My Twist on a Pinterest Pin - Balloon Tutorial

I am sure, you have all seen this pin or similar ones on Pinterest.

This woman tied different pictures to the end of ballons for an anniversary.
via

I thought it was such a cute idea so I did my own twist on it for Matson's birthday last weekend (that you probably already read about in his birthday post from February 12th, here). As I have said many a times, I love decorations and I love birthdays and I love make the birthday person feel super special. So if you are like me then I thought you would love to see! And for those of you that like things laid out for you step by step (like me)...then here you go!

1. Buy your balloons. If your birthday person is 12, then buy 12 or 24 then buy 24. I bought all sorts of colors to make it fun and if you are buy lots take a big car, my little bug was not so fun to squeeze 24 balloons into, made for quite the adventure ride home. haha.

2. Choose out your printable labels. I have a few pinned here. And write/type out 24 (or whatever number your birthday person is turning) reasons you love them, like them, or funny things about them on the labels.  You can totally laugh at my funny/cute reasons I love Matson or you can steal some ideas for your own! I chose to type mine because a) I type faster than I write and b) all the cute fonts on my computer beat my sometimes messy handwriting.

3. Cut out your labels.

4. Hole punch your labels. If you printed on regular copy paper, it is better to punch them on the shorter side in the center, rather than the corner so that they do not rip when you tie them to the ballons.

My little sister loved #14's reason why I love Matson. He really does.

5. Tie the labels onto the end of the ballons. I tied my labels at the center of the ribbon so they were higher and could be seen better.

6. Place them around in one room so the whole room looks filled up! The little girl I nanny loved helping me do this, she loved choosing where each color went in the room. 

7. And your little birthday gift and decoration in one is finished!


I pulled this little surprise off and Matson loved it...he's sentimental he seriously is. He told me that he walked in the door looking down at his phone or something then ran into a string and looked up so happy to see so many balloons!

Such a great surprise and only cost me about $16 (and would obviously be cheaper for less balloons). I bought my balloons at Zurchers, where the plain colored ballons with helium are 67 cents each.

P.S. You can totally follow me on Pinterest here.

a few things i am loving

Happy Valentine's Day! (Ok..I am like days late here, trust me I know. But Matson and I were super busy on Tuesday and I don't get out of class until 9:30pm then he had a basketball game so it just was not going to happen. And now we are watching a family so our Valentine's Day is Saturday!! Seriously, we can celebrate love any day we want, right?)
Anyway...I love Valentine's and its CHEESINESS.
So I thought I would share a few things I am loving (cheesy or not).


1. Valentine's home decor around our home. And if you know me, then you know that I love to decorate for holidays, birthdays, or anything! Thanks to my mom who decorates like crazy. Only sad thing now is that it has to come down...meaning St. Patty's is going up!

I won this cute heart garland last year off a blog. Cutest garland ever! I love it!

I have one of these cheesy little lights for almost every holiday.
Find here from ShopKo.

Bought last year at Kohl's.

2. This nail color. I have had it since summer but as of late, it has been my go to nail color. It is totally a summer color, but who gives! I paint my nails and venture out to a tan or dark brown or purple, yet in between every single one of those colors I come back to this because I know it looks good and it dries super fast. Yeah, the brush kind of sucks, but I get over it when I only paid like 30 cents for it cheers for me for an actual good couponing purchase. 

Sally Hansen Mint Sorbet. via: Target

3. And these dang good fruit snacks that I got on sale last week at Smith's and bought like 6 boxes. I should not of bought them because I have had like 1 or 2 a day...oops! I guess that's why I go to the gym, so I can indulge in these babies.

4. And last but not least, Matson. Valentine's Day not only marked a day to celebrate love (which I already mentioned, we are celebrating on Saturday), but it also marks exactly 1 year and a half of us being married. I love that we were married on August 14th, because it means that every Valentine's Day is our 6 month marker. So next Valentine's day is 2.5 years, then the next 3.5 years, etc.

I know every wife thinks their hubby is the best and blah blah blah, but seriously Matson is the best, most hard working and loving man. I feel so much love for him, more than anything. I love the days when he just makes me sit/lay down with him and forget about life for just five minutes, and in those five minute breaks from homework, work, and stress I feel so blessed and I feel the same love butterflies that I felt the night we first kissed. I could go on and on about him and how lucky I am to have him...

December 11'. via: Moxie Shots

Our Wedding Day August 10'. via: Moxie Shots

Our First Dance August 14, 2010. via: Moxie Shots

Hope your love day was a great day! 

And for all you wonderful single people out there, don't hate on Valentine's day next year. Look at it as a day to celebrate all kinds of love. The love you have for your mom, your family, yourself, Dr. Pepper (we all know that's Matson's secret second love), or maybe even for a favorite pair of shoes! Celebrate all kinds of love! I am looking forward to our Saturday when we continue to celebrate the love! haha.

His Birthday Celebration

Today is Mr. Matson's 24th Birthday. When someone's birthday is on Sunday or any weekend day really, I feel like you can and should celebrate all weekend long! That's exactly what we did.

Friday

The little girl I nanny and I decorated our whole house. I love decorating for birthdays. Makes it that much more special. She helped me bring all the balloons in and match up a little tag with each of them of things I love about Matson. She also helped me wrap all his birthday gifts...let's just say she used more than a whole thing of Scotch tape. 

The gift H* helped me wrap. So cute?

Am I horrible to let her help? Whatever. It was hilarious.

She just used all my scraps I had...even Christmas wrapping paper.

Friday night after we both got home from work we went and met up with some of our good friends H* & K* at Brick Oven. Matson loves Brick Oven..and it has kind of rubbed off on me. All the time we crave a yummy salad and pasta bar! 

H* & K* were so kind and gave Matson his favorite gift ever. DR. PEPPER.
Seriously. He loves that stuff! 

Brick Oven made him stand on the booth. They said it was a tradition...
bull, never seen anyone do that there. He was embarassed.

After dinner, we went to the movie Man On A Ledge. Good movie, at least I though. Matson thought it was a little predictable. Whatever, still worth going. 

Worst Quality Picture Ever. K*, H*, and Matson at the theater.
Note to Self: Do not take pictures like 5+ feet away with my iPhone.

Matson, my brother T*, and sis in law N*.

Us at the movie.

Saturday

Matson started his day at the LDS Worldwide Leadership Training. When he came home I surprised him with a yummy brunch. We spent the day together, grabbed lunch, and walked around Riverwoods on the nice spring-like afternoon. I had other more active, fun things plans but that was his request...I have a very simple man for a husband-he just wanted to walk around in the nice weather and choose out a little something dirty at a woman's lingerie store (I am blushing).

Played with toys at Blickenstaff's.  

He probably pulled and blowed air at me with this thing like 20 times.
He was wheezing like an old man, he thought it was hilarious to shoot the air at my hair. BOYS...

We then headed up to Lehi to Buffalo Wild Wings. Matson's birthday dinner of choice with my family. The wait was forever long (like 1+ hours), the restaurant was packed, and super hot. BUT anything for the birthday boy. And the boys were all in heaven. Matson got his wings and was loving them. But I think he learned that he doesn't need to order more than 8 next time. He barely ate those 8, and we now have a dozen other wings sitting in our fridge.

So pumped to be finally seated at our table!! Even though only 2 were really looking.

After dinner time we went back to my parent's house for his favorite desserts and present times. Yummy Pizookies and ginger snaps (we both are not big cake people). He got some fun presents from my siblings, my grandparents, and my parents. We played games afterward...PIT was some dang fun. I forgot how much I love that game!

He got golf clubs so he can go play with the boys all summer long! 

Grandma's card. HILARIOUS. Called him Tanner, not Matson.
Then she thought it was his 25th, not 24th birthday. She brings us great laughs.

Matson made away with some good stuff! He is very excited.

Sunday
Earlier today he opened some gifts from me and of course he chose to take a nice long Sunday nap. Now we are at Matson's family house. I obviously have no pictures yet because we have yet to eat his favorite homemade dinner, dessert, and open his gifts. It has been a fun birthday weekend!

I would post all the 24 reasons Why I Love Him that I tied on the balloons that are decorating our house right now, but I will spare you Blog Friends. So instead just a little message to Matson:

Happy Birthday, Matson. I love you so much and am so happy to have you in my life. You make me a much better and stronger person, and I am so lucky to have you! Super happy you were born! 

2 Baptisms in 1 Week

I love Baptisms so much. I feel the Spirit so strongly and am so excited for the person being baptized and the wonderful decision they have made to become a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. So whether the person getting baptized is 8 or 22, I always feel the Spirit and it helps to remind me of the covenants I made at Baptism, to continue to be worthy and righteous to live with Him again.

H* (when she was 4 or 5), me (excuse my swimsuit), and her little brother.

The little girl above, H*, is my little cousin (really she is my cousin's daughter) who was baptized last Saturday. In the picture above she was a little, little girl and it is crazy how she is 8! It was such a special event and I cried as I felt the Spirit as her mother bore her testimony and as she received the Gift of the Holy Ghost. It made me think of how wonderful it will be to be a mother and see your children grow up and make wonderful decisions as they go through their own life.

I love this photo of H* from her fun Baptism shoot.  It symbolizes how once you are baptized you are cleansed and have a wonderful future ahead of yourself as you continue to grow and strive to be the best you can be!
 photo via Moxie Shots Photography.

Last night we attended another baptism. This baptism was of the most amazing woman I have ever met. L* is only 22 and is incredibly brave. I won't tell you all about her and her life, but she has gone through some horrible things that I hope I or my children or anyone I know has to go through. She has no family and no one to support her, yet I remember when I first met her how she said, "I know that I am not alone and that without God I would not be here or who I am today." By knowing and interacting with her, I have realized how blessed I am. If I was given the situations and things that she has gone through in her life, I do not think I would be able to of done what she has done. She has so much faith and hope. Through L*, my own testimony has grown so much. It was such a treat to attend her baptism last night and to experience it with her.

How lucky am I to be able to attend 2 baptisms in less than 1 week?

the small things matter most.

the smalls things matter most. at least to me.

like...

what direction the toilet paper is put on. which I am sure is a reoccurring battle with husbands, roommates, siblings, or whomever you live with. matters.

Came across this image this week.
I guess I am a faithful, logical, and sensible.

Or like...

just painting your nails and a good time what seems like 30 minutes of waiting for them to dry then freaking smudging one just one nail and you leave it be because you don't have another what seems like 30 minutes of waiting for it to dry. matters because the whole week I am just staring at that ruined nail.

Or like...

the moment I walk into my parents house and see this little face running straight at me. matters most.

Or like...

the little kiss your husband leaves on your forehead or cheek every morning before he goes to work. matters most. even if you are the deepest sleeper ever and don't remember it more times than you actually do remember.

I know, I am not asleep but just pretend I am in PJ's rather than a wedding dress.

so "lift up your eyes" and think about what small things matter most to you?

Our New Year's Eve.

A little late here but here is what we did on New Year's Eve.

We attended the Annual Family Olympics that Matson's family does every year. It was loads of fun and we ate lots of yummy food! Matson got to get his video games in and I got to play my card games. Leaving us both happy.

We play normal games, video games (the boys), and silly games. Like this one where we try and land our airplanes certain places!

My husband being the goober that he is totally forgot to kiss me at midnight...I know, weird especially for Mats who is usually so thoughtful (and don't think I am bagging on my hubs...really I am trying to brag about him). BUT he made up for it at 1am when we took a little drive up to see the view of Utah County and he had set back all our clocks to a little before midnight. We got to our spot where we were gonna look over the city and recounted down to midnight again. Even though we had toasted before we toasted again but this time with our plastic cups instead of goblets, shared our New Year's kiss, and had our own little firework show! So cute, thoughtful, and a special way to bring in 2012 just us two.

New Year's Toast with our Picnic Cups 

Loving my New Year's glasses I had won at a Baby Shower.

Top: The Day after New Year's we got a new furnace and thermostat (happy day, our old one was GHETTO).
Bottom: Matson even gave me this cute watch for New Year's Eve!

Overall, we had a great New Year's! Hope you all did too! Welcome 2012 and all you bring with you!

Favorite Photos.

Remember our Christmas Card (December 2011)? Here are some favorites of mine from our Christmas Card shoot done by Melissa at Moxie Photography.
She was also our wedding photographer. She takes some great pictures!

We used a better one like this on our actual card, but these ones are funny!

Posts with pictures also done by Moxie Photography here, here, and here.
Happy New Year and Happy First Day of School (for me and other BYU students)!