OH MY GOSH!!!!!

OH MY GOSH! I'M TRYING NOT TO FALL OVER HERE!
Ya'll 'member this card I showed you a few days ago?

This is the insert that pulls out.....

Well......I got the COOLEST news today....my friend, Brenda (shower honoree) has a younger sister who is dating Shelli Gardeners nephew. (He packages all of the embossing powders) So she tells me today that she showed THIS VERY CARD to THE GARDNER CLAN! I am telling you that *MY CARD* was handled by *THE FAMOUS SHELLI*! Co-Founder & CEO of "Stampin Up-Shelli! She told me today that they loved it! I was so honored and UBER EXCITED! (As if you can't tell, right?! hee hee) What an honor! I feel so close to royalty!! LOL

EDITED TO ADD: In my uber gooberness & excitement, I totally misunderstood....the card was NOT handled by Miss Shelli, in REAL LIFE.....but in my dreams & imagination, I'll continue to think so, and that while I'm told that the others that handled it were indeed, impressed, it's totally fine with me if the rest of you continue to imagine RAVE reviews from Miss Shelli as well. *wink wink* I do apologize for the misunderstanding and honest mistake! *Hugs & Kisses to all of my fans---both real and imagined! hee hee

Tech the Halls.....

Tech the Halls with tunes of mp3-ers!

We had some happy, happy kids this year! Carson got his first mp3 player, the Sansa Shaker mp3 player, he dances around with a big ol' grin on his face shakin' that little blue tune machine. (I need to upload a video of that....the boy's got MOOOVES! I'm so incredibly serious!)

Darren & Karlee got matching mp3 systems! They will be listening to their tunes on ZUNES! Darren's is black and Karlee's is white (with a lime green cover of course!)

They've been spending a lot of time downloading music and videos and comparing who has what, it's been pretty fun.

Don't ya just love this picture? I love how cute they are together. My friend Valerie Chandler wrote this post about this awhile back and I found myself completely agreeing with her. What moves me the most is watching these tender moments with the kids.

And come February, I will be singing "Sail Away with Me" or the theme from "The Love Boat" when Darren & I take This Cruise! It's more than a 3 hour tour & I'm so excited, but I swear if I hear the name "Gilligan", "MaryAnne", "Skipper" or "Ginger", I'm gonna freak! I'm fine with the Professor though and I wouldn't mind a donation from the Howells!

We are going with Darren's brother Gary & his wife Laurie and their daughter, Danielle & her husband Tyrell. I can't wait! I'm toying with the idea of renaming Darren that week & calling him "Thurston"....think he'd call me "Lovey"?! hee hee

So that's the highlights of our gifts this year. We all received many nice gifts and were feeling so fortunate. Of course it goes without saying that the gift that we are most grateful for was the gift that was given 2000 years ago in a humble stable. This year we watched this video of the Nativity after Darren read the story of Jesus' birth from the Bible. It was my favorite part of the night.

I hope you had a wonderful Christmas as well! Now my focus is on Carson's baptism next week! Woohoo! We're so excited!

Nicknames

Today I got an email from my friend Janeal AKA "Chicee Bum". Over the course of the last few days I've had the opportunity to use several nicknames for my friends and have them call me a few terms of endearment. (They are endearing, right guys?! Guys? Guys? Right? You still love me, right? Oh good!)

So it's got me thinking about how these names came to be. Most of my life there has been someone that has called me MEL. I don't mind it most of the time. In fact, I think Darren calls me Mel more than Melanie. Its familiar, it's cool, it's ok. But I confess, there are some people I do NOT like to call me Mel. There is a woman at church that tries to call me that, I correct her everytime. She's a big ol' bully woman, it's the only way I can correct her on something without declaring WWIII! I know, I'm such a pacifist! The Queen of Mean hasn't earned the right to call me that! *grins*

My friend Lindy calls me MeeWee! She's the only one that is allowed to call me that! Truth is, it makes me laugh to think of this TOUGH ol' Tattooed, Harley ridin' biker woman calling me such a "soft" name. She's sworn me to secrecy so I can't tell you that even though she's tough on the outside, she's really a marshmellow on the inside.

Left to right in the back: Me (as Tink minus wings and wig), LesaLesa & the Cult Jam Force (Lesa), PollyWog (Polly), Amers (Amy), Jeanie Weanie (Jean) and Front: Lindy Lou Who (Lindy). We had all just received Temporary Tattoos close to our hearts to match Lindy's Butterfly Tattoo.

Several of my friends call me TINK. This all started about 6 years ago when I dressed up like Tinkerbell for Girls camp. It was so fun having an alter-ego that Tink became a frequent & favorite visitor at "wake-overs" and other parties. I haven't seen her for a few years....maybe I'll have to invite her over sometime.

My friend, Xina calls me MayNayNee! My old friends Renae and Debbie called me Melvis, My sister, Natalie calls me Melanwee and some kids I used to babysit called me "Mentally" or "Mental". They were probably the most accurate in their nickname descriptions! (Babysitting 6-8 kids under the age of 8 would tend to make someone mental wouldn't you agree?! LOL)
Left to Right: Me, Lesa, Vicki (in the back), Xina, Michelle (Who is Vicki's sister)......Don't you LOVE Xina's T-Shirt?

The truth is, I've always liked my name, Melanie, but I'm so glad that I'm surrounded by people that love me, that feel comfortable enough to give me an extra comfortable tag of love. I'm sure I've got other nicknames...heck, my kids have probably called *ME* "The Queen of Mean"....and I am, like after I've told them to stop fighting 48 times or to clean their rooms 96 times or even when I'm just feeling like I want to try out for the "Miss Crabby Pants" role at church when it becomes available again! *evil cackles*

So what's your nickname? How'd ya get it? How do you like it? And to Janeal, would you still turn around as fast as you did in 9th grade when I hollered "Hey Chicee Bum" to get your attention? hee hee

Have a GREAT Day!

~Melanie

Happy Anniversary Darren!

Sunday was our 19th Wedding Anniversary! I have now been married as long as I wasn't. That's a cool and weird feeling. In so many ways I really do feel as though I've grown from infancy in my marriage. I'm so blessed to have such a wonderful husband who has been patient with me (like right now when I should be packing and getting ready to go & I'm still in my jammies needing a shower!), a husband who has encouraged me to become "ME". I had no idea when I met Darren that there was an budding artist within me. I had no idea that paper, ink, adhesive and all things scrapbooking & rubberstamping would play such a role in expressing my love for others.

And who knew that we would have these 2 beautiful children come into our lives the way that they did and completely take over our hearts they way that they have? Sunday I wasn't feeling very well. I stayed home from church while Darren & the kids went. I stayed in my jammies all day and just kind of lounged around. Darren had a church meeting to attend. While he was gone, the kids got this romantic notion in their heads that they wanted to surprise us with a romantic dinner. They worked together for over an hour putting together this "GOURMET MEAL".

Dinner was served by candlelight the moment that Darren arrived home. We were seated at an intimate setting (card table covered by layered tableclothes, set with my china, goblets (complete with plastic straws), beautifully folded paper-towel napkins, and a large candle. The atmosphere was further set with Josh Groban singing in the background, Carson rushing in to beg us for another bisquit, "prompting" us to dance or kiss under his improvised misletoe--pinecone garland piece) and Karlee LOUDLY whispering "Carson, leave them alone, let them have romance!"


The dinner menu consisted of:
Beverages: Our individual Favorite Sodas served in Goblets with Plastic Straws
Fruit Bowl Appetizer (1 small can of fruit cocktail enhanced with 1 large can of pineapple with 1 green apple sliced in for color & variety.)

Rice with Gravy and Bisquits (Similar to Hawaiian Haystacks)

White Cake & Peppermint Ice Cream for Dessert. The cake was inscribed with:
"Happy 19th Wedding Anniversary Mom & Dad"

Afterwards there was dancing, Misletoe Kissing (CARSON!) & Photos.

(When looking at this photo, please consider the fact that I had been in my jammies all day & was only dressed up because Carson had INSISTED "MOM! Go get a dress on...NOW! Ya gotta look nice for dad!)

It was so sweet that I didn't even mind doing the dishes afterwards! I'm just so proud of our 2 thoughtful kids. I couldn't help but think about how romantic they are going to be with their spouses someday.

Lost but now I'm found!

So has anyone missed me?! hee hee Things got so crazy around here....in case you've wondered, I've been consumed by all things stamping related.

Here are a few of the projects I've been working on:
I made 60 of these baby shower invitations for a shower I'm helping host.

This one card took me 16 hours to make! Only wish it had been appreciated for 16 seconds! *sigh* What can ya do?

Only wish the photo could show the layers of sparkle, embossing and uber Gorgeousness!

So far I've done approximately 25 of these in the last 2 days! They hold a little tube of chapstick and are SO MUCH CUTE! *grins*


These are so easy! Wish I'd ordered more lotion and done a ton more of these!



These are darling but sure were a lot more work than I thought they'd be! Maybe it's just that I was starting to burn out & had a ton more to do! Here's a side view.


And I still have Christmas Cards to make, Baptism Announcements to make and send out! But today.....well, today I'm running off with a really hot guy to celebrate our anniversary! (It was 19 years on Sunday!) I'll post about that in a minute!

So, I hope you forgive me for not updating my blog! If you don't hear from me, it's entirely possible I've fallen asleep on an inkpad somewhere!

~Melanie

Prayers for my Mom

Today I received one of those calls you hope you never receive. "Hi, is this a good time? I need to give you an update on something going on with me." OK, when my mom says that it really means, "I need you pay attention to this, it's really important and I don't want you distracted." Over the last few months my mom has experienced some real serious health issues that started out relatively mild. It's went from a run of the mill check up, to thyroid issues to a trip to the ER today with some major heart issues. She thought she was having a heart attack. Thankfully she was not. But I guess it's true, her heart is working over-time! Right now it appears that both chambers of her heart are trying to pump at the same time resulting in 2 heartbeats at once. She is wearing a monitor and been given STRICT instructions to rest.

Now, if you know my mom at all, you know that it's possible that the only way this is going to happen is if you strap her down and administer some MAJOR tranquilizers. My mom has NEVER been able to sit still AT ALL. She can't, she just doesn't know how to do it. She's going to have to have people help HER for once, this is a completely foreign concept to her. My dad's going to have to do things around the house & help her in ways that are new to him and she's going to have to let him and that's going to be hard for her.

And to top it all off, this is the week of Thanksgiving. A week that would normally have her cleaning "Mary Style"---vacuuming the tops of draperies in rarely used bathrooms, wiping down shelves before replacing newly washed towels & linens, washing & painting baseboards, shampooing carpets, dejunking drawers & cabinets, yard work etc. All of this (and MUCH MUCH MORE) in preparation for cooking dinner for upwards of 40+ people (its been as high as nearly 70 people). The highlight of the entire meal is always "Mary's Rolls". She makes THE BEST hot rolls EVER! So when the Dr. told her today that she was NOT to do any of the cooking, it must've been quite a blow. Luckily my new BIL, Brandon, volunteered to take over. He's a former restaurant manager and will do fine. Wonder if he'll attempt the rolls?! LOL
(Pictured: my sister, Annie, Brandon and their daughter, Isabel)


EDITED: I am editing this because of the private & delicate nature of this original post. I do ask that you respect that. My mom is well now & I'm so grateful for your thoughts and prayers.
~Melanie

NASCAR--It's FAN-tastic!

Confession time....
My name is Melanie and I'm a NASCAR fan! It's true, I like it, I like it a lot! When Darren & I got married nearly 19 years ago, I also gained a speedy stepchild....I knew that part of my role as a dutiful wife, I would be expected to update my working husband with running positions, pit-stop times, wrecks, bang-ups and other details such as who took on 2 tires vs 4 tires, gas n' go's and drafting partners. Lost yet? If not, you must be a fan too.

I will never forget my very first NASCAR race. It was the year that Richard Petty was on his farewell tour. We drove from Logan, Utah to Phoenix, Arizona with our friend, Tarlton. We spent our first night in Las Vegas after driving through a blinding snowstorm in Cedar City. The morning we got up and drove to Phoenix. Having no idea when we booked the hotel, we inadvertantly ended up in a scary part of town. Tarlton & his silver barrelled side-kick were there to protect though! The morning of the race, we were SO EXCITED! None of us had ever been to a "real live" race before. When we got to the track I was amazed at the sheer size of it all. It was HUGE! The warm Arizona sun felt so nice in October. We put our feet up and basked in the sun....until.....ROAR!!! As soon as the announcer commanded "Gentlemen, Start Your Engines"....something magical happened inside of me. This gruntal adrenaline was released deep within me. I had never experienced something like it before, and I liked it. I liked it a lot! Everytime those cars raced by us down in turn 4 the wind off of those cars widened the grin on my face. I had found my sport! I was HOOKED!


The next 4 years found us at the track and we loved every minute of it. It was something that most of our friends didn't understand and we were ok with it. It was "OUR THING". But then, as sometimes happens, things changed when we had a baby. We moved soon after Karlee was born and we couldn't afford the long distance travel. About 8 years later we were given the opportunity to go to the race in Las Vegas. We were thrilled! We went with Darren's brother, Mark and his wife Debbie! Now this was cool....we were back to Racin' and spending time with family! We were back on track.

After a few years of kinks it became an issue with farmin' out the kids and still having our time. One year we got a call: "You'd better come home, Carson's got the chicken pox". One year it was "Hey Mel, maybe I'll just go with the guys" and one year the CHF symptoms made me rethink all of the walking and I decided it was maybe time for Darren just to go with the guys. It was such a mixed up emotional decision. Last March I decided to regain control of "Our Thing". It was the only thing that Darren & I did that nobody else really understood. The previous year we had met some great friends there and while I hung out with the wife, the guys did their thing. I LOVED spending time with my sweet friend, but I also just really wanted to be with my hubby. I missed it. I realized that I wanted my cake and I wanted to eat it too. I beat myself up for months trying to decide what to do. I wanted to spend time with my friend but longed to be side by side with my husband at the track. Darren let me make the decision. So when I found myself next to him in Vegas this year it felt RIGHT!


So now here we are in October. The NASCAR race is in Phoenix this weekend. We are leaving in the morning for Phoenix. But I'm not going to the race. Darren decided this was an opportunity for him to go with some friends. I'm trying to be ok with it. I am looking forward to spending some great scrapbooking/stamping time with my sweet friend. But that ol' green monster is roaring to life and I keep remembering how it felt to walk up to the fence and be within feet of Richard "The King" Petty or how it felt to shake the strong and weathered hand of "Handsome Harry" Gant or brush by Darrell "D.W." Waltrip and feel that rush of excitement. I'm hoping Darren has a great time with his friends, and I know that I will have a BLAST with my friend. I just hope the time will come when we can also return to PIR (Phoenix International Raceway) together, just the two of us.

Trick FORE Treat

WARNING GRAPHIC PHOTOS BELOW! (BLOODY TYPE GRAPHIC)
Happy Halloween!

We have had so much fun this past week! Our friends, the Talbots, invited us to a party and we went. It was so much fun playing games, tasting yummy treats and hanging out with adult friends!

Darren is NOT a costume guy. Convincing him to wear a costume was like trying to convince him to pull his own eye teeth. After costume shopping for 4 hours and having NO LUCK, out of desperation I huffed "Fine, go as a guy that got smacked in the head with a golf ball!" Much to my surprise, he liked the idea! I was genuinly shocked! Why? Well, because I thought it might cause some flashbacks!

Three years ago, he was hit in the head with a golfball. The golfer was teeing off 25 FEET away from where Darren was. It hit him smack dab in the middle of the forehead! The injuries were significant: Fractured skull, hundreds of stitches, and the headache from hades that lasted a few weeks. To look at him today you really wouldn't have any idea. Although there is a SLIGHT dent in the skin, and a SLIGHT scar, there is little evidence of the massive wound that once was there.

I am going to post the pictures, but I will warn you again, the real one is extremely graphic.







Here is the "Real One" taken a week after the accident. Most of the bruising and swelling had gone down.




Today it's one of those "It happened to me" stories. There is a sense of humor associated with it, and we joke often. But there is also a great sense of gratitude as well. It could've been so much worse, but it wasn't. There are no lasting effects other than the ones listed above....oh, and if you look closely, you will see "Titlist" written backwards on his head. No, not really, but that's what he tells people and it's funny to see who believes it.

Anyway, here's my "Injured Golfer" and me as a scrub nurse. Darren still golfs and loves it. I decided I could live in fear and have him sit home in resentment, or I could encourage him to pursue a hobby that he really enjoys while he does the same with me. Life's meant to be enjoyed so that's what we do!

Just Making Things Clear

I have had a few emails and such asking me how I am connected to this team, the short answer is simply this: neigbhor, Young Women Leader at Church (4 of them), community member, friend of family, fellow soccer mom, BIG FAN! I'm sorry I didn't make that clearer.

This is one of "my" girls. She's so much fun to watch....her kicks are amazing....with the goals set up in the endzone of the football field, her kicks zoon past the 50 yard line EASY....EVERY TIME! And on a day with a slight tailwind....she can kick it the length of the field....goal to goal! I told her she better get herself some pads and a jersey in case our football team needs a kicker for this weekends state playoff game! She's AWESOME!

This feisty lookin' little bug is another one of my girls! This picture totally cracks me up because she looks so mean! She's absolutely NOT! She's very tiny (5'2ish?), but she is SOOOOOOO....fast and such an athlete. I always laugh that she runs with her hands clenched like this. I once saw her take a HARD hit to the chest and she didn't even show any reaction that resembled pain. She's just a delightful gal, very smart, very friendly. She's also the captain of the drillteam! Funny huh?

Every single one of these girls is just AMAZING, I just luv 'em all!
I'm sorry for the mix up! Hope that clears things up for ya!

Hey Mom, where's my clean clothes?

What a week, I feel like I've been racing all week......and you know it's been a CRAZY week when the laundry that still needs to be folded doesn't contain any clean clothes for the kids to wear to school tomorrow! UGH! I suggested to the kids a few options to consider:

Go in the same clothes they wore today. (Met with looks of horror!)

Go in their underwear....there are clean ones available. (INCREASED looks of horror, followed by gasps, groans and other disgusted sounds)

Go in their bathing suits (This one was met with 100% jubliation from Carson as long as he got to wear flip flops too!)

Wear last years fashions, "everyone's forgotten about them, it'll be seem like a whole new wardrobe to your friends!" (BIG thumbs down from my fashion guru, Karlee)

Other options did include acts of diving, tunneling and frantic digging/throwing/casting aside that may be described as "desperate sorting". I think they both came up with "SOMETHING". I guess they'll survive another day....no one will die of embarrassment tomorrow afterall!

Dang, I was hoping for some more "creative thinking choices"......I really wanted to see what they'd do if they really were out of options! (Not that I'd honestly encourage the underwear scenario!)

So Close and Yet So Far...

The last few months I have been witness to something absolutely MAGNIFICENT, perfection in the making. This group of girls is absolutely amazing. A few years ago they decided they wanted to have a High School Girls Soccer Team. There wasn't one in place so they started one from scratch. Last year they made it to the semi-final game in the state play-offs. This year was the first year I have watched them. I was hooked from the first game, taken in by their smoothness, the "ebb and flow" of a perfectly oiled machine. There was something missing from this team that seems to always penetrate into HS sports....competition fueled envy and negativity. There was none of it! They were so positive with each other, a phenomenon I find hard to describe. They would play their games relaxed, smiling, happy and yet determined with "heads in the game". They refused to badmouth other teams, choosing instead to focus on the job at hand, 1 game at a time. The end result was outstanding: They outscored their opponents with a whopping 165-9!!!!


This year hasn't been without hardship. Partway into the season, the father of one of the seniors was diagnosed with terminal cancer. The have loved and supported her and her parents. In talking to the mom last night she conveyed her gratitude for something wonderful to focus on and cheer for. Also, during last weeks semi-finals playoff game, the lead scorer (in the STATE!) was injured after getting hit in the face with a ball. She had a hole in her retina and we weren't sure if she'd play.

Fridays Semi-final game was AWESOME! Final score: 4-0! We were headed to the state playoff game!!!! Hopes were high and hearts were set! We just knew this would happen! Our injured player played for just 8 minutes, she was extremely dizzy and had limited focus, but she was able to score a goal for us!


Saturday was a stark contrast to the day prior, instead of sun and blue skies, we were faced with fresh snow, pouring rain and freezing winds. Both teams were evenly matched. At the end of regulation play the score displayed 0-0. Two "Sudden death" rounds resulted in only more frayed nerves and higher blood pressures! We were headed for kick-off's. Each team was given 5 shots, the one with the higher score at the end would be declared the winner. At the end of round 1 the score was tied again 2-2. What came next was confusion and devastation: our girls missed their kick, RH made theirs...score 2-3. Most people thought we were repeating the "5 kicks for each team", but that was not the case. RH had won! Our girls were so devastated and yet, through it all, held their heads up and acted with grace and class. We were so proud of them.


So here's to the MHS Girls Soccer Team! You may not hold the championship trophy, but you have earned every right to hold your heads up high. You have shown the state that you have earned the right to play in "the big leagues". You played your game, you are the winners in all that matters. A trophy sits on shelves, waiting to be dusted off and polished. But the victors crown you wear, only few have earned. It's worn by those who earn the badge of courage, the ribbon of respect, the merits of leadership, teamwork and sportsmanship and the crown of kindness. You girls will take with you, all of these victors spoils as you go forward in your lives. You have more than an earthly statue of pride, you have so much more. You are the Eagles, the mighty mighty Eagles! Soar High!

Hope Springs Eternal....Even in Autumn!!!

This might seem like a funny card to post in late October when winter is on it's way IN and not on its way OUT. But there is something you should know about me....I'm an optimist by nature. I get down, and things go wrong sometimes, but inside I just *KNOW* that it is just a season. I always have to giggle when things get tough because I always remember a quote I read somewhere once upon a time. I couldn't even tell you who said it, but here it is: "Remember that the Lord said, "It came to PASS, He didn't say that it came to STAY."

So today, on this cold and "dreary" day, I find myself excited for the chill in the air, the changing leaves on my apricot tree and the fresh snow in the mountains because it reminds me of this princible. Today was "Soup Day", there will be several of those in the coming months, but I know the time WILL come when it's "Chicken Croissants and FRUIT" day!

Ya Gotta Have HOPE! One day those boots will be covered in mud and snow, but the next day, they may spring up some blossoms!

~Melanie

Card Recipe:
Stamps:Soft Swirls, Flower Filled
CS: Bazzill
Other: Mini brads, Dimensionals, Silver Cording (SU-retired)

Dancing---it's for the Birds!

You've got to check this out! Your kids will LOVE it too!

May I Have This Dance?

Brothers and Sisters

They scream, they fight, they tattle, they rush to be the first one to do this, the last one to do that, to get the biggest bowl of cookie dough ice cream, the smallest portion of the chore list, the longest hug, the shortest lecture and best of everything. Bottom line, they are 2 happy, healthy, normal kids!

At the end of the day, despite everything, they love each other in a way that only they can understand. She turns to him for a sense of security and protection, He turns to her for a sense of fun and adventure. They teach each other things that a parent could go blue in the face trying to get through to them. There are days when I want to pull my hair out and scream loud enough that they could hear me if they were half way around the world "STOP FIGHTING, SETTLE DOWN, BE QUIET!!!" (I know, the irony isn't lost on me) but then they do....at the end of the day, they are still clinging on to those last few moments together. As a mother, I can't even begin to describe the emotions that this invokes in me. I know that someday I will be gone, their father will be gone and they will only have each other. Only THEY will understand what it's like to grow up in this family, only they will be able to support each as brother and sister & if we're lucky,friends.

Tonight I went in to tuck them in, say my final goodnight and noticed that Carson was not in his bed. I looked in to see if they were hiding out, up to a few final moments of night-time mischief, instead I found them all hunkered down in Karlee's room. I couldn't help take a walk down memory lane, reminiscing of all the other times I have found them asleep together, from cribs and toddler beds, floors, couches and even closets and sleeping bags. I wonder what their last words were to each other were as they drifted off to sleep. They'll hate this picture for now, but someday, I know they'll secretly hope that their own kids will want to happily spend every last moment together.

This is one of my favorite videos. It's one of those songs that really puts things in perspective. But be warned it's a *TEAR JERKER*

Contact Sport?!

In case you've ever wondered whether or not Soccer is a contact sport....Here's Proof!



Mountain Crest's #6 Amy Petersen (right) gets a face full of ball while keeping it away from Orem's #8 Maggie Plothow as Orem and Mountain Crest girls battle in the first round of the girls 4A soccer playoffs at Orem. Orem won 4-1.Photo by Scott G. Winterton / Deseret Morning News.

Who Do They Look Like?

This is so funny and so interesting to me on so many levels! If you want to do your own "Look Alike Contest" click here.





So try it out, let me know who your kids look like!

ADDICTED!

Have you guys had these?! Oh, they are so tasty! I love the colorful little seeds, the cool see-thru tube with the flip-top lid and best of all...the sweet and salty taste!

They're DEEEEE-LICIOUS! Try some!

Three Amigos

Ya gotta love boys! They have such a fun energy! So easily entertained, no squabbles over silly things, "The More the Merrier" attitude, Big grins, goofy-silly ideas, and just absolutely delighted over the simplest of things like rocks, sticks and leaves of all things!

These boys are good buddies! They've seen each other through a lot of hardships in the last year. You may think that 7 year olds couldn't have much trauma in their short lives, but these boys have. Turner's daddy passed away last year on the first day of school while fighting wildfires, and one of their other best buddies, Parker, died after going into a diabetic coma. That's a lot for LITTLE boys. But through it all, they remain grounded and "OK". They still like building forts, climbing trees, playing in the water....and even better than that....MUD! They jump, they run, they squeal like girls just for fun! And my favorite is when they sit under the tree and call "dibs" on the cute girls in their 2nd grade classes. They are good buddies! I hope they stay that way. And I hope the rest of their lives are filled with pure joy & good friends.


(Yes, that's Carson doing the Chinese Splits! This is the reason he's in gymnastics! Last winter he came home and demonstrated this new trick to me and added..."I can do it REALLY good on the ice in my socks!" *CRINGE*)

These three were having such a fun time posing for me. Turner says to Carson & Blake: "Let's act like Carson's mom tied us up because we were too crazy!" I told him thanks for the great idea to which he quickly reminded me that if I tried to tie one of them up, I'd be fighting off the other two! What fun and crazy-fun boys!

Be Loyal to the Royal Within You

I serve in the Young Women's Presidency in my ward. One of the many perks of my church calling is that I get to make all of the birthday cards for the girls and other leaders as well as all of the invitations. This invitation is for our upcoming "Evening of Excellence". I wanted it to have a "Royal" feel to it to drive home the theme. I was really thrilled with how this one turned out.

*Note: After I took this picture, I sponged some Elegant Eggplant around the edges of the insert. It looks even better now! Only 29 more to make! WOOHOO!!!!


Recipe:
Stamps: Baroque Motifs, A Little Love (SU)
Ink: Elegant Eggplant, Whisper White Craft (SU) Black Staz-On, Silver (Color Box)
Cardstock: Lilac (Roberts), Elegant Eggplant (SU), White (Source Unknown) Green (Bazzill)
Ribbon: White Organdy (SU)
Punches: Round Tab (SU), Circle Scallop (SU)
Other: Dazzling Diamonds Embossing Powder (SU), Silver Stickles, Lilac Jewel (Doodlebug)
Inspiration: Julie Buhlers "Revamped Criss Cross Card"