Sunday, January 3, 2016

Hello 2016

Hey guys, I'm back at this whole blogging thing. Even though I'm pretty sure my mom is the only one who reads the blog...Hi mom!

One of my resolutions this year is to blog & journal one day per week.  I want to be able to look back and remember all the fun, the blessings, the trials and triumphs we've had in our lives.

I will do a quick recap of 2015. This year was full of fun & adventures. Taft started and completed his first year at BYU. He enjoyed it, for the most part. He is glad to be starting at the University of Utah on January 11th. I am thrilled to be going back to school at the U on January 11th as well. I was able to declare my major of Communication Disorders. I am on track to graduate in May of 2018! We did a lot of fishing this Spring and Summer. Taft and I both got into fly fishing. He's more into it than I am. He ties our flies and watches YouTube videos on how to be a better fisherman. We really enjoyed our time on the Provo and Diamond Fork rivers. We can't wait to get back out on the river and make more memories. We moved from Orem to SLC to be closer to school.

All in all, 2015 was a great year. We had a lot of fun and went on a lot of adventures. I can't wait to see what 2016 has in store for us! 

Sunday, September 13, 2015

A Tribute and A Testimony

I bet each of you have some friends that are more family than most family is. That's how the Colebrooks are to my family. We would spend Thanksgiving and Christmas together if our separate families weren't traveling back to Utah for the holidays. Some of my best memories growing up include the Colebrook clan. Jordon, the oldest brother of the family, and his sweet wife Hope, just lost their sweet boy, Jordon. When Jor and Hope announced they were having their third baby, I was so excited for them! When they announced it was another boy I was even more thrilled! Jordon Reilly Colebrook was born to goodly parents on July 31, 2015. He went back to our Father in Heaven on September 4, 2015. My heart broke for not only Jordon and Hope, but for their entire family. Throughout the short life that Jordon had on this Earth, I often found myself on my knees praying, pleading with our Father for a miracle. I prayed and prayed for this sweet family. After his passing, I prayed for comfort for them. I prayed that they would have peace. I prayed that they would know that baby Jordon is in great hands. He is not in pain or is not suffering. That he is at peace and he is perfect. 

We went and saw my Gami and Grandpa Potter on our way home for Labor Day weekend. I was talking with them about what had happened to my friends. I expressed my heartache for them. My Grandpa Potter simply said, "Some people are too perfect for this world. They need to come to Earth to gain a body and go right back to our Father." He spoke those words with such power. I felt comforted by his words. I know what my Grandpa said is true. 

Hope shared a conference talk on Facebook a few days ago. I wanted to share a few quotes from the talk. "What a glorious blessing this is in our lives. Wouldn’t it be tragic if we didn’t feel great sorrow when we lose a child? How grateful I am to my Father in Heaven that He allows us to love deeply and love eternally. How grateful I am for eternal families." 
"I testify that because of Him, even our Savior, Jesus Christ, those feelings of sorrow, loneliness, and despair will one day be swallowed up in a fulness of joy. I testify that we can depend on Him and when He said: “I will not leave you comfortless: I will come to you. Yet a little while, and the world seeth me no more; but ye see me: because I live, ye shall live also.” 

As I was searching for comfort during this time, I found a talk given by President Monson in 1988. I wanted to share a small piece of the talk with you. "Several years ago, the Salt Lake City newspapers published an obituary notice of a close friend—a mother and wife taken by death in the prime of her life. I visited the mortuary and joined a host of persons gathered to express condolence to the distraught husband and motherless children. Suddenly the smallest child, Kelly, recognized me and took my hand in hers. “Come with me,” she said; and she led me to the casket in which rested the body of her beloved mother. “I'm not crying, Brother Monson, and neither must you. My mommy told me many times about death and life with Heavenly Father. I belong to my mommy and my daddy. We'll all be together again.” Through tear-moistened eyes, I recognized a beautiful and faith-filled smile. To my young friend, whose tiny hand yet clasped mine, there would never be a hopeless dawn. Sustained by her unfailing testimony, knowing that life continues beyond the grave, she, her father, her brothers, her sisters, and indeed all who share this knowledge of divine truth, can declare to the world, “Weeping may endure for a night, but joy cometh in the morning” 

I may not be able to completely understand the feelings that Hope and Jordon and their families are currently going through or will continue to feel throughout their lives. But I know, the Savior, even Jesus the Christ, knows exactly how they are feeling. He knows. He knows because when He was suffering for the sins of the world in the Garden, He felt each one of our aches and pains. He felt our hearts break. He felt every sorrow. He took it all upon himself. Jesus Christ suffered for each one of us, because He loves us. He loves you, Hope and Jordon. I testify that families can be together forever. That there is life after death. I testify that the bands of death were broken. I know that these things are possible because of the Savior. I am eternally grateful for my knowledge of the Plan of Salvation. I am grateful to know there is life beyond the grave. I am grateful for my Savior, His sacrifice and for His unending and unimaginable love for each of us. "I testify that on that bright and glorious morning of the First Resurrection, your loved ones and mine will come forth from the grave as promised by the Lord Himself and we will have a fullness of joy. Because He lives, they and we shall live also." 

Thursday, January 8, 2015

Happy New Year!

I am so excited for what 2015 is going to entail! We are starting the new year out in a brand new place, new school and new life! We couldn't be more thrilled for this new adventure. We've been getting settled into our new apartment. My parents and Taft's parents moved us up here a couple weeks before Christmas. We went back to New Mexico for the holidays and spent Christmas with our families. It was so great to be with our families during the holidays. We came back to UT a few days early due to some weather conditions we didn't want to encounter. We rang in the New Year with some Martinelli's and good friends! It was a great night!

Taft started school on Monday and is absolutely loving it! He is taking some great classes and is loving his professors so far! We have both been job hunting and so far we haven't gotten one yet! But, we aren't letting that discourage us.

The one thing we love most about living here is within 5 minutes you can be at the Provo temple, and soon to be Provo City temple, in 15 minutes in one direction you can be at the Mt. Timpanogos temple and 20 minutes in the other direction you can be at the soon to be open, Payson temple! Since we've been here we've been going to the temple weekly. Boy, do I love it! It is so great to go and feel the peace and love at the temple. The temple really is the greatest and happiest place on Earth!

So far we have been very blessed in this new adventure of ours! We couldn't be more excited or grateful for our wonderful new journey!

xoxo,
Morgan

Friday, December 12, 2014

87401 // 84097

Well...today was the big day! Moving day!! Hurray! It is finally here...and holy crap did it happen fast! Taft has been in Provo searching for a place to live since last Friday. We got lucky with a cute, quaint apartment! I am so excited to officially see it! eeek! (I've only seen it via Google Hangouts..thank heavens for technology!) My in-laws, Matt and Tammie, hauled our household goods from New Mexico to Provo for us, today! My mom, dad and I will caravan to Provo tomorrow. 

This move is definitely bittersweet. I am so excited to be up in Provo, to be closer to my family in Price and in Northern Salt Lake. I am excited for Taft to get the amazing opportunity to study at BYU and continue his education there. I am excited for all of the new and fun activities Taft and I will be able to experience. I am sad about leaving my mom, dad and sister. Along with Taft's parents, his sister and her cute family. My family has made really amazing friends here in NM, they became our family. I will be sad to leave them; but I know that we will visit New Mexico often and they will come to Utah often! 

I will post more about our UT adventures! 

xx,
Morgan

Wednesday, August 13, 2014

1 down // Forever to go

We hit our 1 year anniversary mark on August 3rd! It was a great weekend! We had a getaway to Durango, CO which is about an hour north of home. If you ever go to Durango go to Old Tymer's and get yourself the most delicious hamburger and fries you will ever taste. Seriously people. It is THAT good! Everything on the menu is absolutely delicious. You won't be disappointed.

This past weekend we had our pictures taken by the lovely Rachel Loya. She does an absolutely phenomenal job. If you live in the Farmington area do not count her out of your photographer choices. She was so fun to work with! I'm glad we chose her. So here is a sneak peek of our pictures. Once I get our disk I will be sure to share them with you all! I am beyond thrilled to get the rest of our pictures! Eeek!
Rachel Loya Photography



Sunday, June 15, 2014

land of the free // home of the brave

I have been dying to do a pallet American flag for a very long time! And I finally did it! After some inspiration from my mom, who made hers a couple weekends ago, I finally made time for mine! And I absolutely love the way it turned out. This project is seriously so simple and a lot of fun. Get together some of your best girlfriends and make a night of it.

 I made my flag more rustic looking, rather than the bright white, bold blue and radiant red, I did a darker red and blue and a creamy white.

What you'll need to make your pallet flag:
-Pallet pieces
-Paint
-Paint brushes (if your pallet was rough like mine, I recommend hair brushes, not foam)
-Sandpaper
-Nails and a hammer OR Staples and a staple gun
-Star stamp or star stencil

You can make the flag as big or as small as you'd like. I used 8 pallet pieces, so 10 pieces total. 8 in front and 2 in the back. My friend Megan who made this with me last night did 5 pieces, so 7 pieces total. My mom used 6, so 8 total. You get the gist.

Make sure your pallet pieces are even in length... You can have them a little uneven for the 'rustic' or 'country' feel. Whatever style you like, do! It's your flag! If they aren't even, saw the ends to make them even. Then pick what side you'd like on to paint on and have that side face the ground. Take a staple gun and hold the boards together tightly while someone staples the braces onto the back. Flip the pallet over and start painting! I sanded a lot, my pallets were extremely rough. I would paint let it dry. Sand, and paint again. Sometimes two or three times. Until I reached the point where the brush wouldn't pull up parts of the wood.

I paint the blue first, I measured out my square and filled it in.




After the blue I painted my white stripes. While I had white on my brush and plate, I used the stencils and painted my stars in the blue. I had two different sizes of star stencils. I used the bigger one and the small one. My mom did hers in just the small stars. My girlfriend Megan is going to do even smaller stars and a bigger wooden star for the center of her blue. The best thing about these projects is you can make them your own! Don't be afraid to get creative!




Then I finished with the red stripes.









Xo,
Morgan


Tip: Lots of companies just leave their pallets on the side of the road, those are free game people! Get some pallets and get to crafting!







Saturday, June 7, 2014

the living room is complete!

I was jumping for joy last weekend when we finished our shelves in the living room! The decor for downstairs is officially complete! *hallelujah* I had been pinning shelving ideas for weeks and we finally put our plan into action! [can I just say what an awesome husband I have? This man literally went looking for shelves at Target! I didn't have to drag him, he drug me to the home decor isle! I knew I was doing somethin' right when I married him! ;)] 


These shelves fit perfectly into our living room! I couldn't be happier with the way they turned out! 



This shelf is on the left side of the wall. The picture of Christ with the child is from Deseret Book. The candlestick is from GoodWill, the vase is a vase from our home we painted, the flowers are from Hobby Lobby and the clock is also from Hobby Lobby. 

This is the shelf in the middle of the wall. The vases are from a previous Pinterest project. The picture of the SLC LDS Temple is from Deseret Book. The mason jars are from my Great Grandpa Potter's farm in Utah, along with the holder. The flowers are from Hobby Lobby.


This shelf is on the right hand side of the middle shelf. The bird cage along with the silver vase is from Hobby Lobby. The vases are from a previous Pinterest project. The cream ceramic vase is from GoodWill. The picture of the Mt. Timpanogos LDS Temple is from Deseret Book.

The final product!
I am so pleased that the decor in the downstairs is complete! Our next project is the master bedroom and bath upstairs! I can't wait for it to be finished! 

Sunday, April 27, 2014

H is for Hansen; H is for Home

So yesterday I was browsing through my bloglovin feed and I came across this post and it totally made me get into this "Martha Stewart" mode at my own house. I had one unfinished pinterest project and another project I was inspired to do. I actually wasn't planning on even doing this project but I found THE CUTEST paint samples at Target for $5.00! How could I resist people!

Unfinished Pinterest project is my very cute, red and gold H hanging on my door.

The process for making this is SUPER simple!! All I did was grab a letter from Hobby Lobby, some paint and ribbon. I painted the letter red, I applied a couple of coats to get it the exact hue I wanted. My husband did the gold lines on the outline of the H. He has a much steadier hand than I do, so he did a much better job than I ever could have done. Then we tied the ribbon on the H and glued a wire to the back and boom!! My super cute new "letter wreath" for my door! My inspiration for this project was this cute H, but I like mine better! It fits "us" so much more than this H ever could. 

My pinterest project that I started and finished yesterday are my $18.00 painted vases. Each of the paint samples were $5.00 and I went to GoodWill to hopefully find some unique and fun vases. I came home with four pretty simple vases. But I LOVE the way they turned out! And I can't wait to do more! 
I used two different paint colors. The lighter bluish-white is called, Devine Horizon and the darker blue is called, Devine Pond. Both colors are by Devine Color by Target. To do this project all I did was apply even, thin layers of paint to each vase until I reached the desire color. Super easy and super simple.


The thing I love most about Pinterest projects is you can make them your own! They don't have to be exactly like the picture. The projects can have their very own personality! And that's what makes them yours!

Enjoy crafting!!
xoxo,
Morg

Monday, March 17, 2014

Stop it!

For my theater class I'm taking here at San Juan College we were able to attend the play put on by students and other actors from the area. If you live in San Juan County here in NM and didn't take the couple of hours to go and watch The Laramie Project put on at SJC, you missed out! The play was phenomenal; it was thought provoking, raw and the emotion ran high the whole time. I cried, I laughed, I felt apart of the people in Laramie, Wyoming. 

For those of you who don't know what The Laramie Project is about: 
It is about a young man named Matthew Shepard who was beaten and left for dead by two young men because he was homosexual. This play was in documentary form, the actors broke the fourth wall many times and spoke directly to the audience. The words the actors spoke and the emotions they portrayed were from actual interviews, film and news reports from when Matthew was killed. 

It was very real. 

When this happened I was 5 years old. So coming into this play I was clueless on what had happened. But I liked it that way. I didn't have any expectations of this play; I wanted to see it for what it was! For what the people of Laramie really felt about this situation. It was incredible. 

Being a Christian, I have a definite stance on gay marriage. I do not support it. In the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints a Proclamation to the World was written and given in a General Relief Society Meeting in 1995. It states, "We, The First Presidency and the Council of the Twelve Apostles of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, solemnly proclaim that marriage between a man and woman is ordained of God and that the family is central to the Creator's plan for the eternal destiny of His Children." 

Just because I don't support gay marriage doesn't mean I am a bad person. (And because I don't support it, doesn't mean people who do support are bad people. We just have different views.) I know plenty of people who are gay. And I think they are great people! I don't judge them or think of them differently, I don't ridicule or curse them. I treat them as a human being. I treat them for who they are, a child of God. Just as everyone else should. I don't care who you are, you can't tell me that you don't love Ellen Degeneres!! She is a GREAT lady! She has helped and inspired so many people! And guess what, she is gay! Ellen even said this, "Do we have to know who's gay and who's straight? Can't we just love everybody and judge them by the car they drive?" 

Please just be kind. Be aware of others feelings and beliefs. Do not purposely go hate on people because of who they are. Because you don't believe one thing or another, it doesn't give you a right to discriminate those who do. 

Click the link below to see a short video about bullying and why it needs to end. 
Bullying: Stop it!

"The topic of judging others could actually be taught in a two word sermon. When it comes to hating, gossiping, ignoring, ridiculing, holding grudges, or wanting to cause harm, please apply the following: 
Stop it! 
It's that simple. We simply have to stop judging others and replace judgemental thoughts and feelings with a heart full of love for God and His children. God is our Father. We are His children." 
-President Dieter F. Uchtdorf 
Second Counselor of the First Presidency 
The Merciful Obtain Mercy

To know more about Matthew Shepard please visit: http://www.matthewshepard.org/

Friday, March 7, 2014

January-February Events

Time sure does fly when you're havin' fun! Here is a quick little update in what has been happening in our lives the past couple of months.

We added another sweet niece to the family, Miss. Daphnie Rae. She is the sweetest little angel I ever did meet. I love getting to hold and love on her! She is beyond precious. We will add a nephew to the mix within the next month or so! I can't wait to meet him either! Babies are just so fun!

School is crazy! But, when is it not crazy?! With us both working full time and going to school full time it seems like the last thing we have is TIME! Time for ourselves and one another. Thankfully Spring Break is coming up here in the next couple of weeks! Hallelujah! I cannot wait! We are going to Phoenix, AZ! It will be so much fun! We will be able to do a session at the new LDS Temple located in Gilbert, AZ! We will get to soak up some much needed Vitamin-D! :) But I just can't wait to have some good quality, no work, no school, no phone time with Taft. That is what I really need, just some quality "us" time.

We had our first annual, Love Week! That was a ton of fun! I really enjoyed the constant love being said or acted. It was great! Taft got me a super cute plaque to hang on the wall. Underneath it we are going to hang hooks for our jackets and bags! I'm really excited to get that project finished!

We are still debating on where to go to school and what we are going to do this next Summer. This weekend we are going to do a lot of prioritizing what we would like for our future education! Hopefully we will come up with our next adventure, soon!

Overall, things are going great! We are just trying the best we can at everything we do!

Thursday, March 6, 2014

Love Week

I don't know about y'all but I LOVE Valentine's Day! I don't know if I love it because ever since I was a little girl I was spoiled by my parents or if I just love the feeling of love! Either way I LOVE it! When Taft and I got engaged I made myself a promise to always be a cute and fun wife! I always wanted him to know how much I love and adore him, or just when I'm thinking about him. Because to me that is really important! And what better time to show the man of your dreams how much you love him during the week of Valentines Day?!


On Monday Taft got a sweet treat that said, "Taft I love you to pieces!"
Super simple and really yummy... I may have eaten more of his special treat than I should have! oops!


On Tuesday I drew a boat on a lake and had me fishing and at the end of my line there were a bag of gummy worms and it said, "Taft, I'm hooked on you!"

On Wednesday....I forgot! But I made up for it on Thursday!

Thursdays treat was a candy letter!

Friday he received a tennis racket and a bag of tennis balls.
[[We have a tennis court half a block away from our apartment complex, so we decided that 2-3 times a week we would go and play tennis! It was a ton of fun! I can't wait to start playing more and more when it warms up for good here!]]

Remember ladies and gents, just because love is in the air on this special week doesn't mean that is the only time you do these things for your significant other!! Love is meant to be expressed constantly and fiercely. Whenever your spouse does something super awesome leave a nice little note, cook a meal and have it on the table when you know they have been having a rough day. It is the little things that matter!

Wednesday, January 1, 2014

Hello 2014

Happy New Year everyone! I hope y'all had a fabulous evening with those you love! I know Taft and I did. We spend the evening with both sets of parents at dinner then we got together afterwards and played some really fun games! We had our New Years kiss around 11:30 and then went to sleep! It was a great night with awesome people! I wouldn't have had it any different!

I have been thinking more and more about what I want to cross off my list in 2014. It may not seem like a huge deal to anyone but these are things I really want to accomplish in this new year. Throughout the year after I accomplish each goal I will write a short post about how I accomplished my goal. I'm also going to post a few goals that Taft and I have set together as a couple. Things we can work on every single day with each other.

My Personal Goals for 2014: 

Get fit and STAY fit!

I have this serious problem...I work out for a month or two then I just suddenly stop. I just quit working out or motivating myself to keep working out. We are doing a Hansen family workout challenge, so hopefully that will keep me motivated to stay fit!

Get an A in my Anatomy Class....and all other classes of course!

Yep, I am one of those people who makes getting  good grades a goal for the upcoming year. This class is supposed to be one of the hardest science classes you can take.... And guess what I am going to get an A! Taft and I are taking this class together so I have an advantage of having a live-in study buddy! Woohoo! My hubby already has a 4.0...proud wife moment :)... so it is just extra motivation for us to get an A in the class! I am really excited for this next semester!

Keep Calm and Graduate

Eeek! Graduation is in May! I couldn't be more thrilled! I am so proud of myself to have worked hard in school to graduate with my Associates within two years. I can't wait to see where this journey on education will take Taft and I next. BYU, NMSU, UVU, UofU.... the options are just pouring in.

Use Social Media to share my Testimony

I am going to try and post once a week on this blog about my beliefs as a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter Day Saints. I was really inspired by Al Fox and how she uses the media only for good. Not to bash or to hate on anything. But to spread love, joy and happiness to her followers. I LOVE that idea. I want to inspire and share with others the happiness that I have in my life!


The Hansen Duo's Goals for 2014: 

Read Scriptures Every Night

Taft and I have been slacking lately about reading our scriptures. And it shows. We have noticed this difference in our relationship when we are not seeking the words of our scriptures. This year and from now on we will not miss a night of reading and writing in our journals.

NO Technology until after Scripture Study

I know you are thinking, "you guys are NUTS!" but no we really aren't. We will be able to use our laptops to do our school work but that is it. No Facebook, Twitter, Blogger, Instagram or Etsy until after we read our scriptures! (This goal of ours is because of my AWFUL addiction to Social Media) Our relationship between us is ten times more important than what Susie Q has to say about Tommy. This year we will focus on us. 

Workout 5 days a week

Taft and I have a goal to get fit and stay fit, together. We have really let ourselves go since we have gotten married. It is pretty pathetic. It will be easier to stay fit when you have a workout partner who motivates you! I am really excited!

Eat, drink and be healthy

No more junk! No more soda! We are going to start implementing a healthier diet into our new and upcoming year!


I just can't wait to see what new adventures our new year is going to take us on! It is going to be a great year full of opportunity and adventure! I am so thrilled to start 2014 with the man of my dreams! 

Sunday, December 22, 2013

Lately...



School is FINALLY over. Just for a little while longer though. 21 more days until we go back to school...

This break has been absolutely phenomenal. I have seen blessing after blessing after blessing being poured upon Taft and I and our families. I couldn't be more grateful. I love seeing everything fall into place. Here is just one example.. Our landlord, Randy, who is a total angel and a HUGE blessing in our life, asked me how the apartment hunt was going. I told him we are kind of at a stand still and just waiting for this perfect, and I do mean perfect place. Orange carpet and all. He just kind of looked at me and said, "Morgan it will happen all in the right time." And I replied, "Yeah, I know. I just wish the right time ran on my time." He chuckled and just said "Not to worry, it will happen." So I go on about my week not worrying about it and knowing it will happen. At the right time, not on my time. Taft and I needed to run to Smith's Food King for something, who knows what, but we ran into a girl who lived in the apartment we were waiting for. She proceeded to tell us she us moving out! I'm thinking, "OHMYGOSH! FINALLY!!" I am beyond thrilled. The next day my Visiting Teachers, one is the manager of the apartment, and told us it is true, she is moving. I couldn't help but feel total joy and comfort. I was getting a little annoyed and impatient with my Heavenly Father. Taft and I have prayed and plead with Him to show us where the best place for us to be is. Night after night. And nothing. And finally I received my answer and the feelings of love and knowledge of me that came from Him was beyond comforting. God hears and answers our prayers. It may not be how we want them answered or when we want them answered but they are answered! DON'T EVER FORGET THAT.. please. Don't you ever forget that your Heavenly Father is completely aware of you and your needs. He is aware of your struggles, hardships, triumphs and everything in between. He loves you. He wants to bless you with every blessing He can possibly give you. I know that this is true. I have seen my prayers being answered I have seen blessings being poured down from the windows of heaven. I know that He is aware of me, Morgan Rae Lindsey Hansen. I know He loves me and I know I am a daughter of a King. I also know He loves each and every one of you. No matter what circumstance you are in. He loves you. Don't ever forget that either.



Monday, November 25, 2013

Christmas Decor

For those of you who are newly married, or decorating your own place for your first time; let me tell you it is not hard! It is a lot of fun too! It doesn't have to be really expensive either!! And those cute Pinterest holiday decorations that you pin and wish to make someday.... Get to Pinteresting people!! It is so much fun! Make a girls day out of it like my mom, sister and I have! It is giving me memories of my two best girlfriends I will cherish forever! 

This centerpiece I made for our dining room table cost me a total of $11.00 and I am using the leftover small Christmas balls and bells for our tree! 


All you need for this super simple project is: 
  • Wine glasses
  • Small Christmas Balls and Bells
  • Candles 
  • Ribbon 
Directions: 
  • Put the balls into the "cup part" of the glass 
  • Flip over onto your desired setting
  • Put the candle on the base of the glass
  • Tie a ribbon around the neck of the glass OR put it on the base of the candle
This is SO simple and so CUTE! I love this simple decoration! And it goes with any color and theme of your Christmas this year! 

All of my products are from Target

PS. Thanks for the wine glasses mom! :) 

Happy Holidays! 
xoxo, Morg

Sunday, November 24, 2013

Joy to the World

Christmas time is in the air! Especially since we woke to a skiff of snow this beautiful, freezing Sunday morning! Taft got me into the Christmas spirit when he started listening to Christmas music on Friday evening! I CANNOT wait for Christmas this year! Our very first Christmas together! I know it may seem kind of cheesy but when you have your first Christmas with your husband/wife you will understand! I just love this time of year! It is the best! I just love that you can spend time with those you love and cherish.

Since before I was married I made it a point to stay close with my mom. I consider my mom one of my very best friends. And sometimes I have a really hard time leaving her house to come to mine. I've had to fight back tears more than once. I love my mom so much! And since I've been married we always try to have a girls night with my little sister. And those girls nights have turned into "crafty Saturday afternoons" and I must admit we have made some pretty awesome things! But so far my favorite is our JOY craft for Christmas!



Here is what you're going to need to make this cute craft:

  • A piece of wood to fit the kind of J and Y you want to make. 
  • Handy in-laws, husband, father, brother, uncle, cousin... even you! To cut the cute letters you want! 
So thankful I have a VERY handy father in law!

  • A bell from Hobby Lobby 
  • Ribbon
  • Paint of your choice
I just used a plain red paint from Hobby Lobby

  • Paper of your choice
  • Glitter of your choice
  • Mod Podge
  • Paint Brushes
  • Newspaper or protective surface for when you paint.
Directions: 
  • With your cut out and sanded letters paint them a color you desire!
  • Let the paint dry, then Mod Podge the torn or cut paper to your letter. 
  • Put the top coat of Mod Podge to your letter then sprinkle your glitter. You can NEVER have too much glitter! 
  • Make a good size floral bow with your ribbon and put it on your bell

Now you have a stinkin' cute JOY sign for your Christmas decor! 
Happy Holidays! 

xoxo, Morg





Sunday, November 3, 2013

Mr. & Mrs. Hansen

I figured since today Taft and I have been married for three months today, today would be the perfect day to share with y'all our wedding pictures! eeeek! We had an AMAZING photographer! Those of you who live in Utah or plan on getting married in the Provo/Salt Lake area definitely hit up miss Emily. See her blog here! She also sells SUPER cute jewelry through Deseret Book. She is just so great!! 

Enough talking.. here are some of my favorite pictures of our big day! 


I love my dad.


Daddy & Morgan 

My Aunt Brandi and I. She is one of my best friends. I love her so much. 

McKenna & I

Me and my very best girlfriend Alex

Me and sweet Jessica 

Me and my second dad, Chuck

Me and Brade

My most favorite Uncle. 

My dad, Taft, Me, McKenna and my mom 

Matt, Taft, Me and Tammie

Our sweet six nieces & nephews






After my dad walked me down the stairs :) 

Me, my mom and my Gami 

Me, my mom and my Gami

My sweet Granny

The CUTEST picture of Taft and Bentlee Jo 

I love this man.