To the Moon and Back

I decided for Valentines Day we would each make a hand crafted Valentine for each other. Just to spice things up and make Valentines Day a little more personal.

No wonder Alden was wide awake this morning anxious to give me mine (It only took him 3+ hours to make it). He outshined me by a long shot.

You learn a lot of things being married. Somehow when I got married I didn't fully understand what I was getting. I was getting THE BEST. Everyday Alden is more talented, loving, sweet and kind than the last.

This guy has already taken me to the moon and back.

Happy Valentines Day Darling.

Christmas with the Shaum's

For our annual Ugly Sweater party Alden scored this lovely sweater at D.I. which actually isn't ugly at all. It has since made appearances in my wardrobe and even graced the grocery store with its hip-ness.

My handsome bearded husband. Isn't he handsome?

East the beast. (Snuggie belongs to papa Shaum)

Brother in law Danny sporting a sweater and stach alongside their trusty pup Ruger.

Papa Shaum. So many things about this picture explain my dad. From the "SUP" on his shirt to the tag on his hat. Also, he may or may not be giving a speech here. Mamma Shaum sportin her new jammies.

Garett opening his shake weight. Dreams came true that morning. Dreams. Came. True.

Notice all the cutely wrapped gifts. Chelse wins that award with all of us taking notes for next year.

Christmas!

Alden and I and a couple of Santa hats.

Kiss, kiss.

Ryley and Chelse also win the creativity award. They MADE each others presents. Talk about awesome.

Chelse gave Ryley a sketch of him and of her to hang on their wall. Isn't she talented? Check out the awesome chandelier my brother made Chelse and the other sketch here.

Going home for Christmas was a much needed break for Alden and I. We jam-packed the week with as much as we could and before we knew it the week was over. We are already planning our next trip back since we can never seem to fit it all in. Thank you family for a great week full of laughter, adventure and fun.

No Place Like Home for the Holidays

photo by Justin Hackworth

We are heading home today. The list of things we are going to do is about a mile long. The agenda includes snowboarding, hockey, hunting, going to the tramp gym, ugly sweater party, gingerbread houses, skyping with my brother on Christmas and MORE. I am mostly excited to just be with my family and enjoy small town Idaho life.

I may blog from the road, I may not. Don't hold you breath.

MERRY CHRISTMAS EVERYONE!

Beard Party Photo Booth

Take a good look because its not everyday you see this many bearded women.

Surprise Beard Party

When you have a friend with the last name Beard who has a birthday coming up its hard not to throw her a surprise beard party. So that is what we did. Happy BEARD Day Elyse!




The guests anticipating the arrival of Elyse while we sport our facial hair.


Surprise! She had no idea. Success!


Some of the party details....including our homemade photo booth!


Stay tuned... tomorrow I will be posting our photo booth pictures :)

The Man Gift Guide

Guys say girls are expensive but finding manly things under $25 was rough. In the end I did it! And I even ended up with a few extra. So here you have it, a guide for the grill master and the ninja master, the hairy and the hairless.....your man guide! (I got a lot of ideas from this neat-o website called uncrate that I think you should send on to your husbands. They would love you big time. Click here for the link!)



1// Amazon 4 Mini Grilling Planks $11.16
For the grill master. Adds a delectable smoky flavor and aroma to meats & vegetables.

2// Sur La Table Set of 4 Steak Button Thermometers $20
Option #2 for the grill master. Well done!

3// Etsy Wild Man Beard Conditioner $12.99
The only way some of us women are going to tolerate no shave November and December.

4// Photojojo Macro Cell Lens Band $15
For the techie husband. An easy on/easy off macro lens for your cell phone.

5// Infmetry Carzor $17
Credit card shaped razor and mirror. For a husband on the go. Or a husband who is waiting in line at the testing center and realizes he forgot to shave!

6// Restoration Hardware AM/FM/MP3 Sound Station $19.99
For the retro man. I love this piece. Its a win win, functional and pretty manly.

7// Eephus League Official Scorebook $15
For the avid baseball fan who loves the sport so much he wants to keep score himself.

8// Aldo Luttman Lace-ups $20.99
For your clothing conscious man. Every girl loves a man in navy.

9// Amazon Set of 3 Ninja Knifes $7
For ninja wannabees (which includes all men I believe, except for those who actually are ninjas).

Those of you in Rexburg looking for some good stocking stuffers for the men in your life there is a new candy store next to Dominos Pizza. They have bacon flavored soda, dill pickle flavored suckers, candy with bugs inside it... you know, MAN candy. Go check it out!

AND FOR THE WINNER of the Clinque Chubby Stick.....

Congratulations Melinda! Being first paid off :) Email me at ashsha32(at)gmail(dot)com with your address and choice of color for your chubby stick. Click here to see all the color options.

Thank you everyone else for participating and most importantly following my blog. Good luck with your holiday shopping!

The Creatives Gift Guide

Today's gift guide is for the creative people in your life. The people that like to make and learn new things. And as always.... under $25! I even have a freebie today!



1// Crate and Barrel Baker's Twine $8.95
When putting this together my husband asked, "What is that stuff even for?"....This stuff is everywhere and can be used for all sorts of different crafts and projects (things that husbands don't even understand). It comes in lots of fun colors too! Go to etsy and type in baker's twine and you will find lots of options and prices.

2// Block Posters FREE + cost of printing!
This site is so fun and has a lot of potential. Do you live far away from family or close friends? Get your family to pose with a Christmas message and then upload the picture their site. It takes the picture and divides it into squares for you. You can make the picture smaller like the one I did or you can make it up to 9.9 ft x 7.6 ft! Then you just print the pages out, trim the edges and put it in a mailer. How fun would it be for grandparents to get a giant poster that they have to put together?

3// Minted Journals $16
Minted is a great site to get your Christmas cards and wedding invitations done but did you know they now offer journals? They have a great variety of fun designs that can be customized for the person you are giving them to. A fun option for someone who is always taking notes or making lists (that's me! I am a notebook addict, just ask my husband).

4// Washi Masking Tape/ Happy Tape $5-$20
It goes by many names but this pretty stuff takes masking tape to a whole new level. This metallic set is my favorite. Good for someone who appreciates details.

5// Lynda.com $25/one month
A gift subscription to the lynda.com Online Training Library® provides anytime access to over 69,000 easy-to-use video tutorials from experts on Photoshop, Illustrator, Dreamweaver, Flash, web design, digital video and audio, creative inspiration, and much more. Women, this would be a great hint to drop to your husbands. I know there are many of you out there who want to learn these programs. If you don't have the software and still want to learn? Go to adobe and download their free 30 day trial.

6// Amazon 12 pack of Sharpies $7.82
Classic + Colorful. What more does a girl need to fill her stocking?

Don't forget! Today is the last day to enter my first giveaway. Winner announced tomorrow!
Also, tomorrows gift guide is for the men in your life. Stay tuned!