The Men in My Life

The picture was taken on Christmas morning before church. These are the 3 most important men in my life.

First there is my Pop. I have always been Daddy's Little Girl. And in the later years of Pop's life we have gotten closer and have done much more together. I am so appreciative of all the changes he has made in his life that have helped in making our relationship even better.

Second is my very best friend and husband, Steve. I have often said that I had spent many nights wishing on stars for Prince Charming and then he came into my life and is more than I had even wished for.

The last, but certainly not least is my first baby, my son Zack. What an incredible little boy. He has made me feel a kind of love I did not even know existed until the first moment I looked at him after he was born.

Sorry, I guess with this year winding down and thinking of everything I am grateful for I am getting a little mushy.

So Steve and I have no big plans for tonight. We will probably hang out, play a game of Settlers of Catan. Then maybe snuggle up on the sofa, turn on the fire, make up some hot cocoa and popcorn and watch a movie. Then around midnight we will watch the ball drop in Times Square. I have been thinking about some of my "goals" for 2006. I hate the word resolutions, so I will use goals.

1. I want to lose weight. I am really bummed with how "chubby" have I become this year. I also would like to be able to wear ALL those clothes I have in my closet.
2. Then I want to work on cooking "real" meals for my family. In past years I have been discouraged because one I make the meal every says, "do we have to eat
everything...I don't like this" So I stopped making big elaborate meals, even
though I really do like cooking.
3. I am going to try to be more diligent with my scripture study. I am so bad at this. I will probably try to do this early in the morning because doing it before bed at
night just is not working.
4. I am going to submit my layouts to magazines more consistantly. I want to be published at least 10 times. I also would like to have made a DT by the end of the year.

I hope you all have a fabulous 2005 and an even better 2006.

Mommy and Her Girls

My mom emailed this picture to me. It is my favorite picture so far from Christmas. From left to right it is Becky, Belle, Me and Katie. I am so proud of my little girls. These are the dresses I got for the girls to wear on Christmas to church. They all looked so beautiful. I am so terribly blessed. There is not a picture of Zack, but it was just as handsome.

I saw this year in review on some other blogs and thougth I would give it a try. Hope you enjoy!!

JANUARY
1. Did you have a new year's resolution this year?: To get published and to cook more meals for my family.
2. Who kissed you at midnight?: Steve of course
3. Did it snow where you live?: I don't remember if it actually snowed, but it would be safe to assume there was snow on the ground
4. Have you ever been to Times Square to watch the ball drop?: Nope, and honestly don't really want to...too many people. I like my New Year's kind of quiet with my hubby alone

FEBRUARY
1. Who was your valentine?: Steve, we do the 14 days of Valentines beginning on the 1st.
2. What did your valentine get you?: Steve made me a desk with the drop front to keep me paper work and such in.
3. When you were little, did you buy valentines for your whole class?: Yes. I remember filling them out and giving special ones to those "special" boys.

MARCH
1. Are you Irish? No, mostly Italian
2. Did you wear green on St. Patty's Day?: Nope, never been into that. I have flashbacks of getting pinched when I was little for not wearing green so now I boycott
3. What did you do for St. Patty's Day?: Nothing

APRIL
1. Do you like the rain?: I love listenign to it at night with the window cracked open a little bit. And if there is thunder and lightening I am into it alittle bit more
2. Did you play an April Fool's joke on anyone this year?: No, never really been into that either (this is making me think I am a boring person)
3. Did you get tons of candy on Easter?: No, I think I was dieting at Easter time

MAY
1. What's your favorite kind of flower?: I LOVE gardenias
2. Do you like the spring? I love watching the flowers and trees come back to life in the spring, but my fav season is Fall
3. Finish the phrase: "April showers bring...": May Flowers
4. What would you think of as a spring color?: Lilac

JUNE
1. What year did you graduate from school?: High School was 1990
2. Did you go on any vacations last June?: Steve and I went to Rhode Island at the beginning of the month for Steve's parents anniversary

JULY
1. What did you do on the 4th of July? We go camping the weekend before, so were camping with friends of ours
2. Did you go on any vacations during this month?: It seems like we were off doing something all month long. Chip got married in Vegas so we spent the weekend there, my cousin Lacy got married at the end of the month so went away for that.

AUGUST
1. Did you do anything special to end off your summer?: Suzanne and I went to CKU the weekend before school started.
2. What was your favorite summer memory of '05?: The road trip with Steve to and from Vegas. I love just talking with Steve. We sometimes have the best converstions on road trips
3. Did you go swimming a lot in the summer?: No, I am usually poolside
4. Did you go to the beach a lot?: Nope...We live in Utah

SEPTEMBER
1. Any fun trips for Labor Day?: The week after Labor Day Steve and I went to Yosemite and I went on my 1st 9 mile hike.
2. What did you do once your children were back in school?Scrapbooked a little more in the middle of the day, and started working in my ward's primary presidency.
3. Did you like fall better than summer?: Oh Yeah!!! Fall is my favorite seaon.

OCTOBER
1. What was your favorite Halloween costume ever?: I made a Dorothy costume for me and a Scarecrow costume for Steve about 6 years ago.
2. What's your favorite candy?: Reese Peanut Butter Cup
3. What did you dress up like this year? A mom passing out candy to trick-o-treaters

NOVEMBER
1. Whose house did you go to for Thanksgiving?: My mom and dad's house
2. Do you like stuffing?: Not really
3. What are you thankful for?: Being a mom, my children, a wonderful loving husband, our home, my friends and the gospel

DECEMBER
1. Do you celebrate Christmas?: Yes, all parts of it
2. Have you ever been kissed under mistletoe?: Yes, but I don't need it anymore. Steve kisses me plenty
3. What do you want this year for Christmas?: This year I wanted a new digi camera, a Sizzix machien and an iPod
4. What's the best present you ever got for Christmas?: I remember when I was 6 getting a Shaun Cassidy nightgown and I totally loved it. I also got a handwritten cookbook the year after my grandmother died with all her recipes.
5. Do you like cold weather?: Only if it is snowing and I can snuggle by the fire with Steve and drink some hot cocoa
6. How would you rate your year on a scale of 1-10?: This was definitely a 10!!!

A Silly Internet Game

I went to my friend Shannon's blog and she had done something kind of funny. You goto google.com and do an advanced search on "________ needs" (put you name in the blank) and then press search and you pick out the 5 funniest ones that come up. Here are mine:

1. Nikki needs a good whack in the head

2. Nikki needs to be the dominate female

3. Nikki needs 2 sets of bibs

4. Nikki needs to learn to count

5. Nikki needs a ride home

Okay all give it a try and lets see what you all need!!

Getting Caught Up

Has everyone missed me?

I had a great Christmas. My parents came for the weekend. We had a great Christmas Eve dinner except, we forgot to make the Pizzagania. I am actually somewhat in mourning over this. e have had pizzagania as part of the Christmas Eve meal for as long as I can remember. All day on Saturday I kept thinking we are missing something. But I couldn't figure out what it was and then when I set the food on the table did I realize it was not there. Maybe I can convince my parents (they are responsible for this creation) that it would make a wonderful Easter dish. HINT, HINT!!! We woke up Christmas morning and dug into the stockings and opened up 2 gifts from under the tree and then had a HUGE Christmas breakfast. Then everyone got showered and dressed and attended church. When we got home after the wonderful sacrament meeting everyone but Pop and Steve put on their jammies and we opened the remainder of the presents. Santa gave the whole family a trip to Disneyland in January. We can't wait to go. Steve got his very own laptop so we won't have to share this one anymore. The kids got a Gamecube and Gameboys. Katie and Becky got lots of My Little Pet Shop stuff and Doggie Daycare. I was SPOILED by both Steve and my parents. 1st I opened my iPod nano. It is so cute and small. Then I got my new digi camera. WHOO-HOOO!! I got the Cannon Powershot A520. I have wanted it for sometime. I love being able to just pop the camera right into my purse. Then I got a Sizzix machine and the 1st season of the Gilmore Girls on DVD. I can't forget my bottle of Estee Lauder Beautiful. It was definitely a good Christmas. My parents stayed and visited until Tuesday and unfortunately had to get back to their real lives. I spent yesterday putting away all the Christmas decorations in side the house. That is always so depressing to me. I just wish Christmas lasted a little longer.

I can't sign off without a Belle story...This afternoon Belle asked if she could goto a friend's house. I said sure, but first she had to brush her hair. She came down and said she was leaving, but her hair still looked funky. So I asked her to get the brush so I could do it. When she came back with the brush she informed me that yesterday she had a piece of gum and thinks she had fallen asleep with it in her mouth last night. Sure enough there was the piece of gun with a bunch of hair stuck in it. BUT if that was not enough she had taken it upon herself to cut the piece out. She had cut tons of hair from the underside of her head. UGH!!!!! I was so frustrated. So we went upstairs and cut, literally, 6 inches of hair off her head. She now has very short bob cut. She cried the whole time, but I did not know what else to do. She was totally upset this afternoon, but it seems that as the day has gone on she has adjusted and I think is even starting to like it.

The Morning After

I DID IT!!!
I FINISHED MY POLAR BEAR PRESS ENTRY!!!

After I posted about not being sure I would finish my entries in time I got comments from some of my fellow Peas on my blog of encouragement and I was determined to get it done. THANKS EVERYONE!!! I worked on it until 10:00 am yesterday, then I had to head over to my kids school to help with the Reindeer Grams that the PTA had organized as a service project. They are candy sticks with a little "to" & "from" tag attached. The children pay $.50 each to send them to friends and teachers. The best part is all the money we make is donated to Make a Wish http://www.wish.org/ and then we will have helped in granting a wish to an ill child. I was there until 3:00 pm. I thought that was it I was not going to make the midnite deadline. But when I got home I told Steve I did not think I was going to be able to do it. He told me to go down stairs and work and he would handle dinner, the piano running and tending to the kids. So with his help and my determination at 11:20 pm everything was done and emailed to Polar Bear and then this morning this is what I woke up to:

So needless to say I will be spending most of today putting my scrap area back together.

I just wanted to share a fun thing that was emailed to me. If you love A CHRISTMAS STORY this will bring a chuckle to your day. http://www.starz.com/features/christmasstory

A Visit to St. Nick

On Friday Steve, the kids and I headed to Salt Lake to see the "Candy Window" at ZCMI Center and have dinner with Mom and Pop. I was thrilled when we walked past the store front that is housing Santa this year and saw there was no line. HOLY MOLY...GRAB the KIDS...Before you knew it they were on his lap telling him their wishes and wants and we had a pretty good picture and were on our way all in the matter of minutes. This is a first for me. Every other year we have had to come with snacks and activities to help pass the time of standing in line. What an awesome Christmas present for me.

My weekend has had ups and downs.....
Good news...The baking frenzy has come to an end.
Bad news...I probably won't get my pages done to submit for the Polar Bear Press DT Call.
Good news...All my neighbor goodies have been packaged and delivered.
Bad news...Missed tithing settlement last Tuesday
Good News...The clerk called Sunday after church and said we could get it done right then, and not to bother changing into church clothes. We were in and out in 4 minutes. LOVED IT!!!!
Bad news...I spent hours dipping pretzel rods in caramel and chocolate only to find out later the chocolate had not tempered correctly. YIKES!!!
Good news...Chargers beat the Colts yesterday (yes..I am a closet football fan. I even have a fantasy team)

Well, I am off to tackle those Polar Bear Press layouts...Wish me Luck!!!

Anyone Up For A Teaparty?

This weekend the kids and I went to Ferron to spend the weekend with my mom and dad and attend my Aunt Margaret's family Christmas Party. She had bought a small gift for each of the children, Becky received a barbie, Belle a plastic tea set, Zack a set of binoculars, but Katie got

"a teaset made of real glass."

She has loved this little set. She carries it everywhere she goes. I have actually hand to superglue some of the pieces back together because she does carry it absolutely everywhere and forgets that it is breakable. Well, yesterday morning Steve and I walked into the kitchen and there was Katie eating her breakfast with her teaset. She could only fit a couple of CoCoa Puffs on each plate, but it was still adorable.

The baking FRENZY has begun in my house. The last 2 mornings I have gotten up at 2:30 am and began my baking. I actually enjoy doing it while everyone is in bed. I turn on an old movie like Philadelphia Story, West Side Story or His Girl Friday and bake away. It was kind of funny...yesterday at about 3:00 am as the mixer was going full blast, Belle wandered down stairs all ready for school. I had to send her back to bed. Little did she know that her mother is a nut. I keep telling myself that I will be able to sleep on December 26th.

Katie & Becky-Our Dancing Queens

Katie & Becky had their first dance recital this year. We performed at Trolley Square. They did a great job. It was funny the 1st time they tried on their costumes. So we pulled the clothes out of the bag and they explained that their teacher had told them the shirt would not go as low as their other shirts. So they put it on and let the shirt sit above their bellies, but they tried pulling the pants up as high as they would go...Yes, a HUGE wedgy, to help the pants meet the shirt. It was hilarious. When I pulled the pants down to where they were suppose to be, they said, "...It's not modest." Too cute and it makes me feel good that we have already planted the seed of what is and is not modest.

So, I feel like I have had Christmas a little early. I used the merchandise certificate I won at CKU and ordered Stacy Julian's new book "The Big Picture", Donna Downey's "Photo Decor Book", and "Creative Sketches 2" by Becky Higgins and they arrived yesterday. I am loving the Stacy Julian book. She is just the coolest. She has a website that has the same name http://www.bigpicturescrapbooking.com/ and it sounds as though she has big plans. Virtual classroom with different projects. I love her thoughts of scrapbooking. She was the first one I heard talk about scrapbooking mini albums for events, (Halloween, a particular vacation, Christmas, etc.) rather than scrapping chronologically. I also redeemed another GC from CKU and got a pack of Basic Grey Blitzen and Fusion Paper.

Family Photo Shoot

So it is that time of the year...time for the annual family photo for the Christmas cards. We got dressed in our cute matching outfits and the kids were patient while we posed them for half an hour. I think this year's picture turned out pretty good. Thank heavens for digital technology. We could take dozens of shots and know for sure if we got the one. For the last shot the kids got to make funny faces. The older the kids get the more enjoyable doing these things becomes. Now I just need to get the prints back from WalMart and put them in with the Christmas cards.I haven't started my holiday baking yet. I was finishing up some other projects. I will probably be doing that at 5:00 in the morning for the next few weeks. The girls have dance recitals twice this month. I always love to see them out on the stage. They are just so stinkin' cute. Belle started Junior Jazz basketball yesterday and did quite well. It is already evident to both Steve and I that she has improved since the last time she played. It is a busy time of the year. I sometimes feel like I look forward to Christmas all year and it just flys by.

Hey, I thought I would fill you all in on what my family and I are doing for a service project this Christmas. It is actually our 2nd time doing it. Instead of going grocery shopping this week, we eat whatever is in our cupboards and in the back of the freezer. Then at the end of the week, we use the money we would have spent on groceries on buying food for the local Food Bankhttp://csc-ut.org/foodbank.htm. It is a great way to get the whole family involved in the service project. It also makes for intertesting meals for the week.

Latest Layout

I absolutely love this photo of Katie. It is one of my favorites that I have ever taken. It is from our trip to Rhode Island in 2004. They were searching for shells and stuff. I finally found some papers with the perfect colors to go with the picture. I am submitting it in for a contest that the paper company (Scenic Route) is having, but wanted to show off my beautiful little girl to you all.

I have tons of errands to run today so I better get to it.

Gobble, Gobble, Gobble

First let me start by wishing you a Happy Thanksgiving. We had a fabulous Thanksgiving this year. We got up early Wednesday morning and drove down to my parent's house in Ferron. This was the first time my mom has been able to host Thanksgiving since we moved here. I think she was pretty tickled. She had quite a spread too:

Turkey, Potatoes Anna, Creamed Asparagus, Stuffed Mushrooms, Dressing, String Beans, Yams and a Relish Platter. And for dessert we had Apple, Mincemeat and Rhubarb Pies

My Aunt Margaret came and had supper with us. She had spent the day prepping for her families dinner that they would be have on Thursday (we decided to have our's on Wednesday day so we could spent Thursday eating the yummy left overs)

This morning, Thanksgiving morning, Steve took the kids for a walk on the San Rafael Swell to look for cool rocks and maybe a fossil. I stayed at mom and pop's and visited and watched the Macy's Parade on television. Steve and the kids had a such a wonderful time and found TONS of rocks. Steve told me on the way home this afternoon how neat it is to watch the kids explore new places. He is a pretty cool Dad. The kids are all pretty lucky to have him.

So we made it home late this afternoon and I have been skimming all the ads and sort of have a game plan how to approach tomorrow morning. I love this time of the year!!!

Sleeping Beauty?

Friday was an incredibly busy day.

8:15 drove the big kids to school
8:30 passed Falcon Friday Awards at school.
11:00 came home, made lunch for Katie and Becky
11:15 drove kindergarten carpool
11:45 passed out Falcon Friday Awards to PM kindergarten
12:00 PTA Meeting
1:30 picked up kids
1:45 go to church to set up for program rehearsal
2:30 primary children arrive for rehearsal.
4:30 rehearsal ends/clean up chapel
4:30 Steve leaves for work (filling in)
5:15 drive to Steve's store and bring him a Beto's burrito
7:00 arrive home for dinner with the kids
7:30 clean up the house.
8:30 BREATHE!!!

I was exhausted from all the running and such and went to bed shortly after 10:00 pm. I woke up at 4:00 am with thoughts of Junkitz and Provo Craft Design Teams dancing in my head. So I came down stairs, put on old movies, which get me in the mood to scrap, and began to work on a Junkitz layout. Next thing I knew I heard a strange sound and lifted up my head. I had fallen asleep and Steve near the computer. It was 7:15 am. I HAD FALLEN ASLEEP!!! We laughed about it and then he said he wanted to show me the pictures he had Photoshopped of the girls the day before. They were cute and then at the end he showed me the one that started off this post. The stinker had taken a photo of me sleeping.

So many Design Team Calls.....so little time!!!

My Little Scout

Just got home from Zack's Pack Meeting. He loves being a scout. He will probably earn his Bear Badge at the next Pack Meeting. That will be pretty cool. Today's meeting was okay: we said the pledge, watched a skit, handed out awards and the played "Dodge Ball".

Last night was our Enrichment Night. We did an auction named "Angels Among Us". We made something or promised a service using our talent. I made the before mention scrapbook and a WHOLE BUNCH of CHOCOLATE COOKIES. Then once we got to the church we answered a bunch of questioned that had different points values. Some questions were spiritual, "Did you say your prayers" "Are you caught up on your Book of Mormon reading?". Then some of the questions were like, "Did you make your bed today" "Could you find Iraq on a map?" I got out bided on the two things I thought were my first choices. I ended up with a cute snowman cookie jar and a bunch of ingredients for making and decorating cookies. It was a fun evening. Highly recommend anyone who is looking for an activity for church or even a party.

So...I'm gonna tell you about my newest household gadget that I am LOVING.

Now don't laugh at me.

Steve broke our vacuum on Tuesday. So we went out that afternoon and bought a new vacuum. Okay I know pretty boring, BUT we bought one of those bagless vacuums. I have loved vacuuming and getting to see all the dust and dog hair that has gotten sucked up. It totally thrills me, I vacuumed our bedroom 3 times today to make sure I had gotten it pretty darn clean. After each room I have been dumping out the dust and stuff. It is so cool. I am loving it. Okay. I know I am weird, but it is the small things in life that make me happy.

Latest Addition to Our Family

Saturday my Mom, Pop, the kids and I went to the Christmas Craft Show at the Sandy Expo Center. There were some pretty cool booths. I bought another tie for Steve, a cute Santa door hanger. My mom bought some Christmas gifts for people she knows and 3 HERMIT CRABS!!! Becky's is the blue one with the Care Bear painted on it, Katie's is the light pink one with heats painted on it and Belle's is the Coral colored one. Zack felt he was not responsible enough to have a pet of his very own. I actually don't mind that the kids got the hermit crabs as long as they stay in the habitat, but I am afraid that one of the girls will take the lid off, the crab will wander out and suddenly there will be a yucky, stinky smell somewhere in my house.

So Mom and Pop took the kids and I out to dinner Friday night. We had never been to Carrino's (Italian food) before so we decided to go there. There was 7 of us. When we walked in there were only 3 other groups waiting ao they said about 15 minutes. We sat down and began to wait. Those three groups were seated and then (I'm not exaggerating) at least 25 other groups got sat before us. We were waiting for nearly 45 minutes. So we finally get to our table order appetizer and as we are waiting for the appetizers we made our meal order (BIG mistake). They brought the appetizers and mom and Pop's salad and soup then within about 3 minutes they brought the main course. UGHHHH!!! My bet peeve is being rushed out of a restaurant. I know the way they make $$$ is to turn over tables, but it was so obvious they were trying to rush us out of the restaurant. Maybe I will have a better experience if I EVER try to eat there again. I may just go back to Olive Garden. I have never had that problem there.

Sunday was a good day. We practiced the Primary Program during the first 2 hours at church. It went fairly smoothly. I think we, the whole Primary Presidency, are pretty nervous about this. All the children know their parts pretty well and the songs. We have some great teachers to assist us. Then we came home from church and spent some time with Mom and Pop. I really love getting to sit around and just talk with my mom. When Steve got home from work we had to rush off to the church for a Book of Mormon Feast meeting. The sections we are studying to teach the youth are Alma 8 - Alma 35. We still don't have a clear idea of what we are doing, but I think it will begin to come together.

My New Space

We finished the room in about 36 hours. Steve took out the bar and had to deal with plumbing and electrical issues. We reused the cabinets from the bar and put them on the wall. Then we bought a counter top that was 8 feet long. I reused the big desk to do most of my scrapping on. Steve and I ran out and bought a prefab bookcase to store some of my other supplies on.

I am absolutely in heaven. I have wanted to expand my scrap space for sometime now and I am so lucky that Steve allowed me and gave up his whole day off to make it happen. I am still in the basement family room, but with the wall painted purple and the openness of the whole layout I feel as if I am in my own space.

The kids are VERY ready to go back to school They are actually asking me when they get to go back. In some ways I enjoy having them home with me, BUT because it is only for a few weeks we don't have very much structure...and I think we all need structure. My parents are coming up for a few days starting today. I love living so close to my mom and dad. After living on the other side of US, I am really relishing this. I think they get quite a kick out of being a larger part of the kids lives.

Speak of the devil...They just got here. I'll have to finish up later!!!

Under Construction

Well, I have had another hair brain idea. I have wanted to removed the bar from our basement for a few months now. That is where my scrap area has been. I have out grown that area and wanted to spread out. Steve thought about it for a while and finally gave me the okay. I came up with a plan of using the old cupboard and have picked out a new countertop. I drew up a floor plan for the whole room. This morning Steve woke up and jumped into the project.

I will post after pictires when the room is complete. Can't wait!!!

My Projects are Stacking Up!!!!

I have a stack of scrapbook projects I am trying to work on. I still have not quite finished my Ali Edward's A Week in My Life album and now I have a HUGE box full of all the components for my SHE album staring at me everytime I look at my desk. But before I can tackle either one of those projects I have a few others that are time sensitive. I am working on 3 projects for the Junkitz Design Team Contest. I would LOVE to win, but serious they are only picking 3 and there are some very talented women out there trying for this. But you have no chance of winning if you never even enter. Right?

The next project I am trying to crank out is a school album. I saw this design in a Scrapbook Etc. Magazine, I wish I could remember who made the page so I can give her the credit, and LOVED IT!!! It is so simple and clean. I have been working on 8 1/2 x 11 versions of this. I got some of those cool Scrapworks albums that look like a box for each one of the kids. Well, our ward is doing an auction called Angels Among Us for Enrichment Night next week and you have to bring in an item to be auction that reflections you talent or interest. I guess when we get there, we will answer a questionnaire and receive points for each answer. Then we can use those points to buy the items that are brought. It sure sounds fun. Well, it was pretty easy to come up with what my talents was. I thought one of these school books would be fun to make. This one is 8x8. On the little tag that is tucked behind the photo you can right down any tidbits of information like who their teacher was, any friends they had that year, maybe have them sign the card to have an example of their writing. The space is large enough for a 3 1/2 x 5 school photo.
Then on the 2nd page there are pockets to store some of their papers from school maybe a copy of their art projects. Then in the next pocket you can store their report card and any awards that got that year. So I made one of those this week. Kindergarten-12th grade to be auctioned off. I put it in a black album. All I have to do now is decorate the album and it will be good to go.

There is other things happening in my life besides scrapbooking. I went to my book club meeting last Thursday. We had read "The Secret Life of Bees". I only got half way through, but it is a good book. This month we are reading "Five People You Meet in Heaven". I am looking forward to that. I met with the rest of the Primary Presidency on Thursday also and put the finally touches on the Program the children will be participating in two weeks. I have 1 more week of the children being off track. I think they are even a bit antsy to go back to school. Last week we went to the movies with some of our friends to see Sky High and then a few days later we went to the Church Museum in Salt Lake and the kids got to play with their friends and then we went to the Sky Box for lunch. That part was a bit crazy, but all in all FUN!! I think we are going to the Children's Museum tomorrow. It is nice having these outings to help break up this off track time.

Looking forward to quiet afternoons!!!

My Secret is Out!!!

For months I have had a secret. All my friends in Utah have known and Sarah from Maine knew, but that was it. I surprised my friends from Maine last Wednesday by showing up for CKU in Stamford, Connecticut.

They got to the hotel about 9:30 pm and knocked on the door and I answered it. Kim was the first one to see me and she just stared at me and then started to yell, "what are you doing here?...Oh my GOSH!!!" Melanie was in the hall saying, "I knew she would be here...I just had a feeling." It was awesome. They were so happy to see me.

I had a great time at CKU. The best part for me was just the time I spent with my Maine Girls. We also got to be in the audience while they broadcast a QVC show. That us sitting in the audience in the picture. From left to right: Melanie, Kathy, Michele, Sarah, Kim and me. I think we were in some of the audience shots. It was all fun. I took lots of great classes and made some cool projects, but the coolest thing that happened was the last night we were there. I had entered the fall album cover that I made, and posted here a few weeks ago, in their album cover contest. I did not think I was going to win. BUT I DID!!! A big box full of product. I was tickled pink. ThenI had also entered a few cards into the teacher appreciation contest and got an honorable mention for the card I had made for Sweetwater Paper. I got a $50.00 gift certificate for that. Another really cool thing happened on the way to the airport. I had to catch a shuttle at 5:00am in the morning and got to ride with Stacy Julian the editor-in-chief of Simple Scrapbooks Magazine. She is just such a neat person and it was fun to have a one on one conversation with her. She is one of the most genuine people I have ever met.

As usual I got VERY little sleep and was completely exhausted when I got home yesterday afternoon. It will probably take this whole week to get over all the "fun" I had last week.

Best Friends Forever

On Friday of last weekend, Belle and I drove to Kittery, Maine to visit with my friend Kim and her daughter Lucy. Lucy and Belle have been writing to eachother since we moved to Utah. Belle and I left Rhode Island about 8:00 am and as we drove North on the 95, I introduced Belle to Aretha Franklin, Jim Croce, and the Supremes. We bopped and danced our way to Maine. It was so neat to watch as the two girls saw eachother after a whole year. They were obviously very excited to see eachother and it seemed they just picked up where they left off last October. We walked around all the outlets and even hit some great deals. The Children's Place had a great sale going on so I purchased some clothes for all my kids. Belle and Lucy giggled, played and talked. Kim filled me in on all the Augusta talk. It was sad when 3:00 o'clock rolled around and I knew we would have to leave. Belle and Lucy huggged. We took some parting pictures and then waved good-bye as we drove away from the McDonald's where we had initially met. Kim and I both hope that we can keep this beautiful friendship between these two girls alive as they grow and mature during these upcoming years. We even joked a little about...wouldn't it be neat if the two girls were roommates at BYU.

Sassafras Ledge

While we were in Rhode Island, Steve's parents took us to a place they named Sassafras Ledge. When Steve was little his parents would take the kids there and have picnics and roast marshmallows. They would climb up the side of a rock hill. It is also the place that Scott and Steve camped alone for the first time. Steve's Mom packed us hot dogs to roast over the fire. The kids helped gather sticks to start the fire. After we were done roasting our hot dogs and eating our fig newtons, the kids wanted to climb the ledge. As one kid would climb up the wall, Steve would follow behind and make sure they made it all the way up. Steve's Dad told me how he would do the same thing when his kids were little. It was almost like a gauntlet was being passed from one father to another. When all the climbing was done, we put out our fire, packed up our food, and headed back to where we parked the car. It was a fun outing that I think we will all remember for sometime.
Another, "blog worthy", thing that happened while we were in Rhode Island is Steve's mom taught us a game, Michigan Rummy, that she would play with her kids. It took Steve and Mom a few minutes to remember exactly how the game went, but once that was accomplished we had a fun time. Belle caught on fairly quickly. Katie and Becky had a hard time identifying the different suits. Once the kids were tired of playing, I suggested we play with out them. Mom and Steve were up for it. We began to deal out the cards when Dad walked in and asked if we were playing again. Now let me explain...Steve's Dad NEVER plays cards. We invited him in and he accepted. That was very cool and I think, just between you and me, he actually had a good time.

Our Pilots in Training

Well, we are home from our vacation to Rhode Island. Let me start by saying we all had a great time.

We left last Monday at 10:00 am from Salt Lake City. We were lucky to get a nonstop flight to Bosotn. I loved not having to rush off to another plane. The kids had a fabulous time too. As we board our plane the flight attendants allowed the children to peek into the cockpit and say hi to the pilots. They all thought that was really cool. There biggest observation was that there were so many buttons. The flight went well and took us about 4 1/2 hours. Then we landed in Boston and it took us almost 3 hours to get out of Boston and to Steve's parent's home. Just in time to have dinner and goto bed.

We did lots of fun stuff and I will share more tomorrow.

Kindergarten Halloween Party

I just got home with some of the pictures from Katie and Becky's Kindergarten Halloween party. They were so cute. I loved seeing all the children's costumes. There were a few ninjas, spiderman, Anikan and Darth Vader. A Fish, 3 Snow Whites, Rapunzel. The best part of all the costumes is that the children are so excited and into the holiday. They played games, did crafts, and decorated cookies.

Katie and Becky stored all their goodies ion their backpakcs for the trip to Rhode Island to visit Papa and Grandma.

I will post more Halloween pictures after the 25th. That is when our ward is doing trunk-0-treating. Theta will give me an opportunity to take pictures of all the kids in their costumes.

It Feels Like Fall

It has begun to feel like fall. We have the straw bales and corn stalks decorating the front of our house, but the other day I looked out our front window and noticed that the scrawny maple tree had changed colors and was this vibrant red. It made me think of the falls I had experienced in Maine. I was inspired to make an album to scrap my fall pictures and memories. I love this time of year. This is my favorite season.

* HOT COCOA
* SNUGGLING IN A BLANKET
* FIRE IN THE FIREPLACE
* WARM COLORS, orange, yellow, rust
* REMEMBERING WHAT I AM THANKFUL FOR

The children go off track for 4 weeks beginning this morning. So I have spent the last 2 days assisting with class "Harvest" parties. I am so grateful for Steve's job and his willingness to allow me to stay home with the children. It has been so important to me that I get those opportunities to be in the classroom. Katie and Becky were allowed to wear their costumes to class yesterday. Katie was a Cowgirl and Becky was a Bobby Soxer. My friend Lucy said that the girls had been over to play with her daughter and she had asked the girls what they were going to be for Halloween a few weeks ago. Katie said she would be a cowgirl, but Becky's answer was less clear..."I am going to be a french girl", Lucy thought maybe she was going to be a Can-Can dancer. She asked Becky what she was wear..."I am wearing a scarf on my neck, my hair in a ponytail, and a skirt with a "french" poodle." Too funny.

Good Ending to a Busy Week

I know it is has been a while since I have posted to my blog. This week was just crazy. It seemed like there was just something going on all the time. I was so grateful to wake up this morning and know it was Sunday. Last week was conference and I listened to most of it. And I do enjoying listening to the Prophet and the other Apostles, but I really like being at church and receiving the sacrament. We had the Stake Primary Presidency in our Sharing Time this morning. I know Stacy, the President, was a little nervous, but it things flowed very smoothly. The children really were well behaved and participated well. Sacrament meeting was testimony meeting. I always love hearing people bare their testimonies. Then we came home and I put a quiche in the oven and read a little until it was time to put supper on the table.

I finally got my hair done this week. My color needed it. I was beginning to look very mousy. I also got the layers cut back in. Steve likes it. Oh yeah! I have bangs again. I had worked so hard for the past year or so and I decided to go ahead and cut them back in. Steve actually said he prefers me with bangs. I never knew. I think it looks real cute. I would take a picture and post it, BUT our digital camera is on the fritz. We spent part of yesterday looking a digis and trying to decide what we want. I think that is what we will be giving each other for Christmas.

So, on Tuesday I went to "My Girlfriend's Kitchen". For those who have never heard of it...it is a store that you go to and assemble meals to bring home and freeze to eat at a later time. Some of my friends from the neighborhood went in September when I was in Yosemite, but they seemed to like it and thought the food was good. It took about 2 hours to assemble all 12 meals, and my freezer is pretty well stocked now. I will let you know how the food is as we eat it. Tonight we had the "Demetrius Tart"; basically it was a quiche with ham, broccoli and mushrooms. The family LOVED it.

I finally got these posters for PTA completed. They were for the teachers to hang in their classrooms to track their classes PTA membership and then when the class is to 80% they get to have a SnowCone Party. I got the poster board a week or so ago and needed to sit down and work on them, but it seemed like something else kept coming up. Finally my friend Wendy helped me out and we got them assembled and in the classrooms in just a couple of days. She was a huge help. We also found out the President is moving to Denver sometime the beginning of January. We are not sure where that leaves our PTA. I am assuming that Wendy will just step up and run things.

The children are all doing well. Zack is doing awesome in all his classes. He is constantly reading. Currently he is reading the Star Wars books. He has gotten 100% on all his spelling tests since school has begun. He is enjoying swimming and scouts. He is just an all around good kid. Belle is a smart and beautiful little girl, but is very independent. She is having to learn how to listen to authority figures a little better. She is taking piano, but has had to let tumbling go until the first of the year. Katie and Becky have already learned so much in school. They are reading very basic words and are quite proud of themselves. The are also busy dancing this year and have their routine all learned. Our first recital is in a month.

I think that should fill everyone in. Sorry there are no pictures this time. I will have to post the old fashion way and wait for film to be developed.

New Circle Journal

I finished up another Circle Journal today.

(CJ's are scrapbooks that you make. You choose a theme and do one layout that follows the theme and then you pass it on to another person who adds a layout to it and then mails it off to another person and so on until your journal comes back to you. There are usually 6-8 people in a group.)

I did my first CJ for CKU in August. My theme for that one was music. I did it with a group of strangers, but it was neat to get to know each other through out different layouts. This time I am doing it with my Maine buddies. I decided my theme would be HOME. And instead of using a 6x6 or 8x8 album I took an old hardbound book and ripped out the guts. Then recovered the book and added my own pages. I think it looks really cute. I used some bright print paper. Then at the end of the CJ, I made a little section where I want them to add their favorite quotes. I look forward to getting everyone else's CJ and seeing what theme they came up with. I think these will be such a funny activity because some of us have moved away: Me in Utah, Kathy in Arizona, Michele in North Carolina, and the other 3 are still in Maine.

So, I signed up for My Girlfriend's Kitchen yesterday. I am going next Tuesday with a bunch of women from the neighborhood. In case any of you don't know what this is...You go to My Girlfriend's Kitchen and prepare 12 meals for your family. Take them home, freeze them and whip them out on those crazy days. The menu looked pretty yummy and I am all for anything that could help with the night time meal MADNESS!!! I am hoping the kids will like the meals I chose. I will let you know what it is like incase any of you are interested in giving it a try.

Happy Birthday Katie & Becky!!!

MY BABIES ARE 6!!!

We celebrated the twins birthday yesterday. Friday was their birthday, but I had spent the whole day at the Scrapbook Expo (which was a lot of fun!!) We have decided to not have big birthday parties every year, but every other year for the kids. This decision was not privy to the girls and they began to tell people they were having a party. We explained to them that we would just be having a family party rather than inviting friends over. They were okay with that a did not complain (I was so proud of them). Well, I guess Friday while I was gone one of their friends in the neighborhood came by and delivered a gift. Katie said,

"We are not having a "fun" party, just family."

Then later as Steve was picking up the neighborhood kindergartens for school Katie told one of the girls,

"Today is my birthday...Make sure you come over and bring me a present and then leave."

Some more statements for us to add to the "Katie-ism Book". We ended up having fun on Saturday even though it was just family. Mom and Pop came up from Ferron and of course brought lots of gifts. We had a cute "Princess" cake and for dinner their favorite food-PIZZA and CHEESY BROCCOLI, as they requested. They received some cute presents. The neat thing about this age is they are still just grateful for whatever they get and don't complain.

Didn't Make the Cut!!

The winners for the Memory Makers Masters contest were announced yesterday and I unfortunately my name was not on the list. I did not think I would actually "win" Masters, but I was hoping for an honorable mention. I am just proud of myself for throwing my hat in this time. Creating Keepsakes Magazine has already announced their Hall of Fame requirements and the wheels have already begun to church in my head.

I volunteered with picture day at the elementary school. It was kindof fun to see all the children come in and get their pictures taken. The kindergarten are so oblivious to what is going on...The 3rd graders all smile and are excited...We got to the 6th graders it was nearly impossible to get some of them to smile because they are "too cool". Katie and Becky both were so excited to be getting their school pictures taken. Belle was beautiful of course and Zack he was pretty handsome. I had a big fight with Belle this morning about what she was going to wear. It is kindof ironic because it was when I was in 2nd grade that I smuggled a dress my mom did not like to school and changed clothes in time for pictures. BOY!!! was my mother surprised when those pictures came home. And I wonder where she gets her strong will from.

Off to Church we go

We just got home from a good day at church. I say good because it was not so long ago that I would leave sacrament meeting wanting to cry because the kids had been so awful. But now...I am able to really enjoy sacrament meeting. The kids enjoy looking at the Friend Magazines while I pay attention to the talks. IT IS WONDERFUL.

The biggest part of my Sunday's is planning for the week. I sit on the couch and pull out my PDA at put in my notebook my day to day stuff. I leave this on the counter and refer to it through out the week. There is something so fufilling about crossing off each one of my errands. This is what my week looks like so far. It may seem short now, but as the week chugs along the list seems to grow and grow.

MON: Grocery shopping, Katie & Becky's Dance, Zack's Swimming, FHE
TUE: Zack's Swimming, Belle's tumbling,Weight Watchers Mtg.
WED: PTA helping with school pictures, Zack's swimming, a Bead party at Melinda's, Enrichment at church
THU: Pack Meeting (that's it!!!)
FRI: SCRAPBOOK EXPO!!! 8:30-midnight!!! Steve doing all my carpooling duties, YIPPEE!!!!
SAT: Celebrating Katie and Becky's 6th birthday. Make cake in the morning, clean house, prep for Sunday.

If you haven't already figured it out. I am excited to get away to the Expo. A full day of scrapping. The best part is that Steve is so willing to help give me the time to go. He will have to do my carpooling stuff, but he seems to do it with a smile. I am pretty lucky to have a husband that is so supportative of my activities out of the home. I am thinking of having Belle come for a few hours after school and scrap with me. I have never tried to do this with her. I am hoping she will feel like a big girl and make it a good experience and not make me regret doing this with her. I want us to get along much better than we have in the last little while. I sometimes think doing these kid of things together may help.

Just another day

Wow!! I am finally getting back into the swing of things after being gone all last week.

I had some PTA stuff to get caught up on. I am still trying to figure out what else I am suppose to be doing in there other than membership. The kids are so proud that their mommy is on PTA and that makes me feel good. I am still getting use to my new calling in Primary (secretary), and getting use to running the kids around after school. All the kids are involved in their afterschool activities. The twins are taking dance for their second year, Belle is taking tumbling at the rec. center and loving it and Zack (my fish) is taking swimming. And Zack is also doing Cub Scouts on Thursday afternoons and both Zack and Belle are taking piano lessons on Tuesdays. I actually get a kick out of afternoons in our house. We e all gather in the kitchen with everyone working on their own homework assignments or reading. There is just a cool feeling in the house at that time.

So, Belle came home today after having had a "token store" in her classroom. (students earn token for turning in homework and behaving well) She had purchased a small notebook, a dollar store toy, but the thing she was most excited about was the small tube of BRIGHT RED lipstick. As soon as she got home she put some on. All I can say is, "OH MY!!!" (see photo) She is so excited to grow up and be a woman. I don't know what Steve and I are going to do, other than gain a few more grey hairs as she grows up.

I have not been scrapbooking much this week. I am hoping to get some layouts done this weekend. I entered the Memory Makers Masters Contest last month. So I am waiting for the announcement of winners for that. I am not holding my breath, but I am proud of myself for throwing my hat in. If I am not selected, I will share my layouts here. I am pretty proud of each one. My latest project has been school year albums for each of the children. I am doing all the pages so I will just have to add the school pictures, work and awards as we work our way through the school years.

Yosemite or bust

Yesterday I got back from a trip to Yosemite with Steve. We went to celebrate our 10 year anniversary (a little late). We camped at a Lower Pines Campground which was pretty nice. The only bummer no morning fires. We did a 9 mile hike from Glacier Point down to Yosemite Village. My first "holy moly" hike. There were some beautiful waterfalls and the views were incredible. I did survive with minimal damage to my body...(I blew out my knee around mile 9 and both my big toes are pretty messed up.) Even with all that, I am very pleased of my accomplishment. After we completed our hike I knew Dinty Moore stew was not going to cut in for dinner. Luckily we found a pizza place in the village. That TOTALLY hit the spot.

On Wednesday morning as we left the park and headed to Tahoe. Just before we left the park I mention to Steve my disappointment in not seeing any bears. Within minutes we aere pulled over and taking pictures of a mama bear and a cub. TOO COOL!!! Then we continued our drive to Tahoe and stayed at a cute hotel named the Fantasy Inn. I spent most of our time recouping from the hike. There was a HUGE jacuzzi tub for 2 and I spent most of my time soaking my sore muscles in there. Thursday morning we began our trek home with a short stop in Virginia City. That was a fun place to walk around for a few hours and then we drove home on Thursday. It was an awesome trip. I mostly enjoying getting away with Steve and feeling like the girl he met 12 years ago

Ready, Set, GO!!!

Okay...I am joining the ranks of the bloggers.