Carruth Family

Thursday, December 2, 2010

Here's the finished product from the front room.

Chimney project

For a long time, I've wanted to change the way our chimney looked. I considered a few options: stucco over all the brick (messy, and not quit the look I wanted); or stripping the paint off the brick (very difficult, plus not knowing if the bricks even look good. In the end, we decided to make it look like we uncovered the brick by painting them on.

We were going to try to tape off all the mortar lines, and sponge paint in between, but we couldn't find the right size tape, and/or it wouldn't stick. So Dave cut me some stencils out of a handy pizza box, and we were in business.

We began by stenciling on some base colors, grey, black, brown and tan.

Then, we used a brick red and sponged over the base colors, some heavy, some light, making it as random as possible.

We left the middle section unfinished because we are covering it with a mirror, anyway.

Here's the kitchen side.

I was really pleased when my mom asked how we knew the brick beneath the paint would look so good. (Yeah, I fooled her)

Now, I just have to find something really cool to hang on it.

Saturday, December 5, 2009

Carruth Family Traditions

Paul says I make up traditions...

He says that I say things are a tradition, but then my family tells him that we only did it once.

So here are some of my favorite traditions- and if you wish, you can comment and say which are real and which are fake and add in any I forgot :)

Christmas Traditions

Decorating for FHE
Mom's white/silver Christmas Tree
Running around the house on Christmas Eve to get tired
Christmas Eve with the Shoells (Nativity)
Singing Hymns together
Pajamas from Mrs. Claus
The White Stocking
Me closing my eyes until we are all in the living room
Waking all the kids up and then waking up Mom and Dad
Brushing our teeth before we can open presents
Mom making delicious breakfast (I'm hoping for coffee cake this year)
Going to Gma and Gpas' houses
Doing a talent at Gma and Gpas
Wearing our new clothes to Gma and Gpas

Old/One time traditions

Wearing pajamas to the Ward Christmas breakfast
Showering together - (EXCEPT ERIC!!!) (haha)
Going Ice Skating
Going to Temple Square
Mom and Dad singing "Baby It's Cold Outside"

As you can tell, I am very excited for Christmas and I hope that we can spend a lot of time with family and not a lot of time at Olive Garden :)

Paul and I put up Christmas lights today!

Monday, October 19, 2009

sigh...

...

Need I say more?

Tuesday, September 1, 2009

parental advice

Since I don't get invited for heart to heart talks with you - ;), I thought I would just make free with my opinions on a few things that may help in future situations:

Dating/Relationship/Marriage advice:

- If you meet at school or in a singles ward, make sure you each have a chance to see the other with family and friends (get out of the zoo, and into your natural habitat)
-How do each of you treat your parents and siblings? (you'll eventually be treating each other the same way)
-How are your family dynamics? Do they have similar traditions to your family? Are there family issues that may be a concern later with children? (abuse, addictions, divorce, health issues)
-Do either of your personalities change when you are around your high school friends? -your parents or family?
-Try to see each other in all 4 seasons of the year - a). You need enough time to tell if there are problems, and b). There are different traditions and activities that will reveal your characters.
-How do each of you handle sports? Is one more competitive than the other? Does one get angry? How is your sportsmanship?
-When dealing with tasks that can be frustrating (christmas lights, changing a tire, cleaning up a mess) how do you/they handle it? Do tempers flare?
-Are you similarly formal/casual about the same things? Dress, manners, dating etiquette?
-Do you respect each others virtue? Are you careful to plan dates and times together that insure you will stay virtuous? (real love cares about the other's worthiness)
-Does being around the other person bring out your best character and personality?

As a relationship gets more serious, make sure to discuss:
Children. You should have similar ideas about number, discipline, names, timing, etc.
Money. Make sure you have compatible spending/earning habits, know about each other's debt, talk about budgeting, future earning, and careers. (do you agree on stay at home mom issues?)

Probably the most important thing is to learn how strong each other's testimony is. Do you have the same eternal goals? Are you and they diligent with: tithing/ scriptures/ prayer/ callings/ temple attendance/ church meetings?
When problems arise, see if you are neglecting any of these things.

Service increases your love for the other person! If your relationship is lacking something - make a plan to increase your service to your partner. Try to do things that are specifically meaningful for them. (One person can improve a relationship)

Be a 100% complete person. By this I mean don't make your happiness depend on the other person. If each of you has confidence in yourself, you'll have much more to bring to the relationship. When it comes down to it, you can't control the other person, you can only control yourself, so if you're at your best, you'll attract and inspire others with the same confidence.

In future posts:
Advice about raising children