Just thought I would share this...

Here is a fantastic link in regards to making and keeping your New Year's goals!  

PS  I love love love this blog. And her name is Elsie.  I love that name.  :)

'Tis The Season {2011}

Happy Holidays everyone!  I am currently sitting on the couch, (ignoring all the work around the house that needs to be done) and reflecting on the awesome weekend we had!  

We did our holiday season a little differently this year... We decided to make Christmas Eve Day our "Christmas Day".. so that would make December 23 our "Christmas Eve Day".. still following me?!  haha..

With the 25th falling on a Sunday this year, we just thought that would be the best things to do, for us... So, let's get started!! :)

 Mister Max playing with all his toys.. this was Friday night..  Tyler and I packed up our truck with our overnight bags, food, gifts and our dog and went and spent the night with the Kostenuk's!  It was so much fun... Gordie and Megan joined us too and it was a fun night of food and games!

 Aunty Jessica and Max!

 Christmas Eve Day!!  Max was very taken by all the colourful wrapping paper!  We have a little tradition that we do stockings with Candace and Colin and us... we buy each person a little $10 gift and they're always fun to open!

 Matching winter hats for brother and sister!! Love it!  :) 

 My stocking haul!  Tyler and I decided not to do gifts this year for each other (besides stocking stuffers).. We're going to shop the Boxing Week and January sales instead.. :)  Plus, we got a holiday coming up at the end of January, so we're saving our pennies for that too!

I got a personalized mug (with a few lines from hymn #365 put on it!) and loose tea from my sister-in-law in Newfoundland (this was part of the Brake Family Secret Santa (that's not actually really a secret)), a clip that goes on the edge of a pot for holding a spoon (it's lime green), a mini box of French cookie recipes, a mini-manicure set for my purse, an iTunes gift card and new ear buds (yes!! much needed!!  New music selection for running!) and grey knee-high socks for under boots!  Wowzer, just by my stocking alone, I got pretty spoiled!

Tyler got a new winter hat, a chocolate orange (that you bang on the counter to split apart), underwear (from me.. I know, so lame/unoriginal/cliche), new jeans (that we still need to buy) and plus he ordered a new light bar for his truck.. he said he used up four or five Christmases worth of spending money for that!  (Good thing it goes through his company!)

 We did have our turkey dinner on Sunday, though!  Candace and Colin hosted and cooked and it was AMAZING!  They said it was their first turkey dinner they ever made, but I don't know.. it looks like a couple of veterans put this feast together, no?  :)

 YUM

 Oh yes, and might I add that the dressing was awesome!?!  It was homemade with dried cranberries and celery and it was SO GOOD.

 This was our contribution!  It didn't really turn out the way I wanted it too... It's suppose to be a Vanilla-Raspberry Charlotte, but the lack of ladyfingers around the edge are a dead give-away that it is NOT a Charlotte. No grocery stores in Red Deer had ladyfingers!  What?!  So lame.. oh well.. so I guess we'll just call it a Vanilla-Raspberry White Cake.  :)

 Seriously, so cute. :)  Just about to dig in to dessert!

The cooks!!!!!  THANKS ONE MILLION TIMES YOU GUYS!! :)

We had the best weekend ever!

How about you guys?  Did everyone have a festive-y weekend with lots of food and turkey and family time and trinkets and a whole lot of doing nothing?!  That, indeed, is the best way to spend a Christmas weekend, if you ask me.. :)

And seriously, who is pumped for 2012!?  I AM!  I have a lot of personal goals I want to accomplish and it just makes me so excited to think of a whole new fresh year ahead of us... Also, I turn 29 in 2012 (blows my mind just to write that), so on my birthday I will be compiling a 30 BEFORE I'M 30 list.. it's basically a list of 30 things you want to accomplish before you turn 30.  I have seen a few other bloggers that have done it and it looks like a fun idea, so I thought, what the heck!?  So watch for that!  

A few of my 2012 goals include learning to sew, train for a 10K run (more on that), get caught up on all my scrapbooks and be a better friend.  To everyone. :)  

What are your 2012 goals?  Do tell; I'd love to hear them!

And I just want to say a huge thank you to you guys, my readers...  I blog because I love to write and share stuff...  And it seriously baffles me that people want to read about our little life... but here you guys are, reading away, leaving lovely little comments and it inspires me to want to keep going.. So for that, thank you!  As long as you guys keep coming around, I'm going to keep blogging!

Happy Holidays, again, everyone!  Much love to you and your family!

Until next time

xo ~ Tyler and Jessica

Update!

Hi everyone!

I just wanted to update y'all and letcha know I picked and ordered my clothing item of choice from Shabby Apple!  I am so excited to get my grubby little hands on it and start styling the heck out of it... :)  I'm not going to reveal what I got.. I'm going to save that for either a vlog or blog post after it arrives.. 

But I do want to say THANK YOU for all your awesome comments in helping me decide what to get!  There were a lot of factors that went into deciding and I can't wait to show you what I picked!  

To hold you over until then, I will leave you with a little bit of Marcel the Shell.  Simply because she is amazing. And I kinda sorta love her.

Happy Tuesday! 

What's going on in your neck of the woods today?

xo ~ Jessica

DIY: {Sequin-Toe Shoes}

I'm so excited to share this with you guys.  :)  Cuz I'm a nerdy crafter like that.

But I just want to pre-face this by saying this is not my original idea.  It was just a couple of different inspirational posts/photos I saw that made me want to re-purpose an old pair of shoes I had. 

First off, this DIY master, Natasha, got the ball rolling for me in wanting to add sequins to a pair of shoes.  Isn't that DIY absolutely amazing?!  I must have read that post about a million times.  :)

Next, it was these that got the gears in motion even more!

 And then this post helped in the actual instruction of what to do to get started! 

And I'm sure there are tutorials out there on how to do this exact thing that I am about to show you... I actually did try looking for it, but to no avail.. so, here are my lame step-by-step destructions, I mean, instructions.. :)

And there you have it: the story of how these shoes were born. :)

So let's get started on my completely unoriginal idea of painting, then gluing sequins onto the toe of an old pair of shoes!  :)  

 Supplies!  From left to right:  glue gun (standard cheap-y), scissors, small can of black gloss spray paint, painters tape, roll of black sequins, a sander, 2 plastic bags and of course, my shoes! I also used Mod Podge at the end, but forgot to photograph it.. 

 First thing I did was secure the painters tape 2 centimetres from the lip of shoe.  I measured both sides so they would be even.  However, Left Foot there got a little bit of crooked tape job, so it's a little off on the one side.  Ah well.  Details, right?

 Then I sanded the toes of each shoe because they were patent/shiny, so I thought the spray paint would adhere better if I sanded them..  this was also one half of Leeann's idea too, so thanks cuz!

 Sanded toes!  And I also taped off the tiny bit of the sole that would could see at the bottom.  

 All spray painted up!

 I let them dry over night and then removed the tape on my lunch break the next day.  I wanted to get to work gluing sequins on right away!  Ha!  I almost packed my glue gun and sequins in my purse to take to work.  But I didn't, you guys.  Don't worry. :)  I kept it totally professional. :)

 Yay!!  The finished product of the spray painted toes!!  Don't look too closely or you will see some serious over-spray on the sole bit... whoops!

 I thought they looked very Chanel-esque.  :)

 Sequin time!  This was my Saturday afternoon project!  So excited to be doing the sequins part!

 Getting started!

 The right shoe is done and I Mod Podged the ends of the sequins to seal the threads.  Hopefully it works. Haha..

 So excited!!  One shoe done!  (Gotta love Saturday afternoon hair, right?!)

The finished product and massive mess!! :)  Love it!

 Couldn't even wait to try them on!! :) Whoo hoo!!

 I brought them upstairs to photograph for better natural light... 

 Not even close to perfect, but still fun to do!  I guess practise makes perfect, right?! 

 And would ya look at that!?  The shoes actually matched my outfit too!  So I couldn't help but snap a few outfit photos... :)  

 Loving it!  However, I am just waiting for the sequins to fall off and the whole thing to just be a hot mess... oh wait, that won't happen until I wear them in public, right?! That's the way it always goes!

HA!  I'm thinking of using this one for the main photo for my advertising campaign!!  I think it will bring in loads of business... hahah...

So there you have it!!  The great shoe re-purpose of 2011!  :)  It was so fun and I am pumped for my next DIY!  Now I just need to start combing Pintrest for more ideas to steal, I mean, be inspired from.. ;)

All jokes, my friends, all jokes.. :)

Hope your weekend is going just swell!!  

Until next time

xo ~ Jessica 

One Year + Loving Lately

Hey all you out there in blog-land!

First off, can I just say how much I am BLOWN away by the fact that 2011 is almost over?  I saw a sign in the drug store the other day that said "39 DAYS TILL SANTA ARRIVES!"  

I just about died on the spot.  39 days?!  For real!?  Wow.  It feels like I was ringing in 2011 yesterday.  

(Which is funny, since I actually slept through last New Years.  What can I say?  I was having a good sleep! I remember it distinctly!)

Anyway, I've been kinda thinking about this little blog of mine (ours) and it's almost been one year of me blogging with some actual consistency.  During that time, I've re-capped holidays, completed 2 30x30 remix challenges and started going through the Just Us Story (which is going to start up again soon!).. It's been so fun and I've loved connecting with people from all over through blogging.. :)  Anyway, there's nothing more I really wanted to say about that, but just how much I've loved it and I want to keep going with it!  I want to try to do better with posting more often, including more about Tyler (he doesn't really mind that he is not featured much, but it matters to me..   I feel like I have kind of taken this blog over and I want to re-direct my efforts into truly making this more about Just Us!) and post more recipes and DIY's!  What can I say -- Pintrest has inspired me! haha... 

Just as a side note, I think I am going to start posting the Years Series of the Story of Just Us on Fridays, instead of Wednesdays.  I'm not sure why I thought the middle of my work week would be a good day to post a text-heavy blog post.. hahah.. Anyway!  I will be starting those up shortly, on Fridays!  :) 

Also, I just wanted to feature some of what I have been loving lately lately and some upcoming projects!

So let's get started, shall we? 

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I stumbled upon this little gem of a blog through Pintrest (where else?! haha) and I have to say I am lurving it so much!  They share everything from cool interiors, to mouth-watering recipes and inspired colour palettes.  I just love love love it!  I'm sure you will too!!

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Guess what!?  This majorly gorgeous girl has a blog now!!  She is my most awesome cousin and I love her and I miss her and I want them to move to RD so bad! ha..  I love that she posts things she finds inspiring or funny or unique.  It gives me a little glimpse into her personality, even though I already know how awesome she is.  :)  

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This is an upcoming project!!  Ok, shoe on the right is the inspiration and pink shoes on the left are the "victim".. haha.. I'm going (somehow) wrap the toe of my pink pumps with black sequins.  I'm also thinking of doing the heel.  Wish me luck.  I'm seriously going to need it.  :)  This might be an epic fail.  

No gonna lie though, still excited to try!!

Inspiration via the lovely Dayle-Marie's pin

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Lastly, is this pretty girl!!!  I haven't been following her for very long, but already I love her!  She is real, unpretentious and I love that even a few of her outfits are captured, in what she calls her "infamous work-bathroom-mirror pictures"..  You don't get much real than that, hey?!  Ok, and turquoise pumps with a mustard skirt?!  Yes please!  :)

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What has been inspiring you guys lately?  Any cool blogs you've stumbled upon that you want to share?  Do tell!  :)  Discovering is fun!

Until Next Time!

xo ~ Jessica

New-to-me Denim Skirt!

So I've had this denim skirt for ages.  Well, since we first moved (back) to Red Deer.  So, 5-ish years?  I guess it just feels like forever because I actually don't really like it that much.  It's cute enough, the length is awkward on me, the fit is a bit bizarre and it's a bit too "stretchy denim" for me... 

So, I thought I would re-purpose it into a new-to-me skirt with a few alterations.  (Not done by me.  Me and sewing machines have bad first impressions of each other.  We're thinking of starting over again this winter.  We'll see.)  I still don't LOVE-love it, but it's a bit better.. more interesting at the least!  Read below for the deets!

 Denim skirt... unfinished hem (suppose to be like that) and rip in the back...

 Cute detailing in the stitching in the back, but there is the rip to contend with...

 Material and trim bought!  I decided to take out the centre triangle (see above), fill it with the mustard-y yellow material and trim the bottom with that cream cotton lace.

 Finished product!  Like I said, I don't love it, but it's better than before... The length is super odd and I wish I would have gotten it hemmed about 2 inches before she sewed the trim on.  It looks cute with heels, but I normally wear flat boots or shoes with my denim skirts, so by keeping it at this length (plus the trim adds a bit of length too) it totally cuts me off, mid calf.  Bah.  Boo for being short.

I styled it today with a tan cotton turtle-neck, soft brown textured tights and brown platform heels.  I've also worn black with it, which I love...  It adds a bit a drama to the feminine pattern and lace trim.  

I guess I could take it back to my seamstress and get her to take a seam-ripper to the trim, hem it a bit, then re-sew the trim back on.  What a pain though.  Especially for her.  I guess I could do the seam-ripping part..   haha.. apparently, I'm better at destruction than reconstruction! :)

Any sewers out there that do this kind of stuff on a regular basis?  I feel like I am kind of late to the re-purposing party!  Haha.. oh well, better late than never right!?  What are some projects you've done to take some blah in your closet to less blah?  Do tell!! I love clothes stories!!

(I love all stories, if I'm being really honest! ha!)

Until next time!

xo  ~ Jess

Chocolate Raspberry Croissants

Happy Sunday to you all! :)

I have been having a blast mulling over different options in my head for plain croissant rolls and how to jazz them up... These little delights were my jumping-off-point and from there I got to thinking "what else can I fill these little babies with that would be yummy and comforting all at the same time?"  

Enter this experiment:

I have always loved chocolate and raspberry together, so I added about a 1/2 teaspoon of raspberry jam and about a half a dozen chocolate chips to a Pilsbury croissant roll... :)  I baked them for 10 minutes (I have a super hot oven) at 375 and we had ourselves the most perfect Sunday afternoon snack.  The flaky rolls plus the tart raspberries and sweet chocolate chips made for a party in my mouth.  True story. 

They baked up golden and delicious.... 

 Tyler enjoyed his with a glass of milk... :)  I had black tea with cream.  So good.

Yummy and simple!  

Do you guys ever do that?!  Get experimenting in the kitchen?  I'm not super confident with fiddling around with big recipes, but this seemed simple enough to try to create without being too risky... What are some fun things you've experimented with that have turned out so tasty?  I'd love to hear your ideas!

Hope your (long) weekend has been wonderful... I feel like I have been seriously slacking on the blogging front here, but I want to get back into it and I have some new posts coming up! Also, I think I am going to be starting a fall 30x30 remix challenge on Nov. 15!  It's not for certain, but if I want to do a fall one, it has to be now or never!  Winter is coming.......ugh.

Oh yes:  quick house update... NOT SOLD.  haha.  That pretty much sums it up.  We've had a ton of showings, but no offers.  Some pretty serious interest from a few couples, but nothing that has ever amounted to anything.  Oh well.  This is the joys of selling a house!  It's been kind of a frustrating week with some no-shows, mixed up appointment times and even one realtor who was 3 hours late with his client!!  He did a quick walk through with me (and Bronze) there, but it was weird and awkward.  I really was wishing Tyler was there!  (He was at the gym).  Anyway, we just roll with the punches.  That's all you can do.  Maybe next week I'll have something more interesting to tell you... like that it sold or something! ha!

Well, I will let this be all for now...

Until next time...

xo ~ Jess

Thanksgiving

So, it's not too late to put up my Thanksgiving post on Oct. 29, right?!  :)  

Ugh, sorry about the delay.. it just seems to be one thing after another, but that's just life right? And I kinda do love it, so no complaining about busyness from me!

We had a wonderful Thanksgiving!  Mom and Dad were away to Nova Scotia, so big sister had to step up and host this year!  Yikes!  Unfortunately, Gabe was working, but Bryon and Alicia and Ryler were around and Candace, Colin and Max joined us too!  I wasn't brave enough to cook a turkey (I know, I know, everyone tells me there is nothing to it...), so we did a chicken casserole with sweet potatoes, stuffing, salad and pumpkin pie AND cheesecake for dessert (Thanks, Candace!)  It was so good and no one could move afterwards.  That's the mark of a good Thanksgiving dinner, right? :)

 This was the giant mess I made while doing my fall craft... it was first time working with vinyl lettering on our cricut.. I absolutely adore using vinyl lettering and I can't wait to do more projects with it!  This is the next one I have in mind...  How cute is that, hey? :)

Via Pintrest

 And just because I am nerd like that, I wanted to get some family pictures by my fall craft! :)  This little guy is beyond adorable, hey?  I freakin' love him.

 Cute family!  (Too bad Max's eyes are closed!  Boo!)

 Bryon, Alicia and Mr Ryler!!  

 Daddy & son!

 Cute family #2!!

 Just Us! :)

 Thanksgiving kisses!

 My nephew's are the freakin' cutest.  Ever.  Playing with Aunty's pumpkin decorations!

And pretty darn proud of himself, too!

It was an awesome family day and maybe next year there will a turkey to talk about! haha..

Did you all have a good Thanksgiving?  

xo  ~ Jessica