DIY cheap cut-off shorts

I love shorts during the summer. Not skirts.

Skirts are fun for church and getting fancy for things, but let's face it... 

My legs are too short and my feet hardly hit the ground. Therefore,

I don't like sitting like a lady. It is very difficult for me.

You can ask my mom. We had a lot of battles at the kitchen table. :)

Shorts are actually really cheap and easy to make. Well, at least the cut-off kind. Here are the end results of my latest cut-off pair:

I love them!

Okay. Here's what you do. Take a pair of loose-ish pants that you think would look good as cut-offs. 

I wouldn't recommend using skinny jeans, it just doesn't come out looking that good as shorts.

If you don't already own any boot-cut pants you want to cut, then D.I. is a great place to look. Most of their pants are only 6 dollars. I found this pair after only searching for a few minutes:

 They're cute, but they were way too huge as pants.

Plus, I wanted some white shorts to mix and match with.

Okay. After finding a pair of pants, don't get too attached to them as pants because you're about to cut them in half. This is a must. 

Next, lay out your pants on the ground or on the bed. Then grab a pair of shorts you already own as your model. (Any length) I already own a pair of roll-up shorts from gap, so I just unrolled those and used them as my guide. Lay the shorts on top of the pants and use a pencil or tailor's chalk to draw a line where you want them to be cut but only do it on ONE PANT LEG.  (I'll explain why this important later.)

Once you have drawn a line on one of the pant legs, cut it carefully. Now, the most important thing with cut-offs, is making sure that the pant-legs are even. So what I do, is I fold over the pant leg that I just cut and place it on top of the other pant leg. Then I DRAW A NEW LINE. That way, they are a lot more even than if you just tried cutting them both separately. 

After you have finished cutting both pant legs, put them on and fold them how you like. If they are too long, just cut off another sliver. Once they are the perfect length and you have folded them the way you like, take them off and iron them. That way the fold stays. For jeans, I don't need to sew anything at the hem because I like when they fray. But for pairs you don't want to fray very much, I would recommend sewing a stitch across the bottom. 

There are many ways to make cut-offs, but this is just how I do it. This is how they turned out:

(one of the folds is coming unfolded, because I hadn't ironed it yet.)

Here are some other cut-offs I have made:

I'm excited to add white to my collection and I think I will start looking for other colors next time I hit the D.I.

kids say the darndest things

After being ward missionaries for over a year, Ammon and I were finally called to be primary teachers. I say finally because we thought for sure that it was going to be our first calling. And then when we didn't get the calling, we still ended up spending many weeks subbing in the primary. :) We have officially had our new calling for 3 weeks and I am just loving it.

After we were called to be primary teachers, God gave me some really neat advice. Because of my schooling to become a public school teacher, I was sure that implementing classroom management strategies was the only way I would be able to effectively teach the little primary children. But when I was given my blessing, God told me (through the bishop) otherwise. He hold me that the only way the children would learn was if I loved them. That really hit me. Not by rules; not by consequences, but by loving them.

Some other advice that was given to Ammon and me in regards to our calling is to teach by the spirit, get to know the children's families, and to make sure that we demonstrate a healthy relationship toward each other in front of the children each Sunday. Some children come from homes where parents aren't always respectful toward each other so it is our job to show them what a healthy relationship looks like. We were also asked to work as a team, not just take turns. As Ammon and I follow this advice, I have not only grown a love for the children we teach, but toward Ammon as well. Being a primary teacher is quite the win-win calling.

Another reason I am loving my calling is because I am learning so much! Kids say the darndest things and sometimes it's just what I need to hear. There's something about simple, yet sincere answers that get to me. It's no wonder God asks us to be like children.

Here is a movie I saw many years ago when I was in Seminary. The children are asked basic questions about what we believe and their answers are absolutely adorable!

And here's something that made me smile:

july 3rd and july 5th

Because Ammon and I both worked all day on July 4th, all the individual fireworks were done the day before and the day after. 

July 3rd:

Fireworks with Nephi

provo exchange park

the set-up

smoke bombs

 July 5th:

Fireworks at my aunt and uncle's house in Riverton

he does this every year! 

mom and daniel

glow sticks!

it started to rain

my auntie Karoline 

And then it started to pour! (Meanwhile, my dad is still trying to put on a show for us)

we camped inside until the rain slowed down

back outside

It was time for the big fireworks:

We ended up having to shove a sparkler in this firework to get it to light. It was worth it!

Parachute fireworks

We used a torch to light most of our fireworks

haha. I love my lil' cousin Taylynne

I stole the idea to do this from a friend

sparkler fun!

we were trying to spell I love you...?

my uncle Jed.
how can you not take a picture of this?
 or mention that this was right before a firework flew over his head!?

Doing fireworks with my family is always a blast! 

Thanks to my dad who always puts on a show for us.

 Even when it started to rain, he was still out there lighting them. 

And a special thanks to my aunt and uncle for letting us host fireworks at their house this year.

I love you, dad!! I love you family! I love you fireworks...

my 4th of july

I woke up July 4th thinking I wouldn't see a single firework. 

Ammon and I were both scheduled to work from 11 a.m until 10 p.m. 

We opted out on the parade because sleeping in just sounded so much better than sitting in the hot sun right before working all day. (Oh dear. I'm starting to sound like an adult.) haha

Work wasn't too bad. It was fairly busy the whole day and almost everyone was super friendly and tipped 20% or more. Honestly, good tips make the biggest difference when it comes to working on a holiday. 

Luckily, Brick Oven emptied out as soon as the Stadium of Fire started which meant getting off before 9:30!

There can be miracles... when you believe!  

The rest of our night went as follows:

We grabbed some late night grub. Thank you Sammy's for still being open and providing some delicious hamburgers!

We also shared a milkshake

And watched the fireworks begin from Sammy's

Then we biked home as fast as we could so we could watch the rest from our apartment.

Our apartment was the perfect location for fireworks. As soon as they ended, we just folded up our chairs and went right back inside. No traffic. No hassle. 

My 4th of July was productive, memorable, and I got to see some fireworks after all! 

xoxo

that time i {almost} went blonde

Sooooo, for those who don't already know... I added blonde to my hair. Just a top layer, nothing too crazy. I've always wanted to try out a little blonde, but always wimped out. These pictures don't quite capture the color, but they're close enough. :) 

 maxi skirt via

I love it.

 My hair stylist did a fantastic job and is simply the best. Her name is Heather Griggs and she is just the cutest thing. Her personality will make anyone feel comfortable. Whether you are the conservative type or the more spunky kind, she knows how to take care of you. I'm a little bit of both, so of course I can't help but love this girl. Along with her personality, she gets the job done. She is quick during the parts that she needs to be and takes her time on the parts we love. For example, my favorite part of going to a salon has always been the part where they wash your hair and {hopefully} give you a scalp massage. Whelp, this is where Heather thoroughly took care of me. She gave the best. scalp. massage. ever!  Heather works at the Regis Salon in the Provo Towne Centre in Provo. If you live in Utah county and you're looking for a good stylist who will take care of you, then she's your girl!