Swann Scraps

6 More Days...

2011-11-22T14:37:00.000-08:00

...and this baby will be here! Woot! I can't wait to breathe easier again, feel lighter on my feet, and snuggle with a new baby. Thankfully, there's a lot going on this week so time will just fly. Thanksgiving, family in town, Kevin's birthday, etc. And I LOVE having the girls home this week. They have been a huge help... sometimes happy help, sometimes grumbly help, but help nonetheless. They have loved setting up anything that has to do with the baby, though. Even moreso, we love watching the Hallmark Christmas shows together. I think that's Kevin's favorite. He made the comment, "I just need to stop working so I can watch these shows." LOL! See how much he loves them? All the shows just play back-to-back. He reluctantly turns off the TV so he can get 6-7 hours of sleep before work.

A few things I've/we've accomplished lately that have made me feel a little more at ease:

*Kevin and Tara, with the help of a few others, finished the storage container
*the missionaries helped us move a lot of stuff into it on Saturday after we ate a yummy breakfast
*Porter's bedroom was emptied and carpet cleaned
*most of the baby stuff has been cleaned/washed, set up, and ready to use
*I've reclaimed my living room and there's space in it again
*all the boxes and totes stacked throughout the house are finally out in the storage container
*I finished making digital calendars for my parents and parents in-law for Christmas
*I finished 98% of our Christmas shopping so I don't have to worry about it after Porter's birth
*90% of our bedroom is clean and organized (if you saw it ahead of time, you'd understand this is a huge undertaking in itself)
*a lot of other loose ends have been taken care of as well.

In between all the craziness of this week, I'm speaking in Sacrament meeting on Sunday so consider yourself forewarned if you are in our ward. :-)

Lastly, Krystal created this stunning kit recently called "Natural Beauty." I'm so in love with it! <3

Weathered

2011-10-28T10:32:00.000-07:00

Krystal's newest kit is called "Weathered." Perfectly aged, shabby, and versatile!

Here's my layout of Miss Brynne enjoying her book on our bed.

In other news, we're just plugging along. We're still working on the house but things are progressing slower than usual since sleep is an issue, and we had a few family events going on, and we went camping last weekend at the ward campout (one of Kevin's and the girls' favorite annual event). It was fun and the weather was perfectly cool the entire time.

Hope you are enjoying the beginning of this wonderfully blissful holiday season!

Motivated!

2011-10-06T13:00:00.000-07:00

The weather has significantly improved. It's almost like it happened overnight. And with the temperature decrease came an increased sense of motivated to pick up the pace a little with our ongoing projects. These last 3 days, I completely overhauled my hard drive and all my digi scrappin' goodies. I dropped 65+ gigs and everything is where it should be. I am so pumped to be creative...fall always has this effect on me. I just want to sit and create fun stuff all day long... But I know I can't so I squeeze it in when I can. :-)

Brynnesters (pronounced brin-sters) enjoyed her birthday last week and we celebrated a little but not fully yet. We are hoping to get some more fun in this weekend and the following weekend. Here's the front of the card I made for her. Ain't she just adorable?

Here are a few more invitations and fliers I made for other events this past year. This one below is from Tara's birthday party.

This was from the adult fall social we had just last week. We played LDS Jeopardy and I thought it went well. (Kevin says some of the other adults get a little too huffy playing the game. hee, hee)

This is from a R.S. activity we had earlier this year. This was fun to make. As you can see, it matches my bloggie. :-)

I have two groupon coupons that I need to use by next February for prints at Mixbook.com My goals is to make two photobooks for my girls for Christmas but I would need to have them done before baby boy gets here. Lofty goal? Yes! Is it a real possibility? We'll see! I'm going to give it a shot anyway. :-) Here are some layouts I made recently.

Krystal's recent Halloween kit "Scare Me Shabby" was perfect for helping get me in the mood for Halloween. Love it!

This is from last year.

My projects around the house are big ones and they are slowly getting accomplished. I know I can't kill myself trying to get it all done so I do what I can when I can. Kevin has been a huge help! He is home much earlier in the day now that his shift has changed and it's been sooo nice!
So far, this is what we've done:

*cleaned, organized, and added shelves to our pantry
*cleaned & organized the east side of the kitchen and started on the west side
*cleaned out the filing cabinet and moved extra files to storage
*cleaned out my storage shed (yes, we have hers and his and his and his and his and his storage units...I kid not!) and shredded several pounds of old files
*cleaned out the roll top desk
*filed away all papers
*started organizing in the hobby room, soon to be Porter's room
*retrieved any and all baby stuff in storage and brought it inside
*started working on insulating the trailer/hanger to make it into a temperature-controlled storage so we can put our food storage and other temperature-sensitive items in it
*got some boxes from the cannery and started putting excess items into it and labeling them for storage
*cleaned and organized the linen closet that was overrun with too much of everything
*organized the storage areas in the bathroom
*removed the shower doors and put up a shower curtain (can't bathe a baby with the rails and doors in the way)
*added some different hardware and accessory items in bathroom as well
*cleaned everything inside and outside of the refrigerator

We still need to do the following:
*paint all the rooms (except for Tara's & Brynne's since theirs is done)
*organize and clean the computer armoire and transform the armoire into our new TV armoire
*move the roll top desk where the computer armoire is and make it into our computer desk
*install a built-in storage system around the desk area
*put up curtains and simple decor in kitchen and front room after they are painted
*install new roof (big one!)
*install sprinkler system, which will perpetuate an eventual landscape and garden plan for next year
*clean out and organize our bedroom
*set up nursery once the storage is done
*deep clean carpets

I'm sure there are some things I'm forgetting but either way, we've come a long way and still have a ways to go. I figure if I shoot for the moon and don't make it, at least I'll land among the stars. Yay for progress!

P.S. I had a few more conversations with other R.S. women in our ward and now I feel even better than feeling better. I learned that some negative situations have been going on for years now and have perpetuated themselves into a dependence that never should have existed. It's relieving to know it's not me after all. This newest revelation has lifted a serious weight from my mind! Even the Savior will not do for us until after we do everything we can for ourselves. And He shouldn't otherwise it would hamper our spiritual growth. I've learned that compassion is about showing love and charity but not to the point where we are doing too much for someone else. We need to make wise sacrifices, as Pres. Uchtdorf advised, not foolish ones. Teaching people how to fish isn't easy when someone doesn't want to learn and only desires to be *given* the fish. Okay, I'm done ranting... Just thought I'd share some good conclusions and learning experiences I've had lately with this subject.

Feeling Better

2011-09-23T15:42:00.000-07:00

After a good break, time alone, prayer, and coming to some much needed realizations, I am feeling much better. Heavenly Father has truly strengthened me and answered my prayers! I am coping a lot better now. However, I am still not as compassionate as I'd like to be but progress is better than nothing. :-)

I have found out the hard way that I am not a very popular person right now. I've been sneered at as "that woman", LOL, because I shared some information about what is needed to follow church policy. But I'm okay with it. I know some people have a hard time with change and when they are asked to do something they aren't familiar with. Now that I know the hard parts of my calling, I feel better prepared for the future. All of this makes me wonder how the previous president did it without going nuts. :-)

Krystal Hartley has some more goodies I'm excited to share with you. I love to create and scrap therapy has been a wonderful outlet in my life, especially lately.

First up is her lovely Quarterly Assortment mini kit "Adelyn."

Soft blues were perfect for our beach pictures.

Krystal's next kit is gloriously bright and shabby. It's called "Prelude to Autumn."

This layout forced me to do some more editing of the pictures I took last spring of Tara. I just love how it all came together. Such pretty colors!

I hope everyone has a great weekend! I'm looking forward to date night (even though it will be short) with the hubby. We're going to cash in on a Red Lobster coupon. :-)

Looking For A Better Perspective Today

2011-09-09T10:48:00.000-07:00

Krystal's recent gorgeousness includes this beauty called Vignette. She never ceases to amaze me!

My layout of what I'm focused on right now...living in a whirlwind!

I felt inspired to give a lesson on the topic of "Spiritual & Physical Welfare" on Sunday for my Presidency message. As I was preparing for it and for a family dinner, I threw my back out on Friday. It was so bad that it took everything I had to walk and get around. I silently prayed to Heavenly Father that if he wanted me to give this lesson Sunday, then I need a miracle. I wasn't surprised when He came through and I was able to give the lesson without too much difficulty. I think it went well but there were unfavorable repercussions.

First of all, two people came up to me afterwards wanting help for something they were perfectly capable of arranging for themselves. (Um, did we just not talk about what you do when you need help? We specifically said when you need help with anything, you first exhaust your own resources, then seek help from immediate family, then extended family, and THEN you ask the church for help. In one ear and out the other, I tell ya...) Then I received word from someone else who is notorious for trying to put people in their place with her two cents. Can I scream now??? I knew this was a demanding calling but I didn't think it was emotionally demanding and it required me to have so much patience with *adult* women, some of which are more than twice my age. Grrrr! Get it together, people!

The hard part about this calling is not the meetings and doing your job according to protocol. It's when the people don't listen and decide to be problematic for everyone. It's overwhelming sometimes.

I attended a stake meeting last night and met up with another fellow R.S. President. She said she thought I was so awesome. I said thanks but that I didn't feel very awesome. When she asked why, I told her I am not very compassionate (especially lately) but that I was glad to have two counselors and a secretary who are and who inspire me to be better. She said, "Don't you know? You don't get more compassionate as time goes on with your calling....you get less compassionate because you see how people are creating their own problems." I feel bad to say this but I was glad that I wasn't the only who felt this way. A fellow priesthood leader said I would feel more compassionate as time goes on but I think it's going the opposite direction.

I fully recognize that I am not perfect, nor have I ever claimed to be. I am only one person and I am not capable of meeting the undue demands of people who don't do anything to try and help themselves. Sometimes I wonder if people have *any* respect for my and my husband's time.

This weekend, Kevin & I are celebrating our 13 year anniversary. At first, I told Kevin I didn't want to take a trip since we have so much to do before this baby gets here (see list on layout above). But I think I need a break before I have to kill someone! So, we're heading to my one of my favorite places on earth, the BEACH! I'm hoping to find my attitude adjustment and my new perspective while I'm there.

{Insert Title Here}

2011-08-23T11:47:00.000-07:00

Whenever I know just what to blog, I'm in the middle of other things. And when I have a few moments to spare, my mind goes blank. So, here's a modge podge of a few things we've done recently and not in any special order.

Trip to Utah
Had to see Cabella's. And you should, too! Very big place, full of cool displays! The pictures just don't really show how large it is.

Fish tanks.

This one's for you, Anna! :-) (Ben, my brother who Anna is married to, always calls her "badger" or "badge" for short.

My nephews with our girls.

Upstairs had a shooting range for kids, like an arcade of sorts.

I met two of my distant cousins on my dad's side at the LDS Family History Library in downtown Salt Lake. The gentleman on the right is Raymond Jones and the one on the left is his brother, Sylvester. They are both LDS (which is interesting to know since we did not think my dad had any LDS relatives, close or distant). Raymond has made progress on the Moore family line that my mom and I have been trying to find for years. It was great to meet him and get better contact information so we can touch base in the future.

We went to the Church History museum and saw real pages that Joseph Smith wrote on during his translation of the Book of Mormon. One of my favorites!

Went to Union Station in Ogden to see more fun stuff. This is part of the train museum.

Met (Elder) Marc Hammond and his new wife Molly at the station for lunch at the restaurant there (which is very tasty, by the way). Marc served a mission in Fresno and drove from Rock Springs, Wyoming to see us.

Part of Union Station is the Browning Museum, another favorite!

This display, along with several others, spoke about how the Browning weapons served the U.S. well in helping to win both World Wars. Very cool!

All of us in front of the museum door. My sister-in-law Wendy and her 3 boys with us.

Saw Nashville Tribute Band perform at the Sandy Amphitheater. Jason Deere is a successful music writer in the country music industry. Dan Truman is the pianist for the famous country music band Diamond Rio. Both are LDS and together, they lead and write the songs for Nashville Tribute Band. Their 3 albums are called "Joseph", "Trek", and their newest is "The Work". They call their music the redneck tribute to the LDS faith. At their performance, they had The Jets, Dyer Highway, Due West, Katherine Nelson, Ron Saltmarsh, David Osmund, Dan Truman's son's group called Truman, Billy Dean, Ronnie Ennis, Ryan Shupe of the Rubberband, and Michael McLean. It was beyond fabulous to see so much talent in one night!!!!

Went to the Geneaological Library in the Joseph Smith Memorial Building and they have some fun hands-on projects for the kids. They loved it! We hung out here for awhile until the movie about Joseph Smith started. Jaxon & Tara are enjoying their artistic projects.

Brynne & Riley are busy nesting and making house a home.

Neat statues of art everywhere!

I knocked another thing off my bucket list by eating in one of the restaurants on top of the Joseph Smith Memorial Building. It was great food and great service with spectacular views!

The visitor's center at temple square has some neat displays. I loved this wall!

Life-like manequins in the settings of their own time period. Lots of these! The kids loved it. Interactive displays everywhere!

Brynne and Riley spent most of their time in the backyard at Darin & Wendy's. They have dogs, chickens, a playground, and each other to play with. What more could Brynne want?

At Home
The girls and I helped Kevin build a new fence on the north side of our property. It was in sad shape. We used most of our existing fence boards and a few other supplies given to us by friends in the ward. We hope to build a garage in this spot someday so there's no use in buying anything new. The Elders helped for a few hours, then the Bishop helped, then Bro. Kellogg helped. It was so nice to have so much help! (I'll have to find the finished picture sometime.)

We had the missionaries and our friends, the Jensens, over to eat dinner for Elder Owen's last night in the ward. He is now the AP to the mission president. We ate yummy Dog House Grill tri-tip sandwiches! This is also the same day we found out I was expecting, upon which Kevin threw up all his food after everyone left. But I already told you about that story. :-)

After dropping off the girls at school when it's cold outside, they love to put their hand print on the passenger side front window as a way of sending their goodbye love to me. I think it's sweet even though it requires more cleaning.

This is a frequent scene in our house. Tara is part horse, in case you didn't know. There is also a saddle on her back and wraps (old cut off socks) around her wrists/front legs. On this particular day, she was doing barrel-racing around shoes.

My mojo has been out of practice so long that it took me forever to finally scrap with Krystal's newest goodies. Anyways, I love the bold colors of this kit! One of my favorite color pallettes!
Perfect colors for "Summer's End."

This is my brother and his sweet family!

"Sunshine on a Stem" is shabby and nostalgic and rustic! I had the perfect farm pictures for this kit.

It's a double-layout. The first page is the left side and the second is the right.

Thanks for reading! Hope you are staying cool and enjoyed your summer.

New Goodies from KH!

2011-06-25T19:05:00.000-07:00

One of Krystal's recent releases is this fun and whimsical kit that is part of the 2011 SSD Quarterly Assortment Vol. 2.

You might recognize these pictures a little. I did a layout makeover. :-)

Just today, Krystal released this shabby beauty called "Madison Harbor"! So soft and delicate! And it's 20% off today only.

Perfect for my vintage edit photos of my girls last April.

In other news, I thought I would have more of a grasp on my time and motivation for scrapping. As you can see, that's a serious negative. Most of it was due in part to nausea. I think most of it is over with, hopefully.

But I am starting to get a grasp (somewhat) on my calling. We're going through a bit of a transition phase as a Presidency again since my 2nd Counselor moved to Washington (lucky girl!). Turns out in my PPI with the Bishop that both he and the Stake President want me to continue serving in this calling even after the baby arrives. Oi! In my mind, I'm thinking that either my counselors and secretary are going to hate me because they are going to have to do most everything without me for awhile, maybe a long while, or nothing's going to get accomplished. We'll see what happens, LOL!

We have around 110-135 sisters in our ward at any given time (roughly 35% are active). And I get about 20 or more different membership record changes monthly (i.e. move-ins, move-outs, phone number, or address changes). Keeping up with that itself is a daunting task. I'm glad I have a motivated Secretary! :-)

My new SD cards for my camera will not work on my desktop computer for some reason. So, when I get the chance to download on my laptop, transfer to my EHD, and transfer to my desktop, I'll post pictures of what we've been up to.

Hope you are enjoying your summer!

P.S. We are going to enjoy some homemade enchiladas and homemade pico de gallo with chips, and maybe a dessert from Pioneer Woman if I get motivated. Food and I have been getting along really well lately, a little too well. Everything tastes sooo good! Matter-of-fact, someone on Facebook mentioned something about cookies so I had to make some immediately. And we watched Man Vs. Food last night. That host was eating some good stuff! I can tell already I'm off to a bad start. :-D

Busy, Busy

2011-05-11T09:37:00.001-07:00

It seems now that I have a deadline with my projects, I'm seeing so many things that need to get done asap! I'm so glad Kevin isn't taking on any side jobs right now because we've got so much work to do. I plan to do some more purging and re-arranging and just trying to make my life more simplified in general.

In the midst of all this work, I needed a break and some scrap therapy.

Some of my nauseousness is going away, little by little. And when it does, I have a big appetite. So, when it comes back, I'm kind of glad because it helps me curtail my desire to eat everything! LOL!

The girls like to come into our room and look at the scrapbooks occasionally. They just love looking at the past and asking questions about themselves and others. This makes me want to get caught up on my scrapbooking so they can enjoy more of it. So, I foresee some speed scrappin' pages in my future that have less design elements on them and more simplicity. I just need to get more done! And I'm excited to use a coupon I have from Groupon for printing some books. I'm hoping to get them done in time for Christmas. We shall see...

Kevin is taking ASE (Automotive Service Excellence) tests this week. And it's been kind of frustrating to say the least. Let me give you some background as told to me from Kevin's point of view.

ASE is the National Institute that creates tests for mechanics of all types (cars, diesel trucks, etc.). Most automotive repair shops and dealerships use this testing system like law students use the BAR exam. It's the way they determine how "qualified" you are and how much you "know" about mechanical repairs. The tests are pass or fail only. However, the tests are not written well. Not. At. All. First of all, the test questions aren't written about real life encounters you have on a daily experience in a repair shop. Secondly, the "right" answers are actually wrong most of the time, or they do not provide enough information in the question to determine which answer is right because the situation has too many variables. And in order to stay "certified", you have to take the tests to "re-certify" every 5 years or so.

Kevin has only taken a few tests during his career. And the only reason he is doing them now is because he is applying for a promotion that requires these certifications. Luckily, there are ASE study guides that give sample test questions you can read and study. Not that Kevin needs them for factual knowledge, but because he needs to know what answers they are looking for. He tries to give them the answers they want, even though they are not accurate, just so he can pass.

So, I'm wondering how one would hope to do on such a test? Is it good if you pass? Is it good if you fail? Hmmm. So the next time you see an ASE certified mechanics award on the wall of a repair shop, don't automatically believe they are good at what they do. Experience is worth a thousand times more than "certification," which is probably true in any field of expertise, not just this one.

Little Ones

2011-05-04T14:08:00.000-07:00

Krystal's newest release is a shabby and pretty green kit called "Ever After." Love it! (Psst, this weekend is iNSD so I'm pretty sure there will be a lovely sale you can cash in on. ;-) My sister-in-law, Anna, and I will be checking it out together on Saturday. So excited!)

Here's miss Tara wearing her Easter get-up from 2004. What a hoot she is/was!

Remember how I wasn't feeling so good? Well, turns out I'm pregnant! I knew Baby #3 would get here some way, somehow.

Kevin kept telling me I should take a pregnancy test. I resisted for awhile, insisting my ailments had to be allergy-related. Several times in the past when I wasn't feeling well, I've taken the tests and they came out negative every time. But not this time. We were both surprised...Kevin more than me. He just kept laughing out of shock and surprise. I was happy but also worried about how I was going to breathe and sleep during the next 7-8 months and sleep for the next 3 years.

I asked Kevin why he was laughing so much and he said it was because he was scared. Hmmm... that's a funny way of showing it, I thought, LOL! Anyways, we had just had a big meal with the missionaries just an hour or so before and Kevin said he ate way too much. He began coughing while he was laughing. Then he threw up, a few times actually. It's kind of funny in retrospect but at the time, I was really worried about him. He was fine and actually felt better afterward. But what a way to start off a pregnancy.... the father of the baby is throwing up, LOL!

We told the girls about the news the next evening, after it was confirmed at the family doctor's office. They are so excited and have been floating ever since. Brynne is making special preparations for her future duties as a big sister. (Kevin told Brynne she was finally getting her puppy, LOL!)

At the dinner table, Brynne said she had been praying for a baby to come to our family. Kevin and I smiled. The faith of our little ones just melts our hearts.

Kevin has been very lovey-dovey about everything, even more so than usual, showing extra care and concern for me. He's so sweet.

I've already called the Bishop to let him know it would take some miracle for me to continue my calling after the baby arrived. He understood. So look out, my fellow ward sisters! You could be the next R.S. President!

New Haps

2011-04-26T09:05:00.000-07:00

Not Feeling Well
I'm pretty sure it's a combination of allergies and asthma. But my medication doesn't seem to be managing my symptoms very well. And every time I think of making a doctor's appointment or actually make the appointment, I start to feel better. My symptoms come and go. I just feel so tired, sleepy, and without energy to do much of anything. Luckily, I've been getting breaks here and there but overall, I feel somewhat useless. And it's discouraging because I'm not getting much done around the house on my bad days. Sometimes, my lack of feeling good gets the better part of me. But I know things will get better. It has to! :-)

Conference & Callings
One of the General Conference speakers said that typically, only one of the spouses in a marriage will have a more demanding calling. Kevin & I chuckled about it and agreed that we aren't typical people and we don't live in a typical ward. The needs in our ward our great. But we aren't shrinking before the task. I admit, I didn't always feel this way when we first moved into the ward. Kevin has truly inspired me. He is 100%, completely devoted to ALL of his church duties. He doesn't slack at all and is HAPPY to fulfill his responsibilities. He amazes me! Now that the kids are older than they were when we first moved into the ward, I have felt more motivated to shoulder my responsibilities and fulfill my duties.

These past few years, I have felt the Lord really working on me and giving me so much opportunity for growth. I have been inspired by those around me, and our good neighbors in particular. They, too, are completely devoted to their responsibilities and living the Gospel standards. I have felt strengthened and beyond what I've dreamed possible. I have been educated in so many ways and I'm grateful for that! I have always had a testimony of the Gospel of Jesus Christ. But now, I can completely relate to one of Joseph Smith's quote: "A (wo)man filled with the love of God, is not content with blessing h(er) family alone, but ranges through the whole world, anxious to bless the whole human race." I am so excited about the Gospel and I love it so much! It is truly an honor and blessing to serve God, to work out my own salvation, and assist my family and others on their pathway back to our Heavenly Father.

That being said, I was recently called as the Relief Society President of our ward. I feel a little too young for this (Hi Meredith! LOL!) but I trust in God and I know He will qualify me for the calling when I do my part. I have fabulous counselors: Judy Plata, Julianna Iverson, and the secretary is Kathleen Revoir. I feel like this is going to be more fun than work! I told that to the former R.S. President, Wendy Kellogg, and she said she felt the same way with her counselors. That made me feel like I wasn't entirely out of line, LOL!

Another sweet sister in the ward was telling me that she was talking to Wendy Kellogg and asking her how she does her calling so well. Wendy responded by saying that she had a good Relief Society mother. That got me thinking about my mother and how she is and was the same exact way! If I turn out to have a fraction of the Christlike qualities of my mother, I will consider myself extremely lucky!

I am finding that the challenge is not in my calling because it's not difficult at all. The challenge is to have the calling and be a wife and mother and homemaker all at the same time. I know things will get easier once I get into the swing of things. Kevin's really been pitching in and helping out more around the house and enlisting the girls into helping. It's been so nice!

One thing I really love is going to Ward Council meetings. Kevin loves it, too. People think we're crazy but we love meeting with the leadership of the ward and know what's going on in the ward. I haven't been in Ward Council since I was the Y.W. President 7 years ago and I have missed it.

On a side note, this has become one of my favorite quotes on charity. It was part of a talk given by the Prophet, Thomas S. Monson, during the last Relief Society General Broadcast.

"I consider charity—or “the pure love of Christ”—to be the opposite of criticism and judging. In speaking of charity, I do not at this moment have in mind the relief of the suffering through the giving of our substance. That, of course, is necessary and proper. Tonight, however, I have in mind the charity that manifests itself when we are tolerant of others and lenient toward their actions, the kind of charity that forgives, the kind of charity that is patient."

My mother is the epitome of this. She always gives people the benefit of the doubt and tries to always assume the best in others. She taught me by her example through her love for others.

Hail!
A month ago, we had so much hail, it almost looked like snow. The picture doesn't quite do it justice. It was awesome!

Cultural Hall Fun
The girls wanted to play basketball and the remote control helicopter. Since it was wet and cold outside, we went to the church and met there with the Bishop, his wife, and his grandkids. The Bishop brought his remote control trucks and cars to race around. We had fun!

A few weeks prior to this, some kid at school told Tara she sucked at basketball. She was hurt and bothered by it. It was a rude and insensitive remark but Tara didn't let it get to her for too long. She asked us to buy her a basketball so she could practice and get better. We did and she wanted to practice all the time. She's been playing in our neighbor's basketball court and on the school grounds as well as at church. As a parent, I am grateful that she took that opportunity to improve herself and make "weak things become strong." She didn't let it keep her down. She decided to prove wrong the kid who made that comment. I am so proud of her!

Just a beautiful sunset from our backyard! (There are a few tiny good things that come from air pollution.)

Reading
My girls love to read, especially Tara. She is always finishing a book. The school has this reward system where if you read enough books and earn 75 Accelerated Reader points from quizzes on the books you read, you will get a limo ride and lunch with the Principal at the end of the year. Well, so far, Tara has more than 150 points. She's doing so well!

Brynne needs to get her baby all settled in for the night before she starts reading. :-)

Now, on to reading the scriptures. This is our nightly routine.

Tara reads from Kevin's PDA.

Kevin ROCKS!
One night, after a daddy-daughter date Kevin had with Brynne, Kevin painted Brynne's nails for her (one of her favorite things ever). I'm so grateful that he's such a good dad!

Another reason Kevin rocks...
Kevin has kept all his hundreds of cassette tapes from his childhood. They've been taking up all the space in one drawer and one large shelf space where we keep our media and games. Anyways, we have CDs and mp3s of most of the music that we love. So I asked him if he would finally throw them out if I bought mp3s of all his songs. He agreed. Then I did the math. Ouch! That's not going to be kind to the bank account. Well, we decided to space out the purchases. So that we could get rid of the tapes soon, I decided to type out and graph all his songs so he would know what he had and we could purchase from that list. During General Conference, Kevin went to the Priesthood Session, as usual. It is his favorite session of all of Conference. He takes notes and shares what he learns with me afterward. It's a wonderful bonding time as husband and wife. He felt impressed and inspired to not worry about all those songs and to just get rid of it all (without me typing out the list after all), including the cassette player he got from his Grandpa, who has since passed away. If you don't know Kevin very well, he has a sentimental attachment to EVERYTHING.... the bolt he found on the street, a dirty wrench someone left in a field, the half-torn piece of paper he wrote something on. So for Kevin, this is HUUUUUUUUUGE!!!! He gave this pile away to a c0-worker who wanted it (I felt sorry for the co-worker's wife). I felt so loved and grateful that he was able to part with it so willingly.

Another reason Kevin rocks...
Kevin came home one night and found that the water heater was leaking and not working properly. He remembered there was a warranty on our old one (even though we were not the original purchasers) and called the manufacturer. They gave him authorization to purchase a new one *free of charge* at our local home improvement store. So he removed the old one, took it to the store to return it, brought the new one home, and installed it. We consider that a tithing-blessing! We saved ourselves almost $500. Actually, Kevin saved us the money since he remembered the warranty and is talented enough to install it himself without having to hire anyone. We are so blessed!

Time Out For Women
It was wonderful! I took lots of notes and pictures. Here's some of us at lunchtime, eating across the street by some businesses in downtown Fresno.
L-R Christine James (family friend from North Edwards), Evaun Swann (my MIL), Anna Moore (my SIL, pregnant with my nephew), Cheryl Nilsson (my SIL's SIL), and two other ladies who were friends with Cheryl (don't remember their names).
Kevin brought Dog House Grill goodness to us for lunchtime. It was awesome! The ladies were commenting on how well I had Kevin "trained" to do favors like this. I told them I couldn't take credit for it, he was like that before I married him and that's one of the reasons why I married him! They were so impressed with him. :-)

Okay, this lady is fabulous beyond fabulous! If you do not know her, this is Mary Ellen Edmunds (center). Kevin, my mom (pictured on the left), and I have loved her for decades. We have learned so many wonderful things from her. We listen to her books, CDs, talks, etc. We laugh, then cry, then laugh, cry, etc. She's humorous and spiritual all at the same time. We especially recommend her book "Love is a Verb." If you haven't read it, buy it now, and read it asap!

Woodward Park
I took the girls here to have their pictures taken. (Photos to come later on my photography blog.) After pictures were over, I let them change their clothes, feed the ducks, and play on the playground. I love taking pictures of them playing together. I love to watch them be sisters and friends. I have always wanted a sister of my own and never got one. (But I think I did really well as far as brothers go.) So I live vicariously through my girls.

A Trip To Papa & Grandma Swann's House
This last Friday, Kevin's Dad flew to Fresno to pick up Kevin & the girls (I didn't go since I wasn't feeling well). Papa needed Kevin's help with the electrical stuff on his refurbished VW Bug. The girls were pumped to go and get rides in the new jeep/tractor/4-wheeler thinga-ma-jig. Here's Grandma, ready to take them out.

Papa's working on the bug.

The new engine, just installed.

The weather did not cooperate for an airplane ride back to Fresno so Kevin borrowed a car and took pictures along the way. (Yes, I've already questioned him on how "safe" it is to drive and take pictures.) This one is in Tehachapi. The sun rays are coming through and you can see the windmills in the background.

I love driving through Tehachapi and seeing the green hills in the springtime. It reminds me of Ireland. I've never been there, just from what you see in the media. Going there is on my bucket list, though.

Another pretty sunset, coming down the Kern grade into Bakersfield!

Easter
Kevin & I are always looking for ways to make holidays a little more meaningful. The girls love getting notes in their lunches so we decided to give them love notes in the eggs. We also thought cash would be another fun thing to give them. It was cute to see them open their eggs and go for the love notes first thing. (We explained that the Easter Bunny dropped off the eggs since he had other places to get to so he asked us to hide them for him and said we could add things to the eggs if we wanted. ;-)

A New Camera
Kevin & I were excited to get a new camera recently. Here it is, the Nikon D7000. We wanted to upgrade our megapixel and the ISO capabilities. We're still keeping our D50 (Kevin says it will be his camera) as a backup and we are still using it fo sho!

It's a little bit larger than the D50, but not a whole lot. I also got the battery pack that you can see attached to the bottom.

I bought the Jill-e bag from Amazon but was disappointed that the fabric on the inside was polka-dot, and not plain as it shows in the picture on the website. Oh, well. I guess that's why it was discounted so much.

But I luuuurrrve the outside!!! Without spending $200-300, it's a great bag for the money!

Even after getting a new camera, I think my interest in marketing myself and my business is waning. With a new calling and other things pulling for my attention and for some personal reasons I'd love to rant about but I won't, I think I might just keep it a hobby. I'm still happy to take pictures for family and friends, but I'm not really interested right now in putting myself out there and meeting all the high pressure demands. It's not like I've done a ton of work lately anyway so I'm sure no one will be that disappointed. I still have some sessions coming up but for the most part, I think I'm going to be a hobbyist and just enjoy myself and the fun of it again. Don't get me wrong though, I'm still charging if people hire me. :-)

Happy St. Patrick's Day!

2011-03-17T08:56:00.001-07:00

Ups & Downs

2011-03-14T22:07:00.000-07:00

Japan
After I saw these pictures and this video, I just cried. I just can't imagine how overwhelming it all must be for them. It's just one problem after another. I kept thinking about it during the day. I was making dinner and feeling silly for having normalcy when so many thousands half way around the world do not. It made me want to pack my bags and go help them. Since that is not a possibility, we have to settle with offering prayers and making donations. (We've been following the news posts at LDS Newsroom to see what Church plans to do.

It has brought joy to my heart to see some very positive things:

*Government officials from various countries meeting together to discuss how they can help the situation.
*Hundreds of volunteers with their duffel bags of gear, ready to go assist those in need.
*The U.S.S. Ronald Reagan aircraft carrier being sent to Japan's aid.
*The over $1 million dollars that has already been donated to Red Cross.
*The outpouring of concern everyone is showing.
*A Japanese father who was reunited with his 4 month old daughter and was able to run for safety.
*Reading this quote: "[The tsunami and aftermath is] triggering an international humanitarian effort of epic proportions."

I'm so glad to see so many millions of people feeling moved enough to action. It's so heartwarming!

More From Japan
Nikon (a Japanese company) was sent a pre-donation when we purchased our camera upgrade. I can't wait to start putting it to use this weekend!

Loved Ones
Our ward is small, and keeps getting smaller by the month. We just got word tonight that another sister in the ward passed away. That makes 4 people in less than 3 months. I also received word Sunday night that a former co-worker passed away just after Christmas. I guess there's a lot of work going on on the other side of the veil.

One of the ward members who recently passed away was a dear family friend - Sister Winter. If you feel like reading a mini novel (LOL!), feel free to click on the layout below to read some tidbits of our relationship with her. We miss her bunches! You can also see more pictures of her horse collection in this past blog post.

Pick A Side And Stay There! (aka Choose You This Day...)

2011-03-04T14:19:00.000-08:00

I admit, I'm feeling passionate about what's going on in the economy and politics. As you already know, it intensified with Prop 8 and the 2008 Presidential election. I have felt conflicted at times about whether or not I should mention where I stand on various topics as they come to to us through the media, all of which are so emotionally charged for so many of us, myself included.

In all the talks and lessons I've ever heard in church and otherwise, I remember hearing comparisons to our current times and the times of the Book of Mormon. It never really clicked with me until this past year. I get what they are talking about and why they are talking about it. It's suddenly so personal to me.

I've been reading even more lately in the Ensign and other church-related publications about not despairing, having hope, looking for a brighter future. Many people in the past (Moroni losing his entire civilization, those living through two World Wars, the constant threats to the lives of Joseph Smith and the early saints, etc.) had plenty of reason to give up and not feel there was anything to look forward to. It's difficult to find reasons for a happy and prosperous future. I think of my children and their future posterity. We read the Book of Mormon together and I see the future of wicked civilizations and it makes my heart ache intensely for them. What could they possibly have to look forward to if things do not change or what if they get worse, just as it did for the Nephites? When I make effort to see this life as a stepping stone, then my heart takes courage and I feel as if to say, just as Thomas Paine did, "If there be trouble, let it be in my day, that my children may have peace."

While I cannot control entirely what government officials or the general public choose to do, I've chosen to make a pledge to myself. Here's what I can and will do.

1. I will continue to prayerfully cast my vote for measures and individuals who I feel will best serve the good of the people according to the correct principals that I've been taught.

2. I will continue to receive e-mails from organizations who support the moral and traditional values I cherish and believe to be of best value to the families of our country and world.

3. I will continue to educate myself on the issues of the day to make the best judgment calls possible so that I can be aware of what is going on around me and how it will affect my family's future in this society.

4. I will continue to make phone calls, send e-mails, attend rallies, watch videos, post on my blog and facebook page, demonstrate on the street corner, and whatever else it takes to let others, including elected officials and the general public, know how I feel about an issue.

5. I will continue to state the facts as well as I know them and share it with those I love. And I will do so because I love them. I feel it is my duty and privilege to spread the truth. In doing so, we will be blameless at the last day and no one can say that we never told them so.

In a way, all this opposition to what I believe to be true and correct has served me well. I never knew I had it in me to care so much about politics and the condition of our society as a whole. I never knew I'd be so willing to fight for something so much. I suppose I have a better understanding of how my parents felt when we were younger and how they were so passionately defensive and protective of us as children.

I see, now, that if I ignore my rights, they will go away, just as the bumper sticker says. I know that the world is only going to get worse before it gets better but I'm not going down without a fight. And I never,ever want to be known for not doing my part to stand up for what's right, especially by my family and by Heavenly Father. Martin Luther King said, "Our lives begin to end the day we become silent about things that matter." I want it to be known that I am a friend to truth and I want to pass that legacy on to future generations. We are writing our own "pioneer" stories everyday of our lives as we fight the good fight and I hope that my life will have been of benefit to those who come after me.

I have to remind myself, in the distressful political situations that arise, that this life is but a moment. And if we live all our lives striving to do what's right, then that's all that matters in the end. President Spencer W. Kimball said: "There is no tragedy in death, only in sin." (You can read the talk he said that in by reading here. It's a wonderful talk but grab tissues first!) The eternal perspective of mortality is what strengthens me and tempers me. I know God has a plan for me and my family.

Finished with May 2003

2011-03-04T14:06:00.000-08:00

Krystal's newest release are these fun and elegant clipping edges. She never ceases to amaze me with her creativity!

My sample layout of my sweet bubbalouskis!

And with that, I am officially done with May 2003! LOL!

Please Sign the Petition

2011-03-04T14:01:00.000-08:00

In response to the White House's decree that it will no longer support the Defense of Marriage Act (DOMA), please sign this petition so that our Congressmen and Congresswomen know how we feel about that. Here's the link to the petition. And here's the link to the newsletter if you'd like to read more about it.

Layouts & More Layouts

2011-02-12T11:21:00.000-08:00

Lately, I've been making good effort to finish layouts from April & May of 2003. Now, you may wonder why the heck I'm fixed on those months and why I am so far behind. Well, April 2003 was when we had our first digital camera so it was an easy starting point. And when I first started digi scrapping, I made layouts that I now do not like. So it's like I'm starting over, even though I didn't get very far to begin with. As for why I am so far behind...well...part of it is that when I realized I could be making much nicer layouts than I was, I stopped until I felt skilled enough in Photoshop to continue. And the rest of it is just excuses...as in not making goals and letting other stuff get in the way, etc. So, from here on out, onward and upward!

Krystal's newest release is a scoop with Eva Kipler. "Formal Elegance" is just so soft, light, & beautiful! Luuuurve it!

Perfect for miss Tara's baptism dress photo shoot!

And here are a bunch of layouts from April & May 2003, not in any particular order.

(Small interruption here to ooo and ahhhh over this awesome little airplane kit I had to have!)

Here's one layout I made with it.

Here's another new release from Krystal. "Distraction" is from the quarterly assortment at SSD. On a side note, I'm so glad SSD starting making a variety of their quarterly assortment kits from the same color palette, giving you more bang for your buck!

And here's the layout I made from it. It's actually a two pager but I divided it so it would be easier to view on the blog.

Continuing the April to May 2003 set....

(Another fabulous aviation kit I got on sale. ;-))

That's it for now. Happy Valentine's Day, everyone!

Random Thoughts & Updates

2011-01-18T08:44:00.000-08:00

Marriage
Kevin & I attended a wedding reception in December. We love weddings, receptions, temple sealings, and the excitement of it all. It brings back memories of our own and how sweet it was. However, we both made a funny discovery as we sat at the table at the reception, taking it all in. We both loved, loved being engaged, getting married, and starting a life together. But we think marriage is so much better 12 years later. It just gets better and better, as Kevin says. And 12 years worth of learning curves are over. Getting married is so underrated. But staying married is even more underrated!

Tahoe Joe's
Tahoe Joe's is my and Kevin's favorite restaurant. Kevin orders the Filet Mignon, usually. And I order Joe's Steak, or the least expensive beef entree because I'm more interested in the sides than the meat. When dining in, we usually spend around $50-$55 for our meal (for just the two of us), including tax & tip. Anyways, we've discovered, after 12 years of dining experiences there, that there is a cheaper way to eat there. They do offer occasional coupons for free appetizers or desserts when you order an entree but this way is even cheaper.

They have a dinner party take out option. And it's an awesome deal! Here's what we've been getting when we order it.

We use one of our coupons for the free appetizer. Railroad Camp Shrimp is an absolute MUST! It's beyond fabulous! This is probably our favorite food there since there are NEVER leftovers from it. It's a won-ton salad with a sweet and spicy garlic soy sauce dressing and hand-battered, tempura style fried shrimp. My mouth waters every time I think about it...

Then we get the dinner party menu for 5-6, since that's the smallest increment you can buy. You get fresh sourdough rolls, real butter patties, green salad with ranch dressing, mountain mashers with gravy, blue lake green beans, and Joe's roast. (You can choose other types of meat and sides, of course.) And let me tell you the portion sizes they give you are LARGE!

Then we share a slice of Nevada Cheesecake. Now this cheesecake is unlike any other cheesecake! I've had cheesecake from many of the fancier restaurants in town, including Cheesecake Factory, and nothing holds a candle to Tahoe Joe's cheesecake. First off, they use gobs and gobs of whipping cream....real, sweet, creamy whip cream. Next, the actual cheesecake has a light sweetness, with a perfect consistency of density vs. fluff ratio. Third, the graham cracker crust is sweet, crunchy, and an inch thick. It's pure heaven!

This meal will feed us for 3 days, there's so much in it.

The dinner meal by itself is $39.99. We use a coupon for the appetizer and pay for the cheesecake, which is $5.99 a slice. After tax and tip, it's about $55. It's like getting 4 times the food for price of one meal. I'm pretty sure this is how we will be eating from there from now on... :-)

Speaking in Church
I enjoy the opportunity to speak in Sacrament meeting. It gives me a chance to really focus on learning more about a specific topic and relying on the Spirit to guide my words during the talk. However, it takes me a lot of time to put my talk together. I read and read and read and read and read all I can about the topic. I pull out all the information I have gathered through the years and start putting it all together. Once I have all the information, then the task becomes condensing it and making it all come together. I time myself and make sure I don't go over (because I am more prone to going overtime than finishing too soon). I practice pacing myself as I talk because I have a tendency to speak too fast. And not only does that make it more difficult for the audience to digest it, but our interpreters also need time to interpret (our ward is the magnet ward for the deaf/hard of hearing in the Fresno area). This last Sunday, I spoke about prayer. I enjoyed learning more about it and becoming a more proficient speaker. And for once, Kevin said I didn't speak too fast.

Critter
We have some sort of critter in our walls, chewing away on something. It's in the wall between the bathroom and the girls room. Kevin called the critter a "piece of crap" last night and I couldn't stop laughing. I laugh even now just thinking about it. Kevin said he might just shoot it out of the wall. Boy, that wouldn't be good for our sheet rock and roofing. He's going to go up in the attic and asses the situation tonight. We have no idea how it got there in the first place.

The Great Abominable Church (aka the Media)
I am so annoyed that the media is making any sort of connection between Sarah Palin's campaign and the shooting that recently took place with Rep. Gifford of Arizona and others in the crowd. Jared Loughner is responsible for his own actions! And our 2nd Amendment rights should CERTAINLY not be called into question because Jared chose to use that method of attack. That's like banning all cars because someone chose to run someone else over with it.

Post Partum Depression
I recently read this article in the Ensign and it made me cry. Really cry! It brought back all the memories of how hard it is to adjust to overwhelmingly demanding little personalities who need constant attention and care. I remembered what it was like in my attempts to do the right thing all the time and be more patient. I really feel for women in these circumstances with little ones. It is soooo hard! And what made it more difficult was having post partum depression and never knowing it.

Speaking of the 2nd Amendment...
I am pretty new to using a camcorder. I mean, I know it's not rocket-science or anything. You just press the record button. But it's the download, import, export, upload thing I had to really learn. Apparently, camcorders come with their own UN-user-friendly software that has a PITArse learning curve. Anyway, two Saturdays ago, when it was like 42 degrees outside in the warmest part of the day, we drove up to some property our neighbors owned and did some target practicing. Here's Kevin with his new AR-15, having a blast:

Crop Night

2011-01-10T10:36:00.000-08:00

I had a great time hanging out with fellow scrappers on Friday night. I only got 3 layouts done between eating dinner and conversation. But it was sooo nice to connect for an extended period of time with other adult women who share this hobby. It's been way too long!

I was not completely inspired to scrap these pictures but I thought if I threw them all on the same page and make it simple, I'd be okay with it. The house, as you can see, was in desperate need of an overhaul. (Seriously, so gross!!!) It was a part of our life that's worth documenting so I was glad to come to some sort of compromise with myself as to how to keep it short and sweet. :-)

Perfect For Me!

2011-01-06T11:18:00.001-08:00

I'm on a makeover spree! I've had my sights on re-decorating here for awhile now. So glad I had some time. Well, sort of. It took me two days but it's done and I love it! It suits me, I think! Love the bright colors, the theme, glitter, flowers, all the cool elements including computers and cameras! *Sigh* :-)

Here are the fun things I used to make it with. A little something from Krystal's stash and other things from her goodies as well.

And this puppy is awesome, beyond awesome! Best of all, it was a free kit I got a few months back just for signing up for Jady Day Studio's newsletter.

So after designing each of my blog items, I had to edit the HTML coding. Oi! It got so complicated when I added the edge around on the outer wrapper. I scoured the internet and tried several suggestions to no avail. So I posted in the blogger help forum and a gentleman answered. I tried his suggestion and it worked perfectly! I'm still in awe at how such a small thing can make everything go right.

Things seem to be going much better for the kids at school. The girls seem to be happier when I pick them up at school lately and they talk about the things they enjoy there more often.

I still struggle with the idea of sending them into the dark, lonely, and harsh world. So I am working on changing my perspective and thinking of all the good things that come from it. And praying... for them and for me. I suppose this gives me a little glimpse into Heavenly Father's reality when we come to earth.

My Recent Haircut

2011-01-04T16:42:00.000-08:00

I took some pictures in the bathroom mirror to show my new haircut. I had it cut by a great male stylist but he forgot to layer my ends. So I spoke with an old friend from my parent's ward and she came OVER TO MY HOUSE to finish it off for me. (I know..house calls? I'm so glad she does that! So convenient, I tell you.)

I'm kind of tempted to go a little shorter but I think Kevin needs some time to adjust to it at this length. He was unsure of it at first and then decided he liked it enough. He still likes it longer but it's just so much work to make it look nice when it's long. This is a much faster style to go with.

And since I was already in photoshop, I thought I'd play around with the picture while I'm at it. This is a magazine cover model look. We all know I'm no model but this look sure is fun to play with on pictures. It's easy to see how ANYONE can look good in photoshop. So don't be fooled by all the magazines in the grocery store and all the pictures of celebrities. I promise they are "photoshopped." They are everyday people like you and me, just skinnier than me and with more money to get themselves worked on.

Now that I gave myself a digital makeover, I need to continue working on getting a real one in real life. And by that, I mean just general healthier habits kind of stuff. Nothing radical, of course.

Pudding & Calendars

2011-01-03T16:22:00.000-08:00

Not Yo' Mama's Banana Pudding
Ben & Anna introduced us to this scrumptious treat awhile back. The picture below does NOT do it justice!

I made it for one of the parties we went to on New Year's Eve. I found out that it actually tastes much better if it's been chilled for a couple hours, rather than delving into it right away. I also prefer to crunch up the rest of the cookies and sprinkle them on top rather than layer them as whole cookies on top.

Click here for the recipe! You won't regret it. Well...maybe you will once you are as addicted to it as I am. It reminds me almost exactly of Marie Calendar's banana cream pie... almost better. Watch out, though. I'm sure it's got at least 2 million calories in a bite! :-)

2011 Calendars
2011 can officially start! I finished my planner calendar. I thought I'd whip out a more simple version compared to last year's calendar by not doing a topper page. But it still took me longer than I wanted. Oh, well. It's done and I'm happy with it. :-)

I printed a piece of digital paper in between each of the months so I can keep my to-do list with it.

Front cover.

Digital notebook paper. :-)

Back cover.

Happy New Year, everyone!

Krystal's Newest Releases

2010-12-18T14:31:00.000-08:00

Sweet Shoppe's Quarterly Assortments are a fantastic bargain at only $3.99 for so many mini kits. This is Krystal Hartley's contribution to this quarter's assortment:

Perfectly shabby, I'd say! And it totally called for black and white pictures from yesteryear!

These are Kevin's paternal grandparents when they were just married.

Next up is Krystal's Feelin' Frosty kit. It's not a recent release but still packed with oodles of fun and gorgeousness! I used it and....

and this...

and this....

to make this! She's so cute!

I hope you are enjoying your Christmas season! We sure are. <3

Appleseed Project

2010-11-24T09:01:00.000-08:00

While we were at the T.E.A. Party Convention last April, we visited the N.R.A. table and checked out some information there. Another lady standing by us started chatting with me, telling me about the Appleseed Project and handed me a brochure. She explained a little about it and said I could check it out more fully online. In a nutshell, it was a rifle marksmanship training that is offered nationally to everyone; men, women, and children. Women and children and active military are free and it had a reasonable rate for the non-active military men. This seriously peaked my interest. Kevin & I checked it out and decided that this was an awesome opportunity so on the first Saturday of this month, we took the course. My parents took the girls overnight since it was an 8-5, all day sort of event.

Here's our stuff, ready to go on early Saturday morning.

The morning was beautiful at The Fresno Rifle & Pistol Club range. It was just in the foothills and so pretty!

Kevin helped hang the instructor's flags. Yes, some of them were strung together backwards but it's still cool!

Here's Juliette, our main instructor for the day, showing how to position ourselves in prone position.

Kevin was shooting a 30-06 and I was using a .243, both were bolt action rifles. I was #25 and Kevin was #24. Not bad for a first time!

After a few times using our rifles, Kevin's shoulder was killing him from recoil. And re-loading our guns took up too much time from the rest of the group so our instructors let us use their semi-automatic .22 rifles so that we could get the techniques down since it was our first time and then use our own rifles to master it better the next time.

(And for your future reference, if you want to participate in the event sometime as well, and I KNOW you all do, but don't own a rifle, you can still register for the event. Just type in the notes section that you are interested in borrowing an instructors rifle. Most, if not all, instructors are happy to let you use them for the day or will find one that you can borrow.)

One guy next to Kevin and I was shooting a brand new M1. It was seriously rattling my insides. It wasn't easy trying to hold steady and shoot my own target successfully while that thing was firing so close to me. Towards the end, his shooting mat was moved right next to me. As one of our shooting series started up, I forgot to cover one of my ears with my ear muffs. He shot his M1 and I was completely startled and my ear started ringing and it was sore. I covered up my ear quickly, hoping I didn't do permanent damage to my eardrum.

After each series of shots, we received more instruction. We were taught how to analyze our shot group so that the next series would be more on target.

We were given a lunch hour and during that time, it just poured rain. The weather all day long was so crazy. It would be cool. Then cold. Then warm from the sun peaking out. Then wind would pick up. Then it rained and rained hard. The rain stopped and the sun peaked out. Then it was crazy windy again. I kept taking off my sweatshirt and putting it back on again. So my hair had a nice and cold, windblown-crazy look all day long.

Here's the look of our shooting mats from downrange. We used camping mats and other people brought pieces of carpet. Kevin & I saw their carpet and decided that's what we needed to bring the next time around.

Here's the group downrange, receiving further instruction.

There were quite a few little valleys of ranges just like ours, all right next to each other. Sometimes during our instructional time, the rifles, or whatever bazooka was being fired in the next range over, was so loud, we couldn't hear everything we were being told. It was insanely loud!

Here's almost all of us in the group.

Kevin & I bought these shirts and thought they'd be perfect for shooting events. If you can't see it very well, it reads, "What Would Porter Do?" On the back is a picture of Porter Rockwell, the dedicated and passionate rifleman and bodyguard to our beloved Prophet Joseph Smith. The shirts were sold by one of our favorite bands, Nashville Tribute Band. You can get yours here!

This picture below sums up a lot of our marriage; Kevin's cracking a joke and I think he's hilarious, of course. What a ham!

This Thanksgiving weekend, we are looking forward to more shooting fun in the desert!

I can't wait to scrap my pictures. So if any of you know of an awesome shooting digital kit, please let me know!

Halloween & Krystal's "Thankful" Kit & "Apha Files"

2010-11-16T12:56:00.000-08:00

Last year for Christmas, I gave Kevin an aviator costume. He got a kick out of it and I thought it would be perfect for this year's Halloween costume. I decided to be Charlie (aka Charlotte Blackwood) from Top Gun and Kevin would be a perfect Maverick. He actually looks more like Goose but, oh well. I was excited to find a Top Gun patch & a wings pin at a local military supply store, aviator glasses at Target, & a faux leather jacket at a thrift store. I even chopped 3 inches of hair off, which still wasn't short enough but that's as short as I was willing to go. And I even dropped a few pounds in time to fit the jeans better. Kevin was also given some brand new military boots by a co-worker to go with his jumpsuit.
We went to our ward's Trunk-or-Treat party on Saturday night and Kevin & I rode up on the motorcycle. One of the other ward members recognized our costumes immediately and said, "Top Gun!" Glad to know we were recognizable. :-)
Tara & Brynne choose their costumes from Wal-Mart. Brynne was a pink cowgirl. Tara was a Midnight Princess, which is one of those random costumes that doesn't really come from anything you know about. It's just a made up character of sorts.
So this is our family picture from that night:

Brynne is giving peace signs...I'm not entirely sure what that's all about except maybe from the weekend before when the Cluff ladies of the ward were doing that when their picture was taken at the ward campout.

Krystal's newest releases below have been fun to play with.

Here's the layout I made using both goodies. I just love the perfect fall colors and how shabby it the kit is! The alpha files were fun to use in the background with brown overlays and decreased opacity to give it a faded, stamped look. So fun!

Lately

2010-10-21T09:47:00.000-07:00

I thought I'd have all kinds of time to get caught up on my blog (I'm about a year behind, eek!) and to work on projects around the house since both kids are in school all day now. Well, it seems like the opposite is true. And when I think of starting to get caught up, I don't even know where to begin. So much is going on, some of which is so STRESSFUL!

If we're Facebook friends, you might remember my post about Brynne having a hard time adjusting to school. The first two days of school were fantastic! The girls were so excited and pumped to be at school together. (Brynne had been dreaming of this day for years as she would constantly ask me when we were in the car, preparing to pick up Tara from school, when it would be her turn to go to school all day like her.) Here's my layout from their first day:

By the fourth day, things started getting rough, especially for Brynne. In the past, both girls have had awesome teachers who are caring, loving, understanding, and attentive and it totally meshed with the girls' needs and personalities. This year, their teachers are still good, they just don't have personalities that "click" with the girls. It was a rough start for sure. At one point, Brynne had a serious low point, which made me an emotional wreck, too, but I did hold back on the tears. One day, we were standing outside her classroom and Brynne was clinging to me like a magnet in my arms and the teacher started to reach for her to pull her off of me. The teacher commented that I was making matters worse. I quickly turned away so she couldn't take Brynne out of my arms and I calmly stated I would handle the situation. The nerve! That was NOT the right thing for the teacher to say that and DEFINITELY the WORST possible moment to say it in!

We ended up having to go to the vice principal's office because Brynne would not go to class. I spoke with the vice principal about changing her to another teacher (Tara's former one) but she said the other teacher's class is full and unless one of that teacher's students changed classes, Brynne had to stay where she was. The entire grade level is impacted and classes were already over-filled. The vice principal was so sweet and understanding and related to me how she went through a very similar ordeal with her girls when they were young and that other children at the school in previous years went through it, too. She was sympathetic and understanding. As she shared with me that there weren't any other options, my tears began to flow freely. I did my best to hide them from Brynne, who was sitting in a chair behind me. The vice principal told me that I should just say good-bye and that she would handle things with Brynne and watch over her throughout the day and call me with updates a few times. She and the principal were both speaking so kindly and friendly to Brynne, showing her so much compassion that I took her advice and gave Brynne one last hug goodbye. I left the office as the vice principal had to restrain her and I had to pull her off of me. It was one of the most heart-wrenching moments in my life. I thought I was doing the right thing. I didn't know what else to do. All of us had been praying, including my parents, that she would adjust to first grade and feel good about things and have the Holy Ghost there to comfort her. I went home and just hoped and prayed. The vice principal called throughout the day. Brynne had stopped crying within a minute after I left and she did okay the rest of the day.

However, Brynne has brought up the events of that day a few times since it happened and she will start crying about it. On one occasion, she finally admitted to interpreting the situation as me being happy I was leaving her there. I immediately explained I was completely unhappy and upset about the situation and she wrapped her arms around my neck and cried with joy, thanking me for praying for her and expressing her relief that it was NOT a happy thing for me at all. She said she saw me smile as I was leaving the office that day and thought I was happy to leave her. I told her that I must have been talking to the ladies in the office because there was no way I'd be happy to leave her. Anyone sitting in the administration office could hear her screaming and they were all offering me words of consolation so I'm sure I smiled and thanked them even though I was an emotional wreck inside. Ever since the misunderstanding was cleared up, she hasn't brought it up again. Hindsight, I'm still not sure I did the best thing, especially since it apparently left an emotional scar on my baby girl. Oh, the tortures of parenthood...

So ever since, things have been up and down with the girls. Some days are better than others. I've been looking into independent study options, just on a short term basis. Everything's still up in the air. In the meantime, we just try and do our best. One thing that helps the girls is me being at school to tutor in class and have lunch with the girls at least once every other week. However, with Brynne, I have been there at lunchtime with her 2-3 times a week.

Of both kids, I never thought Brynne would have such a hard time. Normally, she's the more social one while Tara is more of a home body. *Sigh* Motherhood has so many curve balls....

The bad air quality for the first several weeks of school wasn't helping either. We recently took them to the doctor and had them tested for asthma, and both tests came out positive. They will be on medication to help manage it and that has helped. And it helped when it rained and it cleaned up the air and temperatures dropped. Yay!

For a little pick-me-up, I created little cards for the girls to go in their lunches yesterday. Aren't they cute?

And wouldn't you know it? I packed their lunches today and completely forgot to write one and put it in their lunches! *Sigh*

I've been trying to catch up on some of my photo editing. You can check it out on my business website.

I've also done a few more layouts.

I had to re-vamp this one a little by taking out some of the dark brown papers. It was bugging me that it didn't look quite right. It's still not perfect but I'm over it now. :-)

Amidst all the stress, I find great comfort in creating. Sometimes, delving into something creative totally takes the edge off of some of life's harsh realities. I recently have been trying to learn more about preset shadow styles in Photoshop. Krystal Hartley had some freebies on the team blog that she gave away and I've been trying to figure out how to apply them. I know what shadows are and have a pretty good understanding how to use them, but I didn't know how to use "preset" shadows. Two days ago, I did another search on the internet and read an article, completely unrelated to what I was trying to find out, and the answer was right there! All I had to do was open up the styles palette (I didn't even *know* there was one!) and click on the style to apply it to the layer on which I was working. With computer stuff, it's usually something so simple and easy that answers or solves the issue. Nothing makes you feel like a big ol' dork like trying to learn something new in Photoshop!

On the up side, we've been happily preparing our Halloween costumes and we are so excited!

Felicity

2010-10-05T15:48:00.000-07:00

Perfect word for today! Dictionary.com defines it as a state of being happy, esp. in a high degree; bliss." Temperatures have dropped 40 degrees in one week, we lit our first fire in the fireplace, and I think Fall has finally arrived!

Felicity is also the name of Krystal's newest kit! The kit is a "Triple Dip" (meaning 3 designers contributed to it) with Misty Cato and Libby Weifenbach.

Here's my layout sample:

And here's another layout I did just for fun! :-)

I'm finding that scrapbooking takes longer than it did before. Now that I know how to edit a picture, I take the extra time to edit my photos before I scrap them. Double-edge sword, I guess, but worth it in the end. :-)

Eternal Marriage Student Manual

2010-09-28T11:22:00.000-07:00

When we were in St. George visiting family in August, we took a trip to D.I. to do some shopping, knowing there would be an opportunity for buying some Church media items. I found this book for $2!

I didn't even knew the church had this publication available. And when I saw the date of publication as 2001 (the year I had my first baby), I smiled and realized why. It's an almost 400-page Institute Manual with an ABC order of topics related to marriage, each topic a few pages long, and is based on the Family Proclamation. I graduated with my 4-year degree (yes, that's right, 4 years, LOL!) from Institute and thought I had seen all the manuals.

So I've been reading a few pages each night of it and loving all the good stuff in it! There's so much information in there I've never heard before in all my years as a member of the church. Here's one clipping I recently enjoyed:

"Without a strong commitment to the Lord, an individual is more prone to have a low level of commitment to a spouse. Weak commitments to eternal covenants lead to losses of eternal consequence. Laments later in life are laced with remorse, as expressed in these lines:

'For of all sad words of tongue or pen,
The saddest are these: It might have been!'

We are speaking of the most important of all blessings. The Lord said, 'If you keep my commandments and endure to the end you shall have eternal life, which gift is the greatest of all the gifts of God.'"

I highly recommend ordering it! :-)

Krystal Hartley's QA Vol. 3

2010-09-23T19:02:00.000-07:00

Man Vs. Nature is Krystal Hartley's latest release in the SSD Quarterly Assortment with 21 total mini kits and packages from all the SSD designers. It's a bargain at only $3.99!

I love the woodsy and camping feel! And the dirt smears are a perfect touch!

And here's my layout with it. (The cardstock and green buttons come from different kits, though.) Click on image to read the journaling. It was a funny moment and an atypical behavior display from Brynne for sure!

Sweet September

2010-09-22T18:56:00.000-07:00

Had so much fun playing with this today!

If you want a QP freebie, check out Krystal's blog here! :-)

ETA: Just because it makes me feel better, I have to explain my delay in not getting this done earlier in the day.

I've only made one other QP before and I remembered having a little trouble with it but I couldn't remember what I did to solve my problem. After I created the page, I followed Misty Cato's simple tutoria l for blanking out the spots where the pictures are (thus, making it a QP). I kept getting a solid white background instead of the clear or transparent background. I went back through notes, checked previous e-mails from others, searched on the internet, tried a few different techniques on my own in Photoshop, and basically racked my brain trying to remember. I wondered if maybe it wasn't working because the picture was clipped to a vector. So I tried several different combinations of working with the vector and photo layers but it didn't make a difference what I tried. I was just about ready to e-mail my trusty Photoshop expert friend (Krystal Hartley) when it suddenly came to me to try removing the white background on the layout. I was skeptical at first, thinking it wouldn't help since the removal had to go thru all the other layers, too, and not just the background. But whaddaya know? It worked! So, this time, I made sure to make notes in my photoshop notebook so that next time, I will NOT forget! I love learning and re-learning in photoshop, LOL!

Scrappin' An Old Photo Shoot

2010-09-21T19:31:00.000-07:00

Last February, I took some fun pictures of the girls on the property of a family that we're good friends with. The girls loved having a horse to play with while we were there and I loved the fact that a horse being there lent me their full cooperation for the photo shoot! :-) Here are two layouts from our day together. I still have more pictures to scrap but this was a good start.

Hitting The Nail On The Head

2010-09-17T11:44:00.000-07:00

Another One

2010-09-14T20:12:00.000-07:00

Now we're talkin'! This is my kind of emergency preparedness!

My brother sent this to me and said it brought a tear to his eye. LOL!

Kevin's Credentials & Side Job Rules

2010-09-13T09:03:00.000-07:00

Kevin is the most talented auto tech I know. Yes, that may sound biased, but it's true. I don't know anyone that can listen to the sound of a car's engine on the road or even over a telephone and be able to give an exact diagnosis.

Kevin has been working on cars ever since he was a little tyke (around 6). He would watch and help his Dad and Grandfather as often as he could. When he would play with his little Hot Wheels cars in the dirt, he gave them all car washes and put them back in a safe place when he was done playing with them.

During his sophomore year in high school (age 15) he did most of the work on the restoration of a 1956 Chevrolet Bel-Air that his family owned.

In high school, he took all the shop classes and aced them. He was the only one to earn the Toyota T-10 Scholarship, which is a highly distinguished and coveted honor within the automotive industry. He has been ASE certified several times and has been to numerous trainings in several cities.

And about 10 years ago, he oversaw and was responsible for most of the restoration of a 1967 SS Chevrolet Impala that we owned. (We sold it a few years back... it wasn't a family-friendly car.)

Kevin is a real person. He's genuine, sincere, and your all-around likable kind of guy. It gives him great satisfaction when he can make others happy and see their sense of relief. He completes a job, knowing his name will be written all over it. He is thorough and picky about the end product of his work. He has even washed vehicles after he's done fixing them because he doesn't like seeing them dirty.

Kevin is now in his late thirties and has over 20 years formal experience in the automotive industry. He has worked at several dealerships here in town and has made a lot of great connections and friends in the process. He has also earned awards from his employer that have never-before been received by anyone in the company. He is recognized often as the go-to-tech whenever something comes up that needs special assistance. His evaluations at work always note what a remarkable worker and employee he is.

(Here's a picture he sent to me via text one day from work. What a sweetie pie!)

Many people have stereotypes for auto techs (aka mechanics). I know I did when I first found out he was a tech when we first met. However, he is completely opposite of everything you would expect from an average tech.

1. Kevin doesn't like being dirty. He showers after his work day is done, wears gloves as often as possible, and hates smelling dirty. He showers at the first available opportunity when he's done working. Even when he has BBQ'd, he will shower afterward because he doesn't want to smell like smoke. He is very conscientous about these things.

2. Kevin does not use foul language or have dirty pictures up on the wall in the garage or in his workspace at his place of employment. The dirtiest picture he has is of an airplane with smoke blowing behind it.

3. Kevin will tell you the truth about your car and he will explain what is going on with it in words that an average person can understand.

4. Kevin fixes the problem the first time and if he knows he can't do the job as well as someone else, he will refer you to someone he knows and trusts to do the job right.

5. Kevin doesn't claim to know every single thing there is to know about cars. If he's unsure about something, he will discuss the issue with one of his friends who has more experience with that problem or he will search the internet and discussion forums to get a clear vision of the details so that he can fix it.

6. Kevin charges fair prices for side jobs. An average shop charges $95 an hour. Kevin's current rate is $50 an hour. He can also get parts much cheaper than a customer can.

7. Kevin maintains his own vehicles meticulously. Many people find that people of a certain profession are sometimes severely lacking in that area in their personal life (like the saying about how nobody needs a psychiatrist more than a psychiatrist). But Kevin does not fit that stereotype. His cars do not leak or squeak. And if they do, he will not rest until it's fixed.

8. Kevin bends over backwards to help people. As I said before, he finds great satisfaction in helping others and being a friend. He is very service-oriented and Christlike. I would even go so far as to say that it's his life's mission and greatest joy to be of use to all mankind.

As his "secretary," I schedule all of his side work on our calendar. Because he has full-time employment, a family, and other responsibilities, we have to schedule things carefully. And when it's 95 degrees or more outside, we let people know that the side job may not be completed right away. We will give everyone an approximate time-frame and if it doesn't fit their schedule, we completely understand and they are welcome to hire out someone else.

Over the years, we have learned to set some rules with side jobs.

1. Kevin will not work on just any kind of vehicle. If it needs an engine replacement or a new transmission, he will refer that work out to someone else because of the time intensive nature that they are. He will also not work on a car that is a lost cause (meaning the repairs will not fix the problem permanently or will cost more than the car is worth).

2. Kevin has had to filter out a few types of customers. For instance, we have had the unfortunate circumstance of individuals who decide to pay Kevin what THEY think they should pay him, not what he told them the total amount would be. Some people have no clue what an awesome deal Kevin is giving them and have, therefore, cut themselves off from any future dealings with us. If people don't appreciate Kevin's hard work, they can try and find someone else to appreciate at a much higher price.

3. Kevin will also not work on cars where the owners have been explicitly informed not to drive it somewhere or for a certain length of time due to a problem that will be worsened if done so. If the owner does it anyway and returns later on, wanting Kevin to work on the vehicle, the request will be declined. Kevin doesn't have the time or desire to work with people who don't value their vehicle, his advice & expertise, or his time. For lack of better words, you just can't fix stupid.

Thankfully, we have only had to deal with 2 or 3 people who fit the descriptions of #2 and #3.

Kevin has completed hundreds, if not thousands, of side jobs in his lifetime so far. We are grateful for customers who are patient and put their confidence in Kevin's abilities. And we are grateful for the opportunity it provides to support our family. We have been so blessed by his talents and abilities and for the employment opportunities that have come our way. And we are blessed that we can be of assistance to those in need.

Only Because It's So Necessary Sometimes

2010-08-23T10:32:00.000-07:00

I got these images in an e-mail from my uncle, who owns more guns than most gun shops. I love these!

Shocked (but not really)

2010-08-04T19:59:00.000-07:00

I'm still trying to digest the whole over-turning of Prop 8 by Judge Vaughn. The more I learn about the court proceedings and all the ill-legal "legalities", I'm deeply heartbroken and disappointed.

You can read the judge's ruling here. And here's more info. about it from the protectmarriage.com blog.

Tonight, Kevin asked if I wanted to move (meaning, out of state). I told him that if he felt it was the right thing to do, I'd do it in a heartbeat. I love California, but the corruption going on in the government and judicial courts has me very concerned about the future spiritual welfare of our children and their posterity.

But maybe we need to stay here and continue fighting the good fight... we shall see what we're supposed to do....

I am taking comfort in one thing. God is aware of our circumstances and I can feel that He knows EXACTLY what's going on. He knows how we feel and that we are trying to teach our children correct principles. I know He will provide a way for us to accomplish this sacred task, one way or another. The Lord always provides a way...

Just for the record...

2010-07-29T13:32:00.000-07:00

I've been getting asked this quite frequently. "Are you going to have anymore kids?" "Don't you want a boy?" "Doesn't Kevin want a boy?" I understand it's all in love and innocence most of the time. (And I also want to validate those out there struggling to have even just ONE child. I know it's gotta drive you up the wall to hear related questions like this and my heart goes out to you!)

So I thought I'd put this out there so anyone/everyone who wants to know will know.

When Kevin & I were first married, it was obvious that others thought waiting 2 years before getting pregnant was just too long. Well, Kevin & I only knew each other for 6 weeks before getting engaged and 7 months before we got married. I wanted to spend a little time with just him before having kids. I knew having children was going to be HUGE (little did I knew it was even "HUGE-ER").

When we stopped preventing pregnancy, we were immediately pregnant with Tara. After having such a spitfire, I didn't want to have kids for at least another 5 years. Then one day (2.5 years later), sitting in bed at night, Kevin & I were discussing my enrollment in college. Something had been bothering me for weeks and I didn't know what it was. Then the thought came to mind that we were supposed to have another child. I didn't say anything to Kevin, though. Then Kevin said, "I think we should have another baby." Huge sigh! If Kevin feels the same way, I knew it was right. I withdrew from my college classes. We stopped preventing, after many days of pondering and prayer and hope that God would help me since I struggled so much with my little spitfire. I become pregnant immediately.

3 years later, Kevin & I felt that there was supposed to be a #3 coming to us. So we stopped preventing. It's been over 3.5 years since we've stopped preventing and nothing has happened. Kevin & I are thinking that somewhere down the line, we will be of assistance to an older child or adopt a troubled teen (YIKES!) or something like that. We don't obviously know specifics but that's kind of our gut feeling.

I've also had an epiphany...some people ask, "Aren't you worried you'll have kids in your 40s?" or "Don't you want to just have kids and be done with it?" First off, if God's not giving me anymore kids, there's nothing I can do about it (short of invitro, adoption, etc., which I have no plans to do anytime soon). If I have kids in my 40s, so what? Yeah, it probably isn't the ideal thing to do but I've have a change in perspective.

I've decided to not prevent pregnancy anymore...If it's in God's will for me to have more children, I know He will send them to me in His own time. I look back on my past and think about how we used preventative methods when it came to pregnancy and I think of how foolish I was. Who am I to tell God that I should or shouldn't have more of His children in our family? My life isn't mine here in mortality until I've earned it. I have reconciled myself to God that if He wants me to have more, I will humbly receive them and do my best to "handle" the stress of it all. (By the way, there are other medical things going on in my life that I won't be going into here on the blog.) I knew if God thinks I could handle it, I will do whatever He wants me to. I can't pick and choose which of God's commandments I'm willing to obey. It doesn't work like that.

So here we are, with two kids. Some people think that's not enough. Some people think I should try to have boys. (I was raised with 4 boys and I'd really NOT like to relive that experience again. However, I WILL do what God wants me to.) I'm completely happy with two girls. When I say completely, I mean *completely*! Yes, there are tears and emotions run high sometimes...but I think it's the same with having boys, just rougher with more broken furniture and holes in walls. (That's experience talking, folks!)

In a nutshell, we are a happy family and want to do God's will whatever it may be. Doing God's will always leads to eternal happiness and eternal happiness is what we strive for.

TLM - Total Layout Makeover

2010-07-06T12:16:00.000-07:00

I don't usually re-scrap my pictures once I've scrapbooked them. However, there are few layouts that definitely warrant a makeover. And this is one of them: (click images for greater detail)

Let me tell you what's wrong with it:
1. The picture doesn't coordinate at all with the kit.
2. It was my first time using digital stamps and it just turned out funky-lookin' (except for the frame, that part I liked).
3. The composition just doesn't flow for the most part and it's just all wrong.

Krystal Hartley just released this kit, "The Other Side of Me." Isn't it stunning? She amazes me with her choice of color palettes...looooooove it! Anyway, the colors match the photo so much better so I used this one for the makeover.

Doesn't the layout just look so much better? I will sleep better tonight, LOL. I also did some photo editing to get rid of the digital noise and it made a big difference!

I loved this kit so much, I've already made another layout!

I've been dying to use some of my girly kits and basically any picture with Brynne in it will match those. Ain't she a doll? I used "Shabby Sugar" by Zoe Pearn and the name says it all. Zoe is a designer after my own heart. This kit has so many gorgeous elements in it. I didn't get to use them all so I will definitely be using this kit again.

P.S. SSD is having a sale that ends today. Check their homepage for the coupon code to get 25-40% off. Happy shopping!

Thrill Ride

2010-06-30T16:30:00.000-07:00

My husband's dream (well, one of thousands) is to attend the EAA Airventure in Oshkosh, Wisconsin. Check out the "coolness" of last year's event (song is pretty cool, too. Yes, John, I remember you telling me how you like the band):

♪♫ ...I got soul, but I'm not a soldier...I got soul, but I'm not a soldier ♪♫

Big Kid Church - by Krystal Hartley

2010-06-28T10:35:00.000-07:00

This update is a little late since we were heading out of town the weekend Krystal released this cute kit. But, better late than never. I especially loved this one since it was an LDS-themed kit. I knew just what pictures to use for it. :-)

Check it out here in her shoppe! You can also pick up a fabulous black alpha freebie here!

P.S. So happy to have finally gotten rid of the annoying border around the photos in my posts. Can I just say how relieved it makes me feel? :-D

Hero - by Krystal Hartley

2010-06-26T12:33:00.000-07:00

This kit was so fun to play with! The colors are so fresh and playful and full of fun elements for boys and girls! Of course, I'm partial to anything with airplanes in it. :-)

Check out Hero in Krystal's SSD shoppe. It's 20% off today only!

Another Prayer

2010-06-25T17:16:00.000-07:00

The other morning, Brynne's prayer went something like this:

"...and please bless Tara's foot. Well, you probably already know her name...but I said it anyway. And I hope everything's okay up in heaven. And I hope you have a good weekend...and us, too..."

I'm thinking I need to start secretly video-taping her prayers. What a crack-up she is. At the same time, I love how personal and so one-on-one-like she is in her prayers. I'm so glad she's a part of our family! :-)

Father's Day Weekend

2010-06-25T16:32:00.001-07:00

Kevin wanted help cleaning up the garage (or at least to make progress, anyway). So we spent the good part of our Saturday doing just that, which left me little time to prepare for Sunday. I was lucky enough to get all the needed shopping done for dinner the next day.

Last year, I stumbled onto the Bakerella website from someone else's site. What a fun (and fattening) place that is! :-) Anyhow, I didn't get a chance to make these last year but I was determined to do it this year. So, here's Kevin's Happy Meal for Father's Day. He thought it was awesome, so all the work paid off.

Here's the official picture from the professional Bakerella. Check out all the details of this fun little project here.

Two things I learned from doing this project:
1. Use red dye that says "no taste" otherwise the red flavoring in the red dye is super gross and overwhelming.
2. Cut the brownies when they are somewhat warm and not too stiff.
3. The "french fries" really are delicious. It's true what she says, you can't eat just one. :-)
4. I didn't bother with the sesame seeds.
5. It really is important to make the "fries" first. I learned the hard way that if you do it later (after the kitchen is hot), then it's not so easy to pick up and move the sliced pieces of dough. They fall apart really easy if it's too warm. Chilling the dough for a little bit before rolling it out isn't a bad idea.

I spent so much time baking & cooking that I didn't get any other pictures in that day but we had a great day, nonetheless.

We ate Kevin's requested meal; BBQ'd thick New York steak from Costco, mashed potatoes with gravy, green bean casserole, and Rite Aid ice cream.

The girls were so excited about celebrating Kevin on Father's Day, they didn't let him sleep a wink for our typical Sunday naps (Kevin's usually up before 6 a.m. for Church meetings). The girls kept coming in the bedroom every few minutes, wishing him a Happy Father's Day and giving him hugs and kisses and being rambunctious in general. But Kevin loved every minute, anyway. They were so excited to give him their homemade gifts. Brynne made a large poster-size red heart with glitter words expressing her love for him and wishing him a Happy Father's Day. Tara used a #10 metal can and decorated the outside with blue-striped scrapbook paper and airplane cut outs from Kevin's old airplane magazines and called it his airplane parts container. Kevin & I just look at each other in moments like these with a smile and read each other's mind. How lucky we are!

Beach Boys Fan Through & Through

2010-06-21T10:01:00.000-07:00

There are only a few musicians I would actually pay good money to see perform and these guys are one of them. Matter-of-fact, Kevin, my mom, and I went to see them back in 1999 in Visalia and I was sad for not spending more money on better seats since it was such a great show. But we still had fun, nonetheless. They are such cool dudes, even if they are older.

Let me give you a little history in my Beach Boys music passion.

Ever since I can remember, my oldest brother John was into music. I mean, really, really into music. His second home was "The Wherehouse" (now called F.Y.E.) a popular music store/hangout for him and his friends. He owned several cassette tapes (like over 100, which is nothing now but it was a lot back then) of various groups and he listened to them all the time. When I was in grade school in the mid '80s, he loved "The Beach Boys" and he and his friends were all into it. They wore any logo gear with trademarks on them from Dewey Boards, Body Glove, Ocean Pacific, Rip Curl, etc. Their third home was a place called "Wavelengths Surf Shop" (now called S.B.I.). Trips to the beach were big deals for all of us. My dad would rent wetsuits and boogie boards for those who wanted to use them and occasionally, a surf board was rented. We used to listen to all of John's tapes in the car everywhere we went, especially the Beach Boys, and especially during our Thanksgiving trips to Utah to see family since it was a 12-hour ride with 5 kids. The album "Endless Summer" was a favorite and we had all the songs memorized. From that point on, the Beach Boys have always been a mainstay in my music collection.

Speed up in time to last week. While driving to the beach, we were listening to the Beach Boys in the car. I made a playlist especially for the driving time to get ourselves all pumped and ready for the waves. Kevin & I were discussing the playlist and I said that I couldn't believe I didn't already own two of my favorite songs from the Beach Boys called "Good Vibrations" and "Getcha Back." Then I told him that I saw the Beach Boys CD he had just brought home a from work the previous day that had those songs on it so I felt silly I paid for songs that I didn't know we already owned. Anyway, he asked:

K: "I thought you already owned that album?"

Me: "No, that CD is a newer one. I never owned 'Sounds of Summer' (the name of the album he brought home).

K: "No, that's 'Endless Summer.'

Me: "No, it's 'Sounds of Summer,' I promise!"

He continued to insist it was "Sounds of Summer" and I insisted otherwise. We had a friendly banter back-and-forth. I knew I was right and he was sure he was, even though I reminded him of my history with the "Endless Summer" album. He decided it would be a great opportunity to make a bet on it. I was so in! I won't tell you what he bet if he won, but I'm sure you can imagine. And I bet a week's worth of him getting the girls ready for bed at night (shower, teeth brushed, towel hung, hair brushed, etc.) while I got to scrapbook on the computer for an hour. We shook on it.

Both CD album covers are shown below. Here's the one I grew up listening to:

And here's the one he brought home:

Yep, that's right, I won the bet. I'm enjoying all my scrapping time. Don't make disastrous bets with a Beach Boys fan. :-)

I Live With Sweet & Funny People!

2010-06-05T11:44:00.000-07:00

A Conversation with Kevin
About two weeks ago in the middle of night, Kevin jumps out of bed like a ninja. I'm not entirely awake yet...after a moment or two, I thought maybe he thinks he's late to work or he's had a bad dream about the girls and he's going to check on them or he heard something outside and wanted to check it out. So I wasn't really alarmed because all these things are normal for us. LOL! Yes, it's normal. He starts rustling with papers on the floor next to his bed. Anyway, I drowsily ask him what's going on and he mumbles something so I asked for clarification,

Me: "What? I didn't hear you."

K: "I had to push a spider off the bed."

Me: "A spider?"

He then mumbles something else I can't understand. I ask for clarification again and he just says never mind. As you may or may not know from previous experience, I hate spiders. I hate them in the sense that I immediately preconceive the easiest way to kill them as soon as I find them with the least amount of chances that it will jump on me or get away. I'm not afraid to kill them...I just don't want them on me or my kids or hiding somewhere that it might get to me or my kids. They MUST die and they MUST DIE ASAP! So we are laying there, tossing and turning a little bit. I get up and grab one of the millions of flashlights we own that is in my nightstand and head to the restroom since my bladder is the size of a pancake. I have to use the flashlight to check for spiders, of course. I need to make sure there aren't any friends or relatives of the spider I hope Kevin just killed. I check the bathroom, too, because I certainly don't need any surprises. I come back into the room, using my flashlight, and check under the covers, pillow, on the floor, etc. to be sure we are in the clear otherwise I won't be able to sleep. Normally, Kevin would ask me why I'm using a flashlight but he didn't so I figured he must have remembered my paranoia and disgust for spiders. I got into bed and asked him,

Me: "So, did you kill it?"

K: "Kill what?"

Me: "The spider."

K: "What spider?"

Me: "The spider you just jumped out of bed to kill."

K: "What are you talking about? I'm trying to sleep."

Me: "You don't remember jumping out of bed just a few minutes ago?"

K: "No, I've been laying in bed, sleeping."

Me: "You didn't say anything about me using a flashlight so I thought you knew what was going on." So, I explain everything that happened and he sleepily denies remembering anything like that...

The next morning, we had a good laugh reciting the events of the previous night. He said he remembered laying in bed and me asking him questions but he didn't remember his ninja-like moves to kill a spider.

We finally concluded that he was sleeping walking since he has a history of it from his childhood, which has also passed onto Tara. Boy, he is sure funny! And I got nervous about the dang non-existent spider for no reason at all...

A Conversation with Tara
About a week ago, Tara asks me,

Tara: "Mom, is California still broke?"

We haven't discussed anything about public budgets before so I wasn't sure if I heard her correctly.

Me: "What?"

Tara: "Is California still broke?"

Me: "Yes."

Tara: "Why?"

Me: "Because the government leaders don't know how to spend money wisely."

Nothing could have prepared me for her response.

Tara: "Well, I should go in and take over. Because I know how I should spend my money."

I'm thinking to myself what a precocious and ambitious and conscientious child I have. She would have no problem telling people where to go and what to do in government. I'm willing to bet she has a stronger moral compass than any other candidates. On June 8th, I say, Vote for Tara for Governor. :-)

A Conversation with Brynne
Brynne and I were discussing school and things that go on in her classroom. I wanted to know how things were going, if she was behaving, obeying her teacher, and being kind to the other students, etc.

Brynne: "But sometimes I have a hard time paying attention in class."

Me: "How come?"

Brynne: "Because I'm thinking about Heavenly Father & Jesus Christ. I know they are right next to me at school so I think about them."

Wow! How do you follow something like that? I instantly felt the Spirit quicken my heart. I think Brynne just became MY teacher. Man, that kid lives so close to the Spirit!

I think I stumbled out something stupid like: "That's good, Brynne. You can think about them all you want in class."

I'm pretty sure I'll live on that moment for quite some time...

Layout Catch Up

2010-06-01T15:53:00.000-07:00

Here are some Krystal's newer releases that I've had some fun playing with! :-) Each newer release will precede my creation using it.

Quickpages are always easy peasy....just insert pictures, add optional journaling, and yer done!

Lately, Krystal's been doing lots of vintage shabby...leeeerve it!!

I used an SSD Cookie from L. Penacho on this one. Lots of good memories with our Bubbalouskis!

One of our CT members is in love with orange so Krystal made a kit especially for that color. Such a fun color palette!

Krystal teamed up with Amy Stoffel for this kit. Love all the shimmer and glam in this kit!

My Kind of Freebie!

2010-05-11T16:01:00.001-07:00

Let me just say we have the best neighbors and connections! I like to give much of the credit to Kevin for many of our freebies. He's never met a stranger and likes to converse with everyone, a lot!

So, here's our newest freebie from our newest neighbor. (Our house didn't quite feel small enough so we had to make it smaller, LOL! Just kidding.) I really DID want this machine. It's in great condition and has a new running belt. And with my allergy problems, I can exercise inside without the unwanted side effects of being outdoors.

It counts the calories you burn, tracks your mileage, and gives you all kinds of stats of the like.

(Brynne peaked her head underneath, which made me like this picture even more! She's so stinkin' cute!)

This machine will help make me smaller, and thus be worth all the space it takes up in our living room. I've already used it a few times and it works great. I've watched the entire "Bourne" movie series while using it. I've found that watching something makes the time pass much quicker. (Oh, and if you haven't seen the "Bourne" series, I highly recommend them! How I love strategy movies!)

The Clovis Rodeo

2010-05-11T13:23:00.001-07:00

We had such a great time at last year's Rodeo, we went again this year. Except this year, we got MUCH better seats! :-) This time, we sat across from the announcer's box where you could see the bull riding/buckin' broncos and the other events from the sidelines.

We went with Meeegan (if you say her name wrong, she'll let you know, LOL!) and her little girl R from church again this year. The little girls love to play with each other so it works out nicely.

Here are the "Glory Riders." I don't know anything about them except their name and their syncronized horseback riding skills.

Next up, buckin' Broncos, as Tara would call them.

Poor guy's not going to last on this one.

Oh..down he goes...

I feel your pain, cowboy man! I've been bucked off life's horse a time or two as well. Better luck next time.

Another cowboy's turn...

Meet Crash, this year's clown entertainer. I can't remember what he was doin' here but it was something funny...

This is our viewpoint in the stadium.

Crash had a theory about how men danced vs. the amount of alcoholic beverages consumed. Now, I'm not a drinker but his reenactment was pretty humorous. His theory begins with just a few drinks. Guys pretend they are starting a lawnmower in their dance moves.

Then they are a rainbird sprinkler head.

Then they do a full 360-degree rainbird sprinkler head.

Then they try break-dancing.

Then they are like seaweeds, just swaying around without a knowledge or concern of what's going on around them. (I guess you had to be there to get the full effect of how funny he was.)

During the Rodeo, some sweet guy proposed to his girlfriend.

She said "yes." Then the announcer jokingly procedes to let the boyfriend know that he has set a precedent for himself now and he's going to have to top that with each succeeding major event. LOL!

More buckin'...

I think it's just as entertaining to watch the people in the background watching the event as is the event itself.

Some mutton-bustin'. Of course, my girls asked if they could go down into the arena and do it, too.

Some ropin'.

The announcer introduced this guy as a charro, a Mexican cowboy. Apparently, he is a world-renowned charro for his skills and talents as a horseman and he performs internationally and has a geneology chart full of famous charros. He's short but very skillful. He has trained his horse to do things that horses aren't commonly known for doing. It was a neat little show he put on.

Some of our gang...

Barrel-racin'....the girls loved this part so much, they had to try it out for themselves in the arena after the Rodeo was over (just using their own feet and legs, of course.)

In between events, Crash continued imitating things. Here he is imitating a velociraptor from Jurrassic Park.

The concert afterwards was with Jake Owen, whom I never knew about until this event. You'd have thought skimpy clothes for girls were a requirement by the looks of things. We kept wanting to let them know the store ripped them off by only giving them half their shirt, shorts, or skirt.

All in all, it was great fun!

For Country Music Lovers

2010-05-05T09:15:00.000-07:00

If you haven't heard of these guys yet, you are in for a treat! Due West is an up-and-coming country music group who have already had a chart-topping hit "I Get That All the Time." (watch the youtube video here). Check out their website and turn up your speakers to check out a few of their tunes. You can also become a fan of theirs on Facebook. And if you're lucky enough to live where they have an upcoming performance, you can attend one of their concerts as well.

Tim Gates, the guy on the far right, is the lead singer, with Brad Hull (left) and Matt Lopez (middle) on the guitars performing as back-up singers. Not only do they have fabulous talent and catchy tunes, but they are also members of the LDS church and have all served missions. I know this because I am Facebook friends with their CD producer, Jason Deere, who is also a member of the church and fabulous musician himself. If you check out the bio section on their website, you'll see they've worked with bigger names like Tracey Lawrence, Lady Antebellum, Shenandoah, Mark Chestnut, McBride & the Ride, and others.

You can purchase their CD on their website, a local wholesaler, or thru iTunes. You won't regret it! :-) Oh, and here's one of my favorite video clips of them. You'll love it!

Central California T.E.A. Party

2010-04-13T14:29:00.001-07:00

(In this post, I will be freely sharing my opinion on politics. Consider yourself forewarned. :-)

Last Saturday, I went to the Central Valley T.E.A. Party held at the Chukchansi Park in downtown Fresno with Kevin, Brynne, and my mom (Tara wasn't there because she had a church activity she was involved with). I missed the opportunity to attend the T.E.A. Party last year so I was not going to miss this one, even though we had a busy schedule that day.

Here's registration. They take down some contact info. for future events, etc. You can see Kevin there towards the back. (Okay, I'm a geek but I love how AMERICAN it feels to be at events like this!) It was so exhilarating to be there and supporting something you feel so strongly about, becoming more educated on the issues, and networking with others who feel the same way.

On both sides of the entry way, there was a large banner of the Declaration of Independence that everyone could sign on their way in. We happily joined in, too!

Kevin signed...

My mom signed...

I signed...

and Brynne signed it (please excuse the fat arm in the way :-D. I had to put my hand behind the spot where she was signing so she didn't poke a hole in the banner.)

And all the posters and signs everywhere...oh my, they were awesome! This one says a lot of good things all in itself.

How sad that this is true!

Stock up while you can!

The main view of the speakers at the podium.

Yes, Brynne is the new Tea Party Leader. Didn't you hear? ;-)

One of the vendors selling their goods.

More quotes...

We took a seat away from the main crowd. A little disappointing in the turn out but it was an all-day event so it's possible people just came and left as they needed, especially if they had little ones with them like us. The coordinators of the event were also contending with the Big Hat Days event in Clovis, which usually attracts 40K people. Nonetheless, we enjoyed it. We were only able to listen to about 2 1/2 speakers (Brynne was getting antsy).

People were wearing all kinds of funny things and they obliged with letting us take their picture.

We saw the Haines family there (friends of ours from church).

More quotes...
We also ran into Brother Lane and Brother Loftus (also friends from church).

Another dude dressed up...

The N.R.A. was there doing a raffle, giving away 13 guns.

I'll take the pink camo one, please. No, wait, I'll take ALL of them!

Sign right next to the N.R.A. table.

Some people made their own signs.

My mom and Brynne wearing their new hats.

This quote was awesome. I don't know if you can read it so I will tell you what it says: "Our federal tax system is, in short, utterly impossible, utterly unjust and completely counterproductive, it reeks with injustice and is fundamentally un-American... it has earned a rebellion and it's time we rebelled." -President Ronald Reagan

AMEN, President Reagan!!! Let's do it!

My favorite guy! :-)

During one of the speeches, the speaker invited everyone to stand up and take the Oath of Office that all Senators & Representatives take on. It says, "I, (name of member), do solemnly swear (or affirm), that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign or domestic, that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God."

I read this oath in the pamphlet, under which it was asked, "How do you think they are doing? VOTE ACCORDINGLY IN NOVEMBER 2010!"

A few words post-party experience (yes, it's soapbox go-time)...

As I was growing up, my dad would watch the news religiously every night. He would express his opinions on the issue, some days he was more calm about it than others. I just remember thinking, "Goodness sakes! What's the big deal? And even if it were a big deal, what could possibly be done about it?"

Well, now I GET it. I get why he was upset, concerned, worried, stressed, etc. I feel the same way. I don't think Republicans or Democrats or any other party have all the answers. But I do agree with most conservative points of view, regardless of the party. I believe that the more conservative politicians do not get elected because they 1) don't act like a politician and sell their soul for campaign money and 2) the media (another typically evil organization) doesn't give them proper and equal coverage. And while I'm pretty much against most of Obama's position on political issues, I don't think Bush or any other President was a total saint either. Most (not all) politicians these days are all bought with dirty money, it seems.

I think I'm at the point in my life where I can see more readily the ill-effects of various governmental actions and behaviors because it is all hitting so close to home. It affects paychecks (I could stop there and it would be enough of a point in itself), my freedom to teach my children moral values (or anything for that matter), my freedom to worship how I choose, and many other things. I've known it all along but when I really thought about how we are taxed around 40% (about 30% from paychecks, about 9% in sales tax, and then another 1% in vehicle licenses and other miscellaneous stuff), it reminded so much of the Book of Mormon stories we read where a wicked king would impose large taxes to his own benefit and those around him. As I become older and more aware of the abuses of public money, I am more irate at the lack of responsibility in our government. I know, it's not like it's new news but over the last few years, I GET how it affects me personally. As for limiting my freedom for teaching my children, now those are fightin' words! That is one of the supreme reasons for my entire existence, especially at this time in my life. So for anyone to tell me I can't do what I was born to do? Whoa, whoa, whoa??!!! Who do they think they ARE?!

When I was younger, and being taught about gun control in school, I thought it was a good thing. Ya know, get the guns out of the criminals hands, right? But that's not the way it is. Criminals will always find a way to get guns, regardless of the law. That's why their criminals to begin with. Taking guns away legally from those who aren't criminals just creates slavery and gives all power to the government. In obvious words, the American Revolution would have never happened if there was gun control.

And as for healthcare....oh man! I am steaming over this! I don't know how many times I've been in the hospital, knowing that I am paying for the healthcare of over 80% of the patients in there already. Healthcare is not a right, it's a privilege. Kevin & I have saved and sacrificed so much to pay for our own healthcare so that we don't become a burden of the state. We feel its our obligation and duty to take care of paying for it ourselves. Now, I do recognize when some people are permanently disabled or are temporarily unable to pay for it. I do feel sympathic enough that I wouldn't mind helping those good folks out. But we all know that's not how it works for 90% of the people who are using government benefits.

Case in point....I've been in the emergency room a few times in my life and some people are there because their kid has a cold or small grade fever. They want medical treatment without waiting for an appointment. Why? Because it costs them the same amount of money to be in the ER as it does for them to make an appointment. The rest of us have large deductibles and co-pays and would not be in the ER unless it was a true emergency.

Case in point...A friend of mine is a nurse. He was working in the ER while helping a patient. The patient had expensive tattoos, designer jeans, gold-capped teeth. When the nurse checked the patient's chart, he saw that he was a Medi-caid patient. Hmmm, wonder where his priorities are when paying for health insurance?

Case in point...Kevin has a friend who is works at a well-paying job and his girlfriend works full-time at a nice job as well. They have 3 children together. But, because they aren't married, the girlfriend gets free food, free childcare, and free medical care. They make TWICE as much money as Kevin & I do. Matter-of-fact, they get too much free food sometimes that they give some of their extra food to us. (While we appreciate the generosity, we'd rather government funding be used more appropriately.) There is something seriously WRONG with government spending!

I could go on and on but I'll stop there (for now). We used to live in a neighborhood where many of it's residents had the same financial priorities as the government. It's the "let someone else take care of me" attitude.

On a positive note, we did get to hear some great ideas for how to get the more conservative voice heard. Phone calls and letters to our leaders is a given. But they also said to write into newspapers, make comments online, share information with those around you. So, that's what I'm going to do! I did call Senator Costa's office and left word that I was against the healthcare issue but he had another agenda...his vote was bought off when the valley got more water allotted to it.

Hybrid Project & Freebie!

2010-03-31T14:39:00.001-07:00

I love making cards and it's great scrap therapy! Check out the freebie I made on Krystal's team blog!

Krystal Hartley's Spotlight at TDD!

2010-03-16T11:46:00.000-07:00

Krystal Hartley's stuff is up for grabs at The Daily Digi. Here's her adorable kit available for sale there now (will be available at the Sweet Shoppe next month), along with goodies from other fun designers. Check out her spotlight and goods at TDD now....there might be a fun coupon for ya that you won't want to miss!

And here's my sample layout of her goodies. I had the perfect pictures for it!

Digital Quickpage Freebie

2010-03-11T12:42:00.000-08:00

After a little trial and error, I completed my *first ever* freebie on Krystal Hartley's team blog! Indeed, a true celebration is in order, LOL! (Just kiddin'.) Here's the page I made with pictures I took of my niece. Ain't she cute?

Here's the preview for the quickpage. Just hop on over to the team blog and pick 'er up! :-)

Unprepared Parents of the Bride

2010-03-09T13:03:00.000-08:00

Oh, sweet Miss Brynne! She has blessed our lives immensely....but we've have our first major reason for concern. No, she hasn't been mouthy, disobedient, cranky, stubborn, ill-mannered, or anything that might give parents justifiable amounts of stress. Matter-of-fact, she's just the opposite. 99% of the time, Brynne is our dream child...except for one thing...this:

Now, you might say, what's wrong with this? Is she scowling, threatening, just about to throw a tantrum? Nope! She's prematurely planning her wedding in short increments of activity. Let's review the facts, shall we?

1. Brynne has always had a fascination...no strike that...obsession with babies, which in and of itself is not entirely bad, but when you combine it with the other experiences below, it can lead to "stuff."

2. While attending quite a few wedding receptions (one right after another), Brynne has been asking for a wedding dress and a wedding ring of her own. Kevin & I always defer and tell her that she needs to meet the right person at the right time and get married in the right place before that can happen.

3. Disney princess movies. Enough said!

4. For Halloween, she picked out a Bridal costume and coordinating press-on nails to match.

5. She yelled out the window to Santa during Christmastime, "Bring Tara a horse...and bring me a baby....a REAL LIVE baby!"

6. She has asked her male classmates to be her groom as explained in this post.

7. Two weeks or so ago, Brynne and I had the following conversation about her age.

B: I can't wait to be in first grade mom!
Me: Why?
B: Because then I'll be 6 and then 7 and then I'll be ready to be a mom.
Me: You know you need more experience than that to be a mom.
B: But mom, I already do! I practice with Katelynn (her 10-month-old cousin) all the time!!
Me: You need to graduate from high school, go to college, and meet a nice returned-missionary and be married in the temple before you can be a mom.
B: But I don't want to wait that long!

8. Since Brynne is obviously getting nowhere with her requests from us or Santa, Brynne decided to cut to the chase and go straight to God for help. Brynne offered the following prayer at dinnertime a week ago: ..."and please bless that Tara and I will meet a nice man soon so that we can get married...."

To top it all off, I watched the movie "Father of the Bride" on Saturday. I haven't watched that movie since before I was married. And now that I have children, I could barely keep my eyes dry. I bawled like a baby... Especially at the part where Steve Martin visualizes his daughter as a 7-year-old announcing that she is marrying a great young man she met. Now I understand why my mother thought Steve Martin's over-reactions were so relatable.

My advice? Don't watch "Father of the Bride" if that's what your too-young-daughters are aspiring to be! LOL!

My Opinion

2010-03-03T06:21:00.000-08:00

First of all, thanks to everyone who posted their opinion 2 posts ago about Dr. Laura's phone call. I forgot to mention that the mother of the little boy, who is Jewish, didn't mind her son being named Christian. I know there were questions about her stance on the issue.

Here are my thoughts: The parents didn't choose a horrible, awful name. It's not like Christian is the OPPOSITE of Judaism. Christianity is another religion that also believes in God. And as far as I've been told, most Jews do accept that Jesus Christ was (at the least) a good person in their eyes. It could have been worse...if the parents really were trying to "stick it to" their mother-in-law, they could have named him Lucifer, Satan, or Anti-Semite. Now THAT would be a convictingly awful thing to do. At the same time, since the parents did give their son the name of a different religion that they probably knew the mother-in-law would struggle with, let it go. At least she's calling her grandson a term of endearment...it could be much worse. So both parties, in my opinion, are trying to stick it to the other. Everyone should just forgive, forget, and move on.

I remember my father telling me from the time I was young that I need to give my firstborn daughter a certain name. And he reminded me of that quite frequently. He wanted me to use that name in honor of my mother and my great-grandmother because he had such fondness for both of them. And as much as I appreciated his feelings for them, that was not a name I was going to choose for my daughter. Once he realized I chose other names at the time of my both of my daughters' birth, he got over it and it's never been a problem.

And in reference to my initial Dr. Laura post, I shouldn't have said that I "usually" agree with Dr. Laura. I've been thinking about it and I think she leaves out mercy and a follow-thru on love when it comes to relationships (key elements in any Christlike relationship, if you ask me). She is a very black and white kind of person, which is appropriate in some situations, especially those that are extreme (i.e. abuse, etc.). But not every situation is just one way or another and can't be solved in a 2-minute phone call. It's takes days, months, or years to make relationships better when they are lacking. If we had to cut off every person in our life who ever hurt us or upset us in a major way, nobody would have any family or friends left to be around. Since we tend to hurt the ones we love the most, shouldn't those be the ones we forgive the most? And I don't think most people intend to cause hurt feelings. And if they did, they are usually regretful once they realize what they did. Many people initially react out of insecurities (anger, jealousy, hatred, poor self-esteeem) and I would venture to say that every human being has felt these things at one time or another in their life, whether it be an intense or low-key feeling. Whether or not it's true anymore these days, I choose to believe that people are basically good. And I don't mean that in a naive way, I just choose to believe that people have more desires to be good than not and when they aren't choosing good, it's easier to forgive, knowing we are all human, sufferring from the same frailties and insecurities. We all have our bad days... But in the end, we all want the same thing. We try to do good, choose love over hate, and want to feel that we are progressing and contributing to something in life, whether it's work, family, church, or anything else. And I will be the first one to admit that I'm no exception from any of the above. There have been times when, after a conversation, I'll think, "What did I just say?" or "I can't believe I just said that," not thinking ahead of my mouth. I have anxieties, just like everyone else, and I hope to earn forgiveness from others when I make mistakes in judgment, just as I want to forgive others of their mistakes.

There have been times when Kevin & I have thought about what Dr. Laura would say about any particular question or situation we face in our everyday lives and we get a kick out of it. Sometimes we laugh, knowing exactly what she would say and do. Other times, it sobers us up, knowing we have much work to do ourselves on our personal journey to perfection.

America Rising!

2010-02-25T12:41:00.001-08:00

If you are happy with Obama, Reid, Pelosi, and the rest of the current administration, then you don't want to watch this. If you aren't, then please watch it and pass it along!

Happy Belated Valentine's Day!

2010-02-25T09:40:00.000-08:00

Here's the cover of the Valentine's card I made for Kevin. I wanted to make sure it wasn't too frilly and looked "manly" enough. (Kevin would still appreciate it even if it was frilly just cause he's sentimental like that...) I'm happy with how it turned out so I thought I'd share.

Kevin & I almost always celebrate Valentine's Day the weekend before or the weekend after the holiday so we can avoid the crowds. We have found that we like it so much better that way and we won't be competing for time with everything else, including the Valentine's class parties at school for the girls.

We are watching our pennies these days so I planned the weekend with that in mind. My parents took the girls overnight last Friday so we could have the house for ourselves and enjoy a staycation. We used a gift certificate to Tahoe Joe's (our favorite restaurant) that some friends gave us for Kevin doing some work on their car, enjoyed some dancing together, and some movies at home. We slept in, at breakfast, and watched the rest of our movies before going to pick the girls up from my parents' house. (I missed our girls the minute I dropped them off on Friday....It's not easy for me to leave them at ANY age. I felt better as the evening progressed, though, knowing I'd see them again soon enough.)

I did have to tell Kevin that he was not allowed to receive or make phone calls for the night and next day until after our special time together was over. He is always getting phone calls and he never hesitates to answer. We forgot to forewarn people ahead of time that he wasn't available, which may sound nuts, but let me tell you, it's true! If the phone rang and went unanswered, it would cause Kevin great anxiety, not knowing whether or not it was an emergency. (My theory is they should call 911 if it's an emergency, not him.) So I compromised by answering his phone for him and just let the caller know he wasn't available. I made my appointment with him weeks ago and I get first priority. :-)

Everything went great and we had a wonderful weekend together! Thanks, Mom & Dad!

What Do You Think?

2010-02-23T19:58:00.000-08:00

I'm curious about what other people would have to say on a particular matter....

Kevin & I enjoy listening to Dr. Laura's radio program during the day. We sometimes will have a discussion about the interesting calls that came in that day with each other.

I usually agree with Dr. Laura and her point of view since she holds very conservative and moral points of view. She's also a no-nonsense, down-to-earth kind of person, albeit very blunt. Well, there was a particular call that still has me on the fence.

A father called in to complain that his mother-in-law won't call his son by his given name. Here's the conversation in a nutshell.

Dr. Laura: "So, what does she call him?"

Father: "Munchkin, pumpkin, etc."

Dr. Laura: "Well, that's cute. Why doesn't she call him by his given name?"

Father: "Well, it's because of her religion. She doesn't like to use the name. She's Jewish and so is my wife."

Dr. Laura: "What's your son's name?"

Father: "Christian."

Dr. Laura laughed hysterically for a moment but then continued in the conversation and after a brief discussion, Dr. Laura felt that the father had named his son Christian knowing it would disturb his mother-in-law and thought it was a hostile thing to do. She also stated that naming their son that name (even though the father was a devout Christian himself) was the wrong time to make a point to his wife's family.

The guy, of course, wasn't acting hostile but he did offer some un-related advice to Dr. Laura earlier on about doing a certain kind of push-up that he felt would be of more benefit for her since she does do push-ups as part of her exercise routine....I know, it was kind of random, but she may have portrayed that as kind of arrogant and determined that it was part of his personality thru the discussion mentioned above about his son's name.

So the father basically asked: "So, I should consider my elder's points-of-view when naming my children?" Dr. Laura said, "Absolutely!"

Hmmmm..... weigh in on the matter, if you like. I'm curious to know what other people think!

Farewell to Christmas

2010-02-17T12:14:00.001-08:00

Here's the Swann gang. Ben (Kevin's brother) and Stepanie (Ben's wife) were unable to attend since Stephanie was pregnant and couldn't fly since she was so close to her due date so they were "pasted" into the picture on the bottom lefthand corner. Kevin's family coordinated the picture-taking session and this was the best one we have of the bunch. (They enjoy the more casual and candid approach and it turned out well enough to get a smile from everyone!) To view more pictures that I took that day, click here, here, and here.

I (heart) Christmas! And I will say farewell until December...but I will miss it in the meantime. And I will re-design my blog in a few days or sooner now that all my Christmas posts will be finished.

I will also miss real Christmas trees! We love getting a real tree every year but with the onset of all our allergy and asthma issues, we will sorrowfully be using an artificial tree from here on out.

Christmas

2010-02-15T10:59:00.000-08:00

Yeah...I'm a little late getting this out there but better late than never. :-)

Christmas this year was with the Swann's. We had a ton of fun!

One of the first night's there, Kevin's mom wanted everyone to establish their "Wii profile" so we can play each other during our visits there. Kevin, who loves a good laugh, turned his profile into his own evil twin, Nivek (Kevin spelled backwards). He gave Nivek atrocious features which created hysteria and tears from laughter. He's such a nut!

Papa Swann couldn't make it too far into the evening without falling asleep.

A family in our ward, the Cantido's, found these fabric horse panels and gave them to Kevin & I, thinking they would make a great Christmas gift for the girls. I passed them onto Evaun, my mother-in-law, because like I said before, she is the master seamstress and could whip it out as a gift for the girls in a fraction of the time that I could. The day of Christmas Eve, she was busy sewing and finishing these up. I helped a little and Kevin helped, too. Evaun also has a long-arm sewing machine to do all the center stitching, which is quite fun to do. (Kevin loved using it! They even put the girl's name on them.) As you can see, they love them! They use them every night.

Kevin's parents are checking out the calendar we made for them.

Kevin came home with these aviator-looking sunglasses one day. Then I saw an ad for a Top Gun pilot's uniform online so I thought the two things together would be a perfect Christmas gift and next year's Halloween costume. (I've always thought Kevin could pass for a blonde version of Tom Cruise.) We had a good laugh on Christmas morning...I think he liked it. :-)

For the rest of the holiday weekend, we enjoyed some fun quadding, 4-wheeling, or whatever you want to call it. (We call it quadding.) Here's Miss Tara riding one all by herself for the first time.

The sky was overcast, which is totally strange for desert weather, but it was perfect for taking pictures! On Saturday, we all went out in the middle of nowhere for some quadding fun and shooting.

Mark & Evaun forgot something back at the house so they had to go back to get something and come back.

You may or may not know this but I love target practicing! When I was young, it was a tradition for the guys (and sometimes the girls went) to go target practicing during our Thanksgiving trips to southern Utah. Guns and hunting has been a part of my family and extended family for many, many years and it brings back so many good memories. Here we are shooting clay pigeons.

Kevin's in the middle here. He rarely misses a shot. Darron's (my brother-in-law) on the far left and Kaden's (our nephew) on the right. Morgan (our niece) and Tara are watching.

Mark (my father-in-law) & Wendy (my sister-in-law) firing away.

Here's (L-R) Darron, Cara, Sandee, Kaden, and Mark.

This is one of my first times ever shooting a shotgun (I've typically used handguns in the past). I found out from Kevin after 40 or so attempts that I wasn't aiming right. Once he corrected me, I finally started knocking some out. Kevin's mom, Evaun, even got some, too. So cool!

For Christmas, Kevin got a .30-06. I don't know a whole lot about guns but I do know that this is a serious weapon based on conversations I've heard among the menfolk. It's the kind of rifle that you have to plug your ears for and it will shake your internal organs with vibration. It's pretty intense and awesome!

This is Kevin's brother, Darin, firing away. Kevin and his brother have a wonderful relationship as brothers. They are basically best friends and would do anything for each other. They talk on the phone a couple times a week and have pretty much all the same interests in life. But they are very opposite in many ways as well. I enjoy watching their relationship over the years and am so grateful that they share the closeness with each other. It's so endearing! It reminds me a lot of Joseph and Hyrum Smith.

Speaking of sweet, the girls wanted to try their hand at shooting. They were using a little .22 rifle, which seemed very similar to a BB gun. I love seeing Kevin be such a wonderful Daddy!

Overcoming Adversity

2010-02-11T09:28:00.001-08:00

This Thai commercial for Pantene is so moving (you'll see why, it doesn't really have that much to do with shampoo except for the blowing hair). The song that plays over and over (I don't remember the name) is a song George Winston has on one of his CDs that I used to listen to over and over as a teenager. Make sure you grab a tissue...I sure needed one. (P.S. If you know the name of the song, please tell me!)

I Just Noticed Something....

2010-02-10T14:38:00.000-08:00

I subscribe to the free e-Newsletter from Sweet Shoppe Designs and I anxiously anticipate its arrival every Saturday in my inbox. This last Saturday was no different....except for one thing. I didn't notice it until just now.

Here is a product preview for a template set and font that Janet Phillips and Darcy Baldwin collaborated on. I didn't see it Saturday but as I was perusing the store and gallery, I noticed my name! Hey! That's MY font! :-)

Kind of exciting to have my own handwriting in the SSD store but it's more wierd to think of strangers using my own handwriting as a font. Hmmmm....should I worry? Nah! (It's a limited edition item so *maybe* a handful of people will actually have it.)

Just had to share!

2010-02-05T09:19:00.000-08:00

Krystal Hartley teamed up with Emily to create this beautiful and nostalgic kit. Emily (who goes by mle) is a designer at Scrap Orchard Designs and this kit is on sale today at her shop and then it's also on sale tomorrow at Sweet Shoppe Designs.

So my good news is that I made my preview debut at Scrap Orchard! You can see the layout I created below in Emily's shop at Scrap Orchard on the bottom right by clicking here. Since I'm still working on developing my talent, it was flattering. Just a little highlight for me. :-)

And yes, she was called Grandma Great, not Great Grandma. ;-)

My New Camera Strap

2010-02-04T14:26:00.001-08:00

In various scrapbooking and photography forums, all of us ladies love to oooo and ahhh over all the gorgeous handmade camera straps at etsy and elsewhere. And as beautiful as they are, they start at $27-$45 and go up. So, why not make your own and save big bucks? So I did, or rather, my mother-in-law did. :-) Here it is for under $3, including the extra padding!

I will say that I had lots of help from my mother-in-law...I started out working on it, asked her a few questions, and before I knew it, she had it finished. LOL! No complaints here!

It's so nice and much more comfortable now, not mention better-looking than the bright yellow Nikon label on the funky-textured black fabric.

If you want to make one, here's a tutorial for ya! Happy sewing!

Ever Feel Like This?

2010-02-03T15:16:00.000-08:00

This is kind of how I've felt all month long.... I try not to post anything negative on my blog or Facebook or anywhere else....not because I don't feel it sometimes but just because I want to keep things on the bright side. But I've decided there's nothing wrong with keeping it real sometimes and coping and learning and (my favorite) moving on.

I saw this on the wall in the doctor's office when Tara was getting her cast put on in November. Little did I know that was just the half of all the rigamaroll. The medical community is probably cheering our names with excitement with all the business we've given them lately....the most recent of which was two sinus infections for me accompanied by two rounds of antibiotics with a diagnosis of asthma, Tara's broken arm and absessed tooth and cavities, Kevin's accident last year, and Brynne's sinus infection and pink eye. Oh, and the Walgreen's pharmacy loves us, too. Hopefully, it's all under control now (knock on wood). We've watched more movies and read more books than usual this month with all our down time.
On the bright side, I love our new doctor's office...especially my nurse practictioner. She gave me about $500.00 in free medication samples once I found out I'll be using 2 inhalers and 2 expensive prescription pills for the rest of my life. She totally rocks, and not just because of all the free meds. Plus, the office is so close and they can get us in the same day I call for an appt. AND they are open on the weekends.
Our last doctor's office was in a newly-developed office area on the other side of town with pharmaceutical reps coming in and out constantly, making us wait for over an hour in the lobby before we can be seen for a whopping 10 minutes. Grrrr!!! Our symptoms didn't always feel properly diagnosed with her. Plus, she wasn't treating us very professionally, to say the least, especially my children. And you couldn't get an appt. for anything less than 2 months out. So major things always required a 4-hour waiting room visit to urgent care. It wasn't working for the Swann Family, I'll tell ya.
Okay...I will digress....at least the government doesn't have entire control of healthcare yet or this would be soooooo much worse! Time to count my blessings and move onward and upward... :-)

Mormon Culture Articles of Faith

2010-01-20T20:04:00.000-08:00

I saw this on a friend's blog and thought I'd share! :-)

1. We believe in SUVs and minivans, as the form of transportation,and in knee length shorts, which are always nice, and in multi-level marketing.

2. We believe that church ball players should be punished for their own fouls, and not for unsportsmanlike aggression.

3. We believe that through bread crumbs, cheese, creamy soups,and rice all casseroles can be saved through obedience to ward cookbooks and creativity in the mixing bowl.

4. We believe that the first layers and ingredients of the Dip are:first, beans; second, cheese; third, chopped tomatoes; fourth, the gift of sour cream; fifth, olives; sixth, salsa; seventh, guacamole, that is, if you have it.

5. We believe that a Mormon should have a distinguished or a cute name, that it is appropriate to name a child after a church leader or a historical figure including an ancestor, that alternative spellings and French prefixes only add to a name, and that when referring to the names of General Authorities, middle initials should be a part thereof.

6. We believe in the same wall decor that exists in many Mormon homes, namely, framed family proclamations, vinyl lettering, inspirational word signs, family photos, pictures of temples and Jesus, and so forth.

7. We believe in the gift of the re-gift, church books, crafts, family photos, baked goods, emergency supply kits, and so forth.

8. We believe in sparkling grape juice so long as it is nonalcoholic; we also believe in bringing root beer and sprite to ward parties.

9. We believe in all that we have scrapbooked, all that we will now scrapbook, and we believe that we will yet scrapbook many great and important things pertaining to our family, friends, pets, and vacations.

10. We believe in the literal mixing of ketchup and mayo and in the generous application of ranch dressing; that CBAs (church-based acronyms) will be used to describe YM/YW, PEC, the Y, NCMO, and CTR; that Mitt Romney will get Mormons to vote for him any time he runs; and, that the Mormons will enjoy reading Twilight and The Work and the Glory.

11. We claim the privilege of trying to identify common acquaintances with any visitor at church, and allow all other people at church the same privilege, and let them name drop the names of Famous and general authorities how, where, or what they may.

12. We believe in being subject to scoutmasters, pampered chef hostesses, and the writers of the U.S. News and World Report Rankings for professional schools, and in obeying, honoring, and sustaining Glenn Beck.

13. We believe in being above average, good at crafts, optimistic, and being fifteen minutes late everywhere we go. Indeed, we may say that we follow BYU football. We believe rumors about famous people joining the church, we hope to meet the three Nephites, we have endured many pyramid schemes, and hope to be able to endure all pyramid schemes. If there is anything cheap, free, sold
in bulk, or given away when somebody is moving, we seek after these things.

Just some fun tongue-in-cheek humor for ya! And if you would like to read the real Articles of Faith, click here!

On a Digi-Scrappin' Roll!

2010-01-16T10:26:00.000-08:00

Krystal Hartley & Scrapkitchen's newest kit "The Very Thought of You" was released today and is on SALE! Don't walk, RUN to the online store and pick it up today! (Product images clickable.) This kit is totally my style! Looooovvvve it!

I made this with the kit.

This is a newer release from Krystal, perfect for the special loved ones in your life!

And here are my special loved ones:

These releases are versatile enough for any kind of layout!

And here is what I made from those items:

I was so thrilled when Krystal released her traditional-colored Christmas kit! This is her first one ever and it was so fun to play with!

These are perfect for those several-photo-type layouts!

And my first layout from this last Christmas! (more details to come on that)

Happy Saturday, everyone! Hope it's a great one!

2010 Calendars

2010-01-14T13:01:00.000-08:00

For Christmas, I made custom 2010 Calendars for my parents and for Kevin's parents. This is what they looked like on the front.

Here is a sample spread of November. Each family within the family had a month of their own and November was our month.

Here's the front for my parents' calendar.

And here are the toppers for each month for Kevin's parents:

And this one was for my parents:

They were a lot of work but fun to do and watch it come together!

Joshie's Birthday

2010-01-13T20:50:00.001-08:00

I know, I'm still back-tracking....hoping to get caught up soon!

Joshua turned 1 in November and it's a tradition in the Polynesian culture to have big parties for those turning 1, 21, 50, etc. So, Caleb & Heather went all out. The kids enjoyed a bounce house...

...and the adults enjoyed some great food, like enough birthday cake to feed an army ....

Kaluah (sp?) pulled pork and regular pulled pork sandwiches, tropical fruit, cabbage salad, macaroni salad, rice....

...and a yummy, tropical-fruity drink!

Caleb & Heather finished most of the backyard (they've been renovating for over a year) and it looks fabulous! The kids are enjoying a little crafty-time and adults get some conversation time...

My dear, sweet Mommy!

Here's me and Joshie! Have I ever said how much I love being an aunt?

Here's Micah. Kevin took most of these pictures and this is probably the result of him yelling to Micah, "Hey, Micah!" from across the yard....

Our little pink flamingo working away on her craft project. (She's wearing her cousin's outfit here and I think she ended up wearing it most of the weekend.)

Another tradition is to have some hula dancing. This is Hilari (Heather's sister) and her daughter performing for us.

And Heather, the gracious hostess of the event!

More party-attendees.

At first, Joshua cried and wasn't interested in his cake (probably because it was a little too cold with his clothes off). But he slowly got a little more into it.

Kevin enjoyed hanging out with Matthew, our nephew from Micah & Jennifer.

Caleb, surrounded by on-lookers, helps Joshua open gifts.

The kids getting one last dose of bounce-house fun on Sunday before we head home.

Joshua, still in his church clothes, roams the backyard in his new, smart-looking, GQ outfit from Aunt Hilari. (I followed him around the backyard like the Paparazzi, trying to get a good shot in...but unlike the Paparazzi, I also made sure he was safe and didn't fall off the retainer wall or down the cement steps.)

We had a great weekend....great food and even better company!

Halloween

2009-12-30T14:26:00.000-08:00

I almost forgot to include Halloween! We certainly can't forget to include that!

Brynne was a bride...it was almost a little too close to home but we managed. If you saw my post on facebook, then you might recall how she stood among a group of boys a few days before Halloween and asked them which of them was going to marry her. The teacher recounted this story to me and we both had a good chuckle. Brynne takes a lot of initiative!

Tara had originally chosen a "Southern Belle" costume from Wal-Mart but changed her mind the week of Halloween. She wanted to be "Jessie" from "Toy Story" again, which was fine with me since I could get my money back.

Kevin and I used our 80s party clothes. Kevin stepped it up a notch by using eyeliner, painting his fingernails, and using more color spray on his hair to make it even brighter. He almost looked like Billy Idol to me.

We attended the "Trunk or Treat" party for the ward and didn't take near as many pictures as I would have liked. But here are the Elders trying to look like gangsters, like Spencer Baker is dressed as. Lauren Baker is a hippie.

Here's Jeannie Dehmel (the Bishop's wife), Allyson Jensen, Julianna Iverson, & John Jensen.

Kevin & Brynne.

Our neighbors (or at least they were at the time of the picture) the Birds (Matt, Melissa, and baby L, and little miss H.)

Speaking of the 80s, we met Marty McFly (aka T.C.) at the party.

My White Steed

2009-12-30T13:55:00.001-08:00

As promised, my first detailed update: My car is totaled. So sad to see it go...but because it's been with me for so long, it deserves a small memorial on my blog.

Dear Friends & Family,

Thank you for coming to pay your respects to my beloved 1994 Honda Civic LX that has passed on to automotive heaven. She was a good car. I bought her when I was 20 years old and it was the first car I ever owned. I bought it in 1996 and it was two years old....made in the very year I graduated from high school (I had always wanted a car made in the year I graduated). There was a little drama (which shall not be re-lived here on the blog) with it's acquisition but it all ended up okay. She was treasured and endured much. She was driven to school and work and back when I was single and also when I was married. She was given a little run for her money when Kevin got behind the wheel but she handled it well and Kevin was good to keep her well-maintained and even washed, waxed, and vacuumed out. We had big dreams for her to someday be the car that Tara would drive around. We were sad that she didn't make it that long but we know she is happier where she is now and is no longer in pain.

She was the car that was "decorated" when we first got married and it was the car that drove us to the L.A. Temple for me to receive my own endowments and also to the Oakland Temple for both of us to be sealed, with our good friends, Scott & Krista Kneeland in the backseat. (We wre so excited to have driven off in our white chariot after being sealed.) She also took us on our honeymoon, on several trips to various places including Utah a few times, and was there to carry our precious first newborn home with us.

Here are the vehicles remains that you may now view: (*sniffle, *sniffle)

This was the bumper of the other vehicle (another Honda Civic) that was removed at the body shop for analysis. This car underwent surgery and is going to make it just fine.

Thank you all for coming and being a part of her life. We know she would have appreciated you being here for her! :-)

P.S. We have some extra parts that were not replaced yet that are available for sale at a great price if you own or know somebody that owns a Honda Civic. The parts are brand new, still in the box and include a water pump, timing belts, and a few other belts.

Brief Update

2009-12-29T18:36:00.000-08:00

My life got busier, obviously. Here are some highlights:

*I travel to school 3 times or more a day since (1) Brynne is in Kindergarten, (2) Tara is involved in an accelerated learners program, (3) both are in the garden club, and (4) I volunteer in Brynne's class every other week.

*I attended and finished a night class this last semester for photography at Fresno City College. (The class was okay...there were some good things about it. I was kind of hoping for more "meat" in the class. Good news is the internet has been and is a wealth of information!)

*The girls have homework...enough said about that. If you are a parent who has kids with homework, then you know what I'm talking about.

*My trusty and economical white steed (aka Honda Civic) is totaled. So sad to see it go, it was a good car that was with me for 13 years.

*We took a trip to L.A. to visit family. (Being busy with visiting family is always a bonus!)

*Lots of photo shoots for the holiday season, which is always appreciated. (Highlights are uploaded to my blogsite at http://www.bethswannphotography.com/ with more to come!)

*We attended the ward Christmas party, in which Brynne was one of the angels in the live Nativity.

*We fed the Elder's in the ward a few times this month, especially when they had nowhere else to go for dinner.

*We attended the ward White Elephant party....so fun with lots of laughs. That's an annual tradition never to be missed! Plus, I look forward to passing some things of ours on for others to use.

*I made digital 2010 calendars for my parents and for Kevin's parents for Christmas, which took about 50 hours or so to complete. (Pictures to come!)

*Our recent Christmas vacation to Kevin's parents' house, which is a blogpost all in itself. Good food, great company, lots of fun "quaddin" (as Tara & Brynne call it), photo shoots, target practice with some awesome artillery, Wii games, movies together, and I got/sorta-helped-make a new and pretty camera strap cover. We ate at the McDonald's in Mojave and noticed it had several murals throughout the restaurant of Burt Rutan's aircraft handiwork....very cool! We also stopped at Kohnen's Bakery in Tehachapi for some german desserts and fresh baked bread on the way home. And lastly, we stopped at the Tulare Outlets to check out stuff there.

Speaking of busy, December is my favorite month of the year but I've been so busy that I haven't had the time to re-decorate my blog. I finally had the chance this last weekend. Yes, Christmas is over but I love Christmas so much that I will be leaving it up for a little while. It comes and goes so fast. Christmas is such a special time of year to me and I hate to see it end so quickly.

I will post more details from our eventful, past-few-months soon!

Photography Sale!

2009-11-28T18:22:00.000-08:00

The holiday season is upon us and many families are seeking a family photo shoot. I'm excited to let you know that I'm running a limited-time-only special until the end of December. For only $50, you get a one-hour session at a location of your choice within the greater Fresno & Clovis area and a copy of the images taken so that you can print them wherever you desire. You also get 3 high quality images edited with great detail ($10 for each additional edit). Please contact me to schedule your session at beth w swann @ yahoo. com (no spaces).

Feel free to browse my new blogsite to view a sampling of my work: http://www.BethSwannPhotography.com or just click on the image below. (My blogsite also has an RSS feed if you'd like to subscribe or add it to your blog list. :-)

Happy holidays to you and yours!

Fortitude

2009-11-20T12:10:00.000-08:00

Krystal Hartley's newest kit "Fortitude" is releasing tomorrow at SSD and it will be on sale! Here's a sneak peek at the new kit:

Thanks for taking a peek and I hope you have a fabulous Friday!

All in the Family & the New Blog Law

2009-11-11T12:34:00.000-08:00

Krystal Hartley's double scoop "All in the Family" with Christy Lyle at SSD was so fun to play with! It's just beautiful with the perfect amount of fall shabby!

Here's a fun layout I made of our fun day in the mountains last weekend!

So here's some new blah, blah, blah for you. A new blog law compels me to let my blog readers know that I receive amazing free digital downloads from Krystal Hartley in exchange for creating layouts for her and assisting her with various marketing needs. I'm sure you already knew that but the FTC says I need to say it "out loud," so-to-speak.

This policy is valid from November 11, 2009. This blog is a personal blog written and edited by me. This blog does not accept any form of cash advertising, sponsorship, or paid topic insertions. However, this blog does accept and keep free digital products from Scrapbooking Designers in exchange for creating digital scrapbook pages. All products my blog receives are mine to keep and, unless otherwise specified, the only compensation. The compensation received may influence the content, topics or posts made in this blog, and may not always be identified as paid or sponsored content. This blog abides by word of mouth marketing standards. I believe in honesty of relationship, opinion and identity. The views and opinions expressed on this blog are purely mine. I will only endorse products or services that I believe, based on my expertise, are worthy of such endorsement. Any product claim, statistic, quote or other representation about a product or service should be verified with the manufacturer or provider. This blog does not contain any content which might present a conflict of interest.

You may now resume your regularly-scheduled blogging.

A Few of My Recent Favorite Things

2009-10-23T16:39:00.000-07:00

A list of some favorite things I’ve learned and loved lately….

*the smell of scented candles…I tend to stockpile :-)
*how to insert a picture into text for Krystal Hartley’s sneak peek by watching an excellent photoshop tutorial
*how to take screen shots on the computer (super duper easy now)
*how to make flower clips for my girls's hair. My friend Gwen Hawkins taught this class at Mountain View ward’s Fabulous Friday last week and I think she created a monster -- can’t wait to use these in a photo shoot (update: since this picture, I have made 4 more!)

*looking forward to Noemi’s bow-making class next week (little plug for RS ladies)
*learning some fun new tricks on my camera (shots taken using longer shutter speeds & a tripod, and they aren't even edited!)

*finding a hawk in our tree which= less squirrels stealing our walnuts (YES!)

*making a new FHE board

*carving a pumpkin with the kids and putting up fall decorations
*the cooler weather x1000!!!
*being able to fix my not-feeling-so-well problem by using an inhaler after feeling yucky on-and-off for over 3 weeks
*listening to Dave Ramsey on KMJ talk radio (he’s such a awesome dude!)
*my teaser comb (yeah, I know…a vanity item but it’s a recent discovery that has seriously helped me out, lol!)
*my Mary Kay make-up brush set (another vanity item, but so helpful, too!)
*organized and filed massive amounts of paperwork and now I have two clean desks!
*new ceiling fans my hunk installed
*no more blue blade ceiling fans :-)
*my new photography backdrop stand that my honey built for me from PVC piping
*cleaning out some baby stuff to give to my brother-in-law (two boxes worth outta here! Yay!)
*helping Kevin organize his stuff in the garage (picture below of what it looked like a few months ago without anything in it yet)

*being able to use my oven again without temperature discomfort
*enjoying all the good parts of chaperoning the girls’ school field trips

(This one's for you, Papa Swann!)

*finding more people on Facebook from my past has been fun
*sharing the proclamation book I made with others in person or via e-mail with over 200 RS sisters all over the world (all credit given to Heavenly Father for helping to make the project possible altogether!)

*a trampoline that Kevin surprised me and the girls with on Saturday

*all the major de-junking that's going on around here....LOVE it!

Well, that's about it for now. Have a great week!

Krystal Hartley's Designiversary & Freebie!

2009-10-07T10:56:00.000-07:00

Krystal Hartley's latest release is a beautiful and elegant wedding kit, perfect for all your photos of wedded bliss, love, and even just your everyday shots, especially black & white pictures. Here's her kit preview (images clickable):

I created a sample layout of my own using her kit and a Sweet Shoppe Designs template.

Krystal is celebrating her second anniversary of being a digital designer. In honor of her anniversary, she has created a team blog that her creative ensemble contributes to. Matter-of-fact, I made my first post there today, spotlighting her beautiful "Platinum Dreams" kit. There are several gorgeous layouts from the team you will just adore! There are even some freebies available on the blog, including a perfectly wonderful "Fresh Baked Fall" freebie (pictured below). Be sure to download soon -- her free kit link expires Oct. 9th! Happy downloading!

So Bless-ful!

2009-09-28T17:38:00.000-07:00

The temperatures around here don't feel very "fallish" yet so I'm hoping that maybe a little spruce up on my blog will inspire the weather. Ahhh, can't wait for Autumn! So Krystal Hartley's "Bless-ful" kit seemed perfect for the occasion. It just called my name right off my external drive and said "Decorate your blog with me!" So I did.... :-) (Click image for more details.)

Like, Totally Radical!

2009-09-14T21:32:00.000-07:00

We recently went to a surprise 40th birthday party for a friend and it was an 80s theme party. Sooo fun! Kevin & I have attended parties for the 50s, 60s, & 70s...now we're finally going to ones from our own generation, LOL! I went "Sally shopping" (aka thrift store) and got some major bargains.

Here's what I got for me for less than $13:
A horizontally striped shirt that I cut up and then used the sleeves as matching legwarmers.
Matching white jeans that I cut off and washed to get a frayed edge.
White belt with silver metal circles throughout.
White canvas, heeled shoes.
Thick, white plastic bracelet.
Super large silver hoop earrings (which I completely soaked in cleaner before they were used).

Here's what I got for Kevin for less than $8:
A bright fuschia pink polo that we cut up and turned inside out.
Matching 80s cotton pants (check out that print pattern...sooo 80s!)
Black Reebok high-top tennis shoes.
A pair of acid-washed jeans just for backup.

We also added big hair for me, which was so easy to do. (My hair type was sooo made for that generation.) I also had 80s style eyeshadow but it's too difficult to see in the picture. Kevin already owned a fanny-pack that he filled with all his favorite cassette tape albums. We borrowed our neighbor's "boom box" to play 80s music on it. Kevin got a small red-colored mohawk (you should have seen the looks we got from people driving by the front of our house as we were spraying it on his head). We also got one of my scrapbooking gems to use as a fake diamond earring in his left ear (remember when it mattered which ear it was in??). He also tucked the bottom of his pants into his socks to give it a more complete look.

I got this picture off of my friend's picture album from facebook so the quality isn't great but it gives you an idea. We think these will make great Halloween costumes. :-)

We had a great time remiscing and catching up with some old friends!

Right before the party, we went to Rite Aid to get some batteries and we got some funny looks there. Once we told everyone standing in the checkout line where we were going, everyone smiled and seemed so relieved at the same time. I guess we looked like crazy people. It was hysterical!

As for my relative absence from my social networking friends and family, here is my report for what's been keeping me away from the computer A LOT! (note, these are not listed in any kind of order, not that it really matters anyway)

-finishing preparations for Super Saturday projects
-attended Super Saturday
-family in town a few times
-Kevin working lots of overtime (which is definitely a huge blessing but I have obvious increased responsibilities when he's gone more often)
-overhauling the girls' bedroom big time...painting, cleaning out, re-doing a few things, etc. (all their furniture, besides the bed, is currently sitting in my front room)
-got a part-time job working at a school as a campus monitor (long story short: love the job, love the opportunity, love working in a school environment....however, it's not cost-effective for me to drive the distance and not be more than making up for it in a paycheck so this is my last week working there)
-focusing on building my photography business (more to come on that later)
-helped with various church projects
-was asked to teach the family proclamation project to 2 other wards for their Super Saturdays
-taking a photography class
-doing homework
-photographed my first wedding (more to come on that also!)
-running two kids to school and back 3 times a day

I'm sure there's more but that's what I can think of right at the moment.

Once my time frees up a little next week, I'll post more for sure. I'm excited to share pictures of some things I've been working on. Have a great week everyone!

Super Saturday Projects

2009-08-25T13:21:00.000-07:00

Here are two of the 4 projects we are doing for Super Saturday. The first one is a Family Proclamation Book. It was originally a digital photobook but to make it more affordable, we improvised.

We used 8x8 sheets of acrylic, a bind it all, o-rings, and ribbon to bind the book. It was a fun project to work on and get my own done. Guess what we're giving to both sets of grandparents for Christmas? :-)

I saw this phrase in our neighbors house and loved it so much, I decided it would be a perfect addition to our project list.

It's Inevitable!

2009-08-24T12:37:00.000-07:00

You try hard for 2 weeks before school starts to prepare the kids for earlier bedtimes and getting up earlier in the morning....get school shopping done well in advance, even when teachers mail home last-minute items to buy and bring to school *after* the 25 cent sales are over at the stores....play fun music to wake them up in the morning with (can't go wrong with Beach Boys in our house!)....give them all kinds of pep talks about how great it is and how fun it will be to make new friends and reacquaint with old ones, etc.

The kids eventually roll out of bed...one child is a little cheerier than the other but we won't name names, LOL! While curling the hair of child #2, child #1 starts crying and calling me into the kitchen where she spilled all her milk and cereal down the front of her new school clothes and her do-or-die cherished star blankie. The mess gets cleaned up and shorts are changed but the tears just keep coming. (She must not have had enough sleep with all the giggling and playing last night at bedtime with her sister....shocking, I know.) So, here's the annual first-day-of-school picture:

Luckily, the clouds began to part and enthusiasm returns for the most part and I was able to get these shots in. (I actually did tell her only to smile softly otherwise she would have had a bigger smile here, fur reels.)

Oh, the ironies of life. I can't wait to tell them this story and many others (many, many others) like these when they have kids of their own. :-)

I Can Almost Taste It!

2009-08-11T14:09:00.000-07:00

Fall...that is! The kids are heading back to school and I'm thinking of "bouquets of sharpened pencils" from the movie "You've Got Mail." I'm not one of those moms that celebrates when the kids go back to school. I enjoy my time with them at home. (But that's because I've already paid my dues for the times I wanted to sell them to the zoo.) The kids are old enough now that they get along pretty well with each other. We count ourselves blessed for that. I know what siblings are usually like (I had 4 brothers myself!). We enjoy our little vacation getaways while the kids are out of school.

One thing that does thoroughly get me excited about back to school is the inevitable season of Fall, which leads to the inevitable and even more joyous season of Christmas. Makes me want to decorate everything. :-) Since I can't decorate *everything* I want or would like to, I take joy in decorating my blog. Have yourself a fabulous rest-of-the-summer!