Spreading A Little Sunshine

Craftiness

2011-02-11T10:34:00.001-07:00

If you came to my house right now you would definetly be able to tell I've been crafting. It literally looks like a bomb exploded flowers and paper all over my front room. The up side of the disaster that is now my front room is fun new creations to keep and share.
This weeks fun was wood blocks made for a friends baby shower gift. The base and letters were the easy part... can't go wrong with pink and brown for a baby girl, but the mess began when I had to find embellishments to decorate the fronts of the blocks. Out comes anything and everything pink to see of it would match the pink on the paper... can't be too big or too small and all the other concerns that go along with it.
I'm happy with the results of my project and the mommy-to-be loved the gift.
When you craft do you leave a huge mess in your wake? How long does it take for you to clean it up?

Getting my scrap on

2011-01-14T16:44:00.001-07:00

Since the holidays are over I am finally getting a chance to play with my scrappy supplies. I just recently bought a kit over at Croppin' Paradise, a very cute bo-bunny mini album. It's an older kit but the paper is cute and the theme was something I can always use. I had a lot of left over paper from it so I put this page together using the scraps. I've also made some cards with it as well. The layout is a sketch I used from Page Maps, originally for a 8.5 x 11" horizontal page, but I think it works well for my cutie girls' pictures.

Gingerbread houses

2010-12-21T08:39:00.004-07:00

Yesterday the kids and I finally were finally able to make our gingerbread houses. It was late in the evening after shopping most of the afternoon for food. Grocery shopping is my all-time least favorite chore. Anyway after putting all the food away we got out the kit. Jesse was super excited about it after pleading with me for over a week to put them together. I had bought the kit some time in November and hadn't bothered with it since. We were quite surprised that when the box said five mini houses, they really meant it! These houses towered a whopping 3 to 4 inches.

Jesse's house with help from mom. We had a bit of difficulty getting the chimney to stay put. It kept sliding slowly down the roof until the icing set.

Kylie's house. She kind of gave up on it, deciding that playing with friends was a better use of her time.

Ally's house. She was last to decorate, so she used whatever was left and still managed to make it look wonderful.

Emily's house is the most like the picture on the box. It's cute and more detailed... adorable and just fun to look at.

Zac never came down to make his... too busy leveling-up on WOW.

The kids had fun and I enjoyed watching their creativity. Now I have three mini houses (Jesse ate his) to show off! I found it quite funny that after putting the "snow" on our little houses I woke up to this all over the neighborhood.

Christmas pretties

2010-12-18T18:29:00.002-07:00

My countdown calendar I made with a Making Memories kit. I found the frame (which was once green) at DI and stapled some chicken wire to the back so I can tie on the little envelopes. Maybe next year I will add fun little things for us to do in a few of the pockets.

My family tree. It looks a little less hodge-podge this year due to buying new red and gold ornaments. I also bought four bushes of pointsettias (hope I spelled that right), cut them apart and shoved them in there as well to give it some variation. Please ignore the mess in the background. :D

Ididn't realize how blurry this photo was on my phone's screen... well, anyway i really love my tree. This is the one that is mine, all mine to decorate as I please and sit in the front room for all those who drive by to see.

I finally have enough stuff to fully deck out the nook above the entry-way closet. This place gets a lot of viewing since my stairs wrap around it and by the time you are half way up the stairs all of this is at eye level. I think my favorite piece is the Santa hanging for his life off the ledge. His hands and feet are weighted so he can hang just about anywhere by his hands or feet!

This is my new favorite ornament. Jesse gave it to me yesterday after school. It's just a plain glass ornament but his teacher helped the kids in his class paint their hands white, place those sweet hands onto the ornament and after drying the paint let them decorate the handprint fingers into cute little snowmen. this cute ornament came with this poem:

These aren't just five snowmen as anyone can see,

I made them with my hand which is a part of me.

Now each year when you trim the tree,

you'll look back and recall Christmas of 2010 when my hand was just this small!

Okay, it really doesn't flow but I still think it's cute.

See and download the full gallery on posterous

Just a few pictures of some of the stuff I've got up around the house. I love decorating for the holidays, and better yet finding a great deal on fun things to add here and there.

Christmas is coming...

2010-12-18T09:14:00.002-07:00

And I'm not ready. Just seven more days to fa-la-la, wrap gifts, bake treats, and stress about what you still need to get if you're like me.
Today I think I'll be getting the rest of the shopping done and tomorrow the kids and I will attend church and make gingerbread houses. I'll let you know how they turn out.
I hope you and yours are having a wonderful holiday season!

In need of help!

2010-06-24T11:46:00.002-06:00

Lately I have been having a bit of trouble with coming up with dinner ideas. So today I'm coming to you (if there's anyone still reading this blog) for help. I'm looking for quick, kid-approved, dinners that require minimal to no oven time for the summer. I hate turning that heater on during the hot months of summer, so crock-pot and grill ideas are great. Please leave a comment, link, or ideas! Thanks!!

Three down... two to go

2010-05-28T08:25:00.001-06:00

and I'm not sure I like it. Today is the last day of school.
It's not like I don't want summer to come, I do. I love sleeping in, no homework, camping, swimming, lot of things to do. I'm just sad that Ally is moving on to junior high after today. Leaving Kylie and Jesse the last ones in elementary school. How did it all go so fast? Today also marks the beginning of Emily's senior year! I had forgotten about that, or maybe blocked it out. I'm not sure I'm ready for this. I just need to live for today and really enjoy every moment I've got left with my not so little children. They'll be gone before I know it.

Global warming is a big fat lie!

2010-05-24T08:05:00.003-06:00

it is... if it were really true, then why on earth would I have to put up with this!

It's the end of May people! The last week of school! It's supposed to be all sunny and warm for field day and dance festival. I feel really bad for any of my neighbors who have planted anything outside that aren't going to weather this. These last several weeks have made me feel more like we're living in Seattle than the dry desert Utah is supposed to be. Please pray with me that we'll have nice weather Wednesday and Thursday.

hi.

2010-04-30T19:31:00.001-06:00

I can blog from my phone. hee hee!

One of my favorite weekends

2010-04-03T12:41:00.002-06:00

Some of you may know I'm LDS, better known as Mormon, and this weekend is one of my favorites of the whole year. Conference weekend just fills my soul and strengthens my resolve to do better and be better. So far this morning I heard talks from several amazing people. I love how I can listen and hear answers to my prayers and the person next to me can hear the same talk and get something totally different out of it than I did, something in there that spoke to their heart and maybe answered their prayers. I can't wait to hear what this afternoons session holds for me. :)

yeah, yeah, yeah...

2010-04-01T12:12:00.003-06:00

I know it's been forever. Summer came and I just didn't know how many posts you all wanted to see about my kids playing video games. Then I had just been out of the habit for so long that I didn't even look at this place. I'm not even gonna try and catch you up... there's just too much. So I'm starting from today or maybe the last month and we'll see where it goes from there.

So long controllers!

2009-06-01T15:41:00.002-06:00

I don't care who you are... this is cool! While watching E3 this morning with Zac we saw the demo for xbox's newest controller "project natal", where you are the controller. Unfortunately they have no release date or price for this yet. I'd have to say this totally one-up's Wii. Can't wait!!

November can't come soon enough!

2009-05-31T22:29:00.002-06:00

Movie Trailers - Movies Blog

This is what you show Emily if you want your eardrums ruptured. She about flipped at the end and who wouldn't when... well you'll see! :)

Now nothings getting done

2009-05-06T13:50:00.004-06:00

And I was doing so good too. I got three bathrooms, the laundry room and half the laundry in the house done along with major tidying in the garage... all in one day, too! Well, this is why.

Which means I have lots of leverage until her newness wears off! She came home with us yesterday. Emily's been begging for a pet since we had to find new homes for our dogs since we can't have them here. Emily's friend's cat had a litter and we got first choice. She doesn't have a name yet... everyone wants to name her something different.

Princess Peach
Pumpkin
Sulley
Marmalade

So could ya help us out and vote for the name you like best?

Got the bug...

2009-05-04T15:53:00.002-06:00

Spring cleaning today. I've gone through three bathrooms and the laundry room... next up is my closet and bedroom. I hope to surface soon...
Oh, andThursday Ally is performing in Hope of America along with many fifth graders in the district. I hope to show you a bit of it this weekend.

Ok, this is getting ridiculous!

2009-04-15T20:24:00.002-06:00

Today I've been working on revamping my blog. I got the background done and since this afternoon I've been working on the header. You think that would be easy.... but oh no! Today about 5ish the power went out! Almost done with the header and the power goes out!! and out it stays until just before 6. Thinking I'd be safe to start again I open up PSE and start pulling it all back together. I get about to where I was before the outage and my screen goes black, I hear the whir of my computer shutting off, and the house is suddenly quiet and dark.... CRAP!! You'd think I would have thought about saving... but noooo.

Now I get to try and salvage dinner since it was cooking when the power went out. Maybe I'll try again later with the header... and when I do, I'll save as I go.

Excuse me :)

2009-04-15T18:23:00.003-06:00

Working on a new look for the blog. I should have it all done by tomorrow. Yay!

Miss You...

2009-04-14T14:06:00.004-06:00

I've been thinkin' about my gal pal Kasi a lot lately. Wishin' I had someone to hang with and scrap with again. It's been almost six months since I've seen her. So today while playing in Digital Candy's speed scrap I did a page with us. I hope you are having a fabulous day my friend!

The Loot!

2009-03-29T13:41:00.003-06:00

Well Julie and I had so much fun on our day out... it was nearly the whole afternoon. We headed out at 11 am and didn't get home until 4! We even met her up with her mom who lives pretty close to Making Memories so we could all shop together. After the shopping we went to Iggy's and had a great late lunch!

The sale had tons of Awesome deals! There were lots of stuff and lots of ladies hungrily grabbing at everything. If you decide to go here's some tips.

I'm glad I limited myself money-wise, taking only cash. It made me really think about my purchases and if I would use them.

Take a large bag, like a tote with you. They'll give you an empty box to haul around with you to put your stuff in but it doesn't have handles making it akward when wading through the crowds.

wear comfy shoes. You'll be walking a bit and standing in lines, if you go in the morning, for check out.

I took $60 with me and spent it plus some change I had on me and got all this!! I ended up with 35 items so that roughly adds up to less than $2 per item... not bad,eh?

So Excited!

2009-03-28T10:34:00.003-06:00

I'm heading to Making Memories this afternoon with a new friend of mine. I'll let you know if I find anything good!! whoo hoo!!

Lucky Me!

2009-03-17T18:50:00.003-06:00

We had a fun morning today. The naughty Leprechauns came again and left the kids with green marks all over their arms and faces anda pile of "gold" candy. They also left a large pot of "gold" for mom and dad to share.

Everyone got dressed up in their green duds. I wore, what Emily lovingly dubbed, my "ho heels" so I could be festive too.

Sweet!

2009-03-05T23:05:00.004-07:00

While checking out all my favorite blogs I ran across a fun one. Kinsey over at Kinseygirl posted a fun FREE way to make your own font. It took just a few minutes and out comes your very own personal font! I thought even you Digi girls might want to get in on it, if you don't have your own font yet, so you can add even more of a personal touch to your pages.

Finally it's gone!

2009-02-27T12:14:00.005-07:00

For the last few months Jesse has been wiggling one of his front teeth but it has never been quite loose enough to come out. Even with the new grown-up tooth coming in it still wouldn't let go. Hubby has been bugging me to get him into the dentist so they can yank it but I figured it would come out when it was ready. Also I didn't want Jesse to get upset or nervous having the dentist in his mouth doing who knows what. I know they know what they are doing but a six year old doesn't have a clue. Finally yesterday you could tell it was on that last strand of whatever was holding it up there and "POP" out it came! Now you can see his big tooth! I think this smile is just adorable.

Of course a visit from the tooth fairy was in order, which I totally spaced until the alarm went off this morning. So I ran downstairs, grabbed some cash and went to go sneak into his room to find that he was already awake and slightly disappointed that the tooth fairy hadn't shown up. So what do I do? Some really quick thinking. Somehow the tooth fairy got confused and left money under MY pillow! Silly tooth fairy!! So I traded the money I got for the tooth and he totally bought it!! The tooth fairy has a know reputation for being unreliable and scatterbrained in this house!

Flavorful Friday

2009-02-07T12:35:00.004-07:00

Yes... I know it's Saturday. I have been having fun with my out-of-state family that will be here for a while. I hope to post some more about it later. Right now though I want to get to my recipe.

Here in Utah we seem to have a few things that are hard to find outside of this state. I didn't know anything about fry sauce until I moved here and the same could be said about the cookie I'm about to post a recipe of. Chocolate Chip Pumpkin Cookies sound to me like a fall food, just like turkey and pumpkin pie. But here you can find these soft cake-like cookies year round. These are the only cookies my youngest will eat. Wierd, I know, but once they are baked he can't get enough of them! I'd have to say my most favorite thing about these are that it only requires 3 ingredients!

Pumpkin Chocolate Chip Cookies

1 (14 ounce) can 100% pure pumpkin
1 (18.25 ounce) package spice cake mix
1 Cup Chocolate chips

DIRECTIONS
Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Lightly grease two baking sheets.
Dump pumpkin and cake mix into a large bowl. Stir until well blended and creamy. Stir in chocolate chips. Drop by spoonfuls (I use my medium scoop from Pampered Chef) on prepared baking sheets.
Bake in preheated oven until tops are firm when lightly touched, 8 to 10 minutes. Cool on racks. Makes about 2 dozen cookies.

Paper fun!

2009-01-31T01:11:00.003-07:00

It's been so long since I've scrapped a LO. So I was really happy when a group of mine put on a crop and I actually got to play! Not a whole lot but enough for me to really want to keep going even after it's over. I even got a digi LO done for one of the challenges!

Flavorful Friday

2009-01-29T21:10:00.001-07:00

In honor of my super-duper cruise I decided today's Flavorful Friday would be something I ate almost every night aboard the Elation! The waiters at our table knew exactly what to bring DH every night for dessert... this, with 3 vanilla ice creams! On the last night he ordered double his usual. Once we got home he had me scouring the internet to find his beloved dessert. Well I finally found it at cruisecritic.com on their boards. Last night I made this heavenly treat and it was just like I remembered! I bought the 7 oz. ramekins at Walmart, a set of two for $5. This recipe fills 6 ramekins. I personally like my center very runny, like hershey's syrup, and last night I baked it for 13 minutes. The center was more like hot fudge. Next time, and there Will be a next time, I'll bake for a minute or two less. I have yet to finish the whole thing... it is sooo rich, but sooo worth it!

Warm Melting Chocolate Cake

8 oz. dark chocolate (you can use 1 1/3 C. semi-sweet choc. chips)

8 oz. butter

5 eggs (room temperature)

5/8 C. sugar

2/3 C. flour

Directions

Melt chocolate & butter over low heat. In mixing bowl, mix eggs and sugar, then add flour. Slowly whisk into the melted chocolate mixture. Pour into greased (i used Baker's Joy) ramekins. (i tried 4 oz. & 7 oz. -- 7 oz. is just too big!) Bake at 400 F for 12-14 minutes. Yield: 36 oz. unbaked batter; 8 servings if you use a 4 oz. ramekin.Adjust times according to the size ramekin you use, and the texture you prefer. In a 4 oz. ramekin for 13 min., the texture on the inside of the cake was a little heavier than pudding, kind of like a loose fudge. I also did some in my convection oven at 350F. 13 minutes in a 4 oz. ramekin yielded a smooth, hot fudge sauce-like center. In the 7 oz. size, 16 min. at 350F in the convection oven produced a pudding-like texture in the middle. Regular oven, 7 oz. size, at 400F, smooth, heavy sauce-like texture resulted after 14 min.

Playing Catch-up

2009-01-29T09:20:00.006-07:00

This month has been crazy busy for me. With three birthdays, a cruise, sick kids and surgery for DH I feel like I've not had a moments peace. So to catch you up on things here's what's been happening.

Jesse turned six before we left on our cruise. It was just a small family party. We all had a lot of fun watching him blow out all those candles after singing to him! Since Christmas Jess has been obsessed with Legos. Not so much the building of them (dad helps with that) but just playing with them. So he and dad put the legos together with super glue so they won't come apart in his 6 year-old hands. I bet you can't even guess what he got? No ideas??

LEGOS!!

Indiana Jones and Star Wars Legos. Along with a nerf gun so he can have wars now with his brother. I like that they keep him busy and he lets his sisters in on the action most of the time. There's only one thing I don't like about them... they end up everywhere!!

Just a few days later DH and I headed off to the airport to catch a plane to San Diego. It was so nice once we got off the plane because you could tell you were somewhere that didn't have snow! It was 60 and sunshiney in beautiful San Diego. It took just a few minutes to get from the airport to where the cruise ships dock and getting through check-in was a breeze.

I was so proud of myself for getting used to the motion of the boat quickly and not once getting sick! We had an inside cabin which we loved! You can sleep anytime you want and not worry about the sun waking you. The food was so good and the activities kept you busy while going port to port.

On Sunday I got to enjoy a wonderful hour at their Spa and got the Exotic Lime & Ginger Salt Glow & Half Body Massage. Oh, it was HEAVEN!! And just in time for Formal Night that night. Dinner was Lobster Tails and Steak along with anything else off the menu. After dinner and before the dancing (no, I didn't get DH to dance) they had photographers everywhere taking pics of everyone in their formal wear. This is the only professional pic I got for the entire cruise since they were like $20 a sheet!

Monday we arrived in Cabo San Lucas. It was so warm (80 degrees!!) and pretty there. I wore my shorts and my swimsuit off the boat because I wanted some sun and I was not getting back on the boat without swimming in the ocean. I used to, every Summer at least once, when I was a child. Since we lived about 30 - 40 minutes from Santa Cruz, CA it was a cheap way for my mom to entertain us. We checked out the local flea markets but didn't buy much. Most of our spending was in Ensenada two days later.

See that big yacht? When we got off there were all kinds of rumors flying around that it was Tiger Woods'(Cabo's got a great golf course). Once we got to the beach we saw that it had a British Flag flying so knew that wasn't his, but whomever it does belong to was WELL OFF! You can't see it in the pic but on the back of the yacht there was a helicopter!

I didn't get any pictures in Ensenada... although we did have a great time. One of the couples we were cruising with took us to a little hole-in-the-wall Empanada stand. Oh My Gosh!! They were sooo good! Next time we go I will be going back with an empty stomache! After that we walked down the Main tourist-y street and got many things. Jewelry for Em and I at the sterling silver shop, a leather purse that feels like buttah for me and lots of other things for the kids. We even stopped to watch a guy do some spray paint art. It was amazing!

I can't wait to go again. Next time we will be taking all the kids and making it a family vacation.

5 Things I Like About Today... so far.

2009-01-22T16:36:00.004-07:00

My BFF Katie tagged me over at her blog, so I figure I might as well post. It's just a short little thing. Thanks Katie for thinking of me!

I'm finally home after many errands that had to be done.
I don't have to think about dinner tonight.
I got to shower this morning... I'm sure everybody I ran into appreciated that.
My kids aren't fighting with each other.
My cute high-heeled boots are off my feet!

Now to tag others. Hmmm.... I tag:

Shelley

Flavorful Friday

2009-01-09T10:00:00.003-07:00

So sorry everyone for not having a picture of this. I really wanted to make it this week but with sick kids, two birthdays, and trying to get my home in order so that I can leave in peace tomorrow... I just haven't had the time. I hope you enjoy and I'll see ya when I get back!

Chocolate Oatmeal Bars

2/3 C. butter or margarine, softened

1 C. packed brown sugar

1/3 C. corn syrup

1 t. vanilla

4 C. quick cooking oats

1 pkg. (11 1/2 ounces) milk chocolate chips

2/3 C. chunky peanut butter

4 Heath candy bars (1.2 ounces), crushed

Directions

In a mixing bowl, cream the butter and brown sugar. Add corn syrup and vanilla; beat well. Stir in oats; press into a greased 13 x 9-in baking pan. Bake at 350 degrees for 12-15 minutes or until golden brown. Cool on a wire rack.

In a microwave or heavy saucepan, melt chocolate chips and peanut butter; stir until blended. Spread over cooled bars. Sprinkle with crushed candy bars. Refrigerate until set before cutting.

Be Careful What You Wish For...

2009-01-06T17:00:00.003-07:00

Because it might just happen!

I've been wanting some snow now for a couple of weeks. The kids were home and I thought the Christmas break would be a great time to go sledding. Well Old Man Winter wasn't cooperating with me. I only wanted a few inches of fluffy white stuff for the kids to play in while they were here. Well I finally got what I wanted! It's been snowing since yesterday afternoon and as grateful as I am for it, I'm ready to be done with it all! I think there's at least a foot out there. I've had to use the snow blower four times in the last 24 hours. I've gotten stuck almost twice! Plus I have a hard time shopping for all those little things I have to pack before Saturday.

I can't wait for 80 degrees in Cabo San Lucas!

Happy Birthday to me!

2009-01-05T20:39:00.003-07:00

I love my hubby! He knows me so well!!

It's just what I wanted... something I could carry around in my purse and perfect for our cruise!

Flavorful Friday

2009-01-02T19:11:00.002-07:00

Sorry for missing last weeks flavorful friday. With the holidays and all I was just way busy. I hope you all forgive me. I also don't have a picture to go with this weeks recipe. The last time I made it I didn't even think to take a picture. I hope you enjoy!

Preview Chicken

4 chicken breasts, cooked and diced
1 Can each of cream of chicken soup and cream of celery soup
1 Cup sour cream
1 pkg. Herbed croutons, crushed
1/2 a stick of margarine or butter, melted
1 Cup Chicken broth or stock

Directions
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Mix together in a medium bowl the two soups and the sour cream. Set aside. Layer, in a 13 x 9 inch pan, in this order chicken, soup mix, and crushed croutons. Drizzle margarine over the croutons. Then add the chicken broth evenly over the top making sure the croutons are well soaked. Bake for 40 minutes. Serve over hot buttered egg noodles.

Seems like forever & Color Challenge

2008-12-31T22:24:00.005-07:00

I think it has been months since I have done anything creative. I want to but I have been having a hard time finding a moment where I can sit for any period of time and just create. That's part of why I love the Christmas break. My kids are home, there's no scheduled activites, the bigger ones can help keeping Jesse occupied. Giving me time to sit and play. The last thing I did before this last week was make a couple of cards.

A couple of days ago I made this.

And after seeing Kristina's color inspiration for this week I was ready to make my cards for my next swap. I know it isn't exactly whisper white but for me it's close enough. And these aren't even due until Jan. 22!! Yay for me!!

Flavorful Friday

2008-12-19T15:01:00.004-07:00

One of our favorite meals around here is my Dad's Tuna Noodle Casserole. It makes for an easy fall-back meal for those days when you completely forget about defrosting something. I always have the ingredients on hand. I personally love it with the red bell pepper in it but none of my kids do so it's usually left out. Plus as much as I love the peppers my body doesn't and I end up burping the rest of the night. So I guess the kids not eating them is a good thing... for everybody.

I like to serve this with some green beans and rolls. This recipe is easily doubled and fits well in a 9 x 13 pan, just increase the baking time to 25 minutes.

Tuna or Chicken Casserole
from: My Daddy
serves: 4-5

6 to 9 oz. Pasta (large shells, rigatoni, or noodles)

1 or 2 small cans of tuna or chicken

½ C. mayonnaise

1 C. chopped celery

1 C. shredded Monterrey jack cheese

¼ C. chopped red bell pepper

½ C. milk

1 can cream of mushroom soup

bread crumbs

Directions
Slightly under cook pasta, drain. Combine pasta, meat, mayonnaise
and vegetables. Blend soup and milk, heat. Add cheese to soup
mixture to melt. Add to pasta mix. Turn into 1 ½ quart
casserole dish. Top with bread crumbs and bake at 425` for 20 min.

The Twilight Before Christmas

2008-12-12T19:34:00.003-07:00

Ok... Shelley sends me some of the funniest stuff. Tonight it was this! OMG I died laughing!! Every twilight fan will love this!

Flavorful Friday

2008-12-12T14:43:00.002-07:00

I thought I'd try doing something new here. I've been seeing a lot of my friends share recipes and I wanted to share some of my own. So I'm starting up "Flavorful Friday"! Let me know if you guys like it and want me to keep going with it.

Last night we went to our ward's Christmas Party. We all had a lot of fun. The kids each had to do something for the entertainment portion. The little kids all got to sing, Zac was one of the Wise Men for the Nativity scene, and Emily, along with the young women, sang. I got to make a dessert to take. One that's always a crowd pleaser is Zebra Cake.

Zebra Cake

1 small box instant chocolate pudding
1 small box instant vanilla pudding
2 C. milk
8 oz. Whipped topping, thawed
2 to 2.5 sleeves of chocolate graham crackers
1 C. Chocolate chips

In two bowls mix puddings separately with 1 C. milk each. Let stand for 5 minutes. Then fold 1/2 of the whipped topping into each bowl. In an 8 x 8 pan layer grahams, 1/2 the chocolate pudding mixture, grahams, 1/2 the vanilla pudding mixture. Repeat. Finish with a layer of graham crackers. Refrigerate for 6 hours. Melt and spread chocolate chips on top. Serves 6 to 8.

So much to do!

2008-12-10T14:41:00.004-07:00

As the hours count down to Christmas I have been trying to better this year and get stuff done before Christmas Eve. I have all these crafty ideas in my head and loads on my to do list that is making the holidays a bit overwhelming. Not to mention that we are having car problems with the Durango and we are now forced into being a one car family and that car has only FIVE SEATS! This makes daily kindergarten pick-up and church on Sunday very interesting.

So to keep me working and not playing I'm posting my list here so you guys can keep me in line.

Christmas to-do list:

Wrap Presents. The piles in my closet are getting to be larger than I want and is now taking over so I can hardly get to my laundry. Plus the kids will be excited to see something under the tree.

Finish Cards. I need to make 12 cards for a swap that's due on the 15th. I've just got to get it from my head into actual paper creations. Also figure out what I'm going to do about our cards this year. Is anyone doing them? I haven't recieved one yet...

Christmas Lists. Finalize who's getting what with DH so that we can finish shopping.

Cruise Stuff. DH and I are really going! The only way we pulled this off is that work is paying for it. The whole IT dept. is setting sail next month for Baja Mexico. DH and I need to figure out what we will be doing in Cabo and Ensenada. If anyone has some good tips please let me know!

Passports. I really think we should get these. Not just for this one trip but hopfully for future trips as well. Technically we can get away with out them for this trip, but still...

Cookies. I was not very good about this last year. I made some but not nearly as much as I wanted. The kids and DH are already pestering me about it. They want their Christmas goodies and treats like Chocolate covered peanut butter balls, Russian Tea Cakes, Thumbprints, Fudge, Chocolate-Carmel Goodies, and whatever else I can whip up.

Clean. I swear it takes only 0.2 seconds for my kids to trash a room. I need to help them recover the floor. I know it's somewhere under the piles of backpacks, jackets, toys and blankets they must use every day.

Dessert for Ward Christmas Party. I'm making Zebra Cake for tomorrow night's party. It's a pretty easy recipe. I just need to remember to make it in the morning so it has time to refridgerate. Oh and don't let me forget my fluffy pink robe for Zac... he's being a wise man in the Nativity scene. What!?! Wise men can wear pink!

Make Trees. I really only put this one on so I can say that it's done! CHECK! Yay me!! I made my own version of Cathie Fillian's tree. You can see her's here. Her's looks way better but this fills some space and makes it look a little more like Christmas in the office. We'll see if DH gets annoyed with it tonight and asks me to find a new place for it. Hee hee!! I made one to go by the front door so I could hide all the extentions and plugs for the lights.

I'm sure there's more but I can't think of anything else at the moment. So help keep me motivated so I can check off something every day.

Scribble It Giveaway @ Grosgrain

2008-12-02T11:25:00.006-07:00

I don't know if any of you ladies have seen some of the work over at Kathleen's site Grosgrain but it is some pretty amazing stuff!!! She's always doing these awesome giveaways just about every week. Mostly I just lurk because they are handmade outfits for little girls like these.

Aren't they just stunning!!

But today she's offering a $20 giftcard for some way cute vinyl by Scribble it. You can check it out yourself here.

Feeling bloggy today

2008-11-25T17:09:00.003-07:00

Now don't roll off your chair and die! Yes, it's been known to happen... me making two posts in one day. Today I went to the kids school to see Ally perform in her class' Band Tours. Ally and her band have been practicing for twice a week several weeks in a row now. Today they got up on the class "stage" and had a ball! The girls came up with all the choreography by themselves and also chose the song to go with the city they were performing in, White Horse, YT, Canada!

You can also see the nicer looking one here by clicking on the high quality link right under the video.

Having Fun at Twilight

2008-11-25T14:16:00.003-07:00

Well I had so much fun last Thursday/Friday For the Midnight showing of Twilight! I got to hang out with all my wonderful friends. We went to dinner and went back to Shanna's and played games until about 11:15. Then we all headed over to the theater. These are one of the times I'm so thankful to the MegaPlex for doing reserved seating. I didn't have to be there waiting and waiting hours before the movie to get a good seat. There were whoops and hollers galore once the lights dimmed and then the time flew!!

I really liked the movie... but it wasn't what I had expected. I guess I was hoping for more... but what movie adaptation of a book even comes close to what you feel and imagine while you are reading? I have to say I did enjoy it more the second time I saw it. And if someone asked me to go again I'd probably do it just to listen to the amazing soundtrack and watch all the hotties on the big screen!

Just playin' around...

2008-11-17T14:21:00.004-07:00

with some of the digital kits that I've found as freebies here and there. Emily is really getting into it too. I downloaded a few templates to make it easier for her to make it look nice. After she was done playing I messed around with it too and came up with this. It took me about 30 minutes to do it. If I was to make it the traditional way it might have taken... oh, about 1 to 2 hours.
These are pictures from last year. We got snow dumped on us and the piles were huge! The kids had a great time that day.

Truely Thankful

2008-11-13T09:08:00.002-07:00

Today I recieved an email from my sis-in-law Barbie and knew I had to share it. I'm not one to usually get spiritual on my blog, but in the next few weeks we will be celebrating Thanksgiving. I want to share with you what I am truely thankful for... you may want to grab some tissue.

Jesus Christ has made it possible for me to have all the blessings I have and all those that are to come. Words cannot express the love and gratitude I feel for my Savior. Be thankful today.

Happy 15th Pumpkin!

2008-10-23T23:57:00.005-06:00

Where has the time gone! My first born is now officially 15! I'm not sure I want what's coming in the next year.... driving.... dating....UGH! Not that she'll be bad at those things... she's responsible and thoughtful and caring. I just don't like how fast it goes! It seems like just yesterday she was like this.

So sweet, so innocent... if you asked her to show you some attitude she'd strike the pose, with her chest out, looking over her shoulder and her hands on her hips... so cute!

Now I have this.

Not that there's anything wrong with it but now that she's getting older I feel the time moving faster. I don't have years and years before I have to start thinking about college or her moving out. And although it can be sad to think about it's also an exciting time in her life. She'll have her first date, getting her dirver's license, Homecoming, Prom, and so many others... and I'll be there supporting, encouraging, and loving her for every bit of it.

Happy birthday Sweetie!

Oh, and since I started this post at 11:57 it totally still qualifies as posting on her birthday.

Happy People Dancing

2008-10-21T09:37:00.003-06:00

My mom sent me this video yesterday and in a world where you see and hear negative things on a daily basis it just makes my heart happy to see something like this. I hope it makes you smile!

Where the Hell is Matt? (2008) from Matthew Harding on Vimeo.

Pumpkin Land

2008-10-20T08:02:00.005-06:00

Last Wednesday Jesse and I had a fun time on his first field trip in his new school. I got to be in charge of Jesse and two friends. Any more and I might not have been able to keep track.

We got to ride the bus.

Play with the painted cut-outs, make silly faces and try to snap pictures quickly so as not to hold up traffic.

Play at the play area. Jesse got hurt twice because there were so many kids playing at one time.

We also looked at the animals they had like bunnies, pigeons, ducks, chicken, and goats. Jesse liked the super long haired bunnies because he said they looked like rock stars.

While lining up to go into "Spook Alley" Jesse got in the wrong line while I was rounding up the other two boys. Instead of waiting with his class he got in the line right into Spook Alley. Now I'm worried that somethings happened. there's so many kids and not enough parent eyes. So I quickly walk through Spook Alley trying not to crush the other kids who are looking and standing around. I finally spot him just about to go out and call him back to me. I then get to haul him back to the beginning of Spook Alley where I get to see a few of the displays. They were all about mixed-up stories like James and the Giant Moose and Charlie and the Pumpkin Factory. After that, the kids got their picture taken as a class and then picked a pumpkin to take home before heading back to school.

Final Trailer until November 21!

2008-10-10T09:38:00.002-06:00

Twilight HD Exclusive Trailer

Holy Crap!! I can't wait!!

Sick of making dinner?

2008-10-08T19:33:00.002-06:00

Tired of the same old, same old? I tried a wonderful new dish from my BFF, Katie. It's super easy, super yummy Crock-Pot Taco Soup! Soup is usually not something we have a lot of here in our home. Mostly because Lloyd prefers to have to chew his food not slurp it down. He also keeps telling me to try new things since I tend to get bored quickly with the meals I prepare. Tonight I did and it was sooooo Good!! I did tweak it a bit to suit my family.

I used pinto beans instead of the garbanzo beans... hoping my kids would be less suspicious of the new dish with beans in it that they knew.
I only added 1 TBSP of the dried minced onions.
Along with all the toppings I added crushed up corn chips.
and I added about 3 cups of water.

After dinner I asked all the kids if they'd eat it again and everyone but Jesse said ,"Oh yeah!" So my hats off to you Katie for saving dinner!! And if any of you give it a whirl don't forget to leave Katie some Lovin.

Blog Overhaul

2008-10-05T00:18:00.002-06:00

After a cool and rainy day today I have been feeling like it really is Fall. So to commemorate the season I decided to give my blog a make-over. It took me forever to make the banner since it had been so long since I did anything digi. I kept trying to drag everything from my photo bin to make the banner and apparently that's a big no-no in PSE 6. I'm glad it's done now. It reminds me of the beautiful colors of the leaves turning on Mount Timp. So whadd'ya think? Does it remind you of Fall?

Boxes, boxes and more boxes!

2008-09-30T09:10:00.007-06:00

I feel like this is going to take forever!! Everywhere I turn there are more boxes to unpack. The kitchen's all done but I seem to find that on the counter things pile up from just about anywhere in the house. Leaving it looking like a mess all the time. Emily's room is mostly done and you can see some of the floor... she seems to prefer it that way. The boys room is done. The girls room needs help as well as the rest of the house. I can't even set up my stuff in the front room a.k.a. my scrap room because my IKEA shelf is still in the garage. Without it I have no place to put my stuff which fills 8 medium boxes from Home Depot!

I need desperately to get it my scrap room all together so I can kit out all the stuff for Thrilling Thursday. That gives me two days people to put my room back in order and get about 20 kits ready to go. I just realized today that I have no clue when it starts on Thursday. So if someone knows could ya please post it for me so I'm not late. Cross your fingers for me!

It's Official... We're Moving! AGAIN!!!!

2008-09-19T17:27:00.003-06:00

I know all my good friends and family knew we wouldn't stay still for very long. We have a terrible track record for moving. Most of my kids can say they have moved as many times as they are old. It's not like were in the military or anything like that, we just don't have very much luck when it comes to staying put. I know my in-laws are happy about the move though since we will only be 1.2 miles from their home. We've lived in that area before so the transition will be easier on the kids. They will be going to familiar schools and possibly reunite with old friends.

The down-side of it all is:

that I will be leaving behind my treasured friends whom I've come to love. I will miss you all terribly but I've made Rachel and Shauna promise to keep me informed with all the fun activities that go on here in hopes of attending many of them.
pack up the house yet again. What a pain! It's so sad when your daughters know the drill so well that they had most of their rooms packed in one day.
with this move we will not be able to bring our dogs with us. They are very cute and loving. The girls have shed their tears over it and we are now looking for new homes for both of them. I've got them listed on KSL here and here.
and lastly I've got a week to pack it all up and move it all out. Thursday or Friday will be my last day in this home.

Our reasons for moving are that Lloyd's work is not moving as they had planned. Instead of a 30 to 40 minute commute now it will be 10 to 15 minutes max. Also we have family there and it's been so painful, and by painful I mean expensive, to drive back and forth like we want to. My durango would eat through a 1/4 of a tank there and back... that's like $40 every weekend to drop off and pick up!

I don't have a picture yet but I hope to post one of our new digs later tomorrow.

Finding more time to play

2008-09-15T14:05:00.003-06:00

Now that I have 2 - 3 hours alone everyday.

It feels so good...

2008-09-08T21:57:00.004-06:00

To play with all my pretty scrap supplies! I haven't done pages in so long. A group of my friends are putting on a crop and I'm actually playing along. Here's the two pages I've gotten done so far and I hope to complete several more before the week is over. Wish me luck!!

Thrilling Thursday

2008-09-02T15:51:00.005-06:00

Along with not blogging in forever I've also not scrapped in just as long. The only occurrences I have, have been at the neighborhood scrap nights making a couple of cards. Mostly I'm there to socialize with my friends. This last week I've decided to dust off the table and supplies and make some tags. It didn't hurt that I really needed to get them done since I was asked weeks ago to do them for Relief Society's annual craft day. Here's what I've got so far...

So what do you think? Would you go to a class and mak'em?

I thought a simple technique like embossing would be a good starter. I've done some heat embossing along with dry embossing on the tags. I'm also trying to keep them fairly simple and low cost so that they will be affordable for everyone.

You're killing me Smalls....

2008-09-02T09:02:00.007-06:00

Thanks Katie for giving me the needed push to get back on the horse. I've been a horrible blogger this summer. I'm not gonna get into the details but lets just say it's been a bit trying.

Now todays post is basically gonna be catch up. So hold on to your horses.

The Primary Parade.

The kids had a lot of fun walking down the main street in our neighborhood behind the large and very loud fire truck that participates every year. The whole week before it the kids had the tough decision of what home-made instrument to bring to play as they were walking. Both Kylie and Jesse decided on ice cream tub drums and mom's scrapbook markers to bang on them with. Nice. And this is how you find Ally if there are any little kids around. She is forever playing and cooing with them. Her life's ambition is to be a mom.

Ally's 10th birthday.

This girl knew exactly what she wanted, not that she got it all. She did get several new outfits, some computer games, a fur-real pet and a new mountain bike. Her last one was left behind daddy's car a few months before. Ally decided that cake just wouldn't do this year. Instead she and I made 24 cupcakes, frosted them and then let everyone decorate their own with sugar sprinkles.

I can't believe more than half of my kids are in their double digitsnow . Ally is one of the sweetest most loving girls. I love her so much and couldn't imagine life here without her. Happy Birthday Ally Cat.

Jesse lost his first tooth!

I for sure thought something was wrong with them... none of my others ever lost their teeth this early. Kylie's front teeth didn't come in until she was 7 1/2 so there was no way his were coming out at just five. I even took him in to the dentist because his two front teeth were wiggling and I thought for sure they were rotting out and he'd be toothless for years before they came in. The dentist was very sweet and took an x-ray for me and showed me that his adult teeth were just coming down and it would be just a few week more until they fell out. I was surprised and relieved. Sure enough, just a few weeks later the bottom one was loose and popped right out with no fuss. His top ones are getting looser every day.

A summer shower.

The kids had some fun playing in the summer downpour. It was warm so they rode around and danced in the street. I love Emily and Ally striking their poses!

The Big Eight!

Not only was she turning eight but it was also the first day of school. I think she had fun none the less. Kylie told me days before she wanted chocolate... chocolate cake, chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream. Ahhh, a girl after my own heart! After coming home and handing me a stack of papers that needed to be signed we had her birthday dinner, Chicken Lasagna, and opened gifts.

I love my little girl. She is full of spunk and sass and is generally happy and loving. She loves math and the colors yellow and silver. She is always playing with her friends and has a very creative imagination. She owns a special part of my heart. Happy Birthday my darling Ky-Ky.

The First Day of Kindergarten.

I can tell you I have dreaded this day for a long time. My youngest off to school... no more babies in my home... and hours of too much peace. After almost fifteen years of having someone under foot, it feels weird to be alone for hours every day. Jesse on the other hand is loving it!! Miss. Bell is such a nice teacher and I've heard nothing but compliments about her so I know he's in good hands. After school our conversation went like this.

Mom: So how was school?

Jesse: good.

Mom: What did you do today?

Jesse: I can't remember.

Mom: Well, did you make any friends?

Jesse: Yeah a boy and a girl. They sit at my table.

Mom: That's good. What are their names?

Jesse: I don't know. I'm hungry. Can I have a turkey sandwich?

Once Lloyd got home though he got a lot more out of him. I don't know why but maybe he just needed time to process all the new stuff before he talked about it.

Dressed All In White.

What a lovely day Kylie's baptism was. We got there early to make sure Lloyd and her got ready on time and time for a few quick photos before it started. I couldn't make it through the first song without tearing up. The spirit was strong that day. Knowing that this was the last dress I'd be buying for these kind of days and that there was only one left to do this again in our family. I had to get one of the kids to go get me tissue because I couldn't reign the tears in. Kylie was radient in her dress. Glowing with the spirit and so happy it was her special day.

If you're wondering where Zac was in all this... He was downstairs playing W.O.W. or Call of Duty on his X-box.

the things we do for school

2008-07-18T08:15:00.003-06:00

I have to say that Jesse is really looking forward to going to school. He asks me almost daily if it is time yet and I keep telling him not until Kylie's birthday, then you will meet your teacher. I don't think he gets it yet that after the meeting he'll still have a week more of waiting until that big yellow bus comes for him.
Wednesday I took him in for his kindergarten physical. He passed with flying colors, but before we could leave the poor boy had to get some shots. Four of them to be exact. He was not a happy camper but a frosty afterwards made it all better for the most part. Off and on all the rest of the day he kept saying his leg was dead, just one at a time, and then limp all over with an "ow" on every other step. It was hilarious!

I thought I'd also include a pic of one of my beautiful finds this summer in my front yard. I had no idea what this plant was when we first moved in. All I did know was that it wasn't a weed so I let it grow. For two summer's all it was was leaves. I figured it must be something other than that when big buds that looked like golf balls popped up this summer. One of my neighbors and I were talking about our gardens and I mentioned it to her and she told me what it was... a Peony. The kids checked them out every day waiting for them to burst open. They were so excited when the first one opened and every day after that they would give me a report on how many were open that day. it was so sweet.

Summer Vacation is here!

2008-06-05T20:54:00.003-06:00

Yes my kids will be officially all out of school after tomorrow! I'm so excited about that. this year we will have a nice long break. Last year on track C the kids only had about tree weeks off before school was going again. This summer they will seven weeks! I can't believe we've been here two years already. For those of you who know our track record on moving you know that two years anywhere is a big accomplishment.

Tonight I tried to upload some videos but they are just not working for me. They are either too big or YouTube is not working at the moment.

A few weeks ago Ally had her spring concert.

Kylie was awarded a medal for being on the Raptor Honor Roll in April.

Emily had her spring concert... I didn't get a picture of her, just a video and since that's not working at the moment you'll just have to wait. Hahaha!

Zac was ordained a deacon on the 25th of May. It was a very touching moment that I will treasure forever. I don't remember all that was said but, when those worthy preisthood holders were done and the way was clear before me I saw my son touched with the spirit of his Heavenly Father. He had to sit there a minute to compose himself before shaking the Bishop, Scout Leader and Home Teacher's hands, then hugged his dad and grandpa, and then came to me with tear-filled eyes to hug him and hold on to him until his emotions were under control again. Those of you with teenage sons know, hugging mom is just not something they do, so I took full advantage of it and held on as long as he'd let me.

Zac passed the sacrament for the first time the following Sunday. He was a little nervous but he did great. I got a little treat at the end when I got to hand him the water tray. Emily couldn't help herself and made silly faces at him while he was waiting for it which made him smile.

So you can see we've been pretty busy here. I hope to get those videos up soon, so chack back and just maybe they'll be here... :D

2008-06-03T14:56:00.001-06:00

What Your Flip Flops Say About You

You live to have fun, and your sense of humor is downright goofy.

You are a big kid on the inside, and you have a very open heart.

You try to make every day feel like a vacation, even if you have other responsibilities.

Each day, you make a little bit of time to play and let loose.

Your ideal warm weather place: Disney World

The Flip Flop Test

I thought this was a cute little test I found over on my friend Gabrielle's blog.

three weeks

2008-05-29T20:56:00.004-06:00

It's almost been that long since my last post here. I'm sure you are all wondering what happened to me. I didn't fall in a hole or get beamed up by aliens, I've just been busy being a mom and getting all those last minute school things finished before the kids are out for Summer. Emily's got three days left and the rest of them five.... that's it!! I can't tell you how much I'm looking forward to summer vacation!! No more alarms going off and rushing to make it to the bus, no more homework to check and last minute book reports to do.

Today was another rush, here rush there kinda day. Tomorrow I promise I will post some of what's been going on... right now it's after ten, my feet hurt from wearing heels all day and I just wanna crash. Before I go though, I'll leave you with some cards I did for Tonya's challenge over at AMM.

AMM's Book Of Me Class

2008-05-09T09:11:00.002-06:00

Oh I forgot to tell you about their new online class. One of the DT members Karen is teaching it. It's 6 easy & not so easy things about me mini album. I'm signed up and working on it. I thought it was a great thing for me since I rarely do any scrapping of me. I wanted my kids and their kids to have a piece of me... something I wish I had from my past generations. If you think it might be something you're interested in today's the last day to sign up and for $10 it's a great deal!

Here's what I've done so far...

National Scrapbook Day Weekend...

2008-05-07T16:57:00.006-06:00

was last weekend. You could find a crop in just about every brick and mortar and online store. I spent my weekend at home playing along online at A Million Memories. They had loads of great challenges and I got quite a few done.
And more cards than I have done in along time.

Twilight

2008-05-06T07:46:00.005-06:00

Yes I'm one of the masses who loves this book!! It is a world wide best seller by Stephanie Meyer ya'know... and now that it's being turned into a movie I'm even more excited. There aren't many movies I'd rank in the category, "I can't wait to see it!!". Off the top of my head... Harry Potter, National Treasure, Lord of The Rings, and now I can add Twilight to the list. I just hope it lives up to my expectations.
A friend of mine sent me a link to view the first trailer!! You can see it here.

Braces

2008-05-05T22:15:00.003-06:00

After quite a wait Zac has finally got braces! His teeth have been messed up since those two top teeth came in. He'll be wearing them for the next 18 months. Every time I look at him with them on, he looks different. Somehow older and more grown up. In just a few more weeks my son will be twelve! I can't believe it!!

Being Productive...

2008-04-17T14:14:00.004-06:00

This it the week of SU's monthly crop. I've been busting out a bunch of pages. Some of them using swaps. Like these two at the top. I used the She is... Swap. I'm making this mini for Emily.

I know this one looks a lot like that one above and you'd be right but this one is for Ally's Album.

I loved these pics of Jesse on the trractor from last fall. He had a blast pretending on them!

One of me and Hubby from two years ago. He is nortorious for screwing up any picture with him in it! He can't stand having his picture taken so he talks while people snap away or tries to distract the other people in the photo.

Here's a LO of my family and some of the reasons I love them. This is one of the pictures from Easter.

I love this one of Kylie holding the baby tortoise. I used the Kisses and Hugs swap.

Since the DT thing is over...

2008-04-13T11:34:00.004-06:00

I thought I would share my entries with you. I used the January kit from A Million Memories and a few other odds and ends.

Apron and My Kids

2008-04-11T13:10:00.004-06:00

As promised... a picture of the apron I made for the apron swap. Not to toot my own horn, but I think I did pretty dang good for my first time using a pattern. I've only made a few things like a rag quilt and a super easy caddy for Emily's locker neither requiring this kind of detail. I really loved making it and am so glad I bought enough fabric to make two!
I have to give some credit to my mom and my friend Carol for walking me through this and teaching me some of the basics. Some of the directions were a bit confusing and it really helped to have some one kinda show me since I learn and retain things better visually.
If you like the pattern you can find it and others at http://www.theapronlady.com/ . this one's called "Flirty Skirty" and they even sell it in kid sizes so you can make a matching one for your little girl(s).

Yesterday my kids were so bored and desperate to go outside but the weather wasn't cooperating. It was cold, windy and overcast but they weren't deterred by that. They found a way to stay warm and still jump on the trampoline!

Update: the new DT over at A Million Memories has been chosen. I was not one of them. I'm doing good and am very happy for the 8 girls that made it.

Today's the day!

2008-04-11T08:51:00.002-06:00

Well hopefully it is. The submission deadline for the A Million Memories design team call was last night. So by tonight I think we'll all know the results. I wasn't even that concerned about it until about dinner time yesterday. Then the nerves and anticipation set in. I stayed up late and got up early in hopes of finding the email from Michelle.
I'm really trying not to obsess over it and get the stuff done that I need to today. I've got to finish my apron for JennSue's apron swap and get that mailed out today, be a mean mommy and get the kids to help me clean the family room and kitchen, and pack for a crop I'm going to tonight with my friends. I'm so glad I'm going tonight too. They will be either consoling me or cheering me on. Not that Lloyd wouldn't do those things but he's not the world's best when it comes to sympathy.
So come back later and I'll have a pic of my apron and, fingers crossed, the results of the design team call!

Keeping Busy

2008-04-07T17:00:00.005-06:00

Yep that's what I'm trying to do. DH's car is overheating so, after I mailed off the last of the love swap, off went DH in my car. Not the worst thing.. I got these done today.

The top a LO for Creative Therapy's Catalyst 4 and a card to use up some scraps.

Also got this LO done in between Conference talks this weekend. Thanks for looking!

Well it's done...

2008-04-03T16:42:00.002-06:00

I just emailed my Design Team submission in to A Million Memories! ACK!!! I'm on pins and needles and I still have a week to wait! Now I just need to keep myself busy to keep the self doubt from encroaching.... So I just might be posting a lot in the next week. :)

So something to post about, besides my nerves... I got my last and final package from my secret sister.

Isn't it beautiful!?! I got a ton of new Making Memories paper and SEI paper, velvet stickers, rubons, a mini calendar, that cute vine ribbon and the sweetest Inque Boutique stamps ever! I found out later that day that Michelle, the owner of A Million Memories, was the one who got me as her secret sister! Thanks Michelle for all the fabulous goodies these last three months. (((HUGS)))

Easter

2008-03-30T10:15:00.003-06:00

So sorry everyone for making you wait. It's been a busy week here and I just couldn't find the time to sit and post.

Easter was fabulous! The kids woke up at a decent time (no 3am sneaky peeks) and for the most part everybody enjoyed their candy (most of them still have some). Everyone was ready for church on time, looking their best in their new Easter clothes.

Dinner was exciting with 18 people and only 12 chairs but somehow we made due. After engorging ourselves all the women helped my nephew and his fiance address their wedding announcements and of course we had some dessert when we were done.

Baby Care Do's and Don't's

2008-03-17T21:23:00.007-06:00

My friend Shelley sent me this hilarious email tonight and just thought you guys would get a kick out of it too. If you'd like to see more you can pick up this book and it's companion here. I could see this as a great baby shower gift for new moms and dads!

Naughty Leprechauns

2008-03-17T10:07:00.003-06:00

Naughty Little Leprechauns visited our home last night. They hid gold in the kids bedrooms and drew on them with green marker while they slept. They were so excited to find their chocolate gold and see where their green markings were on eachother.

I've been tagged!

2008-03-15T11:30:00.003-06:00

Isn't it nice! Christine thinks I'm special! She's tagged me with the You Make My Day Award. I think she's pretty special too. :)

Now it's my turn to spread the happieness!

Here's what you do:
~ Write a post with links to 5 blogs you find of interest and that inspire you.

~ Acknowledge the post of the award giver.

~ Display the logo "You Make My Day".

~ Tell the award winners that they have won by commenting on their blogs with the news.

Hmmm...

2008-03-10T19:12:00.003-06:00

It's been another long span between posts. What can I say... my life can be pretty boring. :P

This week Zac ran into a door at school an gave himself a pretty good cut on his forehead. I took him to the local insta-care to get it looked at. He ended up with six stitches. There goes his dream of being a male model! Ha ha! These day that wouldn't stop them... with photo shop you can drop ten pounds in three clicks of your mouse. You sure as heck can airbrush out a little scar.

To make it worse for him today he got pushed into the area where they have the zip line at school and collided head first into someones knee. So now he's got a scabby cut, goose egg and soon to be black eye on the right side of his forehead. He's just had a bad week, poor thing.

On a lighter note I've been scrapping more. I dug into the never-ending pile of photos. I know you are all caught up and scrapping your photos as you take them. ;) I'm gonna try again for the Design Team over at A Million Memories. So keep you fingers crossed for me and for those of you who are going for it yourself, good luck to you!

The Zoo

2008-02-28T08:13:00.003-07:00

Yesterday Jesse and I went to the zoo. We were meeting our playgroup over there for Wacky Wednesday. Basically it's free day at the zoo. So you can guess how many moms with strollers were there!

We had a lot of fun. Jesse loves to get the maps they hand out at the gate. I think it makes him feel like he knows where he's going even though I'm pretty sure he doesn't know how to read it. I let him tell me where we're going and then we walk, holding hands, to our destination.

We checked out the elephants (Jesse's favorite animal), and the monkeys (he loved the baby orangutan who kept playing the whole time we watched), the giraffes (they had a baby too), the penguins, the tigers, the albino crocodile and so many others.

We stopped near the tiger exhibit to have lunch with our friends. We ended up in the shade which was not so fun. it was about 40 degrees by then and in the shade with a breeze it wasn't so enjoyable. So we stuffed our faces and then went to the ladies room to use the hand dryer to warm our pink fingers.

After we were all done looking at animals we went to the playground for a little bit to run around and climb on things. We were both exhausted and didn't stay there long. Just before heading home Jesse and I went to the gift shop to see if we could find a fun, cheap toy for him. He picked out an elephant head on a stick with a little trigger handle at the bottom so you can make it's mouth open and close. If you know what their called let me know. He also picked out two small stuffed animals for Ally and Kylie. As soon as we got home he had to put their animal on their pillow... So cute!

I'm so glad we went to the Zoo just him and I. Those times you get one on one are so special.

I love good mail days!

2008-02-25T14:45:00.003-07:00

Last Monday Emily and I were out looking for some stuff we needed at Target and she was just looking around and noticed the pretty signage they had hanging from the ceiling. She thought it would look cool in her room. I noticed that they were starting to make room for the new spring stuff and that all the Global Bazaar stuff was clearanced out. So I asked one of the workers if I could have the papers hanging from the ceiling. They said I could have whatever I wanted tomorrow because they were going to take it down and trash it anyway. So I went over there at 8:30 in the morning and picked up a bunch of these!
They had a few different colors. Green, Red, Orange, Orangie-Brown, and a light and dark blue! They all measured about 2ft x 4ft. I kept the red, orange, and green for myself and the rest are for Emily. I cut all mine into 12 x 12 sheets. Lazer cut paper is so hot right now in the scrapbook market, but at $2 a sheet I can't buy all I want. Now I have 24 sheets for FREE!!! I love Target!!

I had some unexpected treats show up in the mail this week! My first one was my Secret Sister package from the AMM girls. I just loved everything my SS got me! I can't wait to use the stamps and the papers are all so pretty and double sided! Thank you SS Whom ever you are. I can't wait to find out who you are next month!!!

I got to play today with some of the goodies that came in it. These are all the kids I had back in 2000. Just a few more months before Kylie was born. Don't they look so innocent? I keep trying to remember that when they are all yelling and trying to strangle eachother.

And the next day my Bingo Prize Came from AMM!! I won bingo over there during their Valentines crop. I love it over there at AMM they are so friendly on their boards, they have awesome monthy kits, and they are way generous with their prizes! Thanks Alison and Michelle. Mu-wah!

A New Me

2008-02-18T15:19:00.003-07:00

Today I went out and got me a new hair cut. I wanted a new look and my hair had lost any of the style it had had from my last haircut months ago. this is the most recent picture I could find.

Me on Valentines Day... Plain old straight hair.

And me today!! It's been a while since I've had it this short, but I LOVE IT!!!

So whadd'ya think?!? Emily and I went out and got our hair done. it was so funny she had asked me if I was going shorter and showed me a picture out of one of the magazines and I said I wasn't going that short! But when she saw me after she was done she said I had gone even shorter than the picture she'd shown me! I think they took off about 4 pounds of hair! first with the initial cut then razoring out a ton since my hair is so thick. Now I'll have to style my hair everyday... no throwing it in a ponytail now... pigtails, maybe... but I think I'm too old for that look!!

Keep'em Coming

2008-02-18T14:43:00.004-07:00

Still having a super fun time doing more layouts. I feel I am way more creative when I don't let a lot of time lapse. The crop for Swappers United just ended yesterday, so I was playin' every chance I got. I completed 10 challenges. Some of them met both requirements at SU and A Million Memories for their last crop. Which I wanted to thank Emily over at AMM for hosting Bingo and for the fabulous prize they are sending me for winning.

Here are the LO's I got done since Thursday. Most of which I got done on Friday at scrapbook night here in my ward.

Yesterday I worked on Emily's calendar. I got it at Target's dollar spot and we have been slowly filling it in. Me doing the page toppers and her filling in all the numbers. Most of the pages I've don for it are lifts of 6x6 cards since I didn't want to print out pictures for every month. Here are the last four.

Happy Valentines!!

2008-02-14T12:02:00.003-07:00

Happy Valentines everyone!! I hope you are all having a great day. All of us here had an enjoyable morning. There was no rushing to make it on time to the bus because school was delayed two hours because of the snow we got last night. Everybody got all their stuff done then played around until it was time to go. Zac even got to snow blow part of the driveway before he had to leave. I got to give the kids the gifts I made for them.I got the take-out box from target's dollar spot, used my Autumn leaves stamps and stays-on ink for the flourishes, my cricut for the stamp shape off the Base Camp cart, American Crafts thickers for all the kids initials, Primas... a rhinestone brad and stickles. Then I filled them up with lots of goodies! I know that they will bring home tons of candy but I couldn't help putting it in their box too. Valentines just isn't Valentines without chocolate!!

On a Roll!

2008-02-11T12:20:00.000-07:00

Since getting back from Jenn's I have been wanting to keep scrapbooking and I have! This weekend was the AMM Valentine's Crop and SU has got their monthy crop going as well. I've got my mojo flowin' and I hope it continues! Here's what I did this weekend.

I don't know how many of you have sick kids out there but mine have been sick off and on for the last three weeks! Once one feels better another one goes down... right now it's Ally and Kylie. Both with fevers and aches, pains, and stuffy noses. DH, being the stubborn man he is, refueses to take care of himself.. Now he's down with an inflamed back. Made him go to urgentcare yesterday and they gave him some some stuff that makes him drowsy. He's home too now.

Let's hope I get some time for me to keep my mojo going!

Back Home

2008-02-06T10:50:00.000-07:00

First I would like to thank Jenn for being such a wonderful hostess. I know Kasi and I had an awesome visit!.

Kasi and I left Thursday evening and headed to Jenn's house in St George. The weather was nice and cloudy but no rain so I had it on cruise control the whole way. It was so nice and spring-like there after freezing our toes off up here. Friday and Saturday we scrapped, shopped and ate. It was so nice not having to make dinner or break up any arguements for two whole days! I really took my time prepping for my trip scrap-wise so that I got quite a few pages done! I took my Halloween swap and a couple of my AMM kits.

I even got a mini book kit done that I've had forever that I have yet to take pics of.

Sunday we awoke to rain so I knew it would be turning into snow somewhere on the way home. Luckily it wasn't so bad and we just had to slow down a couple of times where the snow plows hadden't been yet. We made it home in one piece, but I barely made it into the driveway! Riverton got tons of snow! More than I've ever seen from one storm. Lloyd spent about an hour and a half blowing the driveway along with some of the neighbors drives because they didn't have big enough blowers themselves. I think this is a first... church was canceled so everyone could dig themselves out!

And even though my kids all had the sniffles they couldn't help but play in it even if it was just for a little bit.

Ten Inches

2008-01-30T08:51:00.000-07:00

Ten inches of snow and more on the way. I wish we were getting more of a break between storms here. So my street could have a chance to melt. I know as soon as the plows come through the snow will be half way up my mailbox making it near impossible for the mail lady to deliver my mail.

I'm okay with it though because I'm heading to St. George for the weekend! Just Kasi and I going to Jenn's. A girls getaway for fun and loads of scrapbooking! We're supposed to have a break thursday in the weather and I hope it will cooperate on Sunday as well.

So today My job is getting my pictures printed off, my scraproom cleaned up, pack all the scrapbook stuff I can fit in my bags, finish the last of the laundy, and pack my clothes and essentials. Wish me luck!!

Got some LO's done.

2008-01-27T08:25:00.000-07:00

Thursday My Sister-in-law Barbie came into town to visit and spend time with her kids. Three of her four children are attending BYU this year. She's the most into scrapbooking out of all my sisters right now. I'm really hoping a get a chance to play in my scrap room with her before she leaves. But Thursday she brought me a Christmas/Birthday present... the Cricut Design Studio Software!!! I can't tell you how excited I was!. To be able to cut things with my Cricut that are bigger than 5.5 inches is amazing. As soon as I loaded it onto my computer I cut a huge 11.5 inch tree! Thank you Barbie!!!

It feels like forever since I shared any of my scrappy things. It's not like I've been to busy to scrap but , mostly feelings of guilt keeping me from playing with all my fun goodies. Do you girls ever feel this way? Feeling like you should be doing the housework that's piling up instead of playing?

Well Wednesday I cleaned! All of my living areas were pretty much spottless and I've kept it that way for the most part. Leaving me mostly guilt-free to make these two layouts. I used January pagemaps as my inspiration.

I just had to share a picture of what my awesome A Million Memories Secret Sister sent me!!She sent me quite a bit of what I had asked for and I am thrilled. Ally was there when I opened it up and as I Ooooo'd and Aaaaaah'd over each and every little bit she asked me why I was acting like that over paper. I told her that it was like getting a present and that I like playing with presents like this just like she liked playing with hers. I don't think that changed her mind any... she still looked at me like I was crazy for being excited over some Hambly transparencies.

Over Christmas break I made this wall hanging for my niece Elena. I couldn't take a picture of it since my camera wasn't working but Emma was a sweetheart and sent me a picture of it hanging on Elena's door.

Belated Birthday Post

2008-01-15T10:17:00.000-07:00

With three birthdays within ten days it hard to find the time to post about everybodies birthday stuff.

Jesse's birthday was a few days ago and he had a good time. I made his favorite dinner, red spaghetti. He calls it that because some times we have pesto and that's green. He picked out a chocolate cake with chocolate frosting and chocolate ice cream. Yep he's taking after his Momma.

I used the cake mate easy squeeze frosting to to write on his cake. For something that's advertised as easy they sure were off the mark! I've never had to squeeze so hard! I squeezed and squeezed and barely anything came out. I knew i was appying plenty of pressure because the packaging tore and frosting started coming out the side! so now you are all fore warned.

Jesse's favorite present was his Lego Star Wars for the DS. You can just see how excited he was! He wouldn't look at me at all, just fixed on his game.

According to Jesse

2008-01-11T12:56:00.000-07:00

Saltine crackers:

Get Wood
Cut it up
Paint it
Put in the box

There you go. This is how Jesse says saltine crackers are made. Just thought I would share.

My Birthday and Suprise Winner!!!

2008-01-07T09:40:00.000-07:00

Thanks you guys for all the well wishes for my birthday! I did have a awesome day. I got to sleep in, and hang out with my family. My kids got Rock Band for the Xbox the day before so there was little to no fighting all day. Lloyd took me out shopping in the afternoon. It wasn't scrapbook shopping but it was still nice to be out with just him. We got a new flat-top range to replace the old one we had so now all my appliances match and this house is feeling more like my home. We've moved so many times in the past, with only about a year to a year and a half before we pack up again, that actually investing our resources and heart into a home was never really wise, so this is a big deal. Lloyd also took me out to lunch. I did make dinner but it was fine. I wanted to treat my brother in-laws family one last time. They are leaving today back to North Carolina for who knows how long and to end our day we had a cold stone ice cream cake. Yum!!

The day before I did some celebrating as well. I got to go shopping at my LSS's, and ordered from a couple of places online. I also got myself a camera!!! My other one died Christmas morning of all days!! I got a Canon Powershot S5 IS. It's as close as you can get to being an SLR without paying for one. I can get a hotshoe flash for it as well as a different lens so I can shoot far away objects. I love all the preset modes and also being able to shoot manually too. Now if I could just figure out the best times to use each one I'll be set!

Now I bet you are all waiting to find out who won my fun little gift. I put everyones name down on pieces of paper and had Jesse draw a name. And the winner is......

Kerri N!!!! Congrats Kerri! Please email me your snail mail addy and I'll get these out to you a.s.a.p.! Thanks again to everyone who stopped by to share. It was really fun to see the post number grow all weekend. I hope you all get your perfect Birthdays this year!

Birthday Surprise!

2008-01-05T09:57:00.000-07:00

I feel like I've received so much this year. And since it's my birthday I can do whatever I want right?! Well I want to share with one of you. I know it's not a ton, but everybody loves a freebie. :)
I bet you wondering how you can get your chance to receive. I want you to post what would be your ideal birthday. Like mine would be not having to cook or clean all day... spending it with family who would do anything I asked without complaint... maybe a movie... a nice dinner( my mom's fried chicken, gravy, mashed potatoes and corn )... Cake ice cream and presents... and end my day snuggling with my honey on the couch.
I'll leave it open until Monday morning and draw a name. So get going I want to know your perfect Birthday!

it's been a while

2008-01-04T09:47:00.000-07:00

With all the hustle and bustle of the holidays I haven't posted anything for a while. So here's a quick recap of all that's happened in the last few weeks.

Finally had money for gifts on the 20th and went and did all our Christmas shopping that day. I hate waiting until the last moment.
Dan, Emma and Elena arrived at my in laws so we headed over there for the day to visit. Elena is so cute!
Christmas eve we waited until everyone was asleep and then got out the "stuff". I was really thankful there wasn't anything huge to put together. I was up til 2 prepping for the following day.
Christmas morning... wouldn't ya know it, my camera breaks!!! I didn't even get one picture! the kids all enjoyed their gifts and got to open more throughout the day as more people arrived at our house for Christmas Dinner.
A nice and nearly quiet day as kids played with their new toys.
Back to the in laws for family time. Em and Zac stayed overnight to hang out with everybody and play with Elena.
Friday Dan, Emma and Elena came to spend the night at our house! Lloyd really loves his little niece. He kept stealing her to play with. You could tell she loves her uncle too!
Pretty low key weekend. found out church moves to 1pm. :P
New Years Eve we watched movies and ate junk until midnight. Then ran outside to shout and scream and play with a few fireworks.

the rest of this week has been almost normal. Zac, Ally and Kylie are all off track and go back the 22nd. Emily's already back at school and happy about it (just not enough for her to do here) and tomorrow is my birthday! Come back tomorrow and you just might get a surprise!

Train Ride

2007-12-16T12:06:00.000-07:00

I've only been on a train once and when Lloyd's uncle told us about scheduling a ride for us on a train in Lindon I was really excited! When Wednesday came I was getting all the kids stuff ready, making sure they all had hats, gloves, boots and handwarmers. I was imagining something close to what I had previously experienced. I knew it wasn't going to be a full scale train because it was privately owned and was on his property, kind of like this.

well with less trees... I mean we do live in a cold desert here. So I pick up the kids from school and head for Lindon. We arrive at the address given to me by my husband and I'm thinking... is this right?... no it must be correct, look at all the cars... where could the train possibly be?

It was there. You wanna see it?

Um, slightly smaller cars than I was expecting.

We rode around the neighborhood, owned mostly by the one family who ran the train. First up to the North Pole to see Santa.

Then through large poster scenes depicting Christ's life from begining to end. It was very touching as I sat holding my youngest child telling him briefly about each scene. Trying to imagine what it would feel like if it were my child in those scenes... thankful that it wasn't. And deeply touched at the sacrifice made by my Father in Heaven and His Beloved Son for me... for us all and even though it wasn't what I expected it was exactly what I wanted to think about this Christmas Season. The true meaning of Christmas.

Ornaments for Kasi

2007-12-15T08:37:00.000-07:00

All right Kasi I'm adding pics of my ornaments at your request. I've made all of these using K&Co.'s Brenda Walton Peppermint Twist Ornaments Paper Crafting Pad, odds and ends from my stash, and Christmas picks from various stores. I'm adding them in at a small size and if you want to see the BIG detailed version just click on the picture. Enjoy!!

I've always wanted to be an elf.

2007-12-15T08:34:00.000-07:00

Your Elf Name Is...

Pixie Candy Cane Lips

What's" Your Elf Name?

Feeling a lot more like Christmas

2007-12-12T09:22:00.000-07:00

Finally got all of my decorating done. Yes I know it's the middle of the month... what can I say? I'm a procrastinator. My mom's visit was short notice so the few days before she came I was cleaning... a lot! I did have the majority of it up but the family tree was decorated by the kids, so it had ornaments only about 2/3 of the way up and all in the front. So yesterday I rearranged the family tree and finished the last of the decorating.

My new pretty garland from Costco. It's hanging out above my entertainment center.

The family tree, nicely rearranged.

My huge pointsetta from Costco.

Random Christmas stuff on my bookshelf.

And my new love. My very own Christmas tree! It's presently set up in the front room a.k.a. my scrap room. I found this tree at Walmart for under $30!! I bought the red lights and a couple of boxes of ornaments and odds and ends to add to it. So far I have made 14 ornaments from the K & Co. paper ornament stack with more in the works.

I hope you are all enjoying this Holiday Season and have a very Merry Christmas!

Have you ever held a tortoise?

2007-12-12T07:59:00.000-07:00

Last week I had a blast. My mom came for a visit for the first time in three years. Usually we visit her but she had some time in her very busy life and came to see me and the family for a few days. We had a lot of fun just hanging out and on Friday we went to see a friend of hers that lives about 40 minutes away. My mom thought the little kids would have fun at Rachel's house. Rachel owns a 2 acre lot with tons of animals. the kids got to feed goats, chickens and turkeys. They got to hold cats, kittens, a rat and the family tortoise. His name escapes me but isn't he cute?!?

Now this tortoise is only 2 but can get as old as 100. Needless to say he'll be passing down to the next generation.

While my mom was here our oven went wacko. every time we would try to use the oven we would get error codes and after stressing over it for a day and a half thinking we would need a new oven Lloyd remembered about the home warranty... bless him. Goodness knows we didn't have the money to get a new one. I called and set up the appointment and Monday we got our oven back. Apparently our thermostat in the oven broke making the oven think it was on and hot all the time. Could you imagine that happening during Christmas dinner! Oh, I am so glad it happened when it did.

One month to go.

2007-11-26T11:21:00.000-07:00

Yep it's nearly Christmas! I can't wait to start putting up all the decorations, getting the tree out, listening to Christmas music and making cookies. I'm hoping if the weather cooperates I'll get the lights out front in a few weeks. And maybe even starting to put gifts under the tree. Oh, and I can't forget visiting Temple Square to see the lights and I really would like to take my kids ice skating. Wow! December's going to be so fun and I love spending time with my family.

What's your favorite activity this time of year?

Happy Night before Thanksgiving!

2007-11-21T09:21:00.000-07:00

'Twas the night of Thanksgiving, But I just couldn't sleep
I tried counting backwards, I tried counting sheep.
The leftovers beckoned - The dark meat and white
But I fought the temptation with all of my might.

I lay tossing and turning with anticipation
The thought of a snack became infatuation.
So, I raced to the kitchen, flung open the door
And gazed at the fridge, full of goodies galore.

I gobbled up turkey and buttered potatoes,
Pickles and carrots, beans and tomatoes.
I felt myself swelling so plump and so round,
'Til all of a sudden, I rose off the ground.

I crashed through the ceiling, floating into the sky
With a mouthful of pudding and a handful of pie.
But, I managed to yell as I soared past the trees....
Happy eating to all - Pass the cranberries, please.

May your stuffing be tasty, may your turkey be plump.
May your potatoes 'n gravy have nary a lump.
May your yams be delicious, may your pies take the prize,
May your Thanksgiving dinner stay off of your thighs.

May your Thanksgiving be Blessed!

Our Pumpkins

2007-11-14T09:43:00.000-07:00

We also carved our the night before Halloween. I didn't want them getting all mushy and there had been a couple of pumpkin smashings a few blocks away. I didn't want all our hard work to be wrecked. Lloyd is the only one who didn't carve... maybe next year I can get him to help.

It was really nice to do it in shifts too. I had no one fighting over the battery operated carving knife or the scooper. Not that my kids really ever do their own scooping of the guts. That's a job for mom. :P

The pumpkins are in order, from youngest to oldest. All the designs were found on the net as freebies. The vomiting pumpkin and the cannibal pumpkin were found at extremepumpkins.com.

It's been a while...

2007-11-14T09:03:00.000-07:00

and I feel so far behind here. It's the middle of November and I still haven't posted the kids Halloween pictures. So here they are for your viewing pleasure!

We had two babies, Superman, An evil fairy, and what I'm guessing to be a skater skeleton. All the kids had a lot of fun. Jesse I think got too cold and came home after a few streets, but the rest were out for a couple of hours.
The most interesting thing the kids did was go to a Haunted Barn. I took the three oldest and a few of their friends over there. I felt really bad for Ally when the came back to the car (I don't do scary). She was always at the back of the group when the people would jump out at them . She would run but was so scared that she said her legs would feel numb making it hard to run away. I hugged her and told her that they wouldn't do anything to hurt her. She knew that but it was still scary for them to chase her. Zac on the other hand, would play it off as no big deal. He said he walked up to some of them and even shook their hand.

Al in all I think everyone had a good time... even Ally.

What color are you?

2007-11-06T19:20:00.000-07:00

you are lavender
#E6E6FA

Your dominant hue is blue, making you a good friend who people love and trust. You're good in social situations and want to fit in. Just be careful not to compromise who you are to make them happy.

Your saturation level is very low - you have better things to do than jump headfirst into every little project. You make sure your actions are going to really accomplish something before you start because you hate wasting energy making everyone else think you're working.

Your outlook on life is bright. You see good things in situations where others may not be able to, and it frustrates you to see them get down on everything.

the spacefem.com html color quiz

I must say this is pretty accurate. I never thought of myself as lavendar though. Not my first choice in colors. I might just have to do a LO on this. Just for fun! Now all of you who stop by go and do this quick quiz and come back and tell me what you are, ok? And if you do a LO on your color leave me a link so I can see it! :)

Really I do Clean...

2007-10-30T11:07:00.000-06:00

My mother can attest to the fact that I wasn't the cleanest of children. I would get the weekly announcement of my room looking like a tornado hit it. I have grown up a bit since then and figured out that my kids are for the most part taking after me. Yes mom, I did have kids just like me to show me how messy I was.

Today I got the cleaning bug. I wanted to tackle the kitchen floor. I just couldn't take the left out shoes and wrappers that always find their way to the floor instead of the garbage. I figured I might as well clean under the appliances while I had the broom out. The fridge was no problem I usually pull it out every couple of months and sweep. On to the oven! I popped off the bottom cover of my Jenn-air. Now this appliance gets less attention, mostly due to the fact that I hate getting down on my hands and knees to clean under there. So as I'm cleaning under the oven I find a head of garlic, used napkins, twist ties off numerous loaves of bread, a completely hair covered glove and this...

A grilled cheese sandwich complete with leftover lei flower and dog hair dust bunnies. I'm sure you are wondering how in the world this got under there. Well our oven has a 3 to 4 inch gap behind it. it was supposed to be a in the counter kind but the last owner had built the space for a stand alone kind of range, leaving a huge gap between the wall and our oven.

Now I wouldn't leave this just laying under there so I went to the experts... the kids. I asked them how on earth this got back there and why didn't they tell someone. I got this answer," oh, that's Emily's. She flipped it back there. She told dad, but he told her not to worry about it." Huh? not worry?? I'm thinking this was told in one of those moments where parents must be concentrating on something else. The something else being World of Warcraft. I'm pretty sure he wouldn't have been able to figure out how to get it out from behind there anyway.

Paint and a dead phone!

2007-10-28T12:17:00.001-06:00

There are tons of things to change here... the carpet, the tile, the counter tops, replacing all the brass lighting... my list could go on forever! And after three weekends of Lloyd wearing his work pants we finally agreed on something to change and we really did it!

We painted the master bedroom! Not a huge change as you can see but the paint in the entire house reminds me of the pastel movement of the 90's. I call it.... dusty rose. And as much as I enjoyed the 90's I didn't want my home to be stuck there.

I took the edges and Lloyd had the roller. We knocked it out in about an hour. It still needs another coat but the change is great!

Only downside to this is that the fumes were a bit much for us so we ended up on the couch downstairs last night. It's nice to have a couch to fit both of us but it wasn't my bed so I tossed and turned all night resulting in oversleeping and not getting to church.

So Lloyd, being the nice guy that he is, did a load of laundry this morning. I didn't know what he was up to... just heard the washer going. When it was done I went to move it and look what I found at the bottom! Last night I was so tired I forgot to put my phone away and Lloyd didn't bother checking the pockets before washing the jeans.

I guess we're both at fault here. Sometimes I wonder if he does this on purpose, just to get out of doing the laundry. You know, screw up her phone and she'll make sure I don't do laundry for at least six months. This way I can play my game for sure after I get home from work. Yeah, men are sneaky like that! ;)

Nah, I can't complain he's a great guy and even though he makes mistakes sometimes, I love him to pieces. I'm glad he thinks the same of me too! I wonder what kind of phone I'll get next?

She's 14!!!

2007-10-26T08:45:00.000-06:00

My how the time has flown! She's growing up faster than I want. Once we talked about her favorite toys. Now it's clothes, music, her friends, dances, and the hot cellist of her dreams.
Emily turned 14 on Tuesday. We had a quiet celebration at home that day. She got a purse from the boys, a jewelry box from the girls and a Zune from us. I'm glad we got it for her.... now I can have mine back! Thanks Mom and Dad for the cards. Did you notice Mom??? She's wearing the ear rings you sent!
She's probably gonna kill me for posting this picture but it's the best one I got that night.