Bernie & Doll

2011-10-10T17:08:00.000-06:00

We're Loving SOCCER!

2011-05-16T15:38:00.003-06:00

I'm in LOVE with Kindergarten ART! The Kids in Princess B's class made "self Portraits" of themselves this week for
Open House Night
Bet you cant find B.....

Did the Curly Hair give it away??

and.....Caterpillars for the "Very Tasty Tree"

and sticking with Oregon's rainy season...
Ducks!
B's has HOT PINK feet.... Because "I just like pink, Mom!"

Love it! Love it! Love it!

2011-05-05T20:40:00.003-06:00

Rain Rain go away...

2011-04-23T21:10:00.001-06:00

23 laps at the JOG-A-THON

2010-12-13T21:00:00.010-07:00

29 & 31

Cory and I celebrated our birthdays this week!
It was a pretty low key event because Cory also had FINALS. Grrr!
But there was cake and singing.
So all in all it was a good party at the Williams house!

Brynley helped out with the cake eating!

Here's to another great year.....

2010-10-28T16:19:00.002-06:00

Princess B's School Picture

Kindergarten 2010

2010-08-21T22:47:00.018-06:00

{The Oregon Rite of Passage}: rituals marking the transitional phase into a tribe or social group. An event in a person's life indicative of a transition from one stage to another

Bet you didn't know that there is an "UN-official" rite of passage when you move to Oregon

Here's my version

#1: RECYCLING!
There is no getting around this here! EVERYONE does it! Bins bins bins! Bins for Compost, Bins for Cans(soup not pop) Bins for Cans (Pop not soup) Bins for plastic, Bins for Glass (clear) Bins for Glass (Color) and then the smallest Bins of all....bins for trash (which I still haven't mastered! Whats left to actually throw away?) But I did it! I recycled! Took my BIG ol' bag of plastic bottles and cans(pop not soup) and headed to Walmart where there are machines that count your "goods" and print cash vouchers to redeem inside! It was Fab! Two full "trash" bags in and a whopping $3.85 out!

(recycling pics are from google)

#2: The COAST!
Ahhhh the "beach" you say.... Envision hot sand, warm water, beach towels and sun screen..... NOPE this is the COAST! Its amazing! But not one ounce of warm sunshine to be seen! Foggy drizzle, chilly wind, huge waves, wet sand.....We enjoyed every minute of it and craved more when we left! The "Aunts", their kids, Bryn and I went for three glorious days of R&R! We wore sweat shirts and walked in the wet cold sand, laid on the warm rocks, and saw the sights! oh and had a heavenly "crab-melt" sandwich at the Chowder Bowl in Depot Bay.
ps...Aunt Mary does the BEST rendition of Weezer's "Beverly Hills" (I know, I know, I was a bit surprised my self!)

(more Coast Pics when I figure out how to upload my camera to the macbook)

#3: CANNING!
Oh the childhood memories! I can remember each and everyone of my Aunts in the kitchen with my Mom canning and freezing berries, jams, veggies, and sauces! YUM! Tonight Aunt Barbara continued my rite of passage in becoming an Oregonian, with a warm batch of Blackberry Jam! We just had to walked down the road a few yards to pick the berries! They grow EVERYWHERE in Oregon! Even in the medians of the highways! We topped off our picking bowls in the backyard and headed in to learn.

First you rinse
Then you squash
After that you dowse it with sugar
Add a little pectin
Pour the sticky goodness into jars
Then the best part...lick the leftovers from the spoon and pan!

It was so delicious! "A Good Batch"

Three Oregon rituals down....
Stay tuned as We continue our:
{Oregon Rite of Passage}

2010-07-08T21:26:00.002-06:00

Happy 4th of July!

What a Fabulous Day!

We went to the Freedom Festival in Provo

Ate hot dogs with the Price Family and Friends

AND watched and lit Fireworks....

Yup... Perfect Day!

2010-04-25T23:26:00.009-06:00

"the boys"

Andi's twins:
Keegan in blue
Collin in green

2010-04-03T14:43:00.004-06:00

Great News...We Still Exist!

Life is busy!
Great things lay waiting for us....
in
OREGON!
Yup, We are moving to Portland.
Cory was accepted into the CRNA (Nurse Anesthetist)
Masters Program
We are planning the move for August
School starts in September!
Lots of choices to make....
Wish us Luck!

2010-01-01T00:15:00.003-07:00

HAPPY NEW YEAR

2010

2009-10-29T13:33:00.009-06:00

Family Pictures
by the AMAZING
Ambyr Porter

2009-09-06T19:00:00.004-06:00

Cory took me and Princess B on a date
Tuesday afternoon...

the Bookstore, PF CHANGS, and Shopping

It was great hanging out just the Three of us!

I think Princess B loved the desserts the most!

notice the CRAZY hair! {makes me laugh}

She had Chocolate Cake
and ate Every last crumb!

Thanks Cory for a lovely afternoon

2009-08-17T13:47:00.004-06:00

If you ask Princess B what the silvery colored line running down the middle of her chest is she smiles, shrugs and says

"Oh, dats my SPECIAL HEART"

Four years and 2 months ago We learned that our baby girl was given a

"SPECIAL HEART"

Three years and three months ago Princess B got her scar that marks her

"SPECIAL HEART"

Three weeks ago, we learned that her "SPECIAL HEART"

Is doing going GREAT!

Princess B LOVES her Cardiologist Dr Minich!

(might have something to do with the prize tokens that she gives her :)

Here she is doing her "Look Mom, NO HANDS"

for the EKG

Great News!

Dr Minich says our "SPECIAL HEART" looks good

& we are Appointment free for another year!

2009-08-12T11:40:00.005-06:00

Brittney Davis Photography is having a contest!

Princess B is Picture # 9 VOTE for Her!

2009-07-29T20:13:00.008-06:00

How would YOU define a good day?

Is it Playing outside until it's dark?
Is it playing until your feet look like this?
Is if being so adventurous that your poor ankles look like that?
Or is it Getting so dirty that mom has no choice but let you take two baths in one day!?!

WE say it's ALL of the above!

2009-07-15T14:57:00.003-06:00

“I have looked into your eyes with my eyes. I have put my heart near your heart.” Pope John XXIII

Princess B, You have the most Beautiful eyes I have ever seen!

I Love you, Baby Girl!

A Few Weeks Ago....

2009-07-14T14:54:00.007-06:00

This day started out on a good note....

Our First

"PIGGY TAILS"

And then continued to get even better...

Cory took Me and Princess B on a Date to the Aquarium in Sandy. It was tons of fun! We had the whole day together which is rare these days with our crazy work schedules!

One of Our favorites was this disgustingly Amazing Octopus!

Handi Andi...this star fish would look GREAT in your Kitchen!

There is also a section that you can pet the sting rays! They were so soft and seemed to love bushing up along all the hands in the water!

We also loved the tiny little Sea Horses!

After a fun filled Family date, what is better than a comfy seat and a yummy Slurpee!?!

2009-07-03T18:37:00.006-06:00

So You know you are in trouble when this is the conversation that you have with your FOUR year old:
B-"Mom, I need to go potty"
Me-"OK"
B-...quiet....
Me-"Wash your hands and don't forget to flush the potty"
B-"ugh...,I will MOM, quit Freaking out.." followed by a sigh and a flushing potty....

Terrible two's ??? What is that? At two she was so sweet!
Three's?? Not so bad either.... then came the Four's..... At OUR house, we call it the "Ferocious Four"

I honestly cant even think about Princess B becoming a teenager....WATCH OUT :)

2009-06-29T13:50:00.000-06:00

Pleasant Grove's

"Strawberry Days" Rodeo!

We went to the Rodeo with Gailey's and their cousin Mike, last week...

We had tons of FUN!

Saxon and Princess B wore there hats with pride,

slurped down the traditional "Strawberries & Cream"

and Princess B decided that after watching the Rodeo Royalty signing pictures for everyone that SHE wants to be a RODEO Princess and even got an autograph !

Thanks Gailey's for a Fun night!

2009-06-07T20:01:00.004-06:00

It's been forever since i have posted, so I am trying to catch up. So here is one for you... picture tag from Cait
Here it is, 6th file 6th Picture:

Kenna Bear and Princess B Snuggled in the stroller

April 20th 2006

2009-05-04T14:03:00.005-06:00

A Glimpse at Phil and Laura's Wedding...

WELCOME to the JONES Family, LAURA!

stay tuned...I'll post more soon!

2009-04-30T00:11:00.004-06:00

Its a new day for give-aways at HANDI ANDI

Check it out
Amazing Gift Baskets from Twinkle Bee

p.s.-we just read her last give-away post... who knew i was that cool !?!?!! :)

2009-04-27T14:24:00.004-06:00

Twinkle Bee Give-Away

Handi Andi,is doing a Twinkle Bee Give-away on her blog!
The give-away is for free gift baskets.

You could win free aprons, blankets, bracelets, etc.

You just have to leave a comment on Handi Andi's blog,and that enters you in the contest

Just click here and leave a comment!

Even if you don't have a blog, just give her your email address so she can contact you if you win

2009-04-22T12:50:00.009-06:00

... girls,They wanna have fu-un,

Oh, girls, just wanna have...

That's all they really want.....Some fun....
When the working day is done,Oh, girls,

They wanna have fu-un,

Oh, girls, Just wanna have fun....

Girls, They want,Wanna have fun.

They just wanna,They just wanna.....

They just wanna,

(Oh....)They just wanna..... Oh...

(Girls just wanna have fun...)

2009-04-13T11:41:00.000-06:00

HAPPY EASTER!

2009-03-25T21:33:00.011-06:00

Meet the newest member of the Family

PICKLES the FISH

It was Love at First Sight...

The only way i got B to get ready for bed, was telling her that Pickles need to go to bed too.
PICKLES kept swimming laps in the new bowl....

this is Bryn explaining to "Pickles" that when we go to bed, "We Lay down!"
Still she was not convinced that Pickles is sleeping because he "just wont lay down" but I finally convinced her to leave her watch post by bribing her with a ring pop!

WELCOME TO THE FAMILY

"PICKLES the FISH"

2009-03-23T09:35:00.013-06:00

Inspired by

One of the biggest challenges in my life is convincing the Princess B to EAT!
The girl is PICKY!
As with most things in her short little life .....she either LOVES it or HATES it!
(i cant for the life of me figure out where she gets that from :)

Some would say...don't give her a choice....she'll eat anything if she gets hungry enough....
Nope, not Princess B!

She is completely OK with just not eating!
The other day we were eating burgers, i watched b expecting her regular routine of pulling the cheeseburger apart layer by layer and picking out all the cheese to eat, when to my astonishment B took a bite of the whole burger. then another bite and another! Andi and I watched in AMAZEMENT! I jokingly said "Wow B, if you eat that whole burger I'll buy you a BARBIE....
the Princess was INSPIRED-

she shoved the burger in her mouth as fast as she could, then promptly demanded a trip to Walgreen's for a Barbie

This is the one that we chose.

Princess Aurora

Thanks for the fun laugh Princess B and enjoy your Aurora

2009-03-02T21:10:00.012-07:00

Bryn was running around the house

singing her new favorite song,

"How much is that Doggy in the Window"

She even called Andi to sing to her on the phone!

Well being a Mom....I had to grab the camera to document just how adorable that i think my daughter is.....

this is the face i got...

Apparently, she doesn't perform on demand!

After a bribe of barbie fruit snacks these are the quick clips that i got:

She got a bit distracted by her cute toes:

this is her favorite line of the song seeing how that is the ONLY one that she knows

TAKE TWO:

BRAVO! Great performance Princess B!

B would like to give a shout out to her peeps:-Miss Kenna, her singing mentor and BFFL -Nana for inspiring this beautiful little number, and MOM, for always having a camera ready for these impromptu concerts

2009-02-23T13:46:00.049-07:00

and the OSCAR goes to....

We held the Williams Family Annual Oscar Party Last night!

Good Show, Great Food and Fabulous Friends!

Walking Our RED CARPET last night:

~~The Price's~~~~~~ The Gailey's~~

~~The Jones' ~~~~~~~The Williams' ~~

the big VOTE:

the GREAT food!

the Kids enjoyed a private screening of the acclaimed film "CARS"

in the the Luxurious Theater up stairs

and the Winners??

(obviously Looking at the ballots....not Me or Cory)

The Winner was RACHEL!

She was the only one cheering with the answers as the rest of us were booing at our bad choices.

She took home the movie prize for having the skills!

Poor MAC...he was our contestant with the worst luck, but still won a movie prize to brush up on his skills for next year!

the AFTER PARTY....NOT so fun! Clean up was relatively easy until.....

the VACUUM BROKE!

(not the whole thing, just the button that turns it on)

GGRRR!!

Cory being the handy guy that he is, pulled out the tools only to realized that the only Allen wrench that was missing from our set was the one we need! Go Figure!
So we called up the Gailey's (thankfully they were still awake!) and borrowed the right sized wrench and SUCCESS! i have a working vacuum and a CLEAN floor!

thanks All for a WONDERFUL Oscar season!

We hope to see you again Next Year on our RED carpet !

2009-02-17T19:26:00.021-07:00

I'm a PLUMBER! Its official!

(OK, not really, but i did manage to do a FABULOUS job switching out my old nasty faucet for a new sleek one.)

Here's the old one, that has been there for who knows how long and has who knows who's crud and yuck attached to it! (we rent and when you think about that...Yuck! Who's dirt and grime are living in your house..... eeewwww....YUCK!!!!)

(please notice the handy plumbing tools to the right :)

The Detached faucet
those dang pipes were a bugger to get the tools around. i would tell you the actual name of the tool that i used but i have absolutely NO idea what they are really called (pliers of some sort I'm guessing maybe a wrench)

and here's the NASTINESS

other peoples crud and yuck....yeah go ahead gag a few times for me....i sure did!

so after scrubbing and sanitizing

(I think i used a whole bottle of Clorox wipes)
WAH-LAH

My Beautiful new FAUCET!

This Beautiful new Faucet came with a new drain too! BARGAIN!

(I will not go into the NASTINESS that was in the drain pipes under the sink. Yes, i was GAGING again....YUCK!)

After more sanitizing, I got to turn the water back on and

WAH-LAH

IT WORKS!

So, I'm not Officially a plumber...but who knows, maybe i have a future in it!!

2009-02-11T19:17:00.019-07:00

The 15 year old, $2,500.00 TOOTHPICK!
you are not going to believe this...
this story begins one year ago to date....oh wait... i stand corrected.... 15 years ago to date....

but lets start in the middle.....
a year ago... Cory comes home after working a 12 hour shift at the hospital and asks me to make him an appointment with a foot doctor. he says he noticed that the underside of his big toe had begun to hurt him and there was a small bump developing..... so being the good wife that i am, i promptly (a month later....oops) make an appointment with a local podiatrist. a week goes by and we go to said appointment.... the doc feels the bump.... he is sure that it is a cyst on the tendon and whips out a syringe of lidocaine/cortisone and jabs a huge needle in the underside of Cory's toe "OUCH!" then says "there! It could be tender for a few days from the injection but shortly you wont even notice that the cyst was ever there......"
WRONG!
Cory's "cyst" returns and seems to get bigger and more painful as months go by. so in a moment of "deja vu" i am asked again to make an appointment and after a month of subtle reminders i once more am a "loving" wife and make another call to the doctor.
Monday morning comes and Cory heads to the podiatrist at 830 am. i get a message on my cell at 9:00 am that simple states "hey babe, surgery on Wednesday"

WEDNESDAY: We head to the hospital. We make it through pre-op (medical histories, IV, cute disposable boxers (yes i laughed out loud when i saw them...hehehe paper underwear...hehehe), and marking his toe with a purple marker. Then in walks the Doc and the CRNA. After going over the procedure and the warning us that the cyst had a recurrence rate of 25%, the CRNA made the HUGE mistake. He asked Cory (the future CRNA) if he had any questions....Cory jumped right in...."how old are you? where did you go to school? how long have you been out of school?" Poor man didn't see it coming...after a few surprised glances at the nurse, wondering if we were questioning his capabilities, he caught on that the questioning had absolutely nothing to do with the surgery... and gladly dove into suggestions and info on the best schools to apply to. Off they went into surgery still talking, with the doors swinging behind them...

A mere 30 minutes later the doctor came and found me in the waiting room....he had a slight grin on his face and said "Well, i don't think this cyst is coming back..." then handed me this.....

He smiled and said...."It was NOT what we were expecting."

When they made the cut in to Cory's toe, what they found was a TOOTHPICK!

I Laughed!

What in the world?? how was there a toothpick in my husbands foot?? i had NO memory of any toothpick accidents. The nurse called me back to the recovery room. Cory was waiting (in the cute paper boxers and sexy hospital gown) for me....i handed over the toothpick. He looked at me puzzled..."what's this?" I explained. He burst out laughing telling me the story about 15 years before when he and a buddy were rough housing in his parents house and he had gotten a toothpick stuck in the bottom of his foot. It was wedged in there really deep. They both pulled on it a couple of times and finally dislodged it. A portion was covered in blood so they assumed it was the whole toothpick....evidently it wasn't! OUCH!

So you are wondering what happens to a toothpick after being in your toe for fifteen years??NOTHING it looks the exact same! (well with a little added blood!) His body had just formed a cyst around the toothpick in the past year due to him running and being on his feet more with work. WEIRD...I know!

and the ending of this story......

We are minus one toothpick....up one big hospital bill....got in a few Laughs... having a little bit of pain, but after a long day....

We're all Living Happily Ever After!

2009-02-06T08:00:00.005-07:00

As i work on spicing up my living space i feel the need to share ideas for easy projects that ANYone can do around the house... i had these boxes laying around from a craft project that i worked on a few years ago....

so i took the two largest ones...and spray painted them a silver-pueter color. i was thinking that i would do this little project while Cory was at work and he would be none the wiser... so i headed outside......FREEZING cold...there was NO way i was going to stand out there and paint, so i did this "painting" in the guest bathroom.....BAD IDEA! I put down paper under the boxes but, i forgot how messy spay paint is....the stuff flies EVERY WHERE! so Cory came home and wasn't too happy with the casualty of the craft project... i played it off like i knew what i was doing and told him in -Duh- voice..."fingernail polish remover takes it right off, no big deal" and snuck downstairs to get the polish remover.....i got cotton balls....held my breath, made a wish, crossed my fingers....and WAH-LAH it worked! it cleaned up like a champ and my painted box turned out great....

so then i went digging threw my box of screws, nails, and hanging stuff and found these hinges and an old knob. i took the hinges off a tri-folding picture frame that i hated as a group of three but loved separately.... attached them to the back....

then screwed the knob on the front .....

and WAH-LAH...we have a chic box to hide all the not so chic stuff on my cute new shelves....

2009-01-27T20:21:00.013-07:00

RETRO-APRONS! Once again my sister Andi amazes me.... she came up with a fabulous idea to make aprons...so we did....

Cait and Kenna modeled!

This is just a peek at the cute pictures that i stole from Cait's Blog... check out Andi's Blog (http://ryanandi.blogspot.com/) in the next couple days for the full story and more fun pics!

2009-01-23T12:47:00.019-07:00

Memory Lane...

Andi recently discovered PLAYLIST.COM and I love it! She has great taste in music and the patience to dig through all the oldies and find the great ones! I just turn on her blog and listen ALL day! I LOVE music, ALL kinds! Now you would probably guess that that would mean that I possess some kind of musical Talent.....ummm.....NO! I cant play an instrument, I do sing but unfortunately for others it's in a key all of my own :) but the important part is.... tone deaf or not....I SING....At the TOP of my LUNGS :) Thanks, Andi for a WONDERFUL trip down Memory Lane... Funny how music throws you back into your memories...hits you in the face with emotion, can bring you to tears in minutes... and can instantly change my mood!

Today her John Denver songs evoked one of my most cherished memories...Dad's Minnesota business Trips! Ten hours driving all together listening to John Denver's greatest hits over and over again....all of us Singing along! Cherished times! Yummy NERDS blizzards from DQ! The Mall of America! Hotel Swimming Pools! Lots of Laughs!
Country roads

Almost heaven, west Virginia

Blue ridge mountains, Shenandoah river

Life is old there, older than the trees

Younger than the mountains, blowing like a breeze

Country roads, take me home

To the place, I be-long

West Virginia, mountain momma

Take me home, country roads

All my memries, gather round her

Miners lady, stranger to blue water

Dark and dusty, painted on the sky

Misty taste of moonshine, teardrop in my eye

Country roads, take me home

To the place, I be-long

West Virginia, mountain momma

Take me home, country roads

I hear her voice, in the mornin hours she calls to me

The radio reminds me of my home far a-way

And drivin down the road I get a feeling

That I should have been home yesterday, yesterday

Country roads, take me home

To the place, I be-long

West Virginia, mountain momma

Take me home, country roads
And then there's DEANA CARTER...The DIXIE CHICKS....LEANN WOMACK

I love my SISTERS!
All Four of us love to sing these songs! Driving to seminary....laying on the kitchen floor....Crammed in the back of the truck....Up in the Attic banging on the wall through the loud music.... football games.....FUN!

I LOVE MY SISTERS!

2009-01-13T21:14:00.006-07:00

Once there was a snowman...

snowman....

snowman....

Once there was a snow man....

tall....

2009-01-09T22:22:00.006-07:00

Our girls night out...

Read all about it on Cait's Blog!

http://caitslovestory.blogspot.com/Thanks to the Girls for a fun night & Thanks to Cory for the amazing gift!

2009-01-08T20:14:00.008-07:00

Out with the old in with the NEW

i love getting fun new things for my house, but WOW is it expensive, so in these times of penny pinching and budget saving, i found my self at Target wondering around, hoping to be inspired with all their spring stuff they just put out. I have been looking for a new table runner for the small table by my front door... the ones i loved were a bit pricey so i decided against getting them and then ....BAM --->a GREAT idea<--- this idea came to me in the linens section....PLACE MATS! .....here's what i came up with.....

i found these two place mats that i LOVED...

Sewed them together using a binding stitch...

and WAH-LAH my new table runner!

2009-01-06T13:58:00.007-07:00

"REAL" -vs- Fake.... what the HELL was I thinking!

No fresh cut Christmas tree is worth that! You know that meticulously wound Christmas tree lights that I raved about in the last real-vs-fake post.....the DEVIL to unwind on a DEAD "real" tree! Not to mention the CLAW like pine needles that dig into your flesh and STAB your feet while walking in a bazillion circles around the dumb tree undressing it from the millions of ornaments that just weeks before we were so excited to put on the "REAL" tree!

.......and one small side note...they make you itch!

ALL through the living room......

Down the Hall...

through the Kitchen....

and out the Door!

this is as far as i got...i am hoping that the darn thing disappears in the snow!

Next year...well....it did Smell good :)

Chirstmas morning

2008-12-31T17:26:00.024-07:00

Bryn and Kenna on Christmas EVE at Andi and Ryan's...thanks for letting us crash for the evening! Such cute BFFL!(wink wink Andi...)Lets start off by saying we didn't have the typical wake up early, open presents, Christmas breakfast kind of day.... Cory worked a grave Christmas Eve. Bryn and I hung out at the Price house and then went to visit Cory late to give him a Christmas Eve present. We all got to bed LATE (early in Cory's case) so we all slept in! You might think that means until 9 or 10....Nope! we got up at 1 o'clock!!! Talk about the perfect Christmas present!

Me and Cory just after waking up...blood shot eyes, anyone??
And no we didn't neglect our child she slept right next to me and Cory woke us both up....she was still a BIT groggy coming down stairs....cute hair!

Bryn loved the Kitchen Cory got for her...his special surprise present from Dad. (which might i add he has NO RECOLLECTION of putting together...heheheh...ambien ROCKS :)

and for some videos...Bryn is her mothers child! She couldn't hardly stand not knowing what was in each present as she opened it....her quote of the morning was...."what's in there?"

2008-12-29T15:18:00.015-07:00

Bryn & Philip "borrowed" the camera...

the first thing that Phil teaches ALL his neices and nephews is to stick out their tongues...

this is Brynley's "S'up" face... its hard not to smile at that one :)

CHEESE!
WE LOVE YOU UNCLE "LIP-UP"

Real vrs Fake

2008-12-19T09:09:00.019-07:00

OUR TREE.... We got a REAL one! For the last few years Cory and I have used a fake Christmas tree....I thought it was perfect.....until this year when we got a LIVE one and have loved it! It is fuller and SMELLS GREAT!

this picture cracks me up.... literally!

Brynley decided that putting up the Christmas Tree was a Daddy-Daughter project, and that mom was only allowed to turn on the Christmas music and take pictures....she insisted that she got to be a part of every step... cutting the netting...

making sure it was perfectly straight...they did it! we have a standing tree...Brynley...the self proclaimed light holder.... Cory is very meticulous in the placement of our lights! Which i LOVE! no bald or dull spots....the trunk is lit from top to bottom and every branch! THANKS, Babe!and.....the FINISHED PRODUCT!

(thanks Cait for the HOME DEPOT tip! Not only are they the least expensive in the area but....their trees seem to be the fresher and they do your bottom cut and trim any branches for you!)

FUN times in INDIANA....

2008-12-15T14:43:00.005-07:00

More Fun Pictures of our trip to Indiana....
Bryn hung out with with Grandpa and Grandma while I finished getting ready for church...I love that we all ended up matching that day! Black and Gold were the colors of the day....
B and GRANDMA

B and GRANDPA (to get Bryn to smile Grandpa had her hold his ear...worked like a charm...fun little trick....THANKS dad!)

this picture would be my Favorite but of course....B didn't feel the need to smile in all of the picutes...

DAD & Phil.....

Yuki felt left out....

2008-12-12T17:12:00.001-07:00

We just returned home from a WONDERFUL week of visiting Grandpa and Grandma in Indiana. though,if you were to ask Bryn she would say that she was visiting MOOKIE(aka Yuki, their dog).

Our trip started out with a direct flight to Chicago's Midway Airport. For those of you flying with small children, I would suggest direct flights! It made a world of difference to be able to tell Bryn that when we got of the plane we would see grandpa rather then having to explain the chaotic reasons of switching planes.... Bryn was a first class traveler. She insisted on carrying her own wheeled bag. So handy to let her have all her stuff all to her self and not have to dig through all my stuff to find the baby doll, the babies bottle or the babies binky (all of which go EVERYWHERE with us ALL of the time!)

TURKEY DAY...gobble gobble

THE FOOD... all that needs to be said...YyUuUMm! The turkey was tastey...the sweet potatoes(made by me) were Delicious but Dad's PUMPKIN PIE was AMAZING....every ones favorite!

While Dad and Cory worked on TURKEY duty, Bryn showed Grandma just how much she loves her...by following her EVERYWHERE she went...what a cute little shadow!

Thanks Giving wouldn't be complete without TURKEY BOWL for the boys, and of course Dad bloody the opponent's ( OK just split the other guys lip) but still he plays tough! Way to go DAD! Cory and Phil went into the game strategizing to throw the game by being on opposite teams and "letting" each other make ROCKSTAR plays.... As far as i know it worked! Cory scored a great touchdown!

Then came the naps and movies... the boys were exhausted from all the eating! (the football wore them out too!) hehe

On Friday Bryn helped Grandpa get some chores around the house done....i don't know if help is the right word but she had a blast on the "tractor"

All is well that ends well....ummm i would have to disagree with this quaint little saying.....We had a wonderful time the first part of our trip...and then late Monday night the projectile vomiting began.... Bryn got so sick and to be honest and a bit too graphic...I will never look at hot dogs and ketchup the same ever again...YUCK!!!! After a long night, and dowsing Grandpa's Car with throw up, She slept on Cory the whole way home with the PUKE BAG right next to her..Poor Girl!

THANKS DAD & BECKY for a wonderful trip and holiday...I'll post the rest of the fun Picutes from the trip in the next post....

2008-11-24T22:58:00.012-07:00

Its official...Bryn's a ROCKSTAR! Our good friend Brittany, who is an amazing Photographer (check her out at lovestitchphotography.blogspot.com) took Bryn out for an afternoon of pictures. We started in a field in Lehi, UT.... Bryn sure hammed up the princess poses...could we expect anything less?
After the princess dancing was over B wanted nothing but for me to hold her...as a result we got a few close ups to cut me out and then we resorted to me hiding in the car. As soon as I was out of sight the diva returned for the remainder of the outing.... These candid shots take my breath away...I might be biased being her mom and all but still there is something to be said about simple elegance and beauty...

After the field we headed back toward the center of town and Brittany took us to some other locations...
These next shots are my FAVORITES...I saw this hat at target and liked it ok ...then I plopped it onto Bryn's head and it was LOVE at second sight! See for yourself.....

Halloween...ooops sorry its late....

2008-11-24T21:53:00.029-07:00

Halloween at work is a big deal....Everyone dresses up and there is a big contest with prizes...last year we all coordinated and went as Vampires and won a group prize. This year we scattered a bit and all went with our individual costumes, we did win but had a lot of fun with the makeup, red contacts and fun wigs.... here's a peek....

The red contacts were tons of fun but after 12 hours my eyes were killing me!

Wendy was a dead house wife....props to me on the great makeup job! Hehehe!

Andi (the brave soul) was a sexy WITCH, and brought all the kids to see me & TRICK or TREAT at the Hospital.... So Cute!

Andi the sexy Witch... Captain Jack Sparrow,
the two cutest TINKs I have ever seen, and.....
an ADORABLE SKUNK!

I Wish I could say that BRYN was sad that she was leaving me.....not the case.....she was devastated that she didn't get to hold ALL the candy...so sad....

We took a trip to Hogle Zoo.... here's a glimps of all our fun....

2008-10-17T12:43:00.058-06:00

Riding the carousel with all the animals ....

All the kids watching the elephants eat.

The wooden elephant played music and squirted water. The kids absolutely thought it was hilarious! We spent alot of time in this spot.

aaawww soooo cute! Its a rare thing when Cory and I both have the day off together.... i love em!

eeeeewwwww snakes!

We were all CRAZY by the end of the day!

chicken fried

2008-10-03T08:49:00.031-06:00

I have fallen in love with this band.... when i googled them for the first time i was sure that what pulled up was completely wrong ...this was not my mental picture of this band but after seeing them...i loved them more! it is the true sound of country so if you aren't a fan of twang...skip this post. for those who crave music that makes there insides smile....here you go...

http://www.fileden.com/files/2007/4/2/950725/01-zac_brown_band-chicken_fried_(single_edit).mp3

fun little tip...

2008-09-08T22:39:00.004-06:00

i have been looking ...no.... scowering the stores looking for a perfect contraption to organize my fabric in my office/craft room.... great news...i found one... i didn't find this treasure where i thought i would. this ingenious idea came to me in the shoe department... i know ...i know ....great huh!!??!!

so true...

2008-05-13T21:51:00.003-06:00

andi and i saw this sign while we were in indiana last week, stopped for a moment to read it, and have been laughing ever since...

2008-03-08T17:28:00.012-07:00

we are our own worst critics, so when i first saw this picture of myself it wasn't my favorite by far, but the more i looked, the more i saw. i have found that it is rare to capture true candid emotion. in this picture i feel as if this has been done. what you cant see in the picture is my two year old little girl in front of me. she has a way of bringing out my true smile. amazing how some one so small, can be such a huge influence in your life.

two of my favorite people....

2008-03-01T13:51:00.002-07:00

i took this on my phone camera so it's a bit blurry, but it still makes it into my all time favorites group....

Blood, Sweat,Tears, and the "Skinny Jeans"

2008-02-18T21:55:00.000-07:00

i know you are looking at the title to this entry and wondering how in the world it fits with quilts, blankets, or for that matter any crafts at all...let me explain!

first the tears, i know that all you ladies out there will understand when i talk about my "skinny jeans".... for those of you who don't know about these dirty little secrets, "skinny jeans" are the un-used denim that hang in our closets taking up valuable space but remain no matter how crowded or how much space is needed in our closet. they are the dream of many pounds ago and we keep them because we know that one day...yes....one day they will fit again. As you can see by the size of the blanket, I had a vast collection of these jeans ranging from need to lose 5 pounds to i need to lose 20! This was a big, no, huge step, removing them from their place of shame and putting them to good use. In some strange way it was very gratifying cutting them up!

which brings us to the sweat.....
i don’t know how many of you have cut denim but i am here to tell you it is no easy task. who knew that slicing and cutting and sewing would be such a good workout. i would recommend this to anyone in need of arm toning!

if you look closely at this blanket you will notice all the embroidered shapes, edging, and simple pictures. i love the outcome of this idea but jabbing needles through the thick, sometimes double layered denim....ouch, my poor fingers were pin cushions and that is where the blood came in.....blood.... let me explain a strange phenomenon to you. i draw blood for a living, but strangely at the smallest amount of my own blood, free flowing, and not in a neat and tidy little collection tube, i get flush and a bit sick to my stomach. i'm not sure why this happens. i know.....strange!

which brings us to the completion of this project......

as i sewed the last seam of this blanket the blood, sweat, and tears seemed like a small price to pay for a darling blanket to put on B's bed. but the skinny jeans....i'm still letting go slowly!

p.s. have a vacuum cleaner available during this process! i learned that denim is VERY messy when you cut it up!

2008-01-29T02:01:00.000-07:00

i know that at first glance this picture doesn't look like a jump up and down look like a crazy person moment, but to this mom it is! now look close...do you see it..... yes ..... i know...... the moms out there are saying " ah...yes i see....". the dads are scratching their heads in confusion.... so you ask... " what is the wonder and excitement about?" look to the top of the picture.....yes! you see it..... HAIR! we have been waiting two and a half years, and look there it is!

HAIR HAIR HAIR! .....sigh....... proud moment!

Here's a peek at my lastest project...

2008-01-27T15:13:00.000-07:00

Not that you can tell yet but this beauty of a denim square is slowly turning into a blanket! The end goal was a twin size comforter for my daughter's bed, but as with all my "fun ideas" it has turned into multiple blankets that should be making their debut appearance in days to come... Enjoy!

Dabble Dabble

2008-01-16T12:21:00.000-07:00

I dabble a bit in photography, one of my loves in life.

Bryn also known as "Bernie"