Gammon's

Landscaping!

2011-10-26T11:01:00.000-07:00

When we first bought our house this is what it looked like!

We started our landscaping this summer a little bit at a time. First we did the dirt levels, gravel, curbing and then the tress and bushes!

And this is what it looks like now! Much better. We still have work to do in the back and side yard. Im excited for my garden in the back. The deer are eating my bushes and tree so who knows what they will do to my garden.

My Crafty Side

2011-09-09T10:29:00.000-07:00

While Ly was gone I needed a craft project to keep me entertained. So I decided to make pillows for my couches. It started with just two until my mom came over and planted the bug in my ear that every cushion need a pillow. Off I went and made 5!

First I made the sash by putting small folds to create texture then sewed the seams.

If you iron your seams, it makes it easier to sew

Then you put your pillow squares right sides together, making sure your sash is in beween.

Then start sewing, making sure you leave a opening to insert the pillow fluff!

If you cut the corners while it is still inside out, it lays nicer

Then I just stuffed a normal bed pillow into a small opening.

Sewed her up!

Add some cute stuff with a glue gun

And poof! The job a snap! ( Just went to Mary Poppins!)

Another Birthday Cake!

2011-09-09T08:11:00.000-07:00

Wednesday was my sister-in-law's birthday and her husband asked me to make her a cake. So I agreed, thinking I would bake the cakes Monday and decorate them Tuesday. Then my mom calls Monday night to remind me we are going to Mary Poppins on Tues! So that means I have to bake and decorate all in one night, 5 hours to be exact! So with a little (or a lot) of help from my husband we finally got it done.

First, I baked 3 cakes, the part that takes so long is waiting for them to cool before I can dirty frost them.

In hopes that I could speed the process up, I stuffed them into my freezer!

I finally learned the tricks of getting the cakes out of the pan with ease...

I asked (made) my husband roll out the fondant to cover the cakes. Then I form it into the cake, which is harder then it looks!

Then comes the fun part of decorating with my Cricut Cake

I think I need a bigger kitchen!

And this is the finished product!

Slowly getting better decorating cakes!

2011-04-21T08:49:00.000-07:00

So it is my brother-in-laws birthday today and since I got a Cricut Cake for Christmas, I take every opportunity to make cakes! I thought it would be so much fun and it is... don't get me wrong but it is hard! Baking the cakes, dealing with them falling in the center and having to stack them without them going everywhere or having to fill the center with a gallon of butter cream frosting to even them out... It's a process! The first one I made was my mother-in-law's birthday cake. After I threw away the first two cakes that I had to bake separately for 30 minutes each, I started again, 6 hours later I was done! Then I attempted to make a tri level cake for my sister's baptism. Ly helped... we were frustrated and the fondant didn't like me that day and her cake was not the best and I swore to never make a cake again.

Then time went on.

So I hit the Internet and logging on to cake schools. I cannot believe some of the stuff that is out there! They help me a ton! I am getting better with every cake I make. Here is the process of making one of my

Masterpieces HA HA!

First I baked 2-10in round cakes in these awesome cake pans my mom got me. The sides loosen and the bottom comes out, make this obstacle a little easier to over come. Then since the center fell so much I leveled it out with butter cream frosting. Then you let the butter cream "crust," in cake school words! Once crusted, roll out the fondant 1/4 inch thick, store bought of course and lay it over the cake. Just like that! NOT! This is the hardest part! Making sure there are no creased at the bottom is major stress!

I think I finally learned this skill on my third cake!

Then you want to trim the extra fondant with your circut cake tools that I got for my birthday! Thanks Mamma Terry!

This my friends... is the Cricut Cake! You roll out your fondant on the mat, use ANY cartridge you want and cut!

Once it is cut, put straight onto the cake, another hard lesson learned! If it doesn't stick, add a dab of water to the back and it will adhere. Don't add to much water or the color will run on your white fondant!

My boys love their Red Sox!

There you have it! I am very proud of it!

Thanks to all those who helped! My next project might be a bridal shower...wish me luck!

First Attempt with my Cricut Cake

2011-01-24T14:55:00.000-08:00

My mother-in-law got me a Cricut Cake for Christmas and my first attempt was to make her birthday cake! It took me 5 hours! First of all I only had one 8 in pan so I had to bake the two separately. Then I tried to frost them too early and they crumbled. So then I had to bake two more! 2 1/2 hours later and a little help from my husband I was ready to play! I put the cakes in the freezer then frosted them and that worked great. Next I rolled out the white fondant and laid it over the cake. Then I went to town cutting. Let me emphasize, I could not of done this without my husband! He was a life saver.

My next project is my birthday cake! I am going to make a red velvet cake with cream cheese frosting and then go to town on my Cricut! I post pictures of either my masterpiece or disaster cake!

Decorating my new house

2010-10-18T12:07:00.000-07:00

I have been a busy bee getting my house decorated, and again my mom has been a huge help. I try to get a few things every paycheck so my husband is content. Here are a few of my ideas:

These plate were inspired by Rod Works. I dont know where I want them yet. I just know I wanted them. Right now they are on top of my pantry. I dont know if I am a huge fan of them up there. We'll have to see.

These were also a purchase from Rod Works. They were 50% off and since I am obsessed with green, I had to have them. They are on top of my coat closet. My entire house has these little in-coves that are tricky to decorate without being tacky.

Going down my hall you look at this beauty. I made her myself! One problem, it's bowing... The candle holder matches the frame. That was a Hobby Lobby purchase!

This is on the floor of my spare bedroom. I am trying to see if it looks good and if I like it, I want to put it on one of my hall walls. They will all be connected with ribbon. If you look close you can see the wanna be ribbon. It needs some work but I want to make that wall the picture wall of fame and just go all out with pictures!

These are my bathrooms. The master is done is red/green/tan. The main bath is done in green/white. I turned my hand towel hanger into a toilet paper hanger! I got most of this stuff from Rod Works and Hobby Lobby. I just love those stores!

This has been my Halloween craft! My mother-in-law has a Cricut and we have been playing. My next Halloween project is making Mr. & Mrs. Frankenstein. They are super cute!

Craft Projects in the works

2010-10-15T09:23:00.000-07:00

Ok, so moving into a new house has been so much fun! Especially because my mom is the queen of decorating and I just love having her decorations in my house. So here are my mom and I's first project for the new house. Take a look.

This was an ordeal. First we spent a fortune on flowers and a vase at Tia Pan, then we made a stop at Hobby Lobby and their flowers were 50% off! So we bought more flowers and took everything back to Tia Pan. We ended up saving $60!

This little creation was also 50% off! We took a flower display that is supposed to go on your mantel or something of that sort and we folded it in thirds and zip tied it to this iron rod thingy! We put our "G" in the center but it doesn't show up so well.

My husband says he feels like he is walking into the Garden of Eden with all of these flowers in the entry. My mom also gave me her old table and mirrors that we painted black to match the house but in the process we broke a mirror! Oops... All in all it turned out really cute and I just love what the woman does! She missed her calling in life!

The latest 411

2010-08-25T15:34:00.000-07:00

Lyonel and I just celebrated our 1 year anniversary! It was an amazing night but the whole time I felt guilty... Ly and I talked about 2 weeks before the big day and decided we were not going to give each other gifts because we are in the middle of buy a house (details below). So the weekend of our anniversary we were on vaction with my family at Sand Hallow. So much fun baking in the sun and wakeborading my little heart out! Another fun tent story. Ly's aunt gave us their tent because they vowed never to go camping again. Wonderful, that is great for us right... sure take the tent and we will sleep in that for the weekend. I went down a day before Ly and when I pulled the tent out of the bag there was only a rain fly and poles. NO TENT!!! I dont know what is with us and tents but it never works out in our favor! To top it off the aunt has no idea where the actual tent even is.
The morning of our anniversary comes and I get woken up by Ly asking me if I am awake.... obviously I was not. He handed me a card with two Lion King tickets inside and I freak. I have wanted to go to The Lion King for such a long time! When I realized that I got him nothing, the guilt set in. I ended up crying over the whole ordeal when we got home...I know, Im a big baby. Anyways the Lion King was great and the rest of the night followed in suite! :)
Tomorrow we are finally closing on our home in Herriman... (house warming party coming soon!) It has been a process getting the loan approved because of Ly's job and his stupid HR lady. If the loan did not go through, we would of lost $2,500 big buckaroos! I would not be a happy camper. But things are good now and we should get the keys on Friday! We just bought a front loading washer and dryer from KSL and I hope we got a good deal. We are now in the marketing for a lawn mower! There is a lot of things we don't have the a home needs. It all adds up so fast. Our next problem is selling out apartment contact. The leasing office is trying to fill it with us but if it is not filled by Sept. we have to pay them $1500 to get our of our contract. This is another stresser that is making me lose sleep at night. I pray everything will work out just fine!
We are going on another family vaca this weekend with Ly's family to Rock Port to go boating and camping. What can I say, its our favorite thing to do! Then it's moving time. My car finally gets to be park where hard water cannot get to her. I cannot wait to decorate and make my own home decor projects. YAH!!!
The bank put in a front yard for us because the city was complaining so that is great for us, we were just going to leave it until next summer when we had expendable income.
One late note. I am changing jobs again. On Sept.7th I am going to be the housing coordinator for CHG Healthcare. They are a fortune 500 company and my mom works there so we can now carpool. I officially hate my job here at Broadview University. I cannot make another phone call and listen to another voicemail or else... I give my two weeks on Friday after we close on the house.

That is all for now.

New and Improved

2010-07-06T13:22:00.000-07:00

Not a lot has changed but some things have. Ly got a new job working at Simmons Media, selling radio air time. He really loves it and hopes it will take him to his dream job! I am working for Broadview University, used to be Utah Career College. We just moved into our new building in South Salt Lake. We offer Bachelor of Fine Art programs at this campus as well as our traditional programs. Our building is very "artsy." I have 2 people enrolled and I have to have 24 by October. Pray for me!
We are also house hunting. Today we meet with our realtor. Ly wants to build and I want to buy existing. Who knows what will happen.
We went to Lava Hot Springs for the 4th of July. My mom rented a cabin and the Gammon's went with us. All fun and games until we found out the fireworks we on Sunday night, not Saturday night like we thought. We only had the cabin on Friday and Saturday so this year I did not see any fireworks! Its ok, there is always next year! We floated the river and only a few of us made it our unharmed! We had fun at the pool and hot pots! Then we ended the weekend on Utah Lake. Super choppy, all we did was surf but we did manage to get awesome sunburns! Even Ly who doesn't burn!

Until next adventure....

It's been awhile

2010-04-21T14:22:00.000-07:00

Since we have moved, I don’t have access to the Internet all the time like I used to. So I go the Draper library to use the Internet. We moved on March 15 and it is now over a month later and I just barley got a job with Utah Career College as an Admissions Rep. Not my dream job but it's a new campus and I think I can learn to like it! Ly is still working with CH Robinson in Lehi as a transportation broker for produce. He talks to truck drivers all day... not his favorite either!

We just sold our Toyota for just as much as we bought it for! (Maybe a little more!) We bought a 2004 F150 on Saturday. We are in love with the truck, its black and a Lariat! Super fancy! Ly is like a little boy in a candy shop! He just grins from ear to ear, I dont know what he likes more, the truck or his motorcycle.

I have been going crazy this month with nothing to do all day. Usually my days involved doing P90X, showering, (and taking forever to get ready just to take up time,) a little window shopping and spending hours coming up with new recipes to try out on Ly. So far he has liked every one. Get this, the only one that was GROSS was when my in-laws were over for dinner! Go figure. Im going to have to redeem myself here shortly.

Our new ward is much different then our ward in Logan. We are like 1 of 5 young couples in the ward and the rest are older! We think we are going to get Primary callings....
That is because we need to practice patience. We dog sat last weekend for a friend of my mom's, thinking it would be no big deal. He barked everytime someone walked by, which in an apartment there is a lot of. He pooped on my carpet twice and whined all night long because he couldnt go outside to play. We were frustrated and had no patience with that little devil! JK, he was not that bad but we just didnt love him. We decided that we are not getting a dog until we live in a house with a backyard and the dog can be more independent.

Not much is happening with us now, we did just pass our 8 month anniversary! Time flies! We fall more in love everyday and I couldn’t ask for a better husband. We laugh, we play, we argue (for 5 min) then Im on to something else...He is more then I could ask for! And he is HOTT!

I am hoping to post pic of our new place soon as well as some of the truck... We'll see how long it takes me!

Projects on the new sewing machine!

2010-02-09T11:45:00.000-08:00

Ok so my mom asked me if I can make her these blankets and burp cloths for the girls at here work! Of course I can... I am taking sewing lessons after all! I think they turned out pretty cute. It was fun to use all my different stitches on the outside for decor! Ly even helped pick out the fabric!

Garth in Vegas

2010-01-26T13:45:00.000-08:00

Back when I was in college, my roommate and I decided that if Garth ever performed again, anywhere, we were going! So some time in fall of 2009 I heard he was coming to Vegas and him and Steve Wynn has some sort of deal worked out and he was going to fly Garth and Trisha back and forth in a private jet from Texas to Vegas twice a month for five years to perform. I freaked out... I have loved Garth since I was a little cowgirl! I pick up my cell phone and started to call Kellyn, my college roommate, but she beat me to it and the phone rang in my ear. When I said hello we both started screaming. Yes, we were on our way to Garth. We had to wait patiently for about 4-5 months until Jan. 23rd. It was going to be our birthday trip because we both have birthday's coming up. Therefore, spending $143 on one ticket was justifiable!
We drove down and checked into our awesomely old hotel at the Tropicana! Then we set out for the night! We had to burn a little time at the Fourm Shops and grabbed something to eat at the Cheesecake Factory. Delightful!
We started over to pick up our tickets at the Wynn Hotel and the excitement really set in when the guy put wristbands on us and told us to enjoy the show!

He had nothing to worry about! We waited until the first concert let out and then we got in line for the second show. Yes, Garth does two shows a night and still has more energy then a child! So as we got in line, guess who was next to us???? Chuck Liddell... the UFC fighter! Cool, right... I only caught glimpse's of him because his little girlfriend was ALL OVER HIM! She was making sure everyone knew he was with her!
So then we made our way into the concert hall and we are on like the 13th row! 40 Ft. away from the stage!!!!

We both start getting more and more excited. The lady next to me flew in from Ohio and she probably thought we were crazy.
Then Garth makes his entrance... let me tell you what he was wearing... Levi carpenter pants, a hoodie and a baseball hat that said Garth, not to mention his work boots. Still... it was Garth and it felt like he was staring at us all night cause we were so close.

The crowd went wild, from screaming to crying everyone was going crazy, including us! He started telling us his life story growing up and he would talk about his dad and play some of the songs he like, then the same with his mom and brothers. So we didn't hear a Garth song for about an hour. He made it really personal and fun. Then he started to play some Garth and we got to hear the details about each song. SWEET!!

Then the best part... he asked for the house lights to turn up and he started taking request! Again, screaming and crying!!! Two and a half hours later it was all over and I was mesmerized. I want to go again and again and again. He never gets old and I love him!! So he promised when he last girl graduates high school in 5 years, he and Trisha will go on tour again!!! YIPPEE!!! I will start saving my pennies now!

Bottom line, Garth is Great! I strongly suggest everyone to go even if they are not the biggest Garth fan. Well worth your time and money!

Garth.

2010-01-26T13:14:00.003-08:00

Garth

2010-01-26T13:14:00.001-08:00

Our Christmas Decor!

2009-12-14T10:17:00.000-08:00

So I got really excited to decorate my first apartment for Christmas! My in-laws let us borrow their fake tree. I made my own tree skirt and stockings so they match.

Lyonel will not stop buying presents! Yes, he went overboard... again!!!

I'm going for the rustic/western look, (imagine that!)

This is what happens when I go shopping with my mom and grandma!

These fellers are Frank and Chester, I didnt name them. The lady who sold them to me had names for all her "friends." Frank, the moose has a broken leg, so I got him for $7!!!!

OUR HUMBLE ABODE!

2009-11-11T11:31:00.000-08:00

From the outside our apartment doesn't look the best but once you get in on the inside its not so bad. Yes there is wood paneling and there is no storage space but the carpet is new and I love our little house!

We are in the basement of a fourplex. I have tried to make it look "homie!" Most of our decor has been wedding presents. It's great not having to spend too much money on the decor. We got the couch and coffee table a silent auction.

Ly has had this TV for awhile and I think he got it from his X-girlfriends mom! HA HA. We dont have TV or cable so this is where we watch Hero's and Planet Earth!

I bought our plates for the kitchen even before we were engaged! Ly didnt like that too much. But they were green and from Ross, so they were a killer deal. I decided to go with green and brown for the colors in the kitchen. This is the fall decor and I have already got Christmas stuff for the table but I cant put it up just yet!

This is the bed Ly made for me for our wedding! He keeps asking me what I want for Christmas and I keep saying a dresser to match the bed, but he just rolls his eyes! Anyways our room is pretty big. Ly wants to hang his deer about our bed...Heck no... It is not going to watch us sleep!

What can I say about this room. Ly got to decorate it. He's closet is in here and the rest of our stuff. Mostly my stuff like crafting, wakeboard, and linens. We don't have a linen closet so this automatically has to be one. Ly hates messes and complains all the time but what can you do.

Best part of this 2 bed apartment is that we only pay $355 a month! YAHOO!!!! Utilities are not that bad, yet... but I like our little place and will be sad to leave it when the time comes!

FILLING MY TIME

2009-11-02T12:48:00.000-08:00

Ok so I have turned into craft women. Ly is always at work and there is only so much aerobics I can handle. So I have started these few projects and have a few more on my "to do list." I have been stitching for awhile but now I am doing something with it, thanks to my mother-in-law who is Mrs. Crafty. Check it out!

I am making these dish towels for every holiday/season. These are for Christmas and I just finished the fall dish towels. I still have Valentines, Easter, and Summer ( I think!) They take no time at all and they turned out pretty cute!

Halloween!

2009-10-30T22:22:00.000-07:00

Halloween 2009 was celebrated on Oct. 28th becasue Ly had to work Friday and Saturday night. We went to Texas Roadhouse and then attempted to go to Sweeny Todd, but it was sold out! We went home and started to carve our pumpkins. Of course Ly busted out his power drill! We both started at the same time and I finshed way before he did. Mr. Perfectionist took forever to carve his prize pumpkin! We mostly carved our pumpkins in silence because he was concentrating so much! Lyonel carved Captian Crunch and I carved a spooky man looking out window throught the blinds! All night long Ly sang the Captian Crunch song!!! We had fun, my favorite part is lighting them out side when you are all done! Ohhh our first Halloween together!

Our First Big Purchase!

2009-10-21T11:16:00.000-07:00

Lyonel and I have been truck hunting for quite some time now. We started out wanting and F150! We both couldn't decide exactly what we wanted to pay or how many miles or this or that. Needless to say, we couldn't agree. When we decided to look at less expensive truck, everything seemed to work out! When we saw this Toyota we knew it would last us for a long time or have good resale value. So no matter which way life turned we would be ok! We looked all day Saturday and then we saw this truck right as the dealer was closing. We made them stay awhile after they closed and took it to Ly's mechanic, he
approved and we went to the bank! I wrote the biggest check I had ever written! Now we are poor but happy! I dont have to pick Ly up at 12:30am after he gets of work!

If I were a rich.. woman

2009-10-02T13:18:00.000-07:00

I would buy as many of these boots as possible. I LOVE Old Gringo boots! They are the boots in my world (the county world)! The black ones I want are the cheapest they have and they still are $279. Yeah Yeah so they are hand crafted, but
come on.... I cannot afford that! Most of their boots range anywhere from about $300-700. Maybe one day when Im big I can have a pair of my own.
http://www.crowsnesttrading.com/category/79

Ly's First Deer

2009-09-29T12:37:00.000-07:00

So this is kind of a funny story. Lyonel shot his first kill ever Saturday the 26th of Sept. He has been hunting many time before but never gets lucky. He goes on the mussel loader hunt which makes it a little tricky!

Last year I shot my elk around this time.
Ly and I had not met yet. One day he over heard me
talking at the Marketplace at USU about the elk I just shot! I was probably talking pretty loud because: A: That how I am and B: The first shot I hit the elk in the wiener, right in the baby maker! That is the family joke.

Anyway, when Ly heard me talking about hunting he made his move! Pretty smooth I might add! I guess it paid off.
Ly shot a 3 x 4 in Mount Pleasant and was one happy camper! He went all week and got one the last day of his hunt! He wants to hang the mount above our bed, but he has another thing coming! No way! Maybe in the other bedroom but not starting at us as we sleep!

CONGRATS HONEY!

One month anniversary

2009-09-16T10:47:00.000-07:00

So this past weekend was our one month anniversary! Ly brought home flowers on his motorcycle, what a babe! We were headed camping that day so I had the car loaded and ready to go when he got home! We drove up to Logan Canyon and started to set up camp. He popped the trunk and immediately rolled his eyes.

"You mean to tell me this tent you have been bragging about winning is KID SIZE tent?"

"It is?"

"Feel how light it is Kenz!"

"Laugh, Laugh, Laugh, Laugh, cant stop laughing!"

There is a picture of a tiny little girl on the front.

Anyways I thought it was super funny and Ly didn't seem to think so.

Turns out we couldn't even blow up our air mattress because the tent wouldn't hold us and the mattress! Hard ground and sleeping bags, here we come.

We finish setting up camp with our new camp chairs, portable grill, and a few other little things and start on our hike.

We hike for 10 miles up the canyon. The opening of the moose hunt started that day and hunters were everywhere in their orange and we were in black and green. Yah or us!

We made it back to camp and started dinner. We made tinfoil dinners and they were to die for! Super good! Then Ly played around with the fire for awhile and then decided to stop and build a good one! Then I tough him how to build a good smore! Probably had more then I should of! Then for the adventure of the trip, it was time for bed! Again, he rolled his eyes and said,

"People are going to think midgets are camping here!"

"It's not that bad..."

"Kenz, Im 6'2 and the tent is 4'."

"Laugh, Laugh, Laugh, Laugh some more!"

Needless to say we didn't get any sleep and woke up super sore! We tried everything from sleep at an angel, spooning, facing each other, but nothing work very well.

We woke up and made bacon and eggs and started to pack up camp. On our way home we both decided that the rest of our wedding gift cards to Target are going to be spent on a TENT that is ADULT size!

We got home, when to church and then to top off our great weekend, Ly made us french dip, which his family got me stuck on. Who knew that I would love it so so much! Way to go Gammon's!

Carly and Josh's new baby boy

2009-09-09T11:56:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Lyonel and I went down to St. Mark's Hospital to see Carly and Josh's baby. They named him Kaius! The name kinda grows on you! Carly has been by best friend since high school! Her and Josh got married about a year and a half ago! They are so cute together.

By the time Carly was 6 months pregnant she was big. By the time she was 8 months, she was a planet! She was ready to have this boy out!

He weighed 8 lbs 11oz and was 21 in.

Lyonel has a hard time with hospitals. He hates the smell and sight of blood. He usually passes out, but he said it was a good thing Carly looked great for just going through a c-section after pushing for 2 1/2 hrs, or else he would of been a goner! He was a champ!

When we have babies Ly says he is going to strap a walkie talkie to my head and be outside supporting me with his walkie talkie! He's probably right, he has a weak stomach!

Wedding update

2009-09-01T14:11:00.000-07:00

So now that Ly and I are married, Im going to try really hard to keep our blog updated!
Lyonel asked me to marry him April 18, 09 in Logan Utah. He got down on one knee at the same place we had our first date! Super cute... right! We were engaged for 4 months until we got married Aug. 15th 09. We got married at 10:23 AM in the Salt Lake Temple. Our luncheon was at the Hale Center Theatre follow by our reception at Thanksgiving Point Hidden Gardens. The morning our of wedding the sky was black and thunderstorms were going nuts! To top it off, I-15 went down to 1 lane and I was 45 min. late to the ceremony. Pretty stressful! After we came out of the temple doors, the sun was shining and the rest of the day was perfect. We spent the night at the Anniversary Inn... oh la la... then we opened gifts at my parents over brunch!
Our flight left Monday morning at 12:50 AM. I was sicker then a dog! I went through a ton of tissues and the pressure on the flight killed my ears! Once we hit Florida I was good to go! The humidity worked wonders! Ly and I were both thrilled! The cruise to the Bahama's was simply amazing! We were sat with couples our age at dinner and had a blast with them during the whole cruise! Ly and I sleep probably more then we should off! We were wiped out! All the wedding stuff was over and it was time to relax! We had the most relaxing and enjoyable time during our honeymoon.
Now were are back in Logan while Ly is finishing up school. We are looking for jobs down in the SLC area. Ly and I are in heaven being married! It's the best thing in the world when you have the best husband in the world!