Ups and Downs

First the Downs. So sorry for the lack of posting lately. Things around here have been crazy. We were suppose to move into our house last week, but that didn't happen. We are ready to close on our new home, but unfortunately the family buying our house has had a few hiccups in the process, so they aren't ready to close yet. Since we need the equity from this house to purchase the other one, we are in a holding pattern. I am going to be honest, this has been a very stressful and emotionally taxing experience. It is really not anyone's fault. Home mortgage lending has become so stringent and over regulated. The red tape that someone has to go through is knee deep. I understand that banks are just trying yo make sure that they lend money to people who can and will pay it back, but I don't understand how the housing market is suppose to recover if the average American can't get a loan. Luckily for us, we were easily approved for our new home, and our buyers have been approved to buy our home. We are just waiting on one piece of paper that they need to get the green light from their lender to close. The worst part is that this little piece of paper has to come from the IRS. It is completely out of our control. We sit and we wait for that piece of paper to show up. I have shed many tears over the whole situation and I am not really a "crier." Our house is completely packed up, so we are living amongst boxes. It is a bit depressing. I am trying to keep my spirits up and remember how lucky I am that our home sold quickly and that we will eventually get this house closed. The biggest stress is that the Sellers of our new home are understandably very irritated that we can't close yet because we have to wait for our house to close. We are worried that if this drags on much longer, they will pull the house from us. Last Friday, we did receive an update from our Buyer that indicates that the little piece of paper will be available this week. We could use your prayers. They would be so greatly appreciated. Like I said, things have been crazy. I have felt crazy. Still, I am thankful to my Father in Heaven for my many blessings. When I have a moment of clarity, I remember that this is a very small trial compared to many others one may experience in life. It's just that when your in the midst of it all, the burden can feel awfully heavy. So I will continue to sit and wait and pray.

Thanks for letting me share my life with you. The good and the not so good. As I have said before, your support means more to me than you will ever know.

Now for the Ups...one really big UP! My sweet baby girl is 6 today! We will be celebrating by taking her and a couple of her friends out to lunch today before afternoon Kindergarten. Tonight, we will celebrate by heading to her favorite dinner spot and then come home for cake, ice cream and presents. Next Sunday, we will have a party with our extended family at my In-laws home.

In honor of her birthday here are 6 fun facts about my little sweetie...

Photo by Skye Johanssen for Matilda Jane

1. She is obsessed with American Girl Dolls. She has 4 of them and asked for another one for her Birthday!

2. She loves to sing. She sings all day long and frequently makes up her own songs. She writes the lyrics down and then creates a tune for the words. Some of her little songs are really good!

3. She adores her big sister and little brother. She wants to do everything her sister does and she takes great care of her brother.

Photo by Paige Davis Photography

4. She really enjoys school and has become a fantastic reader.

5. She thinks that every Disney Movie has "scary" parts. So scary in fact, that she runs into the other room until it is "over". 

6. She eats more fruit then any little person I have ever seen. She loves every kind of fruit and would eat it for all three meals if I would let her. She would gladly pass up candy for a piece of fruit!

and one to grow on...7. She is an absolute joy to her family. We are so blessed to have her sweet spirit, and at times, strong personality, in our home. 

Happy Birthday Miss J! I am so thankful that I get to be your Mother!

Trad Home Spring 2012 - Some Favorites

I love going out to my mailbox and finding one of my favorite shelter magazines waiting for me. This week I was lucky enough to receive the May 2012 issues of both Traditional Home and House Beautiful. While all of the packing that needs to be done has kept me from pouring over the pages of these magazines, I did take a quick time out to check out the Spring 2012 issue of Trad Home, which was released on Friday. For those of you unfamiliar with Trad Home, it is the online publication from the people behind Traditional Home magazine, and it is just as fabulous. There was so much inspiration and eye candy to be found in the Spring issue. There were so many spaces that I loved, and I wanted to share a few of my favorites with you.

all images via Trad Home

Trad Home's Spring 2012 issue featured the work of its' 10 New Designers, coined the New Traditionalists. I found some "new to me" designers, whose work I am incredibly inspired by. This issue is a must read! If you have some time, hop over to Trad Home to take a look. You will not be disappointed!

AVEN Clothing

I haven't talked much about fashion on this blog, but today that is exactly what I am going to do. Not just any old fashion, but uber cool, super hip and unique clothing for...wait for it...BOYS! All of you moms with boys, who have been longing to dress up your little guy(s) in something unique and fashion forward, wait no longer! AVEN is the clothing line for you!

My incredibly talented friend, Angie Monson, is the founder of AVEN. Not only is she a fashion maven, she also happens to be the nationally recognized photographer behind Simplicity Photography. Angie, along with Designer, Mitch Harris, dreamed up AVEN over a year ago after many of Angie's photography clients expressed a desire for fashion forward clothing for their little boys. After immeasurable amounts of time spent and work done, they have been able to see their dreams come to fruition as avenclothing.com launched this past Monday. Like I said, you have got to hop over to AVEN and check out the fabulous Boys' clothing they offer. To give you a little idea of what to expect, check out this video, filmed by the equally talented Sara Boulter. And while you are watching keep an eye out for my little guy, who had the opportunity to model some of AVEN's pieces. He should be easy to spot! Let's just say "One of these things is not like the others!"


It doesn't get much more adorable than that!

The Current State of Things

We've got 10 days until our move, and this will give you a good idea of the current state of things at the Montgomery home...

While I'm not going to pretend that things are always picture perfect around here, this is way beyond the realm of normal. We are past the point of picking up toys and making beds, especially since the hubs and I are sleeping on mattresses on the floor (yes, we sold our bedroom furniture). We have resigned ourselves to living in chaos for the next 10 days. Moving is a big job, and like my friend Jenny said, "Selling a house and moving is not for wimps!" Eventually, this chaos will become organized...I hope. And then we will be in chaos again for awhile as we try to settle into our new place. Please forgive me if blog posting is erratic over the next couple of weeks. I am going to try to do my best to stay on top of it, but I know I can't do it all! I am excited to share pictures of our new home in the coming weeks! Thanks for bearing with me. I truly appreciate each of you, more than you could ever imagine. Without even knowing most of you, you bring such sunshine into my life each day!

Our Weekend

Hello everyone! I hope you all had a wonderful Easter weekend. Our weekend was filled with family, friends and food as we celebrated the Baptism of our oldest daughter, Mia. It was a beautiful, joyous day. One that we will surely remember and cherish for years to come. Here are some picture from her big day.

I ordered the design for the party supplies from this Etsy seller. She did an amazing job and was terrific to work with. With our family moving in 2 weeks, I knew that I wouldn't have time to design all of the different pieces myself. I loved the idea of using Mia's silhouette in the party decorations. It all came together really well, and by all accounts we had one happy little girl on our hands!

Party Prep

Tomorrow afternoon my daughter will be baptized and officially become a member of our church. My parents arrived in town last night, and with the help of my Mom, we are preparing for her big day by decorating and cooking up a storm. After the Baptism, we are going to have about 30 people over for a little party in her honor. We will also be doing an Easter Egg hunt with all of the kids. I will share pictures of the event on Monday, but for now, here is a cute cupcake liner pom pom tutorial I found on Pinterest. My Mom and I spent some time making these last night to use as part of the centerpieces for the tables. They turned out really cute, I can't wait to show them to you!

Cupcake Liner Pom Pom

Oh, today also happens to be mine and my Man's 12 year Wedding Anniversary! I love him more today then I did 12 years ago. He is not only an incredible husband, but an unbelievable father. I know, I am biased, but I pretty much hit the jackpot with him. Happy Anniversary, Honey! So happy you are mine for eternity!

I hope all of you enjoy this Easter weekend!

My Sweet Girl is 8!

8 years ago, today, this sweet girl made me a mother and changed my life. In her eight years she has brought me and our family more joy and laughter than we could have ever imagined. In honor of her birthday, here are 8 fun facts about my little angel...

1. She is a perfectionist and a rule follower. Especially when it comes to school. She is a natural scholar.

2. She is both a tomboy and a girly girl...it just depends on how she's feeling on any particular day.

3. She is an incredible older sister to her younger siblings.

4. She is the pickiest eater ever!! Seriously her diet consists of maybe 15 things!

5. She hates having her hair curled. It takes forever because she has so much hair. I keep telling her how thankful she is going to be thankful for her thick, full hair when she gets older!

6. She loves Taylor Swift and Phineas & Ferb.

7. She has a sweet tooth like no one I have ever met...well, except for her Mom.

8. She loves reading. She stays up most nights with a book in hand. Last year between Thanksgiving and New Year's Day she read 27 books from the Junie B. Jones series!

And one more to grow on... She is the absolute most wonderful daughter anyone could have and I thank my Father in Heaven daily for allowing her Dad and I the privilege of being her parents.

Happy 8th Birthday, my love! You are loved beyond measure. 

*all of these amazing photos were taken by the talented Paige Davis of Paige Davis Photography

Furniture for Sale

We are selling some of our furniture in preparation for our move to our new home. If you live in Davis County or the Greater Salt Lake area and are interested in any of the pieces below, please email me @ thefamilyroomdesign@gmail.com for more information!

Bedroom Furniture: King Bed, matching nightstand & armoire

Stanley American Modern Entertainment Armoire

We've been cleaning things out and packing like crazy and we still don't feel like we've made much progress! How in the world did we accumulate so much "stuff" in such little time? This week is Spring Break, my Daughter's 8th Birthday, Our 12th Anniversary, my Daughter's Baptism and Easter!!! Wow, writing it all out made it all seem even more overwhelming! They are all wonderful and joyous things, though, so I'm not going to complain! I may, however, need someone to drag me out of bed come next Monday! :0)