The Thanksgiving Surprise Part 2

I have had a few questions about my parents' ranch house and what we call the bunk house. The bunk house kind of turned out to be more than just a place with extra beds. I guess if you are going to do something you may as well do it right. The houses are pre-fab homes and you pick a few things here and there and wah-laaa. Or something like that. I am sure that my mom would say that I made it sound way more simple than it is really is! But we are grateful that they have the opportunity to create this get away for our family. And like a few of you mentioned - the kitchen in the bunk house is bigger than my kitchen. For reals. :)

We were hit with a furious wind storm this past week. As I made my way to work the freeway was a site that I hope to never see again. I passed seven semis that had been blown over. The shoulders of the freeway were lined with semis who dared no longer continue driving but tried to take cover. I saw emergency crews scrambling to help those in need. The winds rattled my SUV and I felt like I was being tossed about. I did not know if I should continue or turn around and go back home. I called my Dad who I figured was driving at the same time and he told me that I had about another two mile stretch and then things would die down. Once I got to work I checked with family members to learn of power outages and closures of schools. I warned everyone to stay home if they could because the dangers of the weather were not worth a trip. That evening as I drove home the winds had died down and the damage was revealed. I drove past downed fences. I witnessed huge pine trees at the golf course virtually laying down - sometimes three to four in a row. I saw broken windows, displaced garbage cans, broken branches, chimneys on lawns and homes ripped down to plywood. We have been told to brace for another wind storm tonight with perhaps snow. I hope all those in the Davis County area are safe and prepared for what the night and morning brings.

The Thanksgiving Surprise Part 1

Just before Thanksgiving I mentioned that our family was heading up to my parents' ranch house for the holiday. We were all anxious to see the new barn that was built. Well we were in for a much bigger surprise than just the barn. My family was the first to arrive. As we rounded the corner I could see the lights from the ranch house and the big spotlight on The Barn. As I looked closer my mind was trying to make sense of what my eyes were seeing. There just seemed to be extra lights. Lots of extra lights. The bunk house that my parents were going to put in next summer ... well they decided to go ahead and get it done for Thanksgiving and not tell any of us! One thing I need to mention and clarify is my parents live in Utah but they have built a ranch house for the family as a great get away in Idaho. They are not at the ranch house full time much to my father's chagrin.

Anywho my parents were very excited for our arrival and we got the first tour plus we got to see everyone's reaction once they arrived. The new bunk house includes five additional bedrooms, three more bathrooms, another kitchen with a huge island, a washroom, and of course a family room area. Check it out.

Does this Josephine dresser look familiar? I had no idea when my mom wanted this refinished where it was going. It was so fun to see her pull in a few Frosted Gardner pieces!

More to come . . .

The New Barn

I mentioned earlier this week that we were heading up to my parent's ranch house for the Thanksgiving holiday. I was excited to see their new barn and after talking to my mom I knew that my Dad was anxious for all of us to get up there as well! Little did I know that we were all in for a HUGE surprise. It was one of those things that I thought are my eyes really seeing what they are seeing? Are we at the wrong place? I will be sharing all of the details in the next couple of days.

So back to the red barn. Did you see what it was named? Hard to miss I know. "The Barn". It is what it is, right? As we pulled up the dirt road the barn was all lit up and my dad had a portable heater warming up the place so the boys could play a game of basketball. There is a hoop as you walk in and they plan to put to trampoline in there for the little kids.

Aside from the surprises we had a wonderful holiday with the family. We ate lots of great eats and laughed and chased little kids and even broke up a few fights of "she has my doll" and "I want that Ariel". The boys played X-box and we watched a bit of football. We caught up on the happenings of each family and in between all of this we ate some more. You know how it goes.

Hope you are all enjoying your holiday weekend!

A Magical Celebration

We are back from vacation at Disneyland and California Adventure. We had a lovely time sipping sodas with Sleeping Beauty, exchanging jokes with the Mad Hatter, dancing and jumping with Rapunzel, and clapping and singing with Micky Mouse. That Walt Disney is a complete genius I tell you. And for some reason I forget just how magical that place is until I return and then I want to run home and watch each classic princess adventure and each pixar animation brought to life.
And speaking of brought to life - it is time to bring some new life to a few pieces you see pictured above. I will be sharing these through the week. Do you see the dresser on the far left well that one is ours! Yipee! We are still deciding on a finish for it and will be going in the boys room.

On a personal note I have accepted a job offer with a different company and will be starting on Monday. I will be working in Salt Lake and am really looking forward to a change of pace. I am also looking forward to Halloween and little kiddos in their costumes. This is a great time of year!
Enjoy your weekend friends!

Five Years Ago

Five years ago this evening I was in my kitchen. My home was quiet. But that was nothing unusual. I lived alone. I had lived alone for four years. My house was spotless. Everything neat and tidy and in its place I must admit. The television was quietly in the background to drown out some of the buzzing silence. You know the kind. I proceeded to the fridge and pulled out a carton of vanilla ice cream and grabbed the blender and made me the biggest thickest chocolate malt ever. After indulging myself I went upstairs to finish packing. I also talked to my mom on the phone and both of my sisters earlier that evening. And then the ring tone sounded that signified that Mike was calling. As I answered the phone I heard him say, "So should we get married tomorrow?" I said, "Yep, I will meet you there."

After much preparation our wedding day had finally arrived! And the events of that day set me on a course that would change my life forever. In less than one year I went from single Melanie building a finance career to married Melanie and stepmom of four. I was so excited and happy for my new life. And little did I know but just two short months later another huge surprise. (To be continued . . . )

Happy Anniversary to Mike.

This man is a good man.

This man would swim through shark infested waters to bring me a lemonade.

He would also stand on a 24 foot ladder to hang a chandelier just for me.

I love you babe!

We Will Never Forget

We have talked about where we were.
We have expressed feelings of disbelief and uncertainty.
We have answered questions from kids . . . some who recall the event and some who do not.
We have watched the memorial coverage.
We have watched old footage from the events of that day.
We have been remembering . . .
We will never forget.

Grandma's Buffet - Before & After

Look how filthy dirty this old buffet is and the years of dust it has been collecting! This is my grandma's old buffet that I distinctly remember sitting on her red shag carpet in her basement. She moved out of her home several years ago and my dad has been storing this piece along with a pedestal table for quite some time.

My mom at one point decided to paint this red and put it up at the ranch house in one of the guest bedrooms to store a flat screen tv. Then the last time she took a look at it she decided this piece needs to be restored and not painted and displayed on one of the main walls next to the kitchen. I couldn't agree with her more.

The after pictures do not show the hardware as she was still playing with a few options. She ended up putting the original wooden knobs back on instead of going with an updated look. We tested a few different knobs but nothing worked quite like the original hardware.

Because this is a family piece we decided to go ahead and have our little one model the piece for us. Little does she know the history she is standing by and the stories it could tell.

The old beveled mirror is still in great shape. I asked my dad about where this piece came from and he called my grandma for a refresher! When my grandparents bought their first house some sixty years ago the sellers added this piece in with the price and left it for them.

We searched and searched for a maker and a date and came up with nothing.

All I know is that I pulled Old Maid playing cards and ping pong paddles out of the drawers and cupboards. I believe my aunt had some of her music sheets stored here and I loved to sit and listen to her play the piano. My grandma had an old player piano but sold it with the house as it was too difficult to get it up the narrow stairs of her home.

I am so happy we had the chance to restore this piece and know that it will be in the family for many years to come. We delivered it this weekend and spent some time with family. There was much fun had by all. Even if we only got a few hours of sleep!

The little girls claimed the playhouse and quickly made "NO BOYS ALLOWED" signs to make everyone aware who was in charge.

The big boys would try to sneak up there but the girls would kindly let the boys know what the signs said and then decided that cute boys were allowed. And my nephew Zach is very very cute.

Here is another cute nephew who was exhausted by the day in the sun and cuddled up with his shoe. There were lots of "jeep" rides, four wheel rides, and motorcycle rides.

We saw some competitive flag football games and

enjoyed the warmth of the sun on our face and the wind in our hair. It was good weekend despite only a few hours of sleep. :)