Out of here

We are going on vacation!!! Headed to Salt Lake City for a little R&R!! Some of out destinations include Lagoon and the Hogle Zoo. Have fun while I am away!!

Hot, hot, hot!!

It is one hot day when it is too hot to swim! Took the kids to the pool and after about an hour they begged to go home because it was just too hot!!! Kids, gotta love 'em :).

Rockstar INXS

So, I thought the concept of Rockstar INXS was dorky and I am not a fan of reality shows, but, I am hooked. Not so that I absolutely can't miss it, but it is entertaining! I know this next opinion may not be popular and even my DH disagrees with me. INXS just can not have a female lead vocalist. Why are there even women in this contest? It would just be so wrong. Ok, I said it, you don't have to agee, but that is my opinion. All that aside, Jordis knows how to ROCK! Way to go girl!

Tonight, didn't see that coming, but I certainly agree with the decision.

Shark Boy and Lava Girl

Saw this movie yesterday with the kiddos. Is the thought that if they spend a lot of money/time on special effects then they don't need to do so with the storyline or script? Having never seen a 3-D movie before, I found that pretty cool. For about the first 10 minutes. Then I needed the movie to have something to offer. I have admit that the idea of flaming purple hair is pretty cool, but the rest......................................

Glad it was at the $1 theatre and the kids loved it.

Socks and carpets

I finished up my socks that are the current pattern for the Six Sox Knitalong. It is year two and we have two months per pattern. I LOVE this pattern and wish you could see the finished project better to get a full appreciation. That is what I get for using a dark yarn ;).

Got the carpets cleaned today so I am kneeling in soggy carpet to type. Not a lot of fun so I'm gone for now, LOL!

Finished!

I have completed the gift outfit to mail to my Brother and SIL. I am trying to finish one more thing to go with it, but we shall see :). The pattern can be found in the Red Heart small booklet titled Crochet for Babies book 375 published in 1992. The pattern is actually done longer in more of a Christening Gown style, but my SIL has the one that both she and her Mom wore so there was no need for that. However, they do attend church every Sunday and little girls can never have enough dresses so I hope this is something they enjoy as much as I enjoyed making it for them.

Brandt's Big Day!!!

My baby lost his first tooth!!! He is so excited and his Mom almost burst into tears.

10 years!

WOW! My hubby and I celebrate our 10 year anniversary today. That sounds like such a long time, but I can't believe it has been that long. It seems to have gone so quickly. He always laughs at me when I tell him I can't wait for us to be old together. I am really looking forward to having him to myself without the pressures of work and kids in our home. I love my children dearly and LOVE being a Mom, but I also look forward to being able to sit and read the paper with my hubby because no one has to be driven to any activity or helped with homework or have a costume made, etc.

Thanks Joe for the great years you have given me!!!

Drew asked for it

Drew got it.........(anyone else with the Toyota jingle running through their head?)

Seriously, pictures of the kitchen :). Now keep in mind artificial light, no flash, etc., etc. and know that the walls really are white, Swiss Coffee to be exact :). Is that not the greatest paint job in the world?

I am also going to share some photos of the really neat border paper I found that goes perfectly with my new (only a couple of months old) floor and the existing cabinets. Found the paper in the DOLLAR STORE! This hallway I refer to as a kitchen is starting to look like it is my kitchen instead of the person who used to live here. About time since we bought the house nine years ago :).

Look at this

Check out this new cutter that is meant to be coming to market. Amazing! I can not even imagine how the technology on this works, but it sure looks cool! Guess I better start dropping quarters in my penny jar!!!

I found this really neat list of ideas for alphabets uses at Scrapjazz. It is organized as an ABC list (cute) and has some things I had not thought of.

My aching neck and temptation

I painted the kitchen today. The ceiling just about killed me!! I can't decide which hurts worse, my neck from looking up or my shoulder from the painting. Yes I can, my neck!!

It is a good thing I have been kept busy. Have you heard about the sale at Sizzix? I soooooooooooo want a Sizzix Sidekick (and some different sizzlits of course!) and they are having 40% off. RIGHT NOW until the end of the day or the item runs out. That means I could get the Sidekick and starter kit for, get this, $29.99!!!! There would be shipping added, but if I get enough sizzlets (also at 40% off) to bring my order to $100 then there is free shipping. Oh this is so tempting!!!!!

Observations of Summer

Summer is meant to be a time to relax. To go fishing, go on picnics, go camping, enjoy the nice weather, etc. So why is it so stinkin' much work? I really believe that I am busier in the summer than I ever thought to be at other times of the year. I am even going to include the holidays in this statement as they are only a month long and summer is three!! Maybe it is all the projects. Maybe it is all the preparation work that goes into the relaxing activities (pack the picnic, pack the camper, unload the picnic, unload the camper, you get the idea). Maybe it is just because there are so many options of things to do I just schedule more. Maybe I just want to have so much fun with my kids I have a harder time fitting the "regularly scheduled programs" into my day. Whatever the reason, I am ready for a BREAK!!! The bad news is that I know when I finally get one (not tonight as I have a Charter School Meeting) I will sit down on the couch with my crochet hook or knitting needles to enjoy a program on TV and it will be............ a RERUN!!!!!!!!

Completed comfortghan

Despite all the adventures in painting, I was able to finish another comfortghan and it was mailed today. This one is for a special friend from one of my Yahoo Groups who recently lost her sister.

By any other name.........

White is white is white. The white inside my house on all my walls and ceilings is, drumroll please, Swiss Coffee. Now, with a name like that you would think a little tan right? You would be wrong. However, it looks fabulous!! I am absolutely exhausted and still getting things set back up, but my house looks so clean. LOVE IT!!

New tags!!

Look! The new August tag kit from Get Croppin' is posted! Isn't that just the cutest! I absolutely LOVE this monthly kit club! Everything they have ever sent is completely awesome!! I am a little worried this month as tearing paper is not something I am very good at. I know, that seems really silly, but it is the truth. However, I bet I can do that tiny bit at the bottom of a tag!!!

Get Busy Girl!!

My SIL is due to deliver my new niece in approx. 4 weeks!! ACK! I better get my little (ok not so little) hiney in gear!! The gift is 2/3 complete. I need to get it finished and then I'll post a picture before mailing!

Last night I finished up another comfortghan. Have to get it washed, tagged and bagged (ready to mail in CSI speak) and then on it's way. I will take a pic of it for you all to see. This one is in greens and joined and edged with a lemon yellow. It turned out really pretty!!!

Hubby's friend is in town. He works as a painter and came to do his Mom's house. Since he brought all the equipment anyway, we convinced him to do our ceilings while he is here. We will pay him of course. Yesterday I went to select the paint. Did you know that there are 47 thousand shades of white? WHAT!?! I could hardly believe it! Then my needlework/ arts and crafts personality came out. I kept wanting to take the paint chips to the window or outside in natural light to compare them. That is all well and good, but for this instance I need to NOT do that and only see how they look in the light of my house since that is the only place I will see them. This is a hard habit to not do!!

The GOOD!

After all that complaining yesterday I had the true pleasure of doing business with Too Bad Dogs, Inc. for the purchase of some additional quilling supplies. This is the second time I have ordered from them and I must say they are the most helpful company I have ever dealt with. They answer all my questions, give recommendations and the communication is FABULOUS!! I highly recommend them to anyone looking for any of the items they carry!!!

The good, the bad, and the frustrating

ACK! Very frustrated right now. I order things online that I am unable to find locally and for that am willing to pay the shipping. Now, I have found that very often this makes things pretty expensive so I try to order as much as possible from the same vendor and at the same time to help spread the cost. I also look for places that charge exact shipping or flat rates or reasonable amounts. So, I placed an order yesterday with a place and figured the average price was fine. I just got an email that HALF of what I ordered is unavailable so "your new total for your order is $______". Now, this is no longer what I consider to be a reasonable price for these items because of the shipping, but when I ask to cancel I am told all sales are final and that they have already been shipped. Not the most thrilled here and I know I won't give them my business again. :(.

Oh well, this happens sometimes and is the risk of ordering online. Guess I better enjoy my stuff!!!


Speaking of online ordering, I just found this company. Has anyone ordered from them? Where you happy with your purchase and/or service?

In Honor of Carrie French

This OPH comfortghan has been completed and is being sent to surviving family in honor of Army Spc. Carrie French

another finished

The comfortghan for Mr. Vanlandingham is finished. It was requested that it be done in red, white and blue. Thank you to the contributors of the squares, it turned out so very nice!!

Scrapbook Organization

I am not the most organized person in the world. Ok, I am probably one of the least. I have learned some tricks to keep me from going crazy like having a hook for my keys and ALWAYS using it. I ran across this site and wanted to share it with you. There are some really neat ideas. Now, will I actually do them? That remains to be seen, but they sure look effective!

Homeward bound

The company is on their way home. I did manage to grab a few digital pictures (to go along with the 6 rolls of film) of my niece and nephew last night.

Aren't they cute? I enjoyed having them around and the house sure seems quite now.

Well, sort of..............

I was FINALLY able to add the pictures from the 4th of July. It didn't work as nicely as I would have liked, but I am only going to mess with it so long, and time's up!!

In the yahoo group LoveToScrap they do the monthly page goal and I got goodies from my partners for June. Kathy sent cute stickers, sunglasses charms, all sorts of fibers and quilled butterflies. Jeanette sent some really neat family themed ribbon and fuzzy red fiber. These are wonderful ladies! Thank you so much!!

On a sadder note, this attack in London breaks my heart. My thoughts and prayers are with them all. My mother is English and I worry about distant family at times like this. It is so sad that there are people with such little respect for other human beings.

ARRRRRRRRRRRRRRRGH!

I can not for anything get the pictures to add to yesterday's post. I am finding it really frustrating, but as soon as I can, you will see them :). I have emailed with tech support and hope to hear back from them. I don't worry or feel ignored in these situations until it has been 48 hours and no response except the automated We got your question, did you look in our FAQ? Well, duh!! I wouldn't have emailed you if I hadn't!!!

BLING! BLING!

Ok, so I have always hated this description and never really “gotten” it. However, it really seems the best description in this situation. Look at the ring my neighbor received from her hubby for their 23^rd anniversary. Isn’t it just gorgeous? And the way it sparkles in the sun. Cliff, you have great taste! Marta is one lucky gal!

Our neighborhood had our annual 4^th of July BBQ and fireworks show. This just gets to be more fun every year! This year we moved the grills to a shaded driveway and Mike and Joe, with Cliff’s supervision, cooked up a feast! (Joe is my hubby and he is the one in the white T-shirtJ). I know the picture quality is not the best, but I really wanted to share this with you. Soon, it was time to eat!!
The next event was a game of street Badminton What is street Badminton you ask? Well, it means you all stand in the street volleying back and forth and pretend you have a net and that bounces are fine as long as you keep it going. We must be getting quite the reputation in the extended neighborhood and we had several people come walking down the street with chairs to watch the fireworks. One of them even commented that they were told this was the best show in the neighborhood. Of course, I am sure that when there are grown men who think they are still little kids doing the shopping it helps (as does the stand outside of city limits selling all the “illegal” fireworks). I hope you had a safe and fun 4th of July!!

Recipe for the Holiday

After a full day yesterday at the Discovery Center and the evening at IvyWild Pool with my sister and her family, my sister and I visited the scrapping group I do things with. The monthly crop was last night and held at a store I had not visited before. WOW!! Anyone who is anywhere close at any time really NEEDS to go to this store. It is World Class Scrappers and if you are in the Idaho area, let me know and I'll send you directions. This store is NOT to be missed!!
With the 4th of July holiday tomorrow; our neighborhood does an old fashioned get together. We block both ends of the street off and play badminton, eat food, be silly, etc. My DH looks forward to this every year. He really is quite the social butterfly so this puts him in his element. He is cooking up ribs and corn on the cob. I am going to make a cake that is super easy and perfect for summer.

Yogurt Cake
1 pkg. white cake mix
3/4 c. water
1/3 c. oil
3 egg whites
2 containers yogurt (any flavor, but I get two of the same)
1 8 oz. container cool whip

Preheat oven to 350. Prepare a 9x13 pan (I spray with nonstick cooking spray). Beat the cake mix, water, oil, egg whites and one of the containers of yogurt. Beat for at least 2 minutes. Bake for 35-40 minutes. Let cool COMPLETELY. Once cool, fold the remaining container of yogurt into the cool whip and spread it on the cake. Store the cake in the refrigerator.

ENJOY!

Crazy, crazy, crazy. But fun!

My sister and her family are visiting. What a BLAST! I must say, I have the absolute CUTEST niece and nephew in the whole world!!