Hope

This is a painting of the Saviour in a local church building that burned to the ground. Literally. It gives me hope and peace. It's a reminder to me that amongst the chaos and challenges of life, there is a Saviour who is there for us, if we will but follow him.

A classic

Love this photo. We all have one like this of ourselves. Poor baby :)

This is my sister-in-laws new shop, check it out. Such cute things.
click here

Santa

This is the first year Ridge has been excited about Santa :) At our ward Christmas breakfast he was so excited he kept asking and asking when he was coming. Then he asked me "do I get to see mrs., mrs., mrs., ya know Santa's girlfriend". I rolled. This kid cracks me up. He told santa he wanted a potato head santa for Christmas. I hope he can deliver.

Reindeer

Last night i opened the front door to unplug Christmas lights and i was greeted by a large deer, only feet from me. We were both a little startled. They love eating our bushes, darn-it. Anyways, rather than running off, he (or she) locked eyes with me and stood quiet. It's a little scary to be so close to a deer. Then sweet little Ridge walked up and loudly said. "HI REINDEER". Of course the deer then ran off. Sacoya and I just burst out laughing. I don't know why it was so funny, but we got a chuckle out of it. :) Now he insists on seeing Santa with his Reindeer and sleigh. Not sure how to pull that one off.

halloween a little late

I'm a little late but hey. Here are my "scary kids" Gone are the days when we all have homemade matching costumes. I guess that's what happens when your kids grow older!!


Even my baby (who is really not a baby) picked his own costume. I really don't blame him. Even though he is suppose to be scary, he's still pretty dang cute :)

Cinnamon Rolls

I'm not a huge fan of cinnamon rolls. But as I passed these at Costco yesterday, they caught my eye. I remember my sister-in-law mentioning their goodness. i couldn't resist. Well let me just say: DONT BUY THEM!!!! You'll hate their ooey gooey goodness. Their to die for cream cheese frosting. Their not doughy centers. And their caramel underside. You'll hate yourself for loving them so much, you might just eat the whole pan :)

Smart Car?

I was at Costco the other day and I saw one of these Smart cars. At first I was like wow that's crazy small. And then I thought why is it at costco, I mean what could they really fit in there? And then I noticed a car seat crammed in the front passenger side. I felt mad. I mean why would they put a baby or toddler in there? Could it be worth the risk?

Seriously? This is a smart car. Maybe in Europe where it's considered an average size car, but out on the rode next to this:



or this:
You wouldn't have a chance in a accident.

I really wonder some times in the name of the "Environment" if we go to far?

New Ride

My new ride. A birthday present from Willie. Super excited. Sad it's getting cold and I'll have to store it away soon. All I need now is cute basket in front. You know to hold important stuff. Like my drink form the gas station :)

I'm a lady....

The other night when I was putting Ridge to bed, he was reminding me I was a girl and he was a boy. (as he often points out) Then he said, Mom, you're a LADY......i smiled and said you are right! Love that child :)

A-give-away

I'm doing a give-way on my Jewelry site daisymedesigns in case you were interested :)

Happy Birthday Canyon

My boy is 10! I can hardly believe it. He really is such a handsome, smart, funny, and sarcastic BOY! We love him and are grateful he is ours.

Favorite thing to watch

This movie (mini series) is my favorite right now! I love it and want to watch it over and over again.

First Day of School

Three kids in school, three different schools, three different drop off, pick up times. Thankfully they are all loving it.

Sacoya 8th grade at the Jr high. Seriously can't believe she will be in High school next year. How does that happen?

Aspen 6th grade at the middle school. she is loving it and meeting lots of new friends.


Canyon 4th grade at the charter school. Has his first male teacher. He so loves that. Can't wait for the ski season to start. Already been on two field trips. Gotta love those outdoorsy charters.

Potty Training Day 1

Accidents-0
Trips to the toilet-0
Watered trees-5
Happy mama-priceless

Mr Mischief

Now before you go and blame Ridge for being so bad, you must know that, well, I'm not stupid. I know that I was risking some kind of disaster when I told him to go wash his hands. But in the mist of other things going on, a mom can hope that her child will do just as he is told. And I thought maybe a short amount of play time in the sink could be harmless......




I was wrong, that little stinker. And although the pictures don't show so well, he sprayed the windows and floor in hopes of helping me clean I am sure :)

Oh and by the way, I do loan him out on occasion if your interested.

Random photos

I have a bunch of photos I thought I would share. Cause i want to, and I know your all dying to see them :). Ok well it doesn't hurt to wishful think.


These are some beautiful lilies my neighbor who has a second home here brought me. I couldn't wait for them to bloom. They remind me of my grandma, my Neenie. Not because they were her favorite flower, but because one of her favorite songs was "Consider the Lilies". A family friend sang it at her funeral. I'll never hear that song again and not have my grandma in my heart.


This pile of fabrics, I want to get to, cut up, finish, sew. But it continues to occupy my shelf, waiting patiently, much more patiently than me.....


I actually have a son old enough to mow the lawn...I never thought the day would come. My toes are no longer stained green all summer long. The joy, the freedom.


This toothless smile, melts my heart, or is that boils my blood. I can't remember.....


Just because you buy 30 pairs of character underwear, doesn't mean your three year old will want to wear them. Who knew!


Broken, seriously, I'm that stupid I have to put a sign up. Yep, it's true. And I still tried to use this thing, even with the sign up. (just call me airhead) Luckily, Willie took it out and let Canyon take it apart, wait I don't think I liked that part. A new one should be arriving shortly and not a minute too soon.

3 weeks

It's been three weeks since I posted, sorry. I've been keeping up with my Jewelry blog, making and posting lots of fun stuff, but every time I seem to have a topic for our family blog, I get distracted. I have a file of random pictures I want to post so hopefully I can get to that soon. Summer is coming to a head. Sacoya is leaving to her cousins on Monday for 10 days. We have a family trip planned, the Park City festival coming up for Willie and a 1/2 marathon for me. Then school starts (yea.) I'm ready to get back to a schedule. Not so happy about homework and packing lunches everyday, but having some free time. The kind which still involves a three year old but still. Then maybe I can get to the potty training he desperately needs but refuses to do. (ok so I'm the one who needs it) and some sewing projects I've been putting off. And that stack of leather scraps I just ordered, and those new recipes I want to try. Or at least catch up on all the episodes of "Cake boss" and "Say yes to the dress" that I've missed.

passing by..

Summer seems to be passing by awfully quickly. I haven't spent much time blogging, mostly because I spend my spare time making Jewelry these days :). Yesterday though, we had our second encounter with a tick. First it was Aspen, now Canyon. Not sure if it's a bad year for ticks or we just got lucky, but I do know this: Every time I feel something crawling or itchy on me, I kinda freak out. I don't like bugs. I'm just saying.

This is the tick on canyon, He was attached like super glue.



This is the one on Aspens back, he must have been there a while.

Question of the day!!!!!!

After Ridge's shower, he likes to watch a show bundled up in his towel before he gets dressed, so this morning he came running into my studio and said: Mom what's wrong with my "THING" it's really hard. Ummm well ummmm where is your dad....... I'm not equipped for questions of that nature. I'm just saying.

Catching up

Paper crafting has always been a favorite pass time. And although I still enjoy it, it has taken a back seat to Jewelry design, a very back seat. I was getting very low on cards for birthdays and such, so I spent some time recently making cards and finishing some pages I've been working on for months. I thought I'd share:





Cards were so easy, they all have the same basic idea, but with different papers or page elements. Love a quick and easy card.

A camping we will go

I think most people who know me, know I don't love to camp. Not even a little. Growing up we car camped and my mom made gourmet breakfast. And then we packed up and left. I only had to miss the comfort of home for minutes really. On the other hand I think most of you who know Willie, know that he loves camping. In fact love is probably not a strong enough word.

Below is an image of an actual camp trip he took. No tent, no protection from bugs, snakes, wild animals, axe murderers. I mean really. I might have had an anxiety attack sleeping like that.


If I am forced to brave the elements, this would be my ideal camp site. It's not asking to much is it?


The problem is, while Willie has come to terms with this fact, the Bishop of my ward obviously has not, as he saw fit to call me to girls camp this year. In tents no less. When I suggested the Marriot in Salt Lake, I was laughed at. When I stated I had a bad back, I was offered a pad for my sleeping bag. Seriously, can I survive, will I survive? At least I don't have to pee in a hole.....or do I?

Worms are so good to eat.....

Our little Canyon, what a character he is. On Mothers Day my brother Doug dared Him to eat a worm, or should I say bribed him with $5 bucks. I'll tell you he doesn't get that from me, cause I wouldn't eat that thing for $100 bucks. So if you want a little gross in your day, watch this: (you can tell by me in the background that I was way more excited about the yummy dip than anything else going on)

Not so little anymore....

My little girl, what happened. She just seems to be growing up faster each week. You always hear they grow up too fast, but then your stuck in the terrible two's and it just doesn't seem possible. Then all of a sudden they're asking if they can hang out with their friends and get dropped off at the mall.

And then comes the make-up thing. I look at her and just smile cause she has no idea how beautiful she looks. She wants to ruin that with make-up. She gets to wear mascara and lip gloss. And still she insists she's the only girl in America her age not allowed to wear make-up.

She's borrowing my razor, asking what to use to wash her face, wearing my sweatpants and shirts. Seriously. How does this happen.

But the one that threw me over the edge, was when she asked this week for me to buy her some "self tanner", huh, is all I could muster.

I know I can't stop it, I know I might actually love it once she gets past that teenage thing, but right now I'm wishing for that magic wand that could take me back to baby gap size 2T.

A favorite....

Just thought I'd share a favorite. I keep saying I'm going to, but then never do. So here we go. I'm only fanatical about a few things. Like socks. I have to have good socks. And lots of them. If I find a pair I love I buy dozens of them. Another thing I'm crazy about is a good writing pen. I hate squeaky thin pens. Like bic. My house is full of them cause there cheap, but I won't write with them.

A few years ago I ran into this baby by Paper Mate. It's called "Profile". It's smooth, it's fat (that's a good thing), it doesn't smear.I hoard them. I have them in my purse, my nightstand, my office, my car. I hate to admit I don't like to share them. If someone is using one, I steal it back the first chance I get. Not because I don't like to share, but what if I need it? What if I can't find one? I told you, I'm fanatical. I don't even know what that means, but it sounds about right........


Go buy some, you won't regret it....if you do, you can always give them to me :)

Houston, we have a problem.....

Have I neglected you, did I ignore your email, did I forget to call you back, did I skip our lunch date, or forget to fold your laundry? Did I even wash your laundry? (I can't remember :0). There is a good explanation, jewelry. I've been making it all day, in my sleep, at three in the morning. All in the name of the Tulip Festival which by the way got rained, no, snowed out.

And so my sweet friend Brooke threw me a last minute open house. And it was such a huge blessing in disguise. It more than made up for my snowed out show x10. And because I sold so much, I had to stay up all night for two additional days making more for another party the same week. I'm so grateful. I've had a lot of support from friends and from Willie and my kids.

So, yes I have been busy, but not because I don't love you all, it's because of my passion for beads. So forgive me. And I'm back on track, all caught up. At least until my next show :)

Yard work

It's that time of year, when you actually start caring what your yard looks like. Most of the bark in our front had blown away. So we got a butt-load delivered. And then we let Ridge do all the work. He's half way done in this photo, didn't he do a great job :).........

My quilt

Thought I would share this beautiful quilt my friend Sha Ree made me. She makes amazing quilts and I told her I had childhood memories of a denim quilt with pockets my moms friend made us. We used to fight over it. Next thing I knew I had this quilt and a beautiful letter to go with it. Thanks Sha Ree, I love it.

Opps....

I think I may have waited to late to put him to bed. I walked in a saw him just "hanging" there on the couch..... :)

The Big Boat

Willie and I recently went on a week long cruise to the Mexican Rivera. Great time, good food, a running track. We had a really good time. This was our first cruise, hopefully not our last. I guess you could say it was celebrating our 15 year anniversary. That's no easy task. Willie's brother Richard and his wife Jodie went with us, well technically we went with them.

I call it the big boat for two reasons: first it is a big boat. I was blown away when we first pulled up to it. I think it would take up my whole block if it parked out front of my house. And second, Since we got home Ridge keeps saying he wants to go on the "BIG boat".

Here is a run down of the trip:

Big boat, enough said.

Another shot of the Big boat.

This was the first morning before we set sail. Jodie and I taking it all in.

A shot of the outdoor pool area. This boat holds 3400 passengers and 1200 crew members. I think that's bigger than the town I live in.

Enjoying the sunshine. Not missing the snow at home whatsoever.

The boat had some amazing things to do, Here is a shot of willie rock climbing. Go baby go. Of course he had to take the hardest path up.

The boat had a golf coarse. It was kinda a challenge with the waves and the motion of the boat. They also had inline skating, but we never gave that a try.

We did hit the ice skating rink. It was small, but still kinda fun. The skates were painful though. The ice show they had was amazing. It put the olympic athletes almost to shame. They were that good.

Willie off the deck in Cabo. We went to "Lover's Beach". Can't tell you what happened there. You'll just have to go there to find out.

Our first Formal night. It was crazy how dressed up some people got. I only brought one formal outfit, so I had to wear the same dress twice, next time I'll know. :)

This was a boat ride we took. Kinda fun. We saved ourselves about $100 finding our own ride after we got to the port.

Just a fun shot at sunset.

Doesn't get any better than this.

In Puerto Vallarta we did a Zip line tour. It was pretty fun. Except they painted our faces. Some how Willie got out of it. We did about 12 different lines. It was awesome.

After the zip line Willie jumped in the freezing water. Pretty fun, pretty cold.

The Zip line was at an old moving set for Arnold Schwarzenegger movie "The Predator". I think it was made in the 1980's. Never saw it, but I guess now I should.

This is a shot of Richard, Jodie and I shopping the markets in Mazatlan. Not much but junk to buy, but I did get some Mexican vanilla.

We hung out on the beach after shopping, but we couldn't escape the venders. Even the kids were playing on the tourists. We had a little boy come up and sing a song with his little toy guitar. His sister stood next to him holding out a cup. Kinda cute, and sneaky. Yes I folded and gave them a dollar.