Butterfly Wings

I remember when I first started blogging.
I felt so much pressure to make it perfect...then to not make it perfect and just be myself...then stopped for awhile...then got crazy about it again. Then stopped thinking and just wrote. And that's where I'm at now.

Bottom line, sometimes people just need somewhere to write random thoughts and random feelings. Like those little butterflies that always fly above you and they need a place to rest. But your bedroom floor won't do it for them. So here I am. Writing butterfly wings to you.

You being, who knows? You never know WHO exactly reads what you write, not even talking about blogs. Whose actually gonna read my journals when I'm gone? Will there be some random girl millions of years from now who finds it tucked away in some random thrift store? Or some falling apart house that her and her little family moved into to fix up? I dunno. But it's still nice to have a blank page to write to. I really don't have a big feelings about knowing who, what, or how many people read this. If ya do, rad. :) I'm glad. Truly. It's fun to read another's thoughts and happenings in their life. If not, rad, too. You're probably sitting on a beach or wiping a muddy kids face or something. And I'm happy about that. Really.

Writing is like this thread....they're everywhere. So many people have blogs they write to or journals they scribble on or books they write. And to discover them? It's pretty great. Some lay there, beautiful, but maybe not looked at as much, and it's still beautiful and has purpose. Others, seen so much that maybe the thread is getting a little thin. Or it's getting brighter from the acknowledgement. Up to you, really.

I'm glad I got you, Little Besty, to write to.

Today, I am oh so thankful for hands. Really, I like being crafty and cleaning things, even though I may not even be good at it. I started working at Holdman Glass today where my daddy and little bro and Spenc work at, and it was so satisfying to sit and clean that window that's going in the Boise Temple. :) Believe me, it's maticulous work. Some pieces are so small, you can only get to it with the end of a wooden skewer. But I love it.

I've also been making stuff for the wedding :), and that's been so great, too.

I think I may have posted this picture before...but anyway. I made my own version of this yesterday for the top of our cake, and it turned out SO CUTE. And it may or may not have a M...and an R... and M..R...S..some how hanging about it.  It's one of those things where you think it's going to epically fail when you start out, but then....hey....that actually looks pretty good! I would post a picture, but world! I'm not gonna spoil ALL my wedding surprises and details to you before! You'll just have to come and see. :) It's gonna be so much fun.

This wedding planning has been so lovely and wonderful. I've definitely had moments of wanting to stab my eyes out {right, Honey? ;)}, but overall, I'm pretty pleased with my general feeling of planning.

Also, I just finished the 1st season of this:

And I couldn't be more pleased. I SURE AS EVER HOPE they continue with it!!!!!!! AH. I would CRY if they didn't! Yes, I'm a nerd and have seen every single episode of every season {some multiple times} of Avatar: The Last Airbender. So when I heard they had a new series, taking place years later with descendants of previous characters and new characters and awesome characters AHHH! I wet my pants. I know, gross, but really. And I was NOT disappointed! I love it so much! So yes. (cough*). See it NOW before they take all the episodes off nick.com!

I also finished reading Jane Eyre, and I cannot utter [type, really] another word about it for now is not the time. There is too much behind those thoughts wrapped around that book and we must wait for the right time to disclose that information. Enough said.

Anyway. Thanks, Besty. Nice chatting with you.

LOVE ALWAYS.
AB future J

HURRICANE, UT

I have THE greatest family ever. Extended, immediate.....all of it.
This past weekend I went down to Hurricane, UT because my cousin Brad came home from his mission. :) Can I be honest? The second I saw him it was like, "Ah.....BRAD. You never left".

All of us are growing up lately in this few years past. A lot of us have gone through some big transitions. The Olders {Haha, nice name, right?} are having kiddlets and getting houses and all that jazz, and others are returning from missions, living on their own in Salt Lake, traveling after high school in the dance world, going through growth spirts, developing amazing natural talents with their hands, going to college, graduating college, getting a license, being a "Miss" of a city, dating, getting married and so on and so on. We're sort of all in a different phase now.

But you know what? The Youngins {now age 13-23} all sat around together on the tramp, and we all said, "Man. We are AWESOME. Look at us! Just a big ole happy family. Now we're all in the next phase, older, wiser, doesn't matter if your cousin is a boy with cooties or not, we all LOVE each other the same now. No more little groupies and such. We're just all one. And every single one of us is completely different and crazy special in their own way".

Yeah. :)

I'm being so honest and not being biased at all. EVERYONE in my family is like no one I have ever met. And they all ROCK. They're the best people, the ones you look up to, the ones you want to be.

I love going to Hurricane with the whole Mommy side of the family because I'm reminded that I come from something incredible. I have Aunts who are fighters. I have a Grandma and Grandpa who NEVER EVER give up and thank Heavenly Father everyday that they are blessed with so much, even though, in the world's view, they may have nothing. I have Uncles who make me laugh  and work so hard to bless others. A Grandpa who has turned around completely.

Then I have a family right here who are fighters, too. Who are braver then I'll ever be. Dealing with struggle in the greatest way. Working so hard so that we can be happy. Doing the weirdest things-and making us laugh. A brother who is living his dream. Another who is my Best Friend whether he's 16, 25, or 50. A sister who is intelligent and smart and knows how to talk to people to make them feel she cares. A mother....well you all know you can't explain mothers. But a mommy who LOVES, even after the clock and sacrifices her life for ours. A Daddy who reminds us to laugh and smile and love and move forward. A sister-in-law who never gives up on the dream of a baby someday, whether through her or another family. A brother-in-law who doesn't see his family unless a plane ride is involved. A long one. And he keeps going.

I admire my family.

And I am blessed. I can't believe he placed me with such phenomenal people. I am so lucky.

My devotion to Hurricane, UT- and my own backyard. What about your family?

LOVE ALWAYS. A LOT.
AB future J

ABC's

So when I was in Jr. High, I did these questions like every day of my life on email. People would send them to me and ask for a reply back. {Haha...remember when email and windows messenger were the only way to communicate with people outside of school, besides phone calls? Ya, phone CALLS, not text? Wow.  Anyway. Here's to it. 

A. Age: 20. {Gasp}

B. Bed size: Well, I never actually sleep in my bed so..ya. I'm weird. Varies from the couch to my bro's bed when he doesn't sleep there. I have problems, I know.
C. Chore you hate: Hmmm...probably dusting. But all chores turn into meditation time for me so, not too bad.
D. Dogs: LOVE LOVE LOVE doggies. {CHAD, you should read this. :)}. Just a little story about this one. So, I've discovered having certain expectations for marriage and what not isn't always the best thing. You want expectations to an extent so you don't marry a serial killer who poked needles into baby dolls for fun, but nothing too crazy because let's be honest. No man is ever gonna be everything. We are humans, ya know. So, I always expected to be getting a puppy when I got married. Not right off, necessarily, but eventually because after Buster died  in my family, my dad said the only time I'll ever get a dog again is if I'm married and out of the house. Well? Marriage means that, so I was stoked to be getting that! When I expressed this dream to Chad, who I thought would totally be on board, he FREAKED. Not in a little girl tantrum way, but basically made it clear that he would NEVER EVER have a dog. Period. What?! Imagine the saddest, tear-filled expression on a little girl and that was me. Oh boy. So, we're just gonna keep going and see what happens with our future and little kids {because they'll all want a dog-trust me} and take it a day at a time. Hahahaha...don't worry future puppy, I will win! ;)

E. Essential start to your day: Splashing my face with water

F. Favorite color: To wear? Purple...light pink...cream. Just in general? Green, Orange, and Pink.
G. Gold or Silver: Weird how times change, because I have this thing for gold these days. But I love both. 
H. Height: 4' 11 3/4". Reason for the 3/4? I'm not 5 foot, and I'm not 4' 11", so that's what I am. :)
I. Instruments you play: Piano since I was about 9, and then voice forever. :)
J. Job title: Sister, Daughter, Fiance {Those are BIG jobs}, and then Brown Brothers Catering Supervisor.
K. Kids: In the future? HECK YES! 
L. Live: "Utah, getting bigger and better!" 
M. Mom’s name: Would YOU like to know. ;) Lisa. 
N. Nicknames:  Ally-Boo, Besty, AllyBest {all together}, Mo, and then all the gooey gushy love names that fiance's give you. ;)
O. Overnight hospital stays: Not ever never. 
P. Pet peeve: Disrespect. Oooooo it makes my blood boil! Like when people won't listen and chat while people are speaking. Kill them. Then my stupid freezer at home. When it's not closed all the way, even a fraction of air, it makes this car door open sound every 30 seconds, and it seems the freezer is NEVER closed all the way. No fault of a human in the household, just a freezer who hates me. 
Q. Quote from a movie:  HA! Beautiful. This is from Madagascar 3. Highly recommend it if you want a good laugh. "Chimichanga! These pillows are full of dead baby birds!"-Skipper and " 'You better. That was Private's community college fund.'-Skipper 'I'm never going to be President now!'-Private".  Hahaha! I laughed for years.
R. Right or left handed: Righty
S. Siblings:  Ya? They're radical, and?
T. Time you wake up:  It varies in the summer. But lately it's been 8:30. Weird, because I usually sleep forever. 
U. Underwear: When I was little? Well ones with little flowers and princesses always seems to make me happy. :)
V. Vegetables you dislike: TOMATOES. Only if they're little and in stuff, but other than that, never. 
W. What makes you run late:  Hahaha, I'm gonna get killed for saying this, but it's true. My Family. 
X. X-Rays you’ve had:  My teeth ;), and my torso/ribs/chest for tendinitis-checking in case I had a tumor.
Y. Yummy food you make:  Rice pilaf {thanks mom!}, Ice cream cake, rice with a chicken sauce on top, and pizza rolls. :)
Z. Zoo–favorite animal:  Oh I can never decide. I say "Ah! Cuuuuute!" like 50 million times when I go. But, usually the penguins and elephants get me. 

There ya go! This is sorta fun every now and then. :) Reminds you what you love and things about yourself! Happy Monday, one and all!


LOVE. LOVE  A LOT.
AB future J

Adventure of the desk {11 months late} ;)

If anyone knows Ally Best, they know that she's a bit of a slacker at times. Let's be real. If you don't believe me, get ready to see a post that should have been up 11 months ago. 

Yeah, go figure. 

Anywho...

I thought I'd share with you one of the things

I marked off my "Become A Domestic Woman" List!

This was my project this summer.

I knew I would need a desk of my own in my new apartment, 

so I decided to refurnish my own rather than buy

some other boring brown thing. ;)

This is my first ever tutorial:

How to make THIS type of furniture

with your key element: MODPODGE.

I first thought of this idea about 3 years ago.

My young women's leader was about to have a baby, 

and she re-did the drawers of an old dresser for the nursery

 by doing exactly what I did to my desk.

Here's what you'll need:

-a piece of furniture to redo

{I got my desk at D.I. for $25}

-1 quart of latex acryillic paint of your choice

{I used antique white}

-paper you want to be on your drawers

-mod podge

-paint brushes

-measuring tape

-sander

-wax paper

-popsicle stick or something to smooth your surface

-ink pad for the brown around the edge

{found at any craft store}

........

Step 1: Sand that baby

If you want a work out for your upper arms while accomplishing something, 

sand a desk.

Oh my.

When I got the desk...

let's just say it had a terrible paint job.

There was dripping-it didn't have an even surface...

just bad. 

I sanded it down until it was smooth

and all the bumps were gone.

This did mean some parts were completely free of paint, 

but that's perfectly fine

because you're just going to be re-painting it again anyway. :)

This is what it looked like after the sanding.

I let the desk sit for a few days

{mainly from my weakness to leave my projects and come back to them}

and got started on the paper to go on the drawers.

In order to make to arrange the paper on the drawers,
I measured the area I wanted to put paper on.
I wanted to leave a white border around the paper.

I went in about half and inch on all sides.

I took those measurements and created card-stock

rectangles and squares that matched the same area.

With that, I started gluing on paper. 

This was the paper I had selected.

The picture looks like the paper is smooth,
but it really wasn't.
Then I got to the MODPODGE.
With this section, I worked fast.
It's not detrimintal if you mess up in the rush
because it's modpodge and very fixable.
Just add another layer.
There were certain sections I added more paper on
at the very end because I didn't like how I arranged it.

So.
With your card-stock, filled with bits of paper squares,
use a sponge brush and brush it on.

The paper did get bubbly....

So I smoothed it out with the side of a popscicle stick.

It wasn't exactly perfect, but got rid of the majority of the bubbles.

I then let the paper dry for a bit,
then placed it in between 2 sheets of wax paper.

You want to make sure the paper is dry enough not to be
too sticky, or else it will stick to the wax paper
and rip part of your pretty paper.

Believe me.

Then I placed a nice tower of books on top. :)

Yes, lovely, I know.
I did this to flatten and smooth out the paper.
I would check it every now and then,
but it took about an hour or more to get the
flatness I wanted.

It came out looking like this!

Very nice. :)
The paper should be pretty stiff.

I then brushed/wiped the edges with my
brown ink pad.

Since I can't do one section of a project at once,
{Yeah, yeah, I know}
I painted the dresser and handles in the mean time
while stuff was drying and being pounded by a pile of books.

The handles look like this after sanding...

and that wasn't going to do.
So I unscrewed them from the drawer,
repainted them in the paint I used for the dresser,
and finished the edge with a brown ink pad.
I'll show this in the finished product.

I painted about 3-4 coats on all the drawers
and the rest of the desk.

{Some moments,
it was grueling but I loved it.}

Next,
I took my newly flattened pieces of paper
composed of ripped paper,
and glued them onto the drawers
by putting modpodge on the back of them.
It stuck pretty well.

Then I modpodged the whole drawer
with the paper on it to seal the deal.

After that, I got my handy dandy ink pad,
then brushed/wiped it on the edges of the drawers

and edges of the desk.

And folks,
the finished project.

I simply adore it.
I knew I would only use it for a year at school
{because Chad was coming home, and let's be honest,
I knew marriage was pretty much happening this summer ;)},
but I considered I could have it in my room during the summer,
then use it in my little girl's room in the future.

So?
Definitely worth it.

I've discovered I'm not THE BEST at tutorials,
so if there arises any questions from any reader
or simply the universe because you never actually know
who ACTUALLY reads your blog,
just send me a message or leave a comment and I would
love to explain anything in more detail!

Biggest advice?
BE PATIENT.
I had to redo and redo certain parts of the desk to get
what I wanted, and I was really frustrated at times.
But it was worth it.
Plus I love redoing furniture so.....

:)
Enjoy.
Here's to many redoing of furnituring in the futuring!

LOVE. LOVE A LOT.
AB future J

Some Wedding Plans

Lookie what I found?! 

Pinterest? You have served me well. I found this way sweet website where you choose the initial in the middle, and the colors for the wreath and initial, and ta da! A downloadable print so you can have it for yourself!

I'm way excited. Beyond. Yep, havin' a woman moment here. I'm gonna print it up and hang it on the wall of our home in the future. Maybe even have one for each kiddie. :) I'm in love. 

In other news, let's be real. Other news is always wedding and, of course, babies because my sister Leafy is only 3 weeks away from havin' her Baby Robertson! And, due to complications of that little guy not turning, it could be anytime. I'm so ecstatic to be an aunt! 

*cough*, anyway. 

So looks like another post about wedding. Which isn't bad at all. :) I love it!

So here's sort of my color palette. Not a great showing, but it was a picture with the general idea, so you get the drift. And my pinterest board gives the general notion as well.  I'll have you know that I choose my colors when I was...what...12? Yeah, I know. I'm WAY cool.

I LOVE flowers. And, what a perfect, glorious, very-grateful privelage I have because my Aunt Lora and cousin Chelsea are phenomenal, out of this world florists. They did my sister's wedding, and let's be real-they're done a million weddings, so they know their stuff.

We'll see how it ends up. :) Happy wedding!

Love Always,
AB future J

The Splurge

Sometimes I feel like, in order to blog, I have to have something profound to say. Or everything has to be in order before I post. Ha, well, there's my perfectionist, hard on my self side creeping in! Shall we approach this blog with a cool breeze and no expectations? Yes? Yes.

So! I'm getting married! As you know. :) How about I show ya some of my plans, eh?

My dearest and most beautiful, talented cousin ever, Makenzie Crump is going to make this for me. :) I mean, hollah! I'm sorta freakin' out beyond belief that I ACTUALLY get to have this at my wedding! She's gonna add some of her own spice to it, which rocks. I'm so excited! It's gonna hang in our home forever!

I'm finding so many cute sayings and pictures online these days that I decided I would love to print them and frame for my reception. Cute? Lovely? Yes. My future goal is to make a stitching to hang on the wall of the last one {aka, really in love stabbing}. Chad thought it was super great when I showed him.

So I was gonna post some pictures of what ideas I have for my hair and other parts of my bride outfit, but let's be real. We can't have Chad Edward sneaking on here and possibly seeing ANYTHING whatsoever about what his bride to be will look like on the special day! That's just silly! It's going to be COMPLETE surprise and I'm gonna knock his socks off. ;) {Yes ladies, that's pretty confident, but let's be real. It's hard for all girls to say they look great, so I'm punching a wall today and saying I'm gonna be HOT. :)}

Here's a photo from when Chad Edward and I were wee babies! Our first date!

Yeah. Complete babes, wouldn't you say? My brace face, lovin' it. Haha! These photos are so fun to have though. :) For real. Our kids will laugh their heads off. 

So I've never been one for the whole 3 layer cake thing that no one eats, so my sister did this brilliant thing. When I saw it, I swore to my soul that I would do it. Plus it's SUPER cute!

Cupcake, anyone? I won't have candy at mine, but the cupcake tower will reign! You don't spend a million dollars on a cake that just looks pretty but doesn't taste so hot, and its different. :) We'll probably put the cupcakes in polka-dot cups. :) And I'm hoping to make this for my cake topper with some flowers. 

The little flags may have letters on them, maybe not. :) We'll see!

We're also having another cake on the side, our groom's cake. Main purpose being, we need something to cut into for the cutting of the cake, plus my to be brother-in-law is an awesome chef, so why not have him make a cake? :) I want to put these on top of it. 

Gah. Love. These ones I saw on line had the girl one with a piece of lace and the boy had a little boy tie. So great.

So there's somethings, just to name a few! My desktop on my computer is bulging with files and pictures upon pictures of wedding things. Pictures of examples for the florists, decoration ideas, photos for the slideshow, a TO-DO list that's the size of Texas, you name it-I got it. Thank heavens I have pinterest for a lot of photo saving purposes. :)

Totally off topic of wedding, but I'm currently reading, "Jane Eyre". I started it forever ago, but stopped for awhile due to busy school schedule and what not. I delved back in during my trip to Hurricane this weekend, and I just can't put it down! That's what I do. Go crazy and leave society for hours and become characters and change my emotions for the day based on what's happening in the story for the present moment. Ya, it's sorta bad at times. Ask my mother.

But I adore it. I go insane over those types of stories and books. The language drenches me and I just float away in passion. It's the greatest. If you're a book lover, you understand me. If Jane Eyre is your type of book? Read it. Love it. I have this habit where I watch lots of versions of the movie of the book I'm reading {yeah, weird I know} and I like to compare and contrast and pick out parts I like of each. It treats my soul to see different interpretations of my world inside the pages of the book. Nerdy, but real.

Anyway, there's my splurge for today. I just exploded, but I feel lots better now that I've written and cleared my head. :) Love the world! It's a beautiful thing!

LOVE ALWAYS.
AB future J

Great

I'm gettin' SO stoked for marriage!

For reals. 

And planning this wedding-all the decorations and what not, are really making me freak out! And in a very good way! My mommy and I just love doing stuff like this, so it's right up our alley. Of course, every moment of planning isn't bliss, but hey. It's been good at the same time. Plus, I'm getting the GREATEST wedding present ever. A new baby nephew only a month before! Can you just see him now in his little outfit? Ah. Die.

So, not every day is absolute heaven with your sweetheart. We all know that. I just gotta say though, the last 2 days? *muah!* as I kiss my fingers and toss them to the wind. Chad Edward really is a funny guy. Haha! He makes me smile all sorts. It's days like the past few that manifest WHY we're put together and how our puzzle pieces fit together perfectly. You'll understand what I mean when you get there, or if you're already there. :)

I saw this, and immediately thought of my truly:

How could this above picture get more perfect?! It can't. It's the truest of true things, though! And just to clear up the air, let's make sure we all know it's tiny ninjas attacking is a beautiful, POSITIVE way more than anything. ;)

Love is great. Feeling for someone is great. Holding someone after a long day is great. Giving encouragement to each other on the curb at midnight is great. Feeling their lips brush against your cheek is great. Laughing at his immaturity and basking in his maturity is great. Sitting as close as possible without sitting on each other during church is great. And giggling together is great.

It's pretty cool that I can have all that ^ great stuff for eternity. Ya? Ya.

Kids? You're gonna love love. Seriously. Fight for it.

LOVE ALWAYS.
AB future J