A little Q&A with Natalie

Thank you so much for those of you who "follow" my blog. As of today, there are 41 of you! Once we reach 50, I will be hosting a giveaway... that's right, I said giveaway! So, if you read my blog and haven't clicked the "follow" button {over there, <---- on the left side of my blog}, please follow me.

Last night, as I was lying in bed, unable to sleep {again!}, I was thinking about some of the things I have coming up.... sewing, mod podge, painting, etc. I realized that I've been doing a lot of tutorials and most of you out there probably have no idea who I am. So, today I want to do a little Q&A so you guys can get to know me.

Where are you from?

I was raised in a teeny farming town in Northern Utah, near Ogden. Now we live in, let's face it, the ghetto of Ogden. {gasp!} Our little dead-end is really nice, but the surrounding area? Not so much. I love it here, though.

This morning we woke up to a skiff of snow, just enough to make everything look white and beautiful, but not enough to make the roads bad. One thing I love about living in Utah is that we experience the extremes in weather. The other day we were in negative degrees and it was bitter cold. Then in the Summer, we get scorching hot, dry days where all you want to do is lounge around in the pool. And of course, between the bitter cold and the scorching hot are those perfect days. Snowy, sunny days spent skiing; warm, summer nights watching fireworks; beautiful, spring mornings; and crisp fall afternoons. No matter what time of year it is, it is beautiful here. Unless you consider the inversion, breathing really junky air is NOT beautiful.

What do you do all day?

Not much!

Really, sometimes it can get pretty dull around here.

I am lucky to stay at home with my 2 kids: Benson, 3 years old and Molly, 1 year old. My days are usually full of picking up, folding, scrubbing, teaching, laughing, crying, kissing, fixing, playing, and taking deep breaths. I always dreamed of being a mother and now that I am, I know it's not always dreamy. But, I love it. My family means everything to me and I love being able to be with my children all day. Benson just started going to a neighborhood pre-preschool, which means I am now a preschool teacher every couple of weeks.

I am also a photographer on the side. Sort of.

What is your house like?

Besides a mess? HA!

Right now we live in an "investment" property {That's a nice way to say "rental"} We bought our duplex 2 1/2 years ago and live in one side while we rent the other side. Although we own it, it's still something we'd like to sell or rent one day. So, much to my dismay, we aren't going to try anything crazy here.
I'd love to paint my bedroom grey, with gloss white wainscoting, gloss white trim, and white bedding. Doesn't it sound calm and beautiful? But, it's not in the budget, or in the rental plan. We were able to redo our kitchen, which I love, and paint the walls {very neutral}, so I enjoy it here. But, we do have blue carpet and sparkly ceilings. One day I'll have a house that looks just the way I like it, and on that day, I won't get a rent check every month.... so this will do for now.

What is your family like?

I grew up the 5th of 7 children. Yes, we are Mormon. My oldest sister lives in Connecticut, and one of my brothers lives in Washington. Other than those two, all of my brothers and sisters live within an hour of us. We are all very close, and I can truly say that we are best friends. Who would have thought 15 years ago, when some of them were chasing some of us with knives, that we'd grow up to actually like each other!

Benson is 3 years old and full of {you know what}! He and I don't get along sometimes because we are both a little stubborn. He can be such a sweetheart, though, and he gives the BEST hugs! He is so smart and had to teach me how to use my iPhone when I got it! Right now he loves Monster Trucks {I don't know why!} and is SUPER excited to get to see the Monster Trucks World Finals in Vegas in March. He has a wild imagination and can usually be found stalking {pretend} deer in the house with his play rifle.

Molly turned one in December, and she is the sweetest thing in the world! She's a Momma's girl, that's for sure, and I love it! She has got RED hair, which was a surprise to me, but she's not a firecracker at all. She is ALWAYS happy, and no matter how tired or hungry she is, she's always got a smile on her face.

The Mr. is perfect. Of course. He is so calm and easy-going. He will do whatever I ask him to do and is always willing to help me. He does not like to argue, and even when I try to get him to fight with me, he won't. Sometimes I get crazy ideas and he almost always goes for it! He truly is my best friend and I am very lucky that he hasn't given up on me yet. He works as a computer technician and loves sports, so in between basketball and soccer games, he's always got something geeky mixed in.

How did you meet your husband?

I met him in High School. He quickly became my best friend. We dated each others' friends and we'd call each other for dating advice. He served an LDS mission in Washington, D.C. and while he was gone {for 2 years} we fell in love. We wrote letters and emails and realized that we really liked each other. When he got home from his mission, 5 years ago {tomorrow}, we started dating, got engaged, and eventually got married on June 30, 2006. He's pretty cool.

What is your favorite thing to create?

I love to sew. The more I sew, the more I love it. My mom is an expert seamstress and I've always wanted to be like her. It takes patience, though, and I don't have much of that! I'm learning to measure, pin, and iron... which is hard for me, but it makes sewing much better!

I also love Mod Podge. I don't know why, but I'm secretly in love with it. I told The Mr. that he could just get me a gallon of Mod Podge for my birthday and I would be happy.

If you got this far, you are AWESOME!!! That's a lot to read about little old ME, but thanks for reading!

Anything else you want to know about me? Leave me a comment!