Big Boy Toy #2

Friday before Memorial Day, Jeff had the day off and was able to get some work done on the backyard! We are on a roll! This is the toy he had to have this time...

You'd think it was Christmas Day by the excitement he has for these diggers!

This baby was used to haul big boulders out of the dirt and place them nicely in our backyard. Because our neighbor was doing a boulder wall, Jeff decided he had to have one too! 

Chloe prepped the yard for the boulders

Then the guys hauled back three trailer loads of rocks

Then Chloe placed the rocks all in a row! Yes, the brown fuzzy thing is Chloe!

Then Chloe took a break to hang with Korver

and get a snack!

The guys only took a couple of breaks for food and to dry off. Despite the crappy weather, both yards now share an awesome looking boulder wall that was basically free! (Sorry, I haven't taken a picture of the finished product yet!)

We decided to keep the "Mini X" an extra day so Chloe could dig out a place for a sunken patio w/fireplace!

If you look close, Chloe really is manning the controls!

And, like usual, Adi and I supervised!

This is really happening folks! We are loving doing everything ourselves and it will be more fun to show people OUR backyard! Stay tuned to see the pavers and stones we purchased to use for our walkway, patio, and fireplace...all 9 pallets will be delivered with in the next 2 weeks!

Day 1 of a VERY long project

So, ya know how at the end of my last post, I said I really wanted the backyard done so I could send Chloe outside...well, who knew that post would light such a fire under Jeff! So Kristin, blog about how bad you want your backyard done, make Chad read it, and hopefully he'll move faster!

Friday, Jeff got home from work at 4:30 and decided he was going to rent a bob cat so he could level out our backyard. A little shocked and doubtful, at first, I told him he could. By 5:00 he had one all lined up and ready to be delivered Friday night. Sweet! (The real thing that got him started was our next door neighbor started leveling out his backyard so Jeff wanted to jump in.)

Saturday morning, we went to Lowes to buy a few things and then we spent the rest of the day digging!

Ready to dig with our new shovels and new gloves!

View from the house

View from the back of the yard, looking toward the house

 Yes, that is a Volvo! Yes, it is air conditioned! Yes, it's brand new!

It was a little too loud for Chloe, but most things are!

The first dig! Chloe was so proud of her Daddy!

Jeff's favorite part was when the neighbor came out to work with his tiny bobcat...he was a bit jealous!

We may or may not have dumped the extra dirt in the empty lot next to our house!

We had a guest Volvo driver...Dallin's the man!

It was a lot of work!

But in the end, we were so glad we did it! It's kind of hard to tell, but it looks completely different!

These are the before and after pictures right next to each other! I'm excited to see what he'll do next weekend!

As requested...

This post is in response to a plea from someone close by! I will not name names, but this person apparently has nothing better to do at work than stalk me and my family! :) I am happy to send you some smiles via pictures! Here ya go, - - -!

Ok, so this was harder than I thought. I do not think of myself as a creative writer and so on my blog, I let the pictures do the talking. The only problem is I don't have a lot of recent pictures. I have been a bum and have not documented anything. I do have a few pictures of the houses being built in our neighborhood, but I didn't think that was too interesting...anything to look at instead of work, right - - -?

We haven't been up to much lately, so enjoy the few photos I took of our bubble party the other night!

Oooh! Bubbles!

Always a happy girl!

 

Chloe is such a silly girl! She loves to pose whenever the camera comes out!

Not gonna lie, I am impressed with the way these two photos came out!

She would try so hard to "get lots like momma" but couldn't do it!

 So, that's what's going on at the Andersen's house! I do have some fun projects I'm working on, but they are secret for now. I hope to be able to post about them soon! Also, after yesterday and today, I am going to try my hardest to convince Jeff to let me pay someone to come finish my backyard because the 3 year old is driving my crazy!

P.S. Yesterday we had two very sad girls...First, Adelaide discovered how to fall down the stairs and Chloe discovered that even though the shampoo says "No tears," if you get a ton in your eye, it will produce tears! Anyway, we are doing fine and I just thought that picture was so funny! I hope I will have something to blog about the backyard soon! Love ya, - - -!

Pinterest

Yes, this post is all about the things I have found on Pinterest and have created! The other day, Jeff asked me if we needed to make a "Pinterest" allowance in our budget! :) I love it! I like to do crafts and stuff, but I can't create. Does that make sense? I can see something and copy it, but coming up with fun craftiness is not me. That's why I like Pinterest so much. People do all of the work and I just copy it! So, here are a few things I have enjoyed making...my inspirations from Pinterest!

Cinnamon Swirl Pancakes

Spinach Roll Ups

These were supposed to be mini German Pancakes, but it didn't work out like the post said. They were still yummy!

I'm still working on getting my Pita bread right!

Nutella Pudding

Chloe kindly displaying the baked Chicken Parmesan

Roasted Garlic Parmesan Potatoes

Pizza Bites

Hands down, the best dinner I have EVER made! Crockpot mashed potatoes, baked Parmesan asparagus, and stuffed mushrooms!

I am now OBSESSED with Creme Brulee! YUM!

I realize these are all food iteams, which is what I love looking at on Pinterest the most! Everything from the last post was inspired from Pinterest and I am currently working on two dresses for my girls that came from Pinterest. I'm excited to post those when they are done!

I'm excited for one of my upcoming posts! General Conference is this weekend and I have spent a lot of time on Pinterest and the internet looking for creative ideas to keep Chloe entertained and quiet during conference. I have worked really hard on some of the things I have planned for her and I am more excited than she is! I will try to get pictures of all of the things she gets to do and post about it later! I just can't believe March is almost over! Do you know what that means? I am SO CLOSE to having a husband back! YIPPY!

Valentine's Day

Yes, I am totally late, but at least I made it before the next holiday! I thought I'd share all of the fun things we got to to for Valentine's Day! I had just learned about Pinterest and made an account...big mistake! Well, actually, I love it but I spend more time on there than I actually should. Anyway, that's for another post! I got inspired by some things I saw on Pinterest and I ended up decorating a little bit for V-day!

Before

After

Before

After

I am liking the fireplace! Makes for a fun place to display crafts and things!
The day before Valentine's Day, my sister and her kids came over and we made Valentine's Day crafts and cookies!

 Then, on the actual day of Valentines giving, I made a homemade nutella and strawberry jam pop tart, some rice krispy kisses, and a valentines box (sorry, no picture) and the girls and I took it to Jeff at work!

He was so surprised when we came walking in! It was really fun! AND, the only way that was possible was because I have the BEST HUSBAND EVER! He bought me a new car the Saturday before Valentine's Day! Ya for not being stranded at home ALL DAY! Anyway, we got home and made some cards for Jeff and decorated some cookies for him!

Then, for dinner, I attempted red velvet pancakes shaped like hearts! Ha! I ended up making two look like this...

and the rest were just plain old circles! They weren't the best, but we had fun eating our "red" pancakes!
Jeff brought me home flowers, the sequel to the book he bought me in August, and he rented "Breaking Dawn" for us to watch! Yes, my man loves me!

 All in all it was an awesome holiday! I don't think our St. Patrick's Day is going to be this cool!