Jenkins Kid Farm

My Obsession with Valentine's

2012-02-14T17:38:00.000-07:00

So yeah, I'm pretty much obsessed with Valentine's Day this year.

I blame THAT on Pinterest too! lol

Decorating for ANY holiday is fun, but getting new ideas and rearranging the old adds to the joy! :)

And, um, well, I had this Valentine stuff up before the Christmas tree was even all the way down.

And I had that tree down the first week of January! hehe

I *LOVE* this man SO MUCH!

Is it any wonder I sprinkle so much *LOVE* around my home?

This picture was taken just a few days after we were married, 4 1/2 years ago.

(now I'm fat and have short hair.....but he still adores me! lol)

I love my wintry Valentine message tree!

Baby, be mine!

***XOXO***

This tree and ornaments I've had FOREVER!

Our precious Grandbabies!

Happy Valentine's Day to you and your loved ones!

Kids' Handmade Valentine's

2012-02-14T16:37:00.001-07:00

(free printables from Shindig Parties To Go)

A fun and easy Valentine's project that the kids enjoyed working on for their classmates

{which we didn't get around to making until the day before...as usual! lol}

Materials used:

Set of free printables from Shindig Parties To Go

3/4" hole punch

Approx 2 bags of Hershey's Hugs and Kisses {per class...depending on size}

Plastic treat bags

stapler and hot glue gun

The hardest and most time-consuming part was punching out all of the little circles.

If we ever do a project like this again, I am seriously getting a different punch!

And notice that ~~Kid #9~~ incognito-kid is hiding behind his ball cap. That's on purpose!

He doesn't want it evidenced that he's using a punch to make pink and red circles.

He's too cool for that!

Counting kisses

Trimming everything

{this is the only part I did completely...the kids pretty much did everything else}

Hot gluing the circles to the bottoms of the Hugs and Kisses

{tragic side note: ~~Kid #9~~ incognito-kid ended up with quite a blister from this very hot glue....

I recommend kids using a cooler glue}

We used 7 kisses per bag, then wrapped and stapled the topper to the bag

Miss Maddie wanted to cover a shoe box in paper, which she did

then she wanted me to make something on top to decorate it, which I did

I made a few rolled paper flowers, which are SUPER fast and easy.

Added a couple of leaves

a few buttons

inked all the edges

and added glitter glue to the edge of EVERYTHING

{glitter glue and I are BFF's!}

You can see her Valentine's peaking out through the slit on top

I loved how everything turned out!

Of course, ~~Kid#9~~ incognito kid took his to school in a plastic grocery sack! lol

Happy Valentine's Day to YOU!!

Hearts from our hearts

2012-02-12T07:02:00.001-07:00

There is a precious lady who belongs to our church whom I will just refer to as Sister W.

She is always very sweet, caring & concerned for others.

Just over a year ago we enjoyed desserts at her incredibly beautiful home

during our Relief Society's (ladies church organization) Progressive Dinner.

Just a few months ago she was full of life, teaching a primary class at church,

and chatting with friends in between meetings.

I don't understand all of the details, but a few months ago

she had some kind of brain surgery

and has never really recovered.

She spent her holidays in a hospital bed, unable to even communicate.

She's still there.

As a leader in our Young Women's organization

I have the awesome opportunity to work closely

with our young ladies (ages 12-18) on a regular basis.

We have weekly activities, in addition to our Sunday lessons.

Recently at one of our mid-week activities,

each of our wonderful young ladies made a Valentine's for Sister W.

(all made with goodies from my personal stash)

Wow, it amazed me at how creative these girls are and how lovingly they made these sweet Valentine's!

These Valentine's are now beautifully hanging across the walls of her hospital room.

I love these girls for sharing their lovely talents,

and I love and miss Sister W. terribly!

We hope to see her well again soon!!!

Regan's New Way To Play Basketball

2012-02-11T19:55:00.000-07:00

I have to post this just because it's so funny!

Regan and Trace received this as a Christmas gift....they pretty much rocked it!

Superbowl Suicide!

2012-02-11T19:52:00.000-07:00

Wait, who was playing?

Ummmmm

Just kidding (sorta).

Anyway, it's pretty much my job to FEED those who actually know who's playing......

So, again, THANK HEAVENS FOR PINTEREST and all of the awesome inspiration I get from it!

As much time as I spend on Pinterest, I'm pretty sure it's still less time

than I used to spend perusing cook books.

(I'm sticking to that)

above images pinned from

Peanut Butter Fudge Brownie Trifle How Sweet It Is

Chocolate Brownie Trifle & Broccoli Slaw Scissors & Spatulas

Peanut Butter Chocolate Mousse Pie Healthy Happy Life

No Bake Oreo Layer Dessert The Giant Blog of Cooking

Baked pickle slices The Vanilla Tulip

Fruit Salsa w/Baked Cinnamon Chips The Girl Who Ate Everything

Taco Cupcakes Just Us And The Many "Miles" Traveled

I was obviously in the mood for something chocolate! Haha!

So here's what we ended up serving to our football fans.....

Veggie Platter with bacon cheddar dip

I absolutely love veggie platters, but the squash and cucumbers were extra fabulous this time around!

(huge thanks to my son Grady for chopping up all of the veggies)

Crab Cheese ball rolled in chopped pecans

check out these cute little football shaped pretzels!

Good ol' standby, guacamole...

and the best and easiest fresh salsa ever!

(look below for the recipe)

Brooke brought this divine white chocolate popcorn

(she also brought wonderful mint brownies!)

Here is a delicious new recipe I tested for ...

TACO CUPCAKES!

recipe from "Just Us And The Many "Miles" Traveled"

easy to make and very fun and yummy

My personal favorite, by a hundred-fold were

Brooke's grilled chicken-stuffed bacon-wrapped jalepenos.

!!!GOSH!!!

Yes, I'll have 10 please!

I also tried out another new recipe....

for dessert.

It was so rich it made us all feel sick....but yum, it was worth it! lol

(Paula Deen would be so proud)

My first attempt ever at

Trifle!

covered in chopped up Reese's peanut butter cups and crushed Oreos.

Here's the recipe from The Giant Blog of Cooking

Topping inspired by How Sweet It Is

(To fill the trifle bowl I had to 1 1/2 the recipe)

Cowboy and I were so full that we didn't eat again til 5 o'clock the next night! Haha!

As promised,

here's our favorite

SALSA RECIPE

SUPER easy and SUPER delicious!

(many things to the King family!!!)

2 regular sized cans of chopped tomatoes

2 whole green chile's (I usually use canned, but when in season the fresh are even better)

1/2 bunch cilantro (just the leafy part)

6-8 green onions

8 Tepins (dried seeds which can be found in some Mexican food aisles in the seasoning section)

(these are SUPER hot....don't use more than 8 unless you like fire)

Garlic salt, to taste

Blend it all in your food processor.

That's it.

See, I told you it was easy! ;)

What was on YOUR Super Bowl menu??

What was your favorite?

PSYCH NIGHT

2012-02-08T11:16:00.000-07:00

Our Girl's Camp isn't until summer

(that's why we call it GIRL'S SUMMER CAMP...hehe),

but every year our {awesome} stake Young Women's leaders have a night

several months before camp to

get the girl's PSYCHED UP for this year's summer camp
have a reunion (complete with super-fun slide show of the previous year's camp)
have the 'new' girls see what it's all about
announce what this year's camp theme will be
brush up on our camp songs
give our {awesome, mixed with some crazy} Priesthood leaders a chance to show off their

RID-DIK-OO-LUS DANCE SKILLS!

*insert hip hop music here*

Can you guess what our new theme is?

I am in LOVE LOVE LOVE with our theme!!!

I KNOW "HOO" I AM

Our stake camp leaders went ALL WAY SUPER OUT to plan this Psych Night!

Owls were EVERYWHERE!

So love everything they created!!!

(that's why I just HAD to share it)

Can you believe these adorable cupcake toppers?

and these chinese lanterns morphed into owls are just over-the-top cool!

A few trees decorating the walls...OHMYGOSH, love the multi-colored/papered owls!

Even these paper bags made into owls were precious!

The girls having some fun singing silly camp songs!

It's so fun to watch them!

I saved the best for last....HAHA!!!

These men are C.R.A.Z.Y. and we all love them to pieces!

Usually they're seen donning dapper suits and ties,

but I suppose a guy's gotta wear tights when he can!

;)

THE BIG HAIR REVEAL!

2012-02-01T19:30:00.000-07:00

Remember THIS last spring, when I was going nuts with the heat and was ready to chop off my hair?

Well, yeah, I never followed up on that cuz I chickened out! lol

That picture above was taken Christmas 2010...just over a year ago.

My hair grows pretty fast

so by the time I actually got around to

NOT CHICKENING OUT

and even after a few trims

it looked like this

If I tipped my head back a bit, my hair would touch the top of my bum.

I guess that means...my bum sticks out........

Um.....

Anyway......

This was a last minute decision.

I didn't even dare make an appointment anywhere

cuz that would give me time to chicken out again

and cancel the appointment.

I didn't even tell Cowboy!

So I just ran into Great Clips

and told the girl to hurry and cut if off before I changed my mind!

(yup, a $13 haircut!)

She actually asked me if I was sure.

AM I SURE?

Obviously she doesn't follow my blog.

(most people don't)

Say it with me now........

TA DA!!!!

I know, now you can actually read what's on the back of my shirt!!!

(no, my shirt is not on backwards...I swear!)

Dude, this short hair feels sooooooooo good!!!

Rockin a headband, which I wear almost every day now!

Gettin my money's worth out of all my gorgeous Whippy Cake's!

(my Blackberry takes cruddy pictures! Good thing I just got an iPhone!!)

All curled up for church the next day

I got an unprecedented number of compliments on my hair at church!

In fact, two ladies I go to church with both chopped off their hair within a couple of days

because I guess they figured if *I* could do it, so could *they*!

Good for me and good for them!

After all, it's just HAIR.

Who's next???

Christmas Paper Craft Projects 2011 (and 2010)

2012-01-17T13:51:00.000-07:00

Are we finished with Christmas yet?

Nope!

I think Christmas should be celebrated year-round!

Or at least for more than just a month! hehe ;)
(I promise only one more post after this about Christmas...til next year)

I love these little crafts aka GIFTS that we made this Christmas,
so of course, I'd love to share them with you.

These projects were constructed by me but 100% designed by Rachele!

2011 Christmas projects

Here's the sad thing about making these cute goodies at Rachele's......

I like 'em so much I fail to give them away.

Note to self:

Share these with friends next Christmas

and spread the love!

1. Vintage Santa card, held up by.....

2. ....a candy cane easel

3. 'Candy wrapper' box filled with Christmas MandM's

4. Mini electric candle snowman

5. Recipe card holder

6. Pencil box

7. Snowman candy jar filled with candy canes

8. Reindeer food

9. Treat box filled with Christmas kisses

Don't be surprised if one of these ends up on some of your doorsteps this next Christmas,

because I just might love you that much! ;)

What??? An easel made out of candy canes? Too clever!

I love ALL of this year's projects, but this recipe card holder is my favorite!

I'll be using this baby year-round!

Soooo, yeah, I still have my projects from 2010 too because,

like I said, I'm selfish and don't give them away. lol

Again, these projects were assembled by me,

but 100% the designs of Rachele!

(aka craftyagentmom)

2010 Christmas projects

This is one of my all-time favorite projects!

A cupcake kit complete with a cake mix, sprinkles & picks!

Can you believe that? How much would a teacher or neighbor love to receive this?

A quick 8 1/2 x 6 Christmas album! So creative & already in the page protectors!

I fell in LOVE with this medium-sized chipboard Christmas album!

It was my first attempt at making pinwheel flowers...I failed and had Rachele's daughter, Mikensee, make them for me!

Since then I have reattempted and have made dozens and dozens of these lovely flowers!

Funny how we psych ourselves out! :)

This mini Christmas album was made from a chipboard book and has several darling decorated pages! Adorable!

Last, but not least, a glass ornament with a hand-stamped Reindeer message inserted inside....

snuggled into it's own precious box!

Craft nights with Rachele always go into the wee hours of the night,

but THIS particular class had me driving home at the wee hours of sunrise!

Whoops!

It was worth every lost wink of sleep!

I love you Rachele!

Thank you for sharing your amazing creativity!!!

Annual Ornament Exchange 2011

2012-01-14T14:36:00.001-07:00

Please forgive me, but I'd like to post the rest of our Christmas goodies

BEFORE I start telling you how excited I am about Valentine's Day! lol

Remember my friend Rachele that I've spoken of before?

(We made paper gingerbread houses at her place last month)

We have good times together and her/our projects are fun to make!

I also hope she starts blogging again, because she's good at it!

(RACHELE, ARE YOU READING THIS???)

Anyway, as part of the craft group that Rachele has organized,

she has added an annual Christmas ornament exchange.

I am so grateful to be surrounded by such amazing (and crazy fun) crafty women!

I'll start with the ornament I made. Believe me, it was a huge improvement over my ornament last year! hehe

And can I just interject AGAIN about how much I love Pinterest?

Anytime I need an idea for pretty much ANYTHING, I can find it there!

So I created a list of handmade ornaments that I loved and finally narrowed it down to one.

This wonderful little guy

I don't know who originally made it, but isn't he completely adorable?!

(if you know who made it, let me know so I can give them credit...thanks!)

I did my best to copy him with what materials I could find

This was one of my favorite quests EVER at Hobby Lobby!

I filled regular and small sized clear glass ornaments with tiny foam balls and fake snow.

I left the metal 'cap' on the small ornament to hold the snow in, then glued them together with E6000.

The small ornament with it's 'cap' fit perfectly snug into the larger ornament.

Something weird happened overnight while I let them dry..........

Some were fine, but in over half of them the 'snow' melted! What?!! My only guess is the fumes from the E6000 disintegrated the foam. Whatever. They're still cute. Right? *silent sobbing*

Here is the first one I finished.

Ummmmmm, are you thinking what I'm thinking?

Yeah, Groucho Marx!!!

Or who's that Mario guy? Him too!!!

Gah!

If there was ever a time I wanted to knock the smirk right off someone's face...............

Ahhhh, that's better. A little more charming without the big goofy grin! Don't you think?

My little army

Now for the ornaments from the rest of our little crafty group

How cute is Tracie's handmade 'cupcake'?!

Char's bell!

Dianna's hand sewn star!

Paula's tiny topiary blew me away!

Ann's precious handmade drum....she always has a way with packaging too!

Rachele is a clever one with that paper! So cute!

Sandy's handmade paper bell

I love every single ornament and how completely different they all are!

Soooooo, since we're talking about ornament exchanges

AND

I wasn't so much of a blogger a year ago

I'D LOVE

to also share our ornament exchange from last year. :)

Funny how I didn't even make one of mine to keep for myself.

I honestly thought I had, but somehow...

well, I dunno.

Anyway.....

Here's Ann's handmade 'ribbon candy' with her clever packaging (that she also handmade).

Sandy's handmade wooden stocking

I absolutely love the simplicity and meaning of Monika's glass ball!

Kathy is the super sewer of the group!

Rachele's made from a cookie cutter, a big bell and layers of fabric and glitter!

Tracie's handmade decoupaged paper ball!

Britany's Santa paintbrush...so adorable!

I hope you found some inspiration to make some ornaments of your own next Christmas!

If you do, please let me know! I'll add them to my pinboard! :)

Happy Crafting!

(and pinning!)

Cowboy's 12 Months of Christmas

2012-01-13T18:05:00.002-07:00

Remember back here when I mentioned I'd let you in on what I got Cowboy for Christmas?

He is SOOOOOO difficult to get gifts for because:

#1 - He doesn't want anyone to spend money on him.

#2 - He doesn't like 'stuff'.

#3 - He pretty much just wants to eat.....

#4 - ....and go places.

Well first off, I was inspired by this

which was posted by Shannon Brown's blog, Life In General.

I knew I had to do this the minute I saw it!

(THANKS SHANNON!!!)

So I had two challenges:

How to make it 'cute'

and what to put in the envelopes.

With some great ink colors and 12 large plain white envelopes I was all set to take on the first challenge.

THAT was the easy part!

I'd been thinking and thinking and watching for ideas and picking up gift cards here and there, etc.

And here's what I came up with:

(I will update these as he opens them each month, just in case he reads my blog (lol)

I can't give away his surprises and ruin the rest of the year for him!)

January: Two tickets to the Herberger Theater in downtown Phoenix for the musical Daddy Long Legs plus a gift certificate to Abuelos Mexican Restaurant. He has yet to use the meal certificate, but we already went to the play and it was seriously one of the most delightful productions I've ever seen! If you get a chance, SEE IT! (It's still playing for a couple more nights here in Phx).

February:

March:

April:

May:

June:

July:

August:

September:

October:

November:

December:

Now that I'm onto this great idea from Shannon, I will get a much better head start this year on what to surprise him with for his 12 Months of Christmas next year!

Looks like we might have another new tradition!

FIRE AND DIRT! An AZ New Year's Eve

2012-01-09T11:45:00.000-07:00

It's an annual tradition that Cowboy joins his lifelong friends

to spend New Year's Eve out in the desert

visiting, playing, grilling, eating, four-wheeling, and shooting.

A tradition that my kids and I have gladly adopted!

The kids run and roam freely

The moms and nannas play with the babies and visit

Have you ever seen such a big skillet???

The men grill

and grill

and GRILL!

Mmmmmm, the food sure is good!

Nothin' better than a Hebrew National dog roasted over mesquite!

My granddaughter Laney was tired,
so I snuggled two camp chairs together to make her a "Rest Nest"

Papa (Cowboy) took every kid on a ride around the 'mountain' at least once.

I don't know who these boys are, but they sure were enjoying our 4-wheelers!

My daughter Maddie (in the red striped jacket below) decided to build her own fire nearby.

It didn't take long for the other kids to show up and play near her fire.

Hmmmm, there are mostly boys here.

Maybe she's on to something?

Fire Dancers!

Uh, oh, someone forgot to tell this guy to not dance IN the fire!
He blistered up his ankle pretty good after catching his pants & sock on fire.
I think he's okay now.

Oh yeah, shooting...........there was plenty of that too!

Trace giving Laney a piggy back

Bella LOVES the desert too!

Happy New Year!

Our son Kyle with his babygirl Makenna. They are visiting from Texas.
(Kyle already looks like a Texan!)
;)

Ohhhh, one of my favorite parts, roasting marshmallows for smores!
See the chocolate & graham crackers next to the fire? Yummmmmy!

Laney enjoying s'mores with her Nana. :)

Our little friend Connor just so happened to be celebrating his 8th birthday.
We had joined his family earlier in the day for his wonderful baptism.
Can you believe this amazing barrel cactus cake that his mom & grammy made?

I think those cactus needles are made of chinese noodles! Clever!!

A big part of the annual tradition is that at the end of the night,
we throw (dry and flammable) Christmas trees onto the fire.
The flames are HUGE and VERY HOT!
Just one more reason I like to use a fake Christmas tree! ;)
(which is why we have to drive around the neighborhood
and look for trees other ppl have put on the curb. lol)

We pray your family also enjoyed a fun and safe Eve

and that you are blessed with a prosperous and

HAPPY NEW YEAR!

What are YOUR New Years Eve traditions?

A Kid Farm Christmas

2012-01-02T22:48:00.001-07:00

We believe.....

2011 brought us a pretty amazing Christmas!

We celebrated all through December in many ways,

but one of the biggest highlights was one crazy night when we just so happened to have this....

And accidentally turned it into this......

Yeah.....pretty cool.

Since we just so happened to have the trailer and hay

we thought we'd take our own grandkids for a little joyride.

Then we thought, WHAT THE HAY, let's sing carols too.

And Oh, why don't we invite the carolee's to join us.

We ended up with 28 people on the trailer,

including the Dunn's and the Holly's, plus some neighbor kids whom we didn't even know.

I cannot even describe the overwhelming Christmas Spirit we felt

as we rode all through the neighborhood, singing (and kidnapping).

I can truly say it was Joy!

Christmas wouldn't be complete without a Gingerbread ~~House~~ Train!

Three of the kids (and one of the grandkids) got to make their own at one point or another.

They all turned out so cute!

This little cutie train actually won a prize at school.

Good job, Regan (10) and Shelby (20)!

And what's Christmas without a child or two performing in choirs & bands?

My kid is the tall one....Grady (16)....he performed in the choir AND the band.

(He plays tenor sax)

Little Maddie (9) had her first Christmas performance with the band this year,

but, um, well, I didn't get a good picture. I know! I feel terrible about it!

She was on the front row and looked adorable!

(She plays the clarinet)

Some surprises for Cowboy, which I'll let you in on later.

(here's the follow-up on this)

The stockings WERE hung by the chimney with care,

but then they were too full and could have pulled down the mantle.

Yes, I label the stockings.

This is a Kid Farm, and there are a lot of people to keep track of.

I have notes to myself everywhere!

I've wanted one of these gorgeous nativities from Costco for YEARS.

I got this one at a garage sale this past summer for $5.

Wait, maybe it was $10.

I'd hate to lie about a Nativity Scene,

but seriously, either way it made my day!

Ahhhh, look at those adorable children fast asleep in their beds, waiting for Christmas morning......

(it has always been a tradition that they sleep in the same room on Christmas Eve)

*lovely music comes to a SCREECHING halt*

Just kidding....

...the kids had already been awake for hours because we went to church FIRST.

I'm embarrassed to admit that I actually thought it was a pain to have to put off "Christmas Morning'

in order to go to church first, but you know what?

It was AWESOME!

I vote that Christmas be on a Sunday forevermore!

I never felt so connected to everyone in the service

and so appreciate of the Savior.

What a beautiful way to start the day!

Now where was I?

Oh yeah,

*music back on*

The kids got back into their jammies (which they opened on Christmas Eve),

got back in bed and pretended to be asleep for all of 15 seconds.

Just long enough to get this photo.

Man, our Christmas morning numbers are shrinking!

But they're still so cute!

Where's Waldo?

The girls enjoying their gifts

The boys too. (don't put your eye out with that)

Later that same day, the rest of the family showed up...

Our oldest grandchild, Abigail. Isn't she beautiful?!

Abigail's beautiful mommy, Brooke and our grandson, Layton.

Kyle, Tara and Makenna are visiting from Texas!

(just forget that you ever saw this office such a bomb and me looking so chubby and tired!)

Can you even imagine why we're all huddled around the computer???

We're Skype'ing our son John who is in Peru on his mission!

(that's his Peruvian companion sitting behind him, who speaks no English & must be bored out of his mind)

....and Skype'ing our kids in Portland, Tyler and Whitney

with two more of our beautiful grandsons, Cashen and Tate! (Cashen is hiding somewhere)

!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!SKYPE IS SO AWESOME!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

We also got a surprise phone call from our daughter, Devin, who is in the MTC in Guatemala!!!

Trace was in Texas visiting his grandparents, but he got to call home on Christmas!

He was home a few days later to open his gifts. :)

Soooo, we got to hug, hold, kiss, see and/or talk to every one of our ten children!!!

Ohmygosh! What a fantastic Christmas!!!

MERRY CHRISTMAS FROM THE KID FARM!

I pray your holidays were joyous too!!!

Paper Gingerbread Houses

2012-01-02T20:02:00.001-07:00

I'm gonna start a new series of posts called "What I Made At Rachele's"

because Rachele really knows how to party with paper

and some of my most amazing projects were constructed at HER house.

Thanks Rachele for rocking my paper world!

She's always on the hunt for fun things to make, and when she saw these paper houses, plus these amazing bits of inspiration on Pinterest, she scheduled us right up to come over and create!

Here she is, our lovely hostess and creative extraordinaire, Rachele.

She's the Queen!

And she really knows how to treat her friends!!!

And yes, we really know how to make a mess!

Here is Rachele's house completed. See the pretty little snow on the eaves?

Here's Paula (or Poola, as we like to call her) who is a regular at Rachele's and a dear friend.

And here is Poola's completed large house (there were 3 total for each of us).

Poola's doormat & berry bush are nice touches!

Plus she added a door too!

Here's the lovely Dianna with her large completed house.

She is sort of a newbie to our group, but very much a regular already.

She fits right in with the rest of us crazies!

I have no recollection as to who's house this is, as it was 3 am when

I was taking these photos and finally getting ready to leave the party.

(BTW, Poola and Diana had already passed out on the sofas....where was I with my camera for THAT?)

Sorry for this next cruddy photo, but the set of houses were so cute together.

Rachele took this photo and I got it from her off My Pinterest.

I guess pics don't recycle all that well once they've been posted there.

But anyway, these 3 adorable houses were made by Mikensee (Rachele's daughter).

She is the ONLY one of us who completed ALL THREE houses,

and she did them all in LESS time than Rachele and I did our ONE.

Sheesh!

Guess how old she is?

FOURTEEN!!!

Can't imagine where she gets all that talent!?!?

(oh, and mystery solved....I guess it was Mikensee who made the little yellow house...lol)

Mikensee's large house

Mikensee's medium house.

Only one more house to show off.....

....mine.

It's not quite finished, but isn't it cute?

These were so much fun to make!

I still have my two other houses to make too!

With any luck I'll get them finished before next Christmas. :)

I love you more, Rachele!

With Thankful Hearts

2011-12-04T14:35:00.000-07:00

Our Thanksgiving was, well, I don't even know the right word.

It was peaceful.

It was lovely.

It was homey.

The food was more delicious.

It was full of gratitude.

It was one of the best I ever remember.

If I had to sum it all into ONE word I guess it would have to be Magical.

All that was missing were our four far-from-home kids. *insert real tears here*

Our missionary in Peru, John, practically forgot it was Thanksgiving due to being so 'lost' in his work for the Lord.....he says he had rice and beans.....again, but that he'll make up for it next year when he's (barely) home again. :)

I'm pretty sure our daughter Devin, who is still in the Missionary Training Center in Utah (for just another week and a half) got fed some turkey.

We also very much miss the other two (and their families) who live out of state and couldn't be with us. We pray that they had a wonderful dinner and day as well. We often think of ALL of our kids, but something about the holidays makes me miss them more and think of them even more often and fondly as I recall past holidays and the special and fun times that we've shared.

Holidays are family time.

I can't help but wonder if the extra special Thanksgiving was due to having two missionaries out right now. If so, much thanks to them for making our Thanksgiving extra special!

I hope you all had an amazing Thanksgiving too!

Every Thanksgiving morning starts with the men and boys playing football.

They come home muddy, hungry and happy!

After football they all head over to Gables' property to

unbury the treasures they hid deep into the ground the night before.

What could it be?

Suspenseful, isn't it?

Ohhh, it's smokey.

There are several, and I do mean SEVERAL turkey, beef and pork roasts that have been cooking all night, wrapped in butcher paper and foil.

(Cowboy and the boys do this every year and this is actually the first time I've seen it.

It's about time I sent a camera off with one of the kids!)

FREE DELIVERY!

Meanwhile, back at the ranch.............

OTHER meal preparations are taking place.

We only use the china once a year. I know. But dishes are such a pain.

Setting the table the night before sure saved a lot of stress.

A special placard for each guest.

Besides our family members, Kendra and Larry Gable also joined us for dinner,

since their own family wasn't having their big shindig til the next day.

(the leaf in each placard pocket has a purpose, which you'll soon see)

A handmade gift from a friend many years ago.

Some things are special forever.

The kids' table.

Good news and bad news: this year we all fit in the formal dining room.

I do love how we all fit it there together.

And yes, the side patio door was open.

The house was too hot.

*I love Arizona*

Blessed Are The Turkeys.

Give Thanks.

Back to that 23 lb roast that the men brought home from the pit......

Soooo incredibly tender and delicious.

My family has been begging me for two years to let us have beef for Thanksgiving dinner.

So here's proof that I love my family so much that I'd give up a big turkey, just for them.

(don't tell them that the beef was so good that I didn't miss the big turkey ONE. SINGLE. BIT)

sidenote: We did cook a little bitty turkey in the crockpot.

It was the best turkey meat any of us had ever had.

Stupid crockpot! lol

Our oldest child, Chris, and his incredibly lovely family.

Yeah, we can't stop picking at it while we get everything else ready. ;)

That's cranberry snow in the middle. Have you ever had cranberry snow?

It's QUITE nice!

Happy Children = Happy Thanksgiving

....and Great Food = Happy Adults

Big thanks to our 16 yo son Grady, who this year, isn't in any photos

because he has discovered his love of photography.

And for the first time I'm pictured at the table (back there on the right).

Apple, chocolate cream, buttermilk, peppermint cookies, pumpkin, peach and pumpkin roll.

At this point, nobody wants pie.

BUT WE EAT IT ANYWAY!!!

GROUP HUG!

OOPS! WE SQUISHED A FEW!

And this is what those leaves in the placard pockets were for.

Everyone wrote things on the leaves they are thankful for to put up on our Thankful Tree.

We are blessed.

31 Days of PINK

2011-10-26T07:46:00.000-07:00

Today I'm guest posting for Laura over at Pink Cake Plate.

She is doing an amazing series this month on

Breast Cancer Awareness

with a new post each day from her and her friends.

I have enjoyed the heartfelt stories and the fun and beautiful photos that she's shared.

Thanks Laura for increasing breast cancer awareness!

Too Big For Our Genes!

2011-09-19T06:30:00.000-07:00

The year isn't over yet, but we've had BIG IMPORTANT THINGS happen that I'm excited to share!

In April the biggest, best miracle of the year was the birth of our 5th grandchild, Makenna.

How precious is she?!

Cowboy and I (aka Papa and Nana) got to meet Makenna for the first time in Texas last month.

By the time we saw her she was already 5 months old,

smiling, rolling, and all those cute things that are so adorable.

I fell very much in love with her, as she reminded me so much

of my daughter Shelby when she was that age. It was uncanny (and they are not technically blood related)!

Papa couldn't get enough of her either!

Makenna was impressively patient with him teaching her to swim

and...um...swinging her upside down!

(Men are weird!)

Mr. Frog wanted in on some action at the pool!

Speaking of pool, uh, yeah, Makenna comes from a great gene pool! ;)

sidenote: a couple more fun things we did in Texas:

1. Ate a lot of TX waffles! 2. Shot stuff! 3. Became President of the US.

(Oh, you hadn't heard???)

(It was all over Twitter!)

(you really should keep up!)

So the second BIG IMPORTANT THING that happened to our family this year is

that May brought the birth of our 6th grandchild, Layton.

I think he may outgrow his older 3 siblings, I dunno.

He's pretty dang cute!!!

He lives nearby so we get to see him pretty often,

which is probably why I don't have 20 million pictures of him (like I do his cousin, Makenna).

Note to self: Take lots more pictures of Layton!

Sure would love to spend more time with him to love & squeeze him! *Uh Hum* ;)

His brother and sisters are pretty excited to have him here too!

(Are these cookie cutter kids or what?)

So adorable and so much fun!!!

And of course, another amazing gene pool, right?

So, well, we do actually have even more BIG IMPORTANT THINGS

that happened to our family this year!

And yes, it is in fact gorgeous grandbaby number seven!

We welcomed Tate in June!

Oh, he's such a doll!

He definitely gets the prize for the fullest head of hair! It's awesome!

By the way, if you belong to this family, we don't care how old you are,

you have to get in the swimming pool!

Sadly, shortly after Tate's birth his family moved away to Oregon, so now we will rarely get to see him.

Soooo sad!!! He's gonna be a much bigger boy the next time I get to hold him. :(

And so will his big brother who has been our greatest source of fun and entertainment.

Now we only have Papa to make us laugh.

Except it's not as funny when Papa has food on his face, spills salsa all

over the table or crawls into the cabinets. Any suggestions?

(Oh Cashen, how we miss thee!)

Tate and Cashen's parents. Yep, more incredible genes!!

Every one of our married kids had a baby this year,

so I don't think we'll have any more new grandbabies any time soon.

Anyway,

I'm not finished telling you about BIG IMPORTANT THINGS!

THERE'S ONE MORE!!!

our daughter Devin got her mission call to

!!!!!!!!!!HONDURAS!!!!!!!!!!

She leaves in November and we couldn't be more proud of her!!!

Devin is super awesome and I know she'll be a GREAT missionary!

I hope she can survive the lack of malls there! ;)

So here's a recap:

3 of our kids are married

1 is on a mission in Peru

1 is about to leave for Honduras

And 5 are still at home (that number goes up and down fairly regularly)

10 kids

2 daughters-in-law

1 son-in-law

and

seven grandchildren

(with the potential for literally DOZENS more)

Oh, and of course Cowboy and me

That puts us currently at

TWENTY TWO

If we're not already too big for our Genes

We will be before this over!

I'm just grateful that God created double ovens and deep freezers!!!

Anyone want to place a bet on how many grandchildren we'll end up with?

I'm guessing at least thirty.

AT LEAST!

WE ARE BLESSED!

What BIG IMPORTANT THINGS are going on with you this year?

I'd love to know!!!

Don't forget to sign up for a chance to win

My Memories Suite Digital Scrapbooking software!

Less than one week left to enter!

GETTING CHUNKY!!

2011-09-14T18:03:00.000-07:00

I HAVE THE COOLEST FRIENDS!!!

My very sweet new neighbor, Bridgette graciously shared her abundance of beads with us

for a make-whatever-you-want jewelry get-together.

I've never made chunky jewelry in my life.

In fact, I don't think I've ever made ANY kind of jewelry, that I can remember.

(I may be lying, but I'm getting old and the memory is going quickly)

These ladies are having FUN and most of us are new to the craft!

Jennifer made these gorgeous necklaces that I was very envious of!

OHMYGOSH!!! I love all of Bridgette's goodies!!!!

Here's my darling Shelby, home from college for a minute.

(She likes making funny faces)

We are concentrating, man!

Lisa making bead decisions (it can be overwhelming!)

Jamie is making jewelry and holding a baby at the same time, which is phenomenal!

Lara showing off her new accessories.....and believe me, she's the QUEEN of accessorizing!

Here are my wonderful new baubles. One for the temple (with a clip). One for just showy gorgeousness!

(I've gotten a TON of compliments on this pink & black goody already)

And here is the beautiful and talented Bridgette!

She's very good at sharing!

THANK YOU BRIDGETTE!!!! You're SO awesome!!!!

Digital Scrapbooking Software GIVEAWAY!!!

2011-09-12T20:36:00.000-07:00

I've done it!
I have finally taken the plunge into digital scrapbooking and you know what?
I *LOVE* it!
Have you ever considered going digital too? Then read on!

I've been a traditional scrapbooker for thirteen years
and will adore papers and embellishments FOREVER,
but I am also excited to introduce you to a
new and fun alternative with My Memories Suite.

If you're like me you have thousands of photos stored on your computer
that you plan to someday get into scrapbooks,
but you just can't get through them fast enough.
Well this gives us a quick alternative to get more done faster and
new options for sharing and reprinting our pages for our family and friends.

Not only that, but
ONE OF YOU IS GOING TO BE A
LUCKY WINNER
for a free download of My Memories Suite digital software.

The software is easy and fun to learn and use. And if you ever need help figuring it out, you can get support from My Memories Blog plus awesome tutorials HERE and HERE!

The software is downloadable so you can get started right away
(even if you don't win) with a SWEET DISCOUNT!
The software comes with a gazillion digital papers and embellishments and an awesome collection of Designer Templates that you can use to design your pages YOUR way.
You can quickly 'drag and drop' your photos or even more simply 'auto fill'.
It's amazing!

And if all of the sweet freebies that come with your software still aren't enough, you can download even more gorgeousness at great prices for papers and embellishments that you can use over and over again.
Plus My Memories Suite is continually adding more FREE
kits, papers & embellishments all the time.

For my first project I wanted to FINALLY scrapbook photos of a special dinner out celebrating a friend's 50th birthday.

I turned all of this.............

...............quickly into this..................

................and this..................

As you can see, the software is pretty user friendly.
My Memories will print out actual books for you, or if you just want to print a few pages you can send them digitally online. I sent mine to Costco and here are photos (of my photos) of the two complete 12 x 12 pages. Super easy! Super inexpensive! Super fun!

This is what it looked like after picking up the prints.

Sorry for the photo glare, but you can see that these pages turned out great!
And how easy to print a set for me AND a set for my friend, Paula.

Then I made a handout for my Young Women's class,
which I printed out on my own little home printer.
I LOVE LOVE LOVE how you can add the 3D shadow effect to everything
so it actually looks layered!!!
Wish I had done that with Paula's pages above!

Here's my bushel of handouts to which I added real twine. :)

You can also make greeting cards, baseball cards,

and anything else you'd make with photos and/or papers and embellishments.

Just about any embellishment you can think of, ribbons, bows, brads, rhinestones, buttons, threads, paper clips, staples, stitching, word art, and more can be added to your projects!

Couture Sweet 16 Birthday Party

2011-08-30T16:26:00.000-07:00

My first lifelong best friend is Colleen, whom I've known since the 8th grade.
We took as many classes together in jr high and high school as we possibly could,
then we talked on the phone for hours after school.
What the heck did we talk about?
I dunno.
I'm just grateful that we didn't have cell phones and texting way back then
because I'm sure we would have driven our parents even more crazy!

(right before we turned 16)
I still remember what we gave each other for our 16th birthdays.
I gave Colleen a diamond friendship knot ring
(the diamond was barely visible it was so tiny),
and Colleen gave me a car!
(a VW-bug gold charm for my then-very-cool charm necklace)

We roomed together at BYU, just like we had always talked about doing "when we grow up"!
Then somehow Colleen talked me into entering a beauty contest with her
(it actually turned out to be a lot of fun!).

(*cough* no, we didn't win)
(We seriously even accidentally chose the same dress for the pageant, and didn't realize it til the day before. Too late to switch by then. Thank heavens they were at least different colors!)

Awwwww man, I miss 80's hair!
And my skinny arms!

Anyway,

Colleen went on a mission to Holland when we turned 21
(our birthdays are less than 3 weeks apart).
We moved on and were pretty much separated for the next 26 years of our lives.

We've stayed in touch though,
especially these past 8 years since she and her family settled back here in the West.
We're still BFF's!
Cuz she's amazing!

Now this is where my story begins of Andrea, Colleen's youngest daughter.
For some reason that I can't even remember,
Andrea and I took a real liking to each other....8 years ago....when it was her 8th birthday.

Now fast forward to the here and now.

The most amazing thing has just happened!
I can still hardly believe it!
A few weeks ago Colleen, Andrea and their whole family moved to a new city.
Guess where?

Ja! Now we finally live in the same state again!

HECK, WE LIVE IN THE SAME VALLEY!!!

COOL! COOL! COOL!
*happy dance*

However, their kids started school the very next day,
and soon thereafter Andrea was to turn 16.
BUM-MER!
Your 16th birthday is supposed to be amazing, RIGHT?
Colleen and I had AWESOME 16th birthdays!
I remember a lot about my 16th birthday and how fun it was!
But here's Andrea in a new town not really knowing anyone and
being without her best friends that she just left behind in another state.

Colleen asked me if I'd like to help her with Andrea's 16th party.
UH, YEAH!!!!!!!

And just like everything I do,
what started out as a little thing turned out to be way too much fun.
I love that!
We wanted to make sure Andrea's party was nothing if not pretty!

She loves French Couture and Zebra stripes.
Hmmmm.

It totally worked!

Here's Andrea putting cream filling into the cupcakes.

Andrea's sister Rissa and my son Grady making and decorating cake pops.

Colleen making couture tissue paper flowers!
She's still skinny and more gorgeous than ever! Gah!

LOVE this color scheme!

Girls, if you can't find the right tablecloth, TRY USE A ROLL OF WRAPPING PAPER!

Happy Birthday Andrea! Sweet 16!

What a Diva!

Party City has AMAZING candies!

And here's beautiful Andrea, all ready for her party.

Now just one thing left to worry about.

Is anybody going to show up for the party?

Thankfully, LOTS and LOTS of new friends showed up!!!!!!!!

Her mother and I were hugely relieved!

I couldn't have been any happier than for Andrea to have a wonderful, beautiful and Sweet 16!

Secret Weapons to a GREAT Salad!

2011-07-22T10:13:00.000-07:00

GREAT SALAD

SECRET WEAPONS

REVEALED HERE!

If there is only one thing I'm famous for, I'd have to say it's my salads.

I *LOVE* a great salad!

And apparently so does everyone else.

I've always loved salad bars because you can pile your salad with everything you love!

(I do not like iceberg lettuce. It has no personality, no flavor, no nutritional value. What's the point? I know God doesn't make mistakes, but he must have been kidding around when he created iceberg lettuce. Now, I have tried a few recipes with iceberg in it that I did enjoy, but overall, it's never in my shopping cart.)

Now let's talk about what I *DO* like on my salad!

This salad is inspired by the fresh fruits of summer.

Strawberries

Blueberries

Raspberries

Mango

YUMMMMMM!

Canned fruits are a great addition too.

I especially love pineapple & mandarin oranges.

(sorry for the large space above....I could not make it disappear)

I use two cans of each because I have a large family. Normal people can use one each.

(Get ready for Secret Weapon #1.....it's almost here, but not quite yet!

You must be patient when reading blogs that tease.)

I also wanted it to be a regular tossed green salad that included broccoli.

(we need our fresh greens any way we can get em!)

SECRET WEAPON #1

CHOP UP EVERYTHING PRETTY SMALL!

There's a reason restaurant chopped salads are so popular!

You get more variety of your ingredients in every bite when you can fit more of them on your fork!!!

Just imagine strawberry, mango, pineapple & broccoli all on your fork AT THE SAME TIME!

And you never have those awkward moments where you're trying to stuff a

someone-forgot-to-cut-up-this-quarter-of-the-lettuce-head into your face.

SECRET WEAPON #2

TOASTED ALMONDS...

OR BETTER YET,

CANDIED TOASTED ALMONDS

This is highly scientific.

Throw a handful of sliced almonds into your pan

NO OIL!

Cook them on medium heat until they are as toasted as you want them.

If you are taking this salad to a party or you have special company coming over,

you may want the extra-special-we're-not-counting-calories-today version,

which is also throwing in a handful of sugar at the same time as the almonds.

Watch your almonds/sugar closely so as not to burn.

In a few minutes the sugar will melt and coat your almonds.

Again, when they are nicely toasted to a lovely brown, they are ready.

Quickly put them onto a sprayed plate to cool.

Once they are cooled and the rest of your salad is ready,

you can break them up easily like brittle and sprinkle them into your salad.

These are good on ANY kind of salad! Not even kidding a little bit here!

Pasta Salad

Fruit Salad

Any tossed salad

Cabbage salad

If the recipe says 'SALAD', try these almonds.

You'll thank me later, and you'll be more popular at the dinner table because of it.

Here is my final bit of advice:

SECRET WEAPON #3

THE SALAD DRESSING

MUST BE AMAZING!

I mean, why on earth would you spend all that time and money on your creation and then

put a bottle of store-bought dressing on top of it?

Ummmm, I dunno.

Granted, there have been a COUPLE of store-boughts that I liked,

but mostly they TASTE LIKE YOU BOUGHT 'EM OFF A SHELF.

Here is my family's very favorite homemade dressing that is quick to make.

(thanks to my friend Kanani, who gave this recipe to me years ago)

POPPY SEED DRESSING

1/2 cup sugar

1/2 cup cider vinegar

1/2 cup oil

1 TB poppy seeds

1 TB fresh onion

1 tsp salt

1/2 tsp dry mustard

Blend it all together until well-mixed.

(I *heart* my Magic Bullet)

Also, I like it better when the dressing is premixed into the salad.

Believe it or not, I think you use less dressing that way.

Now you know my

SALAD SECRET WEAPONS!

Beautiful, delicious & so nutritional!

Now go kill your eaters! ;)

Father's Day Fun - Elmer's Glue Craft & Tell

2011-06-20T08:01:00.000-07:00

Maddie & I were invited to participate with My Insanity's Mom and Me Elmer's Craft & Tell party.

It was LOTS of fun!

We got to make wonderful gifts for dad, make new friends,

and bring home some incredible freebies from Elmer's Glue & X-Acto.

Each mom/daughter received some impressive goodies, including X-acto cutting mat, knife, & scissors, Elmer's glues and adhesives and these giant foam core blank cards to make a gigantic Father's Day card. We also received several VERY cool Elmer's paint pens & gel pens (who knew Elmer's made pens??)

Maddie LOVED cutting out all of these coordinating ties to create a fun Happy Father's Day banner!

Here's the completed banner.

We'll be using this year after year! :)

Next, Maddie made this gigantic card from an Elmer's foam board.

There was plenty of room for all the kids and grandkids to write their tributes to Cowboy.

(This was one of his favorite gifts!)

Finally, My Insanity inspired us to make this awesome gift bag out of a lunch sack.

CLEVER!

And super fast & easy!

In addition, at home the kids made these fun Dad Coupons. I designed them to look like matchbooks.

Dad really got a kick out of these!

KIDS. ARE. FUNNY!

Notice the numbers 1 through up to 5 on the right hand side. That's how many times he can redeem that coupon. Haha.

Big thanks to My Insanity & Elmer's Glue for adding lots of extra fun to our Father's Day!!!

Cake Pops are a SNAP!

2011-05-28T12:16:00.001-07:00

I know everyone and her sister has already posted about how to make cake pops,

but I've had a few friends ask ME how I made MINE, so here ya go.

As it was my first time making them and they turned out *almost* perfect,

I thought I'd go ahead and share my technique.

(can it be called technique after only one time???)

What I used: Boxed cake mix, canned frosting (I know, I totally did this the easy way!), Candy Melts, lollipop sticks and those little plastic treat bags.

Ohhh, you will need something to prop them up on after you dip them (mine is at the end of this post).

OR you can just prop them up into mini muffin papers with the sticks up.

Just a heads up, one of my very favorite bloggers and new friend, Destiny from A Place For Us,

didn't have time to make the cake balls ahead so she did it like THIS. Wish I'd thought of it first!

Brilliant!

But if you want to make them yourself, keep reading. ;)

I made the cakes the night before to save more time.

This is where my own 'special technique' comes in, I guess.

The cake and the frosting have to get mixed all together,

so why not break the cake into large chucks

and messily frost them to get the frosting all in between from the start? Then really smush it!

Yes, it worked fabulously!
(and now I'm thinking, "WHY DID I USE THAT HORRIBLY UGLY YELLOW BOWL???)
(Girl, you KNOW you thought the same thing!)

Roll it into the size you want and lay it out on waxed paper.

If you freeze it at least 20 or 30 minutes, it will make the dipping MUCH easier!

Now for the funnest part...........DIPPING!

Slowly and low temp melt your Candy Melts in the microwave.

Dip your lollipop stick

into the melted candy first.

Make sure you have your

Dr. Pepper on hand too!

That's always a MUST!

When you pre-dip your stick it makes it so much easier

to gently rock your cake ball in the candy to the edges of what

has already oozed out of the end of the stick. Does that even make sense?

Be gentle & slow so you don't knock the cake off the stick.

Don't twist the stick....just rock and roll. Got that?

You'll know exactly what I mean when you're hands on.

(TMI...sheesh.....sorry)

(And I'm loving all of this DIP STICK talk! haha)

VOILA!!!!!!

Great, right?!

Okay, remember at the start when I said *almost* perfect?

Well here is my imperfection. *sigh*

I will get that figured out.

The most amazing thing was how great they tasted! I didn't expect that!

Got tons of compliments!

They are fun, easy, and look great on your food display table!

Here are some sites that will help you even more.

I made mine VERY basic,

but there is no limit to how you can decorate them!

http://www.bakerella.com/category/pops-bites/cake-pops/

http://www.cakepops.org/

etc.

GOOD LUCK!!!

Continue on if you'd like a quick-help on making a cake pop stand

Measure the styrofoam block that is the shape you want,

then trim up your selected paper to those dimensions.

Before you glue down your paper, measure where you want to punch your holes.

IMPORTANT: Don't put the glue where your holes will be!

I loved using paper to cover the styrofoam stands

because then I could tie them into the theme of our party

AND I can easily change the paper.

HAVE FUN!

The Little Red Kayak-ak-ak-er!

2011-05-24T12:15:00.003-07:00

Maddie doesn't like boats, especially kayaks.

Oh, wait.

She didn't USED to like to kayak.

NOW she wants to kayak ak ak ak all day long!

She suddenly morphed into a little girl who is adventurous and brave

and wants to do amazing things

instead of the scared-of-my-own-toothbrush kid she used to be!

Just she and I met up with her Uncle Harry at Lake Pleasant last weekend just to hang out for a few hours.

Uncle Harry and his friends were there to enjoy a long weekend with their kayak club for a big annual event. She was so sure she'd be bored because she wouldn't know anyone there (her dad and brothers were otherwise occupied at their father/son campout many miles away).

I never dreamed she'd be ready to jump in a kayak the minute we arrived!

No sign of fear WHATSOEVER!

The even bigger surprise was when she was determined to go on

the two-hour group night paddle.

WHAT???

We tried SO hard to dissuade her.

I was sure she'd get out there then start whining that she was tired and didn't want to do it anymore.

OH WHATEVER MOM!

Our new friend, Richard, was her guide as he and Uncle Harry quickly

covered her life vest and kayak in blinking light sticks and rushed to catch up with the group.

She looked like a Christmas tree as she paddled away into the night.

Not only did they quickly catch up with the group,

but they even passed them and were two of the first to arrive back to shore.

IMPRESSIVE!

My baby is growing up!

I was so tired from watching her paddle those 12 miles that I couldn't even drive home.

So we camped along the shore with the many other kayaker's (in the back of our car...lol).

What an awesome unexpected adventure!

Many thanks to her Uncle Harry and our wonderful new friends, Richard & Shea! Love you guys!!

Hair's what I'm thinking....

2011-05-24T11:48:00.000-07:00

The Arizona summer heat is almost upon us!

(today's 5 day forecast via http://www.weather.com)

Which means it's that time of year when I start anguishing over my hair.

I start fantasizing about short hair that I can easily swim with or just wash & go.

Once in a great while I go through with cutting it off,

but mostly I chicken out and just have it thinned out a bit instead.

So you're thinking, "What's the big deal?", right?

Well first off, my hair is my crowning glory. It makes me look younger and it's my best feature.

I get compliments on my hair from total strangers quite frequently and I LIKE THAT! lol

So NOW you're thinking, "Girl, then just put it in a ponytail!"

Yeah, that's what I usually do,

but now I have constant pain in my neck and shoulders from the weight of my hair.

I'm in more discomfort than I've ever been before and really have to go through with it this time.

It's time to move past my LONG-HAIR-VANITY!

The last time I reached my breaking point was when I jumped out of the pool,

headed straight for the bathroom and

just CHOPPED IT OFF!

Then called someone real quick to fix it!!

It didn't look good for quite a while. Oops!! Haha!

HERE'S WHAT IT LOOKS LIKE NOW:

The ponytail is my husband's favorite, but he's okay with cutting it

(probably cuz he's tired of me complaining about my neck....hehe)

It's naturally wavy, but I mostly use a straightener to un-kink as well as to add a little soft curl to it.

HERE ARE THE

SHORT STYLE OPTIONS

I LOVE:

Tell me, which is YOUR favorite???

AND WHILE WE'RE AT IT, LET'S HIGHLIGHT IT TOO!

Hmmm, should I go subtle or dramatic?

WATCH FOR THE BIG REVEAL

COMING SOON!

(photos courtesy of

http://www.beautifulhairstyles.com/, http://www.goo.gl/URNWE,

http://www.goo.gl/ub5FB, http://hairhighlightspictures.com/,

http://www.sophisticatededge.com/hair-highlights-pictures.html)

The REAL reason I shop at Marshall's

2011-05-20T18:08:00.004-07:00

Ladies, it's the dressing room!

I mean, why do most dressing rooms have only one ONE hook to hang 12 hangers on?

IF YOU'RE LUCKY.

Sometimes it's just the back of the door or the floor.

Seriously!

It's SUCH A PAIN!

I usually just buy the stuff and try it on at home (then take it back when I see myself in it at home).

But check this out.......at Marshall's you have at least 3 hooks with messages to help you sort your try-on's.

I soooooo love it!!!

I sound like a commercial, but you know it's got to be good when you start snapping pics like mad in a DRESSING room, and it has nothing to do with the (possibly) cute clothes you're about to try on.

Huge full length mirror AND full lighting on both sides. WOW! I couldn't even believe it!

Not only that, but there is a wall with a big wire rack thingy that you can hang 50 hangers on, if you want (and if they allowed you to take that many items in).

I can't wait to go back. Next time I'm taking a picnic lunch and a friend!

Morgan's Shadowbox

2011-05-06T16:36:00.002-07:00

There is a wonderfully talented and beautiful girl in my church

who will very shortly be graduating from high school and moving away.

As Young Women leaders we wanted to have a special gift for her to remind her

of how much we love her and how much we'll miss her.

I promptly volunteered to create something special for her.

I'm pretty sure she'll like it! :)

I used my new Silhouette that I won at Creative Estates Conference to create some of these letters.

Others were made of wood, buttons, etc.

I popped everything up as much as possible to add lots of depth to all of the elements.

I had a blast combining lots of great embellishments and various textures!

These message coins popped up on bottle caps is my very favorite part of the whole project!

I was a little nervous to experiment with ink pads on these cream colored paper flowers,

but once I dyed the first petal I was a believer!

Morgan's favorite color is green

and this was a versatile way to add the color she'll love.

Morgan hasn't seen it yet,

but the girls who got a sneak-peek said they hope to get one when they graduate!

All the best to you, Morgan!!!!

I love you, Hobby Lobby! ;)

Creative Estates - The Airport Experience

2011-04-19T13:43:00.000-07:00

First off, I have to say that as excited as I was to attend Creative Estates, I was also a bit nervous because the only person I really knew beforehand was my roomie Rachele, whom I've known for a while now.

That changed QUICKLY.........

cuz there's this gal named Stephanie whom I'd never met but had adoringly ~~stalked~~ followed on Twitter for the past year (cuz she is utterly hilarious!) who contacted me and asked if I could help by picking someone up from the airport.

Well sure! I'm driving right past there anyway, right?!

So I'll give you ~~the shortest~~ a shorter version:

The Cowboy and I took one......um, well, maybe two vehicles to the airport

(cuz we know how girls like to carry a lot of luggage)

and ended up happily chauffeuring SEVEN GREAT NEW FRIENDS to Creative Estates!

First there was the adorable Heather, who also had the most rad biz cards, complete with a pair of rose earrings attached.....SA-WEET! Isn't she lovely?!

Honestly, I can't even remember the order of who jumped in my car next, but let me just say that

NO ONE CAME IN ON THE SAME AIRLINE!!!

(you girls seriously need to plan ahead next time y'all show up in Phoenix at the same time

and pick airlines that arrive at the same terminal...hehe...j/k)

;)

We circled the airport numerous times, made a security guy in a truck WAY MAD,

probably made everyone car sick, and almost ran over some toes.

Hmmmm, well a big WHATEVER to the grumpy security guy! YOUR bad! lol

All the girls were excited to be in Phoenix, I was excited to meet them and the vehicles quickly filled with chatter and laughter.

Here are my other new fantastic friends:

Jen

I had already adored her blog and was in awe of her organized Creative Estates wardrobe!

Lori and Anna whom I am SO glad I met! I cannot even tell you how super sweet these two ladies are.

Ilene who is just too peppy and fun for words!

Moriah, one of the most gorgeous pregnant ladies I've ever seen!

(photo courtesy of Much Love-illy)

Tara, who treated me to one of her fantastic designs, just for giving her a ride!

I LOVE IT AND HER!

(photo courtesy of TaraDaraMadeIt)

So that was just the beginning of what became an incredible weekend!

I'm a firm believer that life gives us lessons everyday on how awesome friendships can be and how easy they are to find when you're willing to put forth a little bit of love and effort. I'm grateful (and probably many times unaware) of the things that others do for me.

(and girls, you ever need another ride...I'm there...I don't care what airline you're on!)

Pay it forward!

More to come on Creative Estates....

The Epic Letterpress.....OH MAN!!!

2011-04-11T23:39:00.001-07:00

I really really really want to win this!

Got to play with it at Creative Estates and totally fell in love with it! Made a cute thank you card that I will for sure share with a friend. *Fingers crossed* that I win this from Holly over at 504 Main!

If you and I don't win it through Holly's give-away, I guess we'll just have to save our pennies and get one here. Good luck to us both!

Have you fallen into PINTEREST?

2011-04-04T12:25:00.007-07:00

So there's this totally amazing site where you can pin all of the great images you find online
onto organizational boards. You have to see it to believe it! Seriously!
RIGHT HERE!
Send me your email address if you'd like an invite
(I guess that's the only way to get an account).
HAVE FUN PINNING!!!
Be prepared to fall in...........

Maddie's 8th Birthday Party

2011-03-27T22:43:00.001-07:00

Our sweet little guest of honor.

This was my one last chance to throw a princess party (she's almost too old for so much fuss) and it was the most planning fun I've had in a LONG time!

This party was from a few months back. Since then I've learned so much more and would have done a few things differently if I'd only known (why didn't y'all tell me sooner???) like design, photography, party favors, etc. But I also did a lot of things right AND the girls had a blast! So it all shakes out, right?

Our welcoming sentry's (brothers) checking everyone in on the guest list. THEIR idea to wear suit jackets & ties with their t-shirts and gym shorts. Haha! I *LOVE* it!

Each guest must make a wish and throw a penny in the well (chest).

No one enters until they've been dubbed a prince or princess! (REAL sword!).

Maybe a lil sword action on the side :D

(that's another son dressed as a whomeve-it-is that handles the sword).

Once you're dubbed, you get ADORNED! (Dang I wish I had a close-up of how cute these crowns were...they were feathered, like the boas AND jeweled. Cutest dollar store crowns I ever did see! Hehe)

NOW you're royalty!

The girls embellished crown door hangers and foam picture frames with lots of glitter & jewels, with the help of our older daughter. A picture of each child was taken while they sat in the throne and later put in the frames they made.

My daughter-in-law helped the girls make flower hair clips.

GAMES GAMES GAMES.....and my favorite was the dress-up relay. So hilarious!

A table fit for a prince and princesses!

(this is the best pic I have of the food over on the sideboard??? NOOOOOO!!!)

**forehead slap**

(trust me, it was beautiful)

Chocolate roses (for Belle) made by yours truly.

Cream-filled cupcakes.........sooooo yum!

My lighting-camera-skills needs some work. :)

The royalty are ready to eat!

And it's not a decent Arizona party if it doesn't end in the pool. ;)

Gardening for Dummies

2011-03-19T17:08:00.006-07:00

Okay, so I sorta bought a pre-packaged garden. Cowboy can plant and harvest hundreds of acres of wheat, barley, alfalfa and cotton, but he's not much help when it comes to a little garden plot. I was on my own and this seemed like an easy solution. THANK YOU SAM'S CLUB! Around $40 for the box (easy to assemble), and $8 for seed kit. Plus 9 bags of soil.

Our two youngest and two of their friends were more than willing to do all the dirty work. I had to keep my hands clean to handle the camera, ya know! I dumped in the bags of soil and they spread it out and broke up all the big lumps. Easy!

As a sidenote, how do you like my lovely side patio? Up until 3 days ago there was only a dog crate and a bbq. I've wanted to do something cool out there since we moved here. ALL of the furniture we already had here, there, and everywhere around the house. Picked up some beautiful new cushions from Lowe's (the old ones were rotted out!). Five kids slept out there under the stars last night! At last, a shady piece of outdoor shangri la!

Okay, this kit really IS for dummies! It came with these 2 seed bags (8-9 seed packets inside EACH one!)....plus............

This pre-printed black cloth with pics and directions for where to put the seeds and how deep to plant em. DUH! It even tells you which direction to point it so each plant gets the best sun or shade! (N, S, E, W). The cloth also blocks weeds from growing. Really? REALLY??? Can it get any better?

Pushing in the last seeds and finishing up with plenty of water. Now........................we wait.

Will let cha know how it goes.

Or, er, grows.

At long last, let me introduce you to the rest of the family

2011-03-08T22:03:00.004-07:00

This is the main reason I ever started a blog in the first place.
As you can see, from Kid#1 clear down to Kid#10,
we have a lot to be proud of!
Check out
The fruit that fell from our family tree.

Random Thoughts

2010-03-17T19:06:00.001-07:00

(hijacked this from an email I got from my sister because I love lists and I love hijacking and I particularly love THIS list!)

Random thoughts for the day:

1. I think part of a best friend's job should be to immediately clear your computer history if you die.
2. Nothing sucks more than that moment during an argument when you realize you're wrong.
3. I totally take back all those times I didn't want to nap when I was younger.
4. There is great need for a sarcasm font.
5. How the heck are you supposed to fold a fitted sheet?
6. Was learning cursive really necessary?
7. Map Quest really needs to start their directions on #5. I'm pretty sure I know how to get out of my neighborhood.
8. Obituaries would be a lot more interesting if they told you how the person died.
9. I can't remember the last time I wasn't at least kind of tired.
10. Bad decisions make good stories.
11. You never know when it will strike, but there comes a moment at work when you know that you just aren't going to do anything productive for the rest of the day.
12. Can we all just agree to ignore whatever comes after Blue Ray? I don't want to have to restart my collection...again.
13. I'm always slightly terrified when I exit out of 'Word' and it asks me if I want to save any changes to my ten-page research paper that I swear I did not make any changes to.
14. "Do not machine wash or tumble dry" means I will never wash this -- ever.
15. I hate when I just miss a call by the last ring (Hello? Hello?) but when I immediately call back, it rings nine times and goes to voicemail. What'd you do after I didn't answer? Drop the phone and run away?
16. I hate leaving my house confident and looking good and then not seeing anyone of importance the entire day. What a waste.
17. I keep some people's phone numbers in my phone just so I know not to answer when they call.
18. My 4-year old son asked me in the car the other day "What would happen if you ran over a ninja?" How the heck do I respond to that?
19. I think the freezer deserves a light as well.
20. I disagree with Kay Jewelers. I would bet on any given Friday or Saturday night more kisses begin with Tequila than Kay.

Something Fishy

2009-02-04T08:57:00.001-07:00

Today's Maddie-ism:

"I HATE this fish! It smells like water!