funny new smile that she does. She also did a bunch of crazy faces while she was rocking, so I tried to catch some of those on camera, too.

Click to play Rocking Chair
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05 February 2009

{ parties }

The following five people have commented on the { cents of style } post and are the winners of the extra free pair of shoes!

1. Jill
2. Megan
3. Melissa
4. Chelsea
5. Rebekah


So, you five ladies, go ahead and email me at { tine.gibb@gmail.com } and we'll book your party!

For the rest of you, I'd still love to book more parties. Even though you won't get the extra free pair of shoes, you do still get one free necklace set (along with the other great hostess bonuses). Our new spring line of product comes out at the end of February, so it's a great time to host a party. I'm willing to go anywhere from Payson to Ogden if you'd like me to.

Go ahead and leave me a comment or email me if you'd still like to do a party!

03 February 2009

{ cents of style }

Hey Everyone!

Most of you know this (and some have hosted parties before) but for those who don't, this will be a quick intro to a really fun evening. I am a "stylist" for Cents of Style and do parties for people where we sell really fun and funky boots, shoes, purses, jewelry, headbands, and belts - all for $20.00 or less (jewelry is less than $10.00). You book a party to be held at your house and then we bring the inventory to you. Your friends and family then have the evening to shop and buy whatever they'd like.



We're trying to get some parties booked, so if you'd like to host a party at your house, please let me know! For booking a party (it can be for any time - as far in advance as you'd like), you'll get a free necklace and earring set. At your actual party, you'll receive an 8% product credit from the sales of your party, plus one free item if over 20 adults attend.

Also, as a promotion for booking parties right now, Cents of Style will give ONE FREE $10.00 PAIR OF SHOES TO THE FIRST FIVE PEOPLE WHO BOOK PARTIES. Just leave a comment here if you'd like to book a party, and the first five people that do so will get one free pair of shoes in addition to the other hostess bonuses.

So, leave me a comment and we'll set up a date to have a really fun, easy, no pressure party at your house. Who doesn't like to shop for inexpensive fashion accessories?



* Okay, I realize that this sounds totally MLM-ish, but it's really not. There's no pressure to buy, there's no signing up, and there's no official "shpeel" or meeting. I just bring really fun product to your house and let you and your friends shop! *



I took these pictures of items I've bought from Cents of Style to send to my sister when she wanted to book a party. It's a good sampling of what we sell. If you want to check out some more of our stuff, you can click here .

{ tagged: 25 random things about ME }

My sister did this on her blog and two of my other sisters commented that they love reading these tags about other people but hate doing them themselves. I, on the other hand, must be a very self-centered person because I love doing them as much as I love reading them.

So here goes...25 things about me (and if any of you are as self-centered as I am, feel free to join in and do it yourself).

1. I absolutely love being a mother.

2. I have an obsession with organizing things into bins.

3. I can barely stand brushing my own teeth, but I really can't stand seeing or hearing anyone else brush their teeth (gag).

4. I've always wanted to be a dolphin trainer...and still wonder if it could ever be a real possibility.

5. Someday I want to buy several different shops and completely re-work them so that they're the best shop of their kind. I want each one to have a little twist - something like a little cafe that has cement walls and cans of spray paint and markers on the table so that people can "graffiti" the walls while they wait for their food or a clothing shop that's organized by body type and in your section there would only be clothes available that would actually look good on you or an electronics store that you drive through in specialized carts that allow you to experience the products as you go (with a system that allows you to play the wii in your cart as you go through the gaming section or listen to various stereo systems through your cart as you drive through that section). Random, I know, but it's something I really want to do.

6. I really, really like cars. When my husband wants to put exhaust and intake on my 4-runner, I do not provide any sort of balance to the equation because I want it just as much as he does.

7. I love off-roading, camping, and shooting but we somehow never manage to go.

8. I read a lot and find myself getting completely hooked on cheesy romance mysteries (terribly embarrassing but true).

9. I wish I could play the organ and regret not learning when I was a teenager and we actually had an organ in our home.

10. I really want to build a house that resembles an eclectic art gallery - exposed brick walls, exposed copper duct work and piping, big open spaces, funky flooring changes, wide open staircases leading to lofts, amazing artwork and color everywhere, eclectic furniture (francisco), awesome lighting, etc. Brad says it couldn't possibly feel like a home and we'd be the "crazy house" on the block. I'm trying to convince him otherwise.

11. I'm very squeamish about spiderwebs. Spiders don't alarm me because I can see them and squish them. A spider's web means he's just hiding around somewhere not getting squished.

12. I love fashion and clothing, but it's not necessarily because I'm obsessed with how I look or how nice my clothes are. It's somehow artistic to me and that's why I enjoy it so much. I don't know if that even makes sense.

13. I'm pretty sure I could live on avocados and pineapple for the rest of my life. And maybe a tiny bit of chocolate soymilk, too.

14. I love, love, love playing games. Screeble and Ticket to Ride are current favorites, but I'll always love A to Z, Pit, and Mille Bornes. Much to my husband's chagrin, the Farming Game will never make it to my top favorites.

15. I find myself actually enjoying my conversations with Brad regarding politics and economics. I used to get bored and frustrated, but now I get (almost) as involved as he does. I guess that's what happens when the political and economic situations in our country get worrisome.

16. I worry about sending my kids through public schools because I don't feel like they'll get a very solid education. I don't think I even got a very valuable education before college and I know things have gone downhill since I was in school. I'm trying to figure out what sort of private school / home school / charter school system I want to do. Thank heavens I have five years to figure it out.

17. I'm a bit obsessive compulsive about organization, order, matching, even-ness, and the like. When Brad turns the stereo volume up in the car, I have to make sure it lands on an even number. He thinks I'm crazy when I reach over and turn it from "17" to "18". I'm working on it.

18. I've recently finished a household task schedule that I've been thinking about for years. I've now been following the schedule for over a month and it has changed my life. I'm in organizational heaven.

19. Few things are more enjoyable to me than hearing Orva giggle. She's pretty stingy about it, so I find myself doing just about anything to get her little giggles out.

20. Orva's birth went so well and I loved it so much that I actually get jealous when I hear about other people about to have a baby. I do not, however, get jealous when I hear about other people being pregnant. I need a system where I can birth the baby without actually having to be pregnant with it.

21. As self-centered as I may be, I suppose I'm not twenty-five-things-self-centered. This is hard.

22. I'm pretty much all the way vegan. It's so satisfying to be eating so healthy. I've been working on creating a grocery list and eight-week meal plan and it's been very fulfilling to see that I can cook that many delicious and healthy meals.

23. On a not-so-healthy note, I've really struggled getting back on track with doing my Bikram Yoga since Orva was born. I did really well before and during my pregnancy and have failed miserably ever since. Maybe now that I've confessed that to the world, I'll pull myself together and get back on track.

24. I'm afraid I can't really claim to be a grown-up housewife, in charge of a real live house, because I don't own any of the following: a vacuum (we only have a mini shop vac), a strainer/colander, a garlic press, or a table cloth. It's amazing we can even function around here.

25. I happen to be crazy about my husband.