DIY Headband Holder

When you have a little girl, there are a lot of little accessories that usually accumulate with her. Bows, flowers and headbands. And while they are little things, they can make a big mess if you don't have a place to put them. After browsing Pinterest and Etsy I figured that I had a pretty good idea of how to put together the hair clip/headband holder I wanted. I decided to document my little adventure along the way. 

What you need:

- picture frame

- sandpaper 

- ribbon

- paint (I used acrylic, but spraypaint works too) 

- paintbrush (if you're using acrylic paint)

- staple gun or thumbtacks

- cup hooks (I got the 7/8 inch ones from lowes)

- something to protect your table from the paint (I just used paper towels)

First, I took the glass, matting and back off the frame leaving just the wooden part. It was a little dark and pretty shiny so I sanded it down. Depending on the type of frame you get you may or may not have to sand it. Once it was sanded I laid it down on some paper towels ready to paint. 

Now keep in mind that depending on the color you want and the color of your frame, you might need to have some yellow or white on hand. I realized this after I painted my first coat.

*It might just be my perfectionist self but it was more hot pink than coral for me so I just mixed in some yellow and painted over it until I got my preferred color.*

Next, you measure out the ribbon. I measure it long because you can always cut off the extra but you can't add more. Then space out the ribbon where you want it to be. I clipped one of Marleys flowers on the ribbon so I knew there would be enough space between the ribbons. 

Next, you staple them into place. I taped mine down with some scotch tape to hold it in place while I stapled. You can also do push pins instead of staples. 

Then I marked where the hooks were going to go. I wanted them to match the color of the ribbon so I dipped the hooks in paint and let them dry. After they dried I had my strong husband screw in the hooks. Some of the paint came off so I had to touch it up. You can wait to paint the hooks until you put them in. 

Then voila! You are done! 

It has saved me and my OCD from going crazy. I love it! 

The Gentry Family 2013 Christmas Card!!

Let me just say I absolutely love Shutterfly. It makes me look creative when all I really did was drag some pictures onto a template. I love it! Plus you can Google 'Shutterfly coupons' and combine a whole bunch. I saved over $40 on these ones! Anyways, without further ado, here is the 2013 Gentry Family Christmas Card!!

Our Little Marley Mae

On Sunday, June 16th 2013 [Father's Day, holla!], Carson and I welcomed our beautiful baby girl Marley Mae Gentry into our little family. It was the hardest, most rewarding thing I have ever done.

And I will now tell you how it came to pass...

Her due date of June 13th had come and passed and at my check-up I had not progressed very far. My doctor told me that if I didn't go into labor on my own before the next week, he would induce me.

[Little side note: Dr. Stanton Bailey at the Nephi hospital, is the best doctor I have ever had! I highly recommend him and I will be taking the 80 min round trip drive to see him for all my other babies. Bless this man!]

Anyways, back to the story. I woke up Saturday morning and I just knew that I'd be going into labor that day. So I cleaned our room, did laundry, unpacked and repacked my hospital bag, reorganized her clothes and got everything into order.  That's when the contractions started. They weren't very bad. I could definitely talk and walk through them. Half the time I didn't even notice I was having any but could tell because my stomach got really hard. The got progressively more intense but not to the point where I felt a sense of urgency. So we went and visited my family, went shopping and ate dinner. I had been timing my contractions all day and they were ranging from 2-6 minutes apart. The rule of thumb is 5 minutes apart for at least an hour straight before you go to the hospital. So we headed to the hospital. I walked in and said "Um, I think I'm in labor..." I wasn't freaking out, screaming or doubled over in pain and so they looked at me kind of skeptically but admitted me for observation. I was there for a few hours but the monitors weren't picking up any of my contractions I hadn't  progressed at all since arriving so they sent me home.

I went to bed around 11 thinking it was all in my head and I was just overreacting because I was a first time mom. I was actually pretty embarrassed but I still couldn't shake the feeling that she was coming really soon. Super strong contractions woke me up around 2 am. Still no pain but a LOT of pressure. I was able to fall back asleep but woke up an hour later shaking uncontrollably. I threw up and couldn't walk or talk through the contractions so to the hospital we went. This time I couldn't walk so they put me in a wheelchair. I felt kind of smug and if I could have talked, I would have yelled "I told you so!". They got me in a room and checked me. I was at a 6! So I asked for an epidural. Then half an hour later when the anesthesiologist shows up they check me again and I was at an 8. After I got the epi I felt no pain, just pressure, which I loved because then I could really focus on what I was doing. I got to a 9 and my water was about to break when my epidural all of a sudden stopped working. two hours later the anesthesiologist showed up to fix it. During this time the nurses also couldn't get a hold of my wonderful doctor [turns out he was in surgery with one of his patients who had a miscarriage. What did I tell you?! Fabulous guy.] Right when my water broke he walked in the door and we got the show on the road.

I pushed for about 20 min when I heard him tell a nurse to get an O.R. ready. Now, I watch Greys Anatomy so I knew that meant operating room. Yikes, a c-section! I'd seen all the scary stories on Grey's and I did not want that happening to me. [Looking back I realize how ridiculous it was to think but I blame the hormones]. So I pushed as hard as possible during every contraction. Then I heard the baby's heart rate dropping on the monitor. Again all of the Grey's stories ran through my head and I just wanted her out so she could be safe in my arms. So I started pushing even when I didn't have contractions. 5-10 seconds resting 10 seconds pushing. I have never worked harder in my life.

After 45 minutes total of pushing, Marley came out screaming at 12:03 P.M. She was born a whopping 8 lbs 8 oz, 21 inches long, with big lips and tons of hair!

She had some bruising on her face because she was sunny side up and they had to turn her in the birth canal. But she was still so cute, don't cha think? 

She screamed and screamed till they brought her to me. We did skin to skin and I started talking to her and she nuzzled right up and just looked up at me with her big eyes. I have never been so in love so instantly. 

And that my dear friends is the story of  how my baby girl made her entrance into the world.

Oooh Baby Baby!!

It has been a while (again) since I've written last, but this time I have a good excuse! I've been busy growing a baby inside me. That's right! 

Carson and I are expecting our first baby on June 13th!!

I had a feeling that something was different. I had recently gotten extremely healthy. I was doing either Zumba or Hip-Hop everyday. I was eating healthy foods. I was loosing all the weight that I had put on with my birth control. Then all of a sudden one day I just stopped loosing weight. I thought I had just hit a slump. So I started pushing myself a little bit more.  But then I started GAINING weight! Not only that, but I just felt different. I couldn't push the thought from my head that I was pregnant. I decided to wait and see if anything changed. When it didn't start changing I bought a pregnancy test. I was terrified to take it, so I kept putting it off. Then when I was packing my bags to go up North to spend the weekend with my family, while Carson worked, I just threw it in with all my other stuff. We went to the Saturday Morning session of General Conference and during the whole meeting I couldn't shake the feeling to take the test. So right after the session I went to the bathroom and took the test. It came back positive. I freaked out. The first people to actually know were actually my sisters and my dad. My sisters were excited but it was nothing compared to my dad. He started jumping up and down like a little girl. I called my mom and told her. She was so excited too. I was still in shock. And I had no idea how I was going to tell Carson. I had been joking around with him that I was pregnant and that's why I was gaining weight again. And he wasn't too fond of that. So when I told him I wanted it to be special so I put together a little present for him:

Needless to say he was in shock. He kept asking me if I was joking. I think it finally hit him when we went to our first doctor's appointment and got to see our sweet little 8 week old 'bean'.

Then again at 10 weeks.

At my 14 week appointment we had a little scare. When I went into my regular appointment the doctor couldn't find the heartbeat with the Doppler. Of course it was the one and only time I had come alone. The doctor was kind of worried and scheduled an emergency ultrasound. Of course they couldn't see me for a few hours so I drove back to Ephraim, got Carson and went back to the appointment. Within ten seconds the ultrasound tech found the heartbeat and also the reason the doctor couldn't hear the heartbeat. The little stinker wouldn't stay in one place for more than five seconds. The baby was flipping, kicking, punching and headbutting. So there was no doubt that the baby was alive and well... kicking! 

Two weeks ago we found out that our baby is also very modest. It took the ultrasound tech an hour and a half almost an hour to get just the right angle to tell us that she is 90 percent sure that we are having a little baby girl. 

A Few Months Later...

            Life has definitely gotten a whole lot busier since the last update. Over 9 months have come and pass. So here are some pictures of what we have done in those 9 months. 


                                    Our first Christmas together! 

My 21st Birthday!

We went to a Jazz game with Tanner, McKenzie and Andrew.

Then went to my house to celebrate with the fam. My sisters made this awesome ice cream cake for me.

At the end of the school year I said goodbye to some of the best people I have ever known. They will be changing the world. I love my SBA's! 

We decided to work up in the mountains at the Fish Lake Resorts for a whole summer. It was beautiful and quite the adventure. 

Carson's 23rd birthday!!

[Because it was his birthday I had to do what he said, which means no pictures]

Now we are back at good ol' Snow College and we love it! Carson is going into Range or Wildlife management. And I'm going to be an elementary school teacher. This is my last year here at Snow and then it's a year at USU and then I'll have my degree. Carson is debating getting a degree at Snow with a new program they are getting here or go to USU. We are in a great apartment. We have great friends, fun classes, amazing teachers. We are so blessed to be where we are today. We love the married life. 

Day 13

Carson got up really early again this morning to go ice fishing. He accidentally locked the keys in the car while it was running and it was just a nightmare. Poor guy. I don’t know what he ended up doing because I was in bed nice and warm. But he was fishing for a good 8 or 9 hours. He loves it! While he was off fishing I got up, got ready, sorted through presents and wrapped some more. Then we went to his grandmas. I met almost all of his mom’s siblings and their families. Then we went to the Hansen Christmas party. It was so much fun! There was lots of good food. Santa came, then we played Bunko. It was my first time playing but I loved it! Carson lost his ring (second time since we’ve been married!) but he ended up finding it in one of those metal strainers for the sink. His ring is tungsten carbite and it’s abnormally huge. So it doesn’t look like a wedding ring, it looks more like a giant washer. But luckily we found it :] After the party we packed up and headed to our home sweet home in Ephraim.

Day 12

We slept in until about a half hour before we had to check out. I woke up with this awful migrane and I felt so so sick. Carson did all he could to make me feel better. He’s so good to me. Then we hurried and packed and then headed back to Richfield. We stopped in Cedar City for lunch at Gandolfos. It was so snowy and stormy. I was really scared because my car sucks in the snow. So I just had to lay back and sleep or else I would have just freaked out. Carson is an excellent driver though so he got us back safe and sound. We got back and I was still feeling really sick so I went downstairs and took a nap. Then I got up feeling a lot better and Carson and I started watching the new season of Supernatural. Ate some delicious dinner and then we wrapped some Christmas presents and went to bed.

Day 11

Today we slept in then we got up to go look around for a grocery store. We bought a ton of snacks and took them back to our room. We watched a ton of Supernatural and then we went out and got some lunch. We went to this little diner called Blondie’s diner. It was delicious! I got the buffalo burger and Carson got the Elk burger. Food was delicious. The lady that owned it was hilarious and so cute. Everytime she came to check up on us she would tell us stories or crack some jokes. She was a really nice lady. Fun place. We definitely recommend it to anyone who goes there. That night we went to a sports grill called Jacks. All day I had been craving pasta and there was no place in town that was open, that served pasta. We came here because TCU was playing their bowl game and we thought that we might as well watch that while we ate. Carson got a burger (again) and I got macaroni and cheese. It was the closest thing to pasta and it definitely hit the spot. We got an ice cream sundae to share and it was also really good! We went back to the room and watched some more Supernatural (it’s just one of those shows that hooks you!) We got in an argument and I went on a drive. But when I came back we talked it out and figured it all out. He is really great that way. He won’t let feelings sit and fester. He likes to resolve things then and there. He wants us both to be happy. And he works really hard to resolve any disagreements we might have.

Day 10

Today we headed off on our belated honeymoon to Springdale, UT right next to Zions National Park. We got there and checked in. Our little suite was perfect! There was a huge TV, a couch, coffee table, bathroom. It was just a nice place to spend some time. We took naps and then went off to go find some dinner. Everything was basically closed for the season. We ended up going to this place called Wildcat Willies. It was a western themed saloon and restaurant. It was so good. Carson got a hamburger (of course) and I got a chicken fried steak with guacamole on it. It was soooo good! They served their drinks out of mason jars. It was awesome!

Day 9

Today I got to sleep in til the early afternoon while Carson went ice fishing with his friends. After I couldn’t sleep any more I got up and got ready. Then headed out to do some Christmas shopping. I got all of my presents for Carson bought, wrapped and ready to go by the time he got back from fishing. He brought back a few pretty good lookin fish. While he was gutting them he sliced his finger open. It was bleeding pretty bad. But luckily for him (and me) I took and then was a TA for an EMS class in High School (so I wasn’t freaking out). I bandaged him up and things were all good. Then that whole afternoon him and I went Christmas shopping for my family, his family and then the people we had for various gift exchanges. Got home and watched the Steelers game and then went to bed.

Day 8

What a wonderful day. We watched a ton of football. Ate a ton of snacks. Then we packed our bags for the week and headed to Provo for my stepfamily’s Christmas party. It was such a blast. We had an Italian themed dinner. Pizza, pasta and bread galore. Plus for some strange reason there were saltenas too. So good! Then for dessert there were all sorts of things! Needless to say Carson and I were very happy. After dinner we got a visit from Santa!! The little kids were so happy! I was a little bit terrified. For some reason I am terrified of Santa. But Carson dragged me (he literally dragged me part of the way) to go take a picture with him. He asked me what I wanted for Christmas, I told him a baby. Carson told him not a baby, yet. Santa left and we played some Christmas games. There was a wordsearch, a Christmas trivia game and a Christmas movie trivia game. Then we played the stealing game. I don’t know what it’s really called but it’s my favorite part of the party every year. Each person brings a gift worth 5 dollars or less. Each table is a team. Each table gets 2 dice. Whenever you roll two sixes, the runner from your table gets to go to the gift table and bring a present back. When the gift table is out of gifts, you go and steal gifts from the other tables. This all happens in 5 minutes. Then at the end you divvy out all the gifts amongst your table and open them up. Carson got a giant starbucks mug and hot chocolate. I got crackers and a somer sausage! After the party we went to my moms house, picked up some presents people had dropped off and then headed to Richfield.

Day 7

We have been married a week today! And what better way to celebrate then go to Carson’s best friend’s wedding. It was a beautiful sealing. They got married in the Manti temple too and they were even sealed in the same room that we were. It was pretty neat to be back there, a week after we were married, same place and stuff. We went to the luncheon then back to Richfield again. I took a nap while Carson looked up some stuff on the internet because the internet at our apartment isn’t up and running yet. Then we went to Adam’s reception. It was so pretty. It was all Christmas themed. When we went through the line, they looked exactly how I felt standing in the line at our reception. Tired but so happy. It was awesome to see one of our good friends feeling that same happiness that we felt and still are feeling. At the reception we sat at a table with a bunch of the other groomsmen and their wives. It was weird to be part of that married group. It was cool but weird. Whit and molly were there too but they were sitting at another table and it was weird. I wanted to go sit by them and all my other friends but I felt like I was supposed to be with the married people. It’s cool but different to me to have other married friends. After the reception we went to Carson’s uncle Kevin’s house to pick up a dresser that he didn’t want anymore. Landon packed it in his truck and we came back to Ephraim. It’s been a busy, fun, long day.

Day 6

Today we went to Richfield. Opened up a joint bank account. Looked for furniture at DI. Went to Ace Hardware, found out a whole bunch of people gave us money to spend there! We bought each other Christmas presents. Went to his house Sorted through some stuff for the house. Sorted through his clothes. His mom made us some dinner. Then we headed back home. Unpacked stuff. Wrapped our presents for each other. Wrapped the present we got for Adam and Kammi’s wedding and now we are watching some more Supernatural.

Day 5

We slept in and it was so great! We went over to our old apartments to clean and check out. We stayed talked with some friends. We played Band Hero for about an hour and then we decided to be responsible. We went to Walmart and picked up a few things that we needed. Grabbed some pizza on the way home and watched some more Supernatural. While we were watching we cut scrapbook paper to make ornaments. Cars cut out snowflakes and I cut out other shapes. It looks so great! I love it!

Day 4

It was finals day today for Carson. He had 3 due today. After this we’re both done with finals and will have the rest of the week to settle in. While he was at his finals Andrea came and visited me and helped me clean a bit. It’s only been a few days but I miss her! I feel like it’s been weeks. There are a lot of new things to get used to already. Later on tonight we went to my SBA Christmas dinner and party.

It was so fun. The dinner was delicious and the gift exchange was so fun. We did secret santas and I got a little newborn onesie that says “If you think I’m handsome, take a look at my daddy!” I laughed so hard because I have been giving Carson a hard time about us having kids, since before we were married. So it was just the perfect gift! He got a pocketknife that he loved! It was just a great, fun night with friends :]

Day 3

I had a final this morning at 7 in the morning. It was so hard for me to get out of bed because of 3 reasons. 1) It was early. 2) It was cold and 3) I didn’t want to leave Carson. There is just no place I’d rather be than next to Carson. No matter what it is that we do I just love to be next to him. Later on that night, we got a visit from my old roommates Molly, Whit, Jaime and Jenny and Carson’s old roommate Landon. They came over to see our little apartment and brought us some treats. We just sat and talked for a while. It was nice to have some company. I love being married and having some time to myself but I get kind of lonely when Carson isn’t here. It’ll get better when I have kids to keep me company.

Day 2

My classes were over but Carson still had to go to some of his. I stayed home got some cleaning and unpacking done. Then at 4 I had my team meeting for SBAs. After that Carson and I had our first FHE together. We threaded some popcorn to decorate our tree and watched the Goonies. I could definitely get used to and LOVE being at home in the evenings with my husband. Eating dinner and just spending time together. It’s going to be so great.

Day 1

Today was so relaxing. We stayed at the Hines Mansion.It’s this nice little bed and breakfast place. So cute. The breakfast was delicious! They had a little parlor with books and games. Little goodies for whenever we were hungry. The family that owned it was so nice. Highly recommend it to anyone! We stopped by my house on our way back to Ephraim and grabbed some things we needed. He carried me across the threshold of our apartment *aww* We unpacked some things and got settled in. Then we opened all of our presents. We got a lot of awesome things. Then it was back to unpacking.

The Wedding Day

You know how people say its all a blur? It really was a blur. I remember parts of it. The reception the night before. Getting ready. The ceremony. Pictures. The luncheon. I’m glad that we are going on the honeymoon so we will be able to get away and relax after all of the stress of today. I’d do it all over again in a heartbeat, because words cannot even begin to describe how it feels to be Mrs. Gentry.

Why the Blog?

One of the most annoying things of being married is getting asked the question: So how’s the married life? I haven’t even been married a week! How the heck am I supposed to know what married life is like? Doesn’t it take a while to be able to know how married life is? So for all those people who ask how’s married life; here is a look into the glamorous life of the newly wedded Carson and Whitney Gentry.