Prepare, this post is full of pictures. We have been in our house for almost 2 years. We have been busy making it not look like a short sale. We have worked really hard with the help of various family, friends, and of course HGTV (He he, i love that channel. But Eldon says it gives me too many ideas.) We have made some significant changes to the house and it is looking alot more like my vision of it. I love when people from the ward come over and see the house because they knew the previous tenants (it was a rental before we bought it). Everyone who has seen the house before, has a hard time believing it is the same house. So since we are so proud of our house, i thought that i would share some of the before and after pictures. We are not bragging, but definitely beaming. The first big change we made was painting every room in the house. I dont like white walls and now no walls in the house at all are white. We also tiled the kitchen and entry way because the disgusting blue laminate flooring definitely was not working in my house.
The next big step was putting in granite counter tops because the ugly blue definitely had to go!
Next was getting our entertainment center, couch and book shelf to make the living room look comfy, cozy and stylish.
Then we decorated the guest bathroom and bedroom. I am really glad to have a nice and comfortable place to offer family and friends when they come to visit.
Next I got a desire to texture the walls of the master bathroom. It looks like venetian plaster. i love it!!! And I am so proud that I did it all by myself!
The office and the master bedroom came next. The master bedroom is still missing some beautiful art pieces that my nephew is working on, but he is holding them ransom from me, so once he finishes them, the bedroom will be completed!
I also have been working on the Shadow Memory Boxes for my baby boys. They are finished for now, but i am sure with how picky I am, and how precious they are, that this may change in the future.
The next big projects came after we lost the boys. I needed something to occupy my mind and help to bring some joy into my life, so Eldon let me do alot of the projects that had been on hold for a while. So i textured the kitchen and with the help of friends put in fake bricks. I got a buffet and painted our table.
I got my coat rack and bench for the entry way.
Then we put in carpet because the old carpet was beyond disgusting!
We also put in french doors where the ugly and annoying sliding door was.
It made a huge difference. I added curtains, new light fixtures in the kitchen and hallway and master bathroom.
Most of our changes have been made on the inside of the house. We really havent done much with the outside, but after the boys died, we bought baby rose bushes to go outside the house. They have only bloomed sparatically, but they are still growing.
We will do more in the backyard and front in months to come. Most recently for Mother's day, Eldon bought me cupboards for the laundry room, so that was finally painted and the cabinets added. I absolutely love it!
There are definitely more projects that i would like to complete like the nursery, changing the cabinet colors through out the house, tiling the bathrooms, changing the countertops in the bathroom, adding canned lighting in the living room and then moving to the outside for grass and a pool. Poor Eldon :P Oh well, its a good investment, and I am having a blast discovering new abilities and talents as we transform our house into our home and into something we can be proud of.
My cute friend has a super fun Christmas tradition of doing a homemade ornament exchange party. When she asked if I wanted to participate, I have to admit at first I wondered what in the world I would do with 17 homemade Ornaments (especially with the hopes that we will have a house full of children some day who will provide a great deal of homemade specialities to add to our tree) but after she explained a little further and directed me online, I was in. She invited 17 different people to participate and then each person had to make 17 of the same ornament. This cute little guy was my creation. I wish I could take credit for the idea (I found it online), but I did make it from scratch. My wonderful hubby even helped me. The Marshmallows are made out of clay, which I had to spray paint white because they dried gray (grrrrrr!) the chocolate is brown foam and the graham cracker is cork. The rest is paint, ribbon, and wire. I am pretty proud of how cute they turned out, but I have to say making 17 was a lot of work! It was really neat to see what the 17 different people came up with. We each did something unique and different! It was a great time and I am super excited for next year's party. I am totally hooked and already have planned my ornament for next year :P 
It was very important to us to try to do something positive in Ethan and Tommy's memory for their birthday. We decided that it was most beneficial to "pay forward" the gifts of love and support that we recieved during the hardest time of this trial (right after the birth and the loss). When I was in the hospital delivering the Boys, I recieved a huge outpouring of gifts. Most of the gifts came from the hospital. The gifts were a variety of mementos and keepsakes to help us preserve the memory of our sons such as a scrapbook, pictures, picture frames, candles, beanies, blankets, etc. Those precious items have become very special and sacred to me because they remind me of my sweet babies. We decided that we would celebrate the Boys' birthday by making a donation in their honor to help show love and support to other Mothers and families that would have to endure the hardships that we have gone through. I was incredibly blessed to be able to request for donations from our Ward Relief Society, the entire Police Department where I work, and our dear family and friends. We were completely stunned by the outpouring of love and generosity we recieved on behalf of our sweet babies. Over several months we collected a huge amount of items to donate in loving memory of Ethan and Tommy.
It is hard to believe that it has already been a year since we lost our sweet boys. The days approaching their first birthday were incredibly difficult ones as we prepared to celebrate their memory. Eldon and I decorated their plot. Because it was December it was important that they have a Christmas tree and gifts, but we also needed the balloons for all to know it was their birthday. On their big day, we a balloon release in their honor. "Sending our love to Heaven". In good Seals' family fashion it became a competition to see whose balloon could reach Heaven first. It was actually quite sweet and entertaining and definitely lifted the somber mood. 
