Carving Pumpkins

this picture almost didn't exist. did halloween sneak up on anyone else , like it has on me? i woke up this morning and realized, crap, tomorrow is halloween. thank goodness for sissy, she called and said, "can we carve pumpkins tonight?" ummm, hello...forgot about carving pumpkins. what kind of mother am i??? thanks sissy for saving me!!! so here's the masterpieces. sissy designed her own pumpkin, bub went political on us and carved "yes on 8" and the princess (really "bob") carved monsters from a pattern. hope tomorrow is fabulous!

Happy Birthday

mackenzie!!! way to go on the halloween contest! happy birthday to you!!! i can't believe you are 13. you are a beautiful young lady with so much potential. i admire your love for reading. keep striving for great things and don't ever settle for average. you have a kind heart and a quiet spirit and the Lord loves you. stay true to yourself and continue to be the leader that you are. we love you, kenz. love auntie julie

Making a New Friend

can be difficult when she doesn't speak english. the little princess came home today and had quite a dilema. she met a girl "with shiny pretty brown hair" and was "really sweet" but she talked like "daddy does to his buddy's". i, being quite the quick one, realized the girl spoke spanish and the little princess doesn't know a lick of spanish. quite a situation i tell you. the little princess was VERY concerned about how she could find out her name and ask her to be her friend. it was really very sweet. we spent the ENTIRE evening practicing how to say "what's your name...my name is..." in spanish. i also taught her hola and amiga. she practiced and practiced and practiced and...well, you get the point. i love that it meant that much to her and i love that her heart is so big. you can't have too many friends.

A Weekend of Firsts

this desert trip was full of firsts. i'm not usually one for long posts, but this, too, will be a first. so much to share...so little...well, you get the point. anyways, friday was bubs 13th birthday and as you can guess, we went to the desert for his birthday. it was our first trip with the riddles. we had a great time. i really like them (and their kids) a lot!!!

speaking of great times, bub wasn't having one...his birthday had it's own firsts. believe it or not, he not only celebrated his 13th birthday, he also celebrated his first real wipe out on a quad. yikes, having a quad role over and over on top of you, doesn't exactly make for a good time. we were all happy to see him up and movin'. i think he should stick to the dirt bike.

poor bub! but on a happier note, it was the baby's first desert trip and can i just say, i love him. he's so stinkin' cute and happy. almost always happy and always, always moving.

and if he wasn't quite so happy, we found that a little ride in the bumpety bump thrilled him and then put him to sleep. btw, it was a first for the bumpety bump too, for the first time, bob the builder didn't spend the weekend being bob the frustrated mechanic. (he was bob the happy mechanic). the baby LOVED the bumpety bump.

and what post would be complete without the little princess? she had a first too. not quite sure where the dare devil in her has been hiding, but she sure surprised us (well, she surprised me...bob said he wasn't surprised, she's "his daughter"). she's been on a quad once before, but this was definetly the first time she's really rode a quad on her own. she thought it was pretty cool to "stand up" and ride. it was the cutest thing to watch her and aaron ride. they were fantastic (those poor little thumbs!!!)

what could be better? wholesome family trips, shared with good friends. here are a few photos that tell stories we will always remember. thanks for reading...here's to firsts.

A Yummy Halloween Treat

i found this last year in the country living magazine and made the mix. i fogot all about it until the queen requested it. i thought you might be interested in making some delicious trail mix for your little goblins. here's the ingredients for this yummy treat. Mix together: peanuts, m &m's and candy corn. yum. happy halloween.

Beware...

it's another fabulous find!!! i love this gal's blog! she has the most fabulous ideas and finds. please check it out. she is selling a kit to make this "beware" banner and let me tell you, it's a great deal. click here to go to her link. i LOVE it!

Have I told you that...

i LOVE halloween? i made these pillowcases out of some vintage reproduction quilt fabric that i bought from here. bub and the little princess loved the minkie. even the queen wanted one after she saw the finished product. i'm tellin' ya, they're a hit! here's a link to a tutorial i found. enjoy!

What do you see?

do you see the fish?

Sorry...

i wasn't able to get the halloween mystery quilt finished. it's been a crazy unpreditable week. please check back this time next week. :(

15 Years and Counting

wow...we've been married for 15 years. I remember being fifteen and "knowing" that I would one day marry my wonderful bob the builder. (looking back, he has always been bob the builder) of course, don't most teenagers think they are going to marry there first love? who would've thought that 21 years later, i'd be so lucky. yes, 15 years and 4 children later, i am the lucky one. i am thankful for the blessing of a happy marriage and a happy family. i am thankful for a husband who is dedicated and supportive, who holds true to the promises he has made and who would, without fail, always put his family first. i thank my Heavenly Father daily for the many blessings that i have been given. i look forward to the years ahead and the wonderful memories yet to make. happy anniversary honey, i love you!

Baby Boy Shower

i wanted to share the pictures of a baby boy shower that i co-hosted tonight. i love the blue and brown theme. it's easy to do. brownies, peanut butter pie, yummy cupcakes (for fantastic cupcake ideas, check out a this blog, you'll love it!) and the gorgeous fruit bouquet (that sharyn made) all made for great pictures and an even better dessert table. here's the recipe to a great, easy baby shower. hold a shower on a week day, start it at 6:30pm, serve desserts and a choice of drink, play the baby memory game (email me if you're curious), open gifts and eveyone goes home by 8pm. it's always a hit. here's a tip...i have two color themes (girl and boy) and it makes it easy to decorate. i'll post pictures of the baby girl shower i hosted. enjoy.

Baby Girl Shower

here's the pictures of the baby girl shower that i hosted. enjoy.

A Sneek Peek...

one block down, several more to go...check back Friday.

A "Minkie" Tip

i just finished making this baby quilt for a friend and i learned a valuable tip, i thought i should share. i love minkie. it's that soft, brown fabric you see in the quilt. its very popular and equally hard to work with, not to mention, a complete mess. anyway, i have a tip. when cutting your fabric, cut the minkie a 1/2 inch smaller. for example, this quilt was made from 6 1/2" squares of fabric. next time, i'll cut the minkie squares 6 inches instead of 6 1/2" like the other fabrics. likewise, if your pattern calls for 4 1/2" squares, cut the minkie squares 4 inches. i wouldn't recommend using the minkie for anything but squares or rectangles, way too stretchy! oh, btw...if your looking for a variety of minkie, click here. happy quilting.

What's

black & orange, with mice all over? a quilt, of course...check back this time next week to see how it turns out.

We are all enlisted...

to rally around what we stand for, marriage and family. i'm asking for your help in protecting that which we hold most dear. if you or someone you know lives in california, please take a moment to educate yourself on proposition 8. it's important. while we love and appreciate those whose views differ on this matter, we must take action to preserve what God has ordained. please take a few minutes to watch this video, this could happen to you and your children, as young as 5 years old. Your parental rights are at stake. please take a stand. may the Lord bless you and your efforts to maintain our rights as parents to teach our children that which the Lord has deemed sacred. we can make a difference.

A conversation for girls only...

I just have to share this. (Craig, you might not want to read this...)

While doing the laundry today, we ran across a pair of sissy's undies. Here's how the conversation went.

Me: "Bring these to sissy, please."
Lil' Princess: "Those things freak me out. When i get to be sissy's age, I don't think I'm going to wear them. I think they'll give me wedgies."
Me: "Yep, your probably right."
Lil' Princess: "I think i'll just wear my kind, they feel better and they're not so skinny."

The things children say... I love it!

Dolphins, Flamingos and Roller Coasters

oh my...

grandpa tony and grandma janice treated us to a trip to sea world today. bub, mackenzie and brandon got an early birthday present and participated in the dolphin interaction program. they had a great time. great memories...

journey to atlantis was a hit for the "big" kids and the wild artic ride was the little princesses favorite (i think she felt like the "big" kids).

and of course, no trip would be complete without a picture of a princess. it was a good day and the weather couldn't have been better. oh and p.s. for those nursing moms out there, they have a "nursing room"...yeah! i can't tell you what a blessing that was for me. thanks dad and janice, we had a good time.