Crafts and Christmas

I was so thankful that my mom came to visit today! As winter approaches I am seeing more and more cold weather...and less and less of my husband. Steve is becoming increasingly overwhelmed with school and his workload. I think we are both looking forward to Christmas break!
Anyway, I was so excited to have a friend to hang out with today.
We didn't do anything too exciting; just ran errands, went out for lunch and made a craft. She also helped me with some decorating and encouraged me to buy some Christmas decorations (and bought some for me :))

I wanted to make something with the beautiful windows we found in the garage...so we got some sweet craft paper and made wall art!

Here is our final product...we just need to get the hardware to hang it on the wall...
Hobby Lobby has 50% off all their Christmas stuff so we got two stockings, cute reindeer stocking holders and a cute/decorative Christmas tree...and since I had no fall decorations...the Christmas decorations are up!

and the dogs got to play together today...always a nice night when Hudson is all tired out :)

Guest Room

As you know, we have been working on our guest room for a llloooonnngggg time. There really is no good excuse for why it took so long. It just wasn't fun to work on. Projects always seem fun and exciting before you start them, halfway through you are starting to get bored, but still excited for the finished project. With the guest room we got about 3/4s the way done and we were just sick of it...so there it sat.
Finally, I was bored enough yesterday that I finished painting and then when Steve got home from school at 8pm...sad :( we hung the curtain rods.

So as some of you know curtains and curtain rods are stinkin expensive! At least I think so. 50 bucks for a pole seems a little steep to me. The bargain hunter in me looked everywhere hoping to find something better....and of course I did :)
We found raw wood curtain rods and holders at hobby lobby. This was perfect because the other rods we have in our house are a dark wood, I also had just recently purchased a dark stain for another project. AND bonus...the girl at Hobby Lobby gave us 30% off!

Looking good!
Final Product:
We were quite pleased with the results and it cost about half as much!

A few pictures of Hudson...he by the way, is the STAR of puppy school. What proud parents we are :) He is such a fast learner, it is amazing to see how quickly he picks up on tricks...Here are a few we have learned so far.

Shake: 

High Five:
      Slam Dunk: (Sorry I couldn't get the angle right for self timer...deal with it.)

He also knows sit, down, crawl, and we are working on rollover and play dead or (BANG!)

Last...When Steve left for school this morning Hudson and I decided to keep snoozing. After dozing in and out for a bit I rolled over to find the dog sleeping like this....
What a gentleman! Ha...

Survivor!

I thought I would let you all know that I am a survivor! I made it through my first two night shifts. There was high anxiety, stress, and many many tears...but I did it. Go Me!!
I just need to continually remind myself to be thankful that I have a job and have been given the gift of being able to take care of these patients who need my help/assistance. I must remember to be thankful that I am not the one sitting in a hospital bed, feeling exposed in a hospital gown and in pain from surgery or a car accident.

I also wanted to throw up a few pics for you!

We finally got our new roof! Just in time for me working nights...thankfully it only overlapped one day. While I was trying to sleep they were nailing in shingles above my head...joy!
Here is an older picture and then a new picture...I think it looks significantly better :)


The garage was in desperate need of 2 things. #1 a new roof or the insurance company would not cover us and #2 a good cleaning! There was a lot of stuff left in the garage from the previous owner. A bonus to having the roof done is that we had a dumpster at our house that we were allowed to fill to the brim...so we did!
It looks so clean and organized :)
I also found 3 of these windows....treasure! Can't wait to use a fun pinterest craft on them.

Finally, a picture of our tired Hudson. He has been so good the last few days. He sleeps with Steve at night and when Steve leaves for school in the morning and I get home from work...he sleeps with me again. I can't believe he is a puppy...he has been SO good. Today, he had a few shots at the vet and apparently it made him really tired...
We were also trying to train him with his electric fence again so he becomes crippled with fear from the warning beep. Today we even taped the probes so he could not get shocked even if he crossed the boundary...he wasn't taking any chance though. He sat in one place the whole time his collar was on. ha

Enjoy your weekend! It is back to work for me tomorrow night!

Night Owl

Tonight is a BIG night for me. It is my first ever night shift. Tonight will also be my first time ever pulling an "All Nighter." I have to admit I am terrified for it! I am not a night person at all! I go to bed around 10 or 10:30 every night how am I supposed to stay up until 8am the next day?? I mean it would be one thing if it was an 8 hour shift...no problem. 8 hours is not so long, but 12!? 12 which ends up being at least 13?!?! Oh my, I am giving myself anxiety just talking about it...ughh... Oh well, it is time to put my big girl pants on and suck it up and do it. But do I have to??
I suppose it is part of being a mature grown up, but it seems so cruel to make someone stay up from 7pm to 8 or 8:30am...I mean, how am I supposed to be normal?? My schedule will be completely opposite of the real world...eeek! Okay enough of this...I WILL BE FINE!!! (I keep telling myself that...although it is not helping)

Back to the positives of being a nurse. I have not worked since last Friday...that is like 5 days off in a row...and that will be normal for me! Crazy :)
So, on those days off I try to keep myself busy playing with the dog, going on walks, doing laundry, going to the grocery store and many other very thrilling things ;) I am sad to see our beautiful weather slipping away. It is not as much fun taking Hudson for a walk when I can see my breath and my fingers are numb...he seems to enjoy it no matter the weather. Go figure!

I also wanted to share a yummy recipe with you all...have I mentioned before that I LOVE pinterest! I love when I find easy recipes and feel like I hit the jackpot when I already have the ingredients in the house...this recipe was most definitely a JACKPOT!

It is called: Crispy Cheddar Chicken
(if you click on the name it will send you to the original blog with recipe)
Again not the best picture...but so delicious! All you need is chicken, cheese, and ritz crackers (although any sort of cracker would probably taste delicious)

Time for this girl to take a nap! Hope everyone has a wonderful day...think about me tonight as you are warm and cozy in your bed!

Advice from friends and family :)

As some of you know at our wedding we didn't use the "normal" guest book. Instead, we used 18 small guest books each with a different question on the front. We tried to keep them circulating throughout the night so everyone had a chance to write in one. What we ended up with was sweet, thoughtful, and hilarious answers to our questions so I figured I would share some of the notes with all of you!


Things Steve can do to keep Ashley happy...
     -You need 4 words in your vocabulary..."Yes Dear" and "I understand"
     -Clean the toilet
     -Don't stay up too late hitting the sticks. (playing video games...for all of you who do not know what hitting the sticks is..)
     -Don't make her watch sports all the time
     -Give her the remote
     -Always respond with "yes dear!" and don't mess with her hair!

What is the best marriage advice you can give us?
     -Pick your battles
     -Make sure you tell each other how much you mean to each other every day
     -Don't assume that you told each other something, because you probably didn't.
     -Plant the seed, let him think it was his idea, and praise him for his brilliance!
     -You are now your own family! Watch out for each other, care and love each other.
     -Say "I love you every time you part ways, even if you are mad at each other.
     -Sexy time...
     -Laugh together everyday
     -When your spouse says "Just drop it"....Just drop it!
     -Forgive, forgive, forgive

Things Ashley can do to keep Steve happy...
     -Prepare great meals
     -Don't be afraid to say I'm Sorry
     -Show up naked, bring beer
     -Just be you! That is who Steve fell in love with.
     -Do things together
     -Let Steve watch his favorite TV shows
    
Give us ideas for cheap dates...
     -Go to the zoo! Have a little picnicky
     -Groupon
     -Whatever "Smash" has a coupon for
     -Sex
     -Have a game night
     -Eat at local "Ma & Pa" restaurants, breakfast dates can be cheap and a great way to kick off the day!

Hope you enjoy these as much as I have :)
I will post more at a later date!

Look at Me...I'm Crafty!

...and I can rhyme ;)

What a wonderful week it has been! Steve is on fall break and we have actually had time to hang out :) I am one happy wife! After working all weekend and Steve doing homework alllll last week we were so excited to have time to hang out on Monday.
I made some delicious monkey bread for breakfast and then we headed to Michigan City outlet mall to go shopping. I was looking for new work shoes, but unfortunately we found nothing good. Oh well...it was still fun. Then we took Hudson to the dog park which was an adventure. We took him home covered in mud, sand, and other dog's drool...yummy. Lucky for him, he got to take a shower with dad when we got home.
One tired puppy after the park and a shower :)
On Tuesday, Hudson had his first day of school at puppy Kindergarten. No surprise to us, he was the star of the class :) We realized how fortunate we are to have a puppy with such good behavior. All of the other dog owners shared horror stories including their dogs ruining all the furniture in their house, the dog pooping all over the floor, baseboards, and wall, and many other things...
We are loving our Hudsaroo even more!

Onto my crafting! I am so excited about it! Usually, I try to to do something crafty and it turns out just crappy...not this time! I am so pleased with my results. Thanks to Pinterest and step by step instructions from other bloggers my crafts are beautiful :)

Here are the supplies I started with:
(notice the M&M's and Diet Coke...Happy Day)
I was originally planning to make a yarn wrapped wreath with felt rosettes on it and a big "K" in the middle made from buttons...However, when I went to Hobby Lobby a Styrofoam wreath was 5 bucks and the little stick wreath was $3...a no brainer...a perfect fall decoration :)
Hobby Lobby has felt  pieces 4/$1..what a deal!
So I started by attaching a piece of felt to the back of the wreath...then drew a "K" with chalk and started placing buttons...I was nervous about this because I thought the buttons were going to look to "perfect" because the space was not big enough to make a thick letter...but it turned out pretty good!

Then I started working on the rosettes...which surprisingly were really easy!
You start with your piece of felt, cut out a swervy circle... then start cutting a spiral in the circle so you end up with a long spiral snake of felt. From there, take the end where you started cutting and start rolling it up in a perfect little circle (like you are making a cinnamon roll).Look how cute it turns out!

So finally, the big reveal :)

I am very pleased with it! I just didn't know where to put it...
So for now it is added to our mantle :) Cute!
NOTE: When using a Hot Glue Gun...Be Careful! I got it under a fingernail..Ouch! Although I was able to use my blister as an excuse to not do the dishes that night...the hot water just aggravated it :) There is always a silver lining!

I also wanted to make something with yarn...using the wrapped yarn wreath idea, I decided to wrap a big "K"
It was kind of a pain, but I am happy with the results. I started with a thin wooden "K" I got from Hobby Lobby and wrapped and wrapped...I actually felt like a knitter with the ball of yarn in my lap...a bit of a stretch, but hey :)

See look how cute :) I love the texture

Naughty Pants!
Notice he is running away as I am taking this picture...he knew he was going to be in trouble. For some reason he has an affinity for kleenex, paper towel, toilet paper, and dryer lint. He goes nuts for it! Unfortunately, he discovered the roll of toilet paper this week...he seriously checks to see if we accidentally leave the bathroom door open...if we do, he feels like he hit the jackpot and we always have a mess to clean up...yay!

And one cute picture of him playing in the leaves :)
We were trying to train him with his electric fence...however, the second we put his collar on he refuse to move an inch...hmmm

Have a wonderful weekend!

Hello Fall...and Leaves!

What a busy week it has been!
-Steve has been working his tail off finishing a few huge papers for school (btw papers are not called papers in law school...but I can't think of what they are called)
-Most nights he only got a couple hours of sleep...last night, none! So thankful I am not the one in law school!
-I worked 3 days this week and am looking forward to working my first weekend tomorrow and Sunday...not
-Steve's parents and Uncle Tim were in town for CEA convention and were able to stay with us. Unfortunately, we were not able to hang out with them much due to work and homework...

We were completely spoiled because dad Krommendyk wanted to do yard work for us! Yippee! There are leaves everywhere here and he spent a decent part of his morning reigning them in.

This is a picture of the backyard....the front yard look identical!

...and WaLa! The front yard was raked and the flower beds cleaned out. Unfortunately for us...it is still raining leaves!
Remember the picture I posted last week of our blue house with the beautiful yellow tree...not sure if it was worth the tradeoff. The tree looked amazing for about a week and now we have to clean up after it for a month...

Looking for a good easy dinner idea??I have the perfect one....and it is not super unhealthy. Go Me! Steve claims it is the best meal I have made so far :)
Here is the link!
Easy Chicken Cordon Bleu
I only changed one thing. The sauce calls for Dijon Mustard...My cheap side came out and I refused to buy a whole thing of $3 mustard when I only needed one tablespoon of it. Good news, I think the sauce tasted fabulous without it.
I figured I would take a picture of the dish I served. Note, I am not a photographer and cannot make food look appealing through pictures! So you are just going to have to trust me and make it yourself!
Yumm!

I also wanted to share with you our latest project and as with every project...we learn a lesson!
Last week I showed you our guest room and the new green paint. We thought it looked a ton better, but knew we still had to paint the ceiling to make it complete. Note to Everyone: when painting a room, the first thing you paint is the ceiling! Do the ceiling first and then the walls. #1 painting the ceiling is just awkward and tiring. #2 there is no good way to cut into the corners when you are craning your neck. #3 when using a roller, there is no easy way to cover the ceiling without hitting the sides and getting ceiling paint all over your beautifully painted walls. Last thing we learned...buy the pink ceiling paint that turns white later...it makes the job a lot easier!
Pink Paint going up! Covering up the yellow...

The ceiling looks clean and white...unfortunately we now need to go back in and edge with green...maybe Steve will surprise me this weekend and paint it while I am at work :)....I sure hope he reads this post! haha

Okay, okay I know this is getting long but I wanted to show a few pictures of Kirby...We had Kirbs for fourteen and a half years. He had been through a lot to say the least. Early on in life he got hit with a golf club in the eye (not by us), he was run over by our go-kart (not by me), and many other less severe incidents...He was a great dog to grow up with and was very entertaining. We love and miss you Kirbs!
My last picture with Kirby on Sunday afternoon

Finally, a picture of all three of my dogs! Of course there was no possible way to make sure they all looked nice. I was just happy to have all three in the same spot for long enough to capture a picture :)

Lessons Learned!

It is official, we have been married for two months! I can't believe how many things have changed in our lives and that my sanity is still intact...it is a miracle! As many of you know, I do not handle change well and I am pleased to say I have done remarkably well with everything. At least I think so...Steve and my parents may think differently!

Things we have done in two months time:
-Got married
-Went on vacation to the Smoky Mountains
-Moved into a new house in a new city
-Steve started law school (no small task)
-I landed a job
-Bought Furniture
-Redecorated the house
-Got a dog!
-Visited family and friends as often as possible
-I started work
-Watched bills pile up
Things have been crazy...a good crazy. However, it has definitely not been an easy breezy 2 months. There has been a lot of laughter and a lot of tears (mostly on my part :) )

I also wanted to share a few of the random lessons I have learned...more than once. Apparently I am a slow learner...

#1: DO NOT put butter in the butter dish and leave the butter dish on the stove. It will melt everywhere when you use the stove.
#2: A little background first...because our house is so old there is no back flow prevent-er for water in our basement. We keep it closed so that if it rains our basement does not flood. Which means that whenever we use the basement toilet (which is very rare) or do laundry in the basement we have to manually open the valve. DO make sure you always open the valve when doing laundry! DO open it further then you think you have to...cause it takes a few turns to truly be open. If you try to do laundry with it closed you will flood the basement!
#3: DO NOT get the dog too excited before letting him out. He will pee on the floor if you do this.
#4: DO Put the dog in his cage while showering. In the bathroom with you is not sufficient because he will continue to jump in and out of the shower despite your many pleas to stop.    
#5: DO Make sure you are fully clothed before letting the dog outside. If you are not, the dog will inevitably run away and you will have to chase him in whatever you are wearing...

Just a few little insights into our crazy busy life here in South Bend!

Here is a picture of Hudson after he continually jumped in and out of the shower...
"What mom? What? I was just playing!"
Capturing Hudson's 2.5 seconds of being cute and calm...cuddling with Dad before bedtime :)

Finally, my favorite picture. This is what we get to come home to everyday! It is so beautiful! God is an amazing artist!


If only our new roof was on. The color would really pop then!

A few more changes

I survived! I worked two 12 hour days (which is actually 13 hours) as an RN...in orientation that is. I love learning and getting a chance to be a nurse, but it is very overwhelming to say the least. I feel like I am learning so many things that I am forgetting the basics...which makes me look like a dumb blonde...but maybe I am being hard on myself.
In orientation, I am working with one nurse who basically supervises me. The first two days I was in charge of three patients which is manageable. Tomorrow we are stepping it up to three patients...eek! This week I am working 12's on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday...I am sure I will be exhausted! I am looking forward to Friday when I get to sit in on a joint replacement surgery :)

This weekend I am happy to share we got A LOT done on our house! After working all day Friday, I was pleasantly surprised when I came home to the smell of fresh paint. Steve painted our guest room, which was in desperate need of it. The previous owners loved burning candles which does not go well with light yellow walls. When we removed the switch plates we were disgusted to see how black/gray the walls were compared to what they should be. She also had at least one nail hole for every square foot of  wall space...which is a lot to putty and sand down!
On Saturday I touched things up and it looks a lot better. We still need to paint the ceiling which absolutely needs to be done, but we are dreading it. So it will wait till mid week.

Before:
We are happy to say we got rid of the ugly curtains! The only problem...we don't have anything to replace them with yet  :S. We will get it taken care of before our next round of house guests.
Here is a picture of the project in progress:


I also have a new favorite corner in our house. I was able to find a cute little desk and chair to refinish. I had before pictures on my phone that I was excited to share, but unfortunately my phone died this weekend...so here is the after picture of my corner :)
The desk was raw wood and is now black. The chair used to be stained oak and now is a cute red to match our coffee table. The clock was transplanted from the dining room and lamp from the guest room. I think it turned out pretty stinkin cute!!

Finally, we put up a little wall art in our dining room.
Note: I would not recommend doing this task with your husband or wife. Do it by yourself. Otherwise, you risk being laughed at for the way you use a tape measure and frowned at when the whole thing is just slightly unlevel...by like 1/4inch...psh It is not as easy as they say!

and close up...
All small changes that are continuing to make our house feel like a home! We love our big blue house and are looking forward to getting a new roof in the next couple weeks!

And finally, a picture of NaughtyPants...upset because I am blogging and not sitting on the floor playing with him...hah


He is getting smarter by the day! He knows how to sit, shake, stay and come!

Wish me luck at work this week!

A working woman...

Life in the Krommendyk household has changed quite a bit since I have started working...
For example:
-Dinner is whatever is in the freezer
-Laundry sits in the basket way too long after it is washed
-Hudson spends a lot more time with his dad...and seems to be getting naughtier by the day (coincidence??)
-There are almost always dishes in the sink
-The house is not quite so clean
-Steve hardly eats (since I no longer pack his lunch..and he refuses to eat breakfast)

Things have gotten better as well:
-I no longer have ants in my pants
-I am much less anxious and a lot happier
-Steve makes the bed almost every day...Yipee!!
-Steve started doing the dishes...Hooray!!
-Our home, although not the most orderly is a much happier place :)

My life...
The last two weeks have been a lot of boring orientation, learning how to chart and getting a little refresher course on how to use IV pumps, move patients, and check blood sugars.
This week I actually started in the hospital and so far am loving it. I am confident that nursing is what God had planned for me to do and am so happy I found my niche. I absolutely love meeting patients and doing whatever I can to help brighten their day, even just a little. Cause everyone knows being in the hospital as a patient sucks, unless you are holding a brand new baby. I have heard that when I am off orientation and working on my own as an RN I will become frustrated with how busy I am and how little time I have to actually talk to my patients...I just keep thinking pshh you don't know me. I am a stellar time manager and of course will have time for all of my patients...we shall see though :)

Steve is still working hard studying his butt off. Things for him have definitely gotten more difficult since we got a puppy and I started work. Instead of getting up early and going to school for uninterrupted study time, he is stuck at home with Hudson who apparently is not a good study partner...go figure!
We are hoping things will settle down and we will work out a schedule that works for both of us and allows Steve to get all of his stuff done...

A day in the life of Hudson..

 6:00am-Wake up with Mom and Dad, run around like crazy and quickly pee outside
6:30am-Say goodbye to mom
6:30-9 or 11(depending on school schedule)-Cry in dad's office and pretend like I have to go outside, once dad let's me out run around the house as fast as I can and pick out as many of my underground fence flags as I can...while running. :)  Continue to whine, bark, bite, play, chew on dad till he leaves for school
11-3-Sleep in my cage...the morning activities were exhausting!
3-8-repeat same activities I did all morning :)
8-10 nap until bedtime

Here are some pictures from Hudson's escapade today...
I ran to the grocery store and upon returning home Hudson decided he wanted to play with the paper bags. They mad loud noises and were bigger then him...what fun!
I was making dinner and thought this was the perfect distraction for him and would do no harm...hah!


Naughty Puppy...naughty me for leaving important papers on the couch...he got everything!

AND...saving the best for last. This is a piece of what I get to wake up to every morning :)

Sprucing Up Our Living Room

Once again, we are very thankful to Dave Williams for transforming our living room.
On the radio I heard that husbands and wives are more likely to fight in a yellow room...considering the majority of our house was yellow I was getting a little worried! Thanks to Dave that is no longer the case...Phew! I am sure there will never be any fights in our newly painted home ;)

First let me show you some pictures of little things we spruced up in the living room...

First, here are the tables I got for FREE off craigslist! We got lucky with these. They were asking 20 bucks so we went to check em' out. When we got there the guy spotted my dad in the car and asked him to help carry a heavy fish tank into his house. After that, the guy insisted we take them for free...Wahoo!
(there  is a matching coffee table)
So, I roughed the surface up with sand paper, primed it, and then painted it red (much to Steve's dismay)
Take note: Red is very difficult! It took one can of spray paint to prime the whole thing. I have now gone through 3 cans of paint and the surface still looks splotchy and rough...back to the hardware store I go! (finished product later)

The other little project I did was re paint the mirror above the fireplace.
Mirror before...Had to protect the glass. Thank goodness we had moving boxes and painters tape! I know most people would use newspaper, but hey I did what I could with what I had.

Now for our finished, new and improved living room!

Before:and......

AFTER!!

Notice our table and mirror!


Dave also got rid of the ugly burnt orange/terracotta color for us.

Before:




After:

Everything just looks more clean and fresh. It feels like we are living in a new house :) Thanks!!