For your hubbies...

shawn doesn't think anyone will appreciate this post, but i have to believe that one of you has a husband that carries ladders on his truck and is annoyed with the whistling sound that is made as the wind blows through the holes in the ladders.
maybe he's right, but just in case, i'll let you in on his little secret...

it's great stuff expansion foam. he filled all the holes in the ladder with it and no more whistling...

the only problem...

the mess he made on the driveway! :)

now...another little helpful that you probably already know about.

but again. just in case.

a cup hook on the paint brush makes for a great holder as you paint. it lets you hang the paint brush on the pail as you take a break and sip your diet coke :)

Stuck in the Mud!!!

(if you could hear me now...i'd be laughing. laughing hysterically!)

yes. shawn got the trailer stuck in the mud.

you have to know shawn to know the humor of this. this doesn't happen to shawn. ever.

i found it to be hysterical. so hysterical , in fact, that i had to document it for his posterity! at first his manhood was challenged and he was NOT happy that i found such humor in this. once he slept on it, he was fine. after church he and gavin got right to work diggin' it out. pa came down to supervise. i got a kick out of the one picture, he didn't look too impressed. i, however, am always impressed at the things shawn can do and the way he thinks.

thanks for the laugh honey.

i love you!

Fishing...

we took the kids fishing at the duck pond for family home evening.

when we got there the only thing biting were the darn mosquitos. the kids were pretty patient about waiting, which surprised me. even more surprising was the fact that nolan stayed sitting as he was told. they fish on a bank that is on a pretty good slope and i'm always afraid someone is going to slip and fall in.

but between shawn and gavin, someone is always keep an eye on them.

masyn was the first to catch a fish.

i think, in all, she caught 5 or 6.

nolan, surprisingly, sat still and patiently waited for the fish to bite.

then gavin caught one.

we always catch & release...always.

and nolan cheered everytime someone caught one.

and soon enough, nolan had one hooked.

but he had absolutely NO intention of touching that fish!

shawn was finally able to convince him, after the 4th fish, to hold the line so he could get a picture. by this time, evyn had woken up and she and i took cover in the car away from the nasty mosquitos. shawn is VERY proud of the picture he took with his phone.
{he LOVES his phone. seriously. it's a problem}

{oh my gosh. i just noticed that nolan's shoes are on the wrong feet. he's normally pretty good about that. how funny!}

anyways...here's a few of my favorite photos from tonight.

happy fishing!

I'm Sorry Honey

but i think your gettin' too old

to ride these!!!

besides, your way too important to us to have something really bad happen to you.

so i'm putting my foot down {did you hear that}.
i have a man coming tomorrow to buy the bikes...
it's for the best honey. after your accident the other day and the trip to the er and the terrible bruising that makes me want to barf when see it, i had to make an executive desicion.

hope you understand, love you!!!

p.s. just kidding!!!

but seriously honey, could you take it easy, i'd like to keep you around for a little bit longer!!!

Summer '09

because i'm so behind on my posts,
i'm takin' the easy route...

here's our summer in a nutshell...

1. much time was spent getting sissy ready to move. bob taught her 'car essentials' and let's just say changing the tires took longer than it should. right puter!

2. i spent a lot of time making lists and more lists, losing lists, and finally getting a notebook to contain my lists of all the things she would need in her new place. so far i haven't heard that we forgot anything so that's a good sign.

3. bob became a gardner, who knew! in addition to the fabulous square foot gardens he planted in the backyard (which was suppose to be bub's duty to god project...ahem!!!) he also planted pumpkin, watermelon, and several sunflowers in the front yard which have now turned into a forest! he's so proud!!! (rightfully so, honey!!! the pumpkins are huge, yes i looked at them today.)

4. speaking of bob and his garden, he is harvesting his first radishes! yum!

5. my step mom took my sister and i and our girls to go see wicked. if you haven't seen it, you must! if you can't, read the book. but let me warn you...the book is 'r' rated. the play is not, but there were a few parts in the book where i just skipped some paragraphs. but don't let that deter you, it is a FABULOUS story!!! you'll LOVE it!

and last but CERTAINLY not least!

6. the little princess learned to swim! finally. i've tried for the last couple summers to take swim lessons and have met with so much resistance that i gave in. this year she had no choice. we had a few moments before we got there, but once we did she was great and was swimming in two days! way to go bug!

hope your summer was a good one!

A Sham Wow Testimonial

"I am a new man with my Sham-Wow Beanie!"
Craig...

(before Sham Wow)

(after Sham Wow)

i need to clarify...it's not a "perspiration problem" that he suffers from.
it's a bald thing!

Sham Wow

beanies...take two!

this is what i came home to the other day...
he got a hold of my machine and was at it again...
(he cracks me up!!!)



(note: no machine was harmed in the making of these beanies)

Sham WOW

beanies anyone???

does anyone else have a husband who does stuff like this?

please. anyone?

so, here's the story...

we have a dear friend who is in need of (according to bob) a solution to the perspiration problem that becomes exasperated while wearing a helmet while riding their motorcycles in the middle of the desert. so he decided to make a beanie from the ever-popular sham wow's. he made two attempts, the first attempt didn't start out so good. i happened to be VERY busy that day and was reluctant to help him, until i saw him doing this...

(the poor guy, obviously needed some help.)

the final straw was when he walked into my sewing room and headed towards my machine!

after a few tries, a beanie was born!!!

craig...i hope it fits!

Friend Makin' Monday

happy monday!

kasey has given her task for the day...

List 5 things that just really get you fuzzed up (that means makes you mad)

Here are my 5:

1. Liars & Cheaters - OOOHHH! it irritates me when i can't believe a single word someone is saying because they always are tellin' stories and i have to say that i will rarely play a game with bob because he is always on the edge of cheating (i call it cheating, he calls it 'creative thinking'...it ANNOYS me!)

2. Idiot Drivers!!! - hello...cars come with a turn signal for a reason people! i hate when i'm waiting for the oncoming driver to pass so that i can turn and they turn right before me! UGH! i could go on and on but i'll stop...

3. 'Keeping up with the Jone's' - it drives me nuts when people try to out do or better themselves for the sake of a social standard. get over it!

4. Whining - "huh? i can't hear you when your whining!"

5. The Multi Trillion Dollar deficit - i don't want to get into politics, so i won't go further...

on positive note...

the sun is shining and the yard work is all done, whoo hoo!!!

Friend Makin' Monday

yep, it's monday again!

today kasey has asked us to share 10 things we can't live without.

you know, friend to friend advice...

if you'd like to share 10 of your favorite things, go here.

here's mine...

1. gold canyon candles. they are a constant must in my home. i love the baking line and so does everyone who comes over. it's something my kids will remember when there grown up...the smell of their childhood.

2. these kitchenaid mixing bowls...there have been many times that i've needed to bake or prepare dinner with a very fussy baby who refuses to be let down. i can hold the baby in one hand and mix in the other. they have a rubber bottom that holds it in place. i love them!

3. fantastic sams shampoo & conditioner. i've used both the daily and color care shampoo & conditioner and i love it!!! (thanks doug...) i've used a ton of different products and this one makes my hair happy.
4. the fhi straightner. i actually bought this for my oldest daughter and i love it. we fight over it. i'm going to be very sad when she moves and takes it with her :(

5. (for the quilters out there) i couldn't live without this stuff. the yli quilting thread. i use it for applique, for binding, for wool applique...i love it!

6. shout color catchers are THE BEST...they have saved me and my clothes from disaster!



7. arbonne's eye cream. i've used arbonne's eye cream for probably 13 years now and i still think it's the best. actually, all the arbonne products are pretty darn good!


8. russell stover's sugar free chocolates. they really are yummy and they are atkins friendly!
9. a high-shine lip gloss is a must...but one that lasts, that's hard to find...any suggestions???


10. tall black boots are a must! i love them and they are great on those days that i have "prickly legs".

that's all folks. i hope you have a great week!

take care!