Tuesday, November 29, 2005

Another Quickie!

So today was really busy, but so what else is new?
I finally got the pearls onto the stocking I finished the other night, so here is a picture of it!















So cute, and so perfect for Laurel! Silly, fun, elegant and gorgeous all in one package!
So happppy! Got my hair done today, feels so much better!
Spent the afternoon preparing for the Young Women's activity tonight, we are doing twelve days gifts for her, and we got five of them made tonight!
*A decorated composition book with sweet notes from the girls in it (BG Fusion)
*A decorated clipboard (BG Fusion)
*A decorated cigar box for correspondence (BG Fusion)
*Ten cards done with BG Fusion
*A darling polar fleece blanket that is red with animal print hearts all over it!
Tomorrow I will make the matching pillow!
The girls had so much fun with these projects, and did a beautiful job of helping each other, cooperating and cleaning up! Very cool and fun activity!
Well, I am pooped, did not get any sleep Dave snored SO LOUDLY last night, aargh!
Off to take some Tylenol p.m. and force some rest onto myself, hehehe!
B-

Monday, November 28, 2005

Just a quickie

Had a long day. Tis the season!
I wish I had gotten more done, but we were lucky to get the opportunity to visit with friends who used to live here, but moved to Las Vegas a couple of years ago. They now come up once a year and stay in their time share at the Marriott in Park City. Pat and Kelley are great, and we have always enjoyed spending time with them, so it was a real treat to have them over for dinner.
I got another of the stockings done Sunday evening, looks greaat!
I found some great paper by Daisy D's and made a vintage looking advent calender for the kids to have fun with over the next few weeks! Did a quick Costco and made an apple pie for dessert.
It never seems like much when you say it, so why does it feel like I am going all day long?
Got even more to do tomorrow and less time, so that will be crazy!
Get to have my hair done tomorrow as well, can't wait!
B-

Sunday, November 27, 2005

Stuff this!

The inspiration:



Neiman-Marcus has these adorable stockings!
They are priced starting at $50 and ending at $100! So being the crafty (cheap) person that I am I decided that I could do some decent knock offs for much less!















I spent $50 at Jo-Anns and another $8 at Wall-Mart on Friday. So making 6 of these will average out to be about $10 each, so much better!

The Result:

I got the first stocking done late last night (Carters) and it is huge! I should have thought about what on earth could possibly fill these babies up!

So one down five more to go!
So how much sleep over the next twenty seven days do I need anyway?
B-

Saturday, November 26, 2005

Basic Grey contest is over...


...and I am not bold enough! But, I made an album that I just adore!








I did this in a weekend! I started late Friday night, and finished on Monday morning, and had it photographed, edited and e-mailed by 2:30 p.m. Yeah, I got about 6 hours sleep over a three day time period, and I challenged and pushed myself in new ways! And do I mind being passed over? No.

I have to imagine that the artists who bettered me in this have to be amazing! I look forward to learning from them and again being challenged and pushed even further!

The journaling just poured out of me, it was so honest and fulfilling to write like that. I was able to empty so much of my thoughts worries and challenges onto these pages, and it was such a tremendous growing experience!









The journaling: Believe in Yourself

The seeds of doubt are sprinkled in my life. I find -myself wondering if I am too hard on my kids, or not hard enough. Should I make them do more chores or get on them about their homework? Can I finish my education, become a ski instructor, have healthy relationships with my friends and family or run a marathon? Can I move up a level in my tennis game, lose fifteen pounds and find time to work on my marriage of 18 years? Can I be an exceptional employee, serve others through church and maintain a balance at home with my children? Will I be able to enjoy my sense of humor and maintain an appearance of dignity at the same time? Questions like these have run through my head as long as I can remember! When these moments come I have to step back and consider if I am being negative because I am afraid to try and fail, or if there is really a good reason to not do what it is I am considering. Being driven has moments of deep despair because I have to gamble so much confidence to get to the goals I have set for myself. If the gamble is successful, there are the sweet rewards and pleasures that come. If the gamble fails, the accompanying low is so deep that I begin to wonder if I will ever succeed again.
It is this constant battle that keeps me honest. I am able to revisit humility and understanding. Be more compassionate and patient. Resolve to believe that I am a success as a person. Appreciate my accomplishments and review my failings. This battle is where my belief in myself becomes stronger and receives a clarity of purpose. This is where I can go back and recall the strength that I felt when something that myself and others had told me I would likely not accomplish had been done. I know I often bite off way more than I can chew. When someone tells me “you can’t do that” it is a green light for me to say “oh really, well just you wait, I’ll show you”. This does end up being a problem at times, and without my belief in myself, I would not have enough strength and perseverance to pursue my dreams and contend with my realities.

B become more today than you were yesterday. I believe that I should be able to learn something new everyday. I should find a way to grow and stretch and challenge myself and help the others around me do the same. Self-improvement is the key to believing in yourself, if you can recall being able to do something hard, it will give the belief that what you are up against can be conquered as well.



























E enjoy your accomplishments whether they are great or small. In the hectic pace I live in, small things that are done tend to go unnoticed. I am looking for the big moment, but the little ones are likely to matter most in the long run. The time spent with the kids in the car as they are being taken to school or piano or being picked up from tennis is one of the times when I feel like my time could be better spent. But it is these moments when I get the scoop on the day or share a joke with them that will prove to be the best part of my day. I may not get to hike to the top of the mountain everyday, but I might get to make a meal that everyone will love.



















L live, learn, laugh, love. This seems so simple, but for me it can be hard. I can be very judgmental. I am working very hard to deal with disappoints using the knowledge that I will live through it, I need to learn from it, then laugh and remember to love the person who the disappointment came from. It is a difficult process for me, and one that I hope others will use when dealing with me!




















I I can therefore I will. As I previously mentioned, if someone tells me that I shouldn’t or can’t do something, I get a little stupid sometimes. A friend was preparing for a marathon, I teased him a little about his diet changes and his early morning runs. This led to him teasing me about not even being able to do a marathon. Well, that was it. I trained for 7 months and got into the St. George marathon. I set my goals made a plan, followed the advice of those with experience and ran a four and a half hour marathon. I didn’t finish with a great time, but I had done it! And just to prove that it wasn’t a fluke, I did it again the following year.



















E enthusiasm is the antidote for the mundane. When any job or task is approached with enthusiasm and energy, the time spent will fly by and the end result will be success. Bringing a smile and a positive attitude will turn the most trying of circumstances into a very exciting and worthwhile adventure! When life becomes mundane for me, I am notorious for doing something very silly to break it up. This is contagious, and others soon take up the cause to help provide a way to make the job at hand enjoyable and productive.



















V value what you have, it is priceless. So many things that I place a high priority on in my life are fleeting. Are my shoes fabulous or is my sweater in fashion? Why would I place so much value on “things”? This is one of the things about me that I place so much doubt in. Why do I treasure such momentary things, when what I really should be focusing on is the beauty and precious nature of my growing family? The time as an integral piece of their lives is so short. Placing them as my highest of priorities and investing my all into their growth process is far more important than which handbag I carry. Our wonderful dog is terminally ill. He will only be with us for a short time, and this serves as a daily reminder that we do not know how much time we have or the others around us might have. I remind myself of this constantly and try to live in the moment while I prepare for our future. The forever nature of my family is priceless and what I hold to be of the highest value.
































E embrace who you are, no one will ever be able to do it as well as you do! This seems so obvious. But so many of my seeds of doubt come from if only I could do this the way she does, or if we had something like so and so then life would be much easier. God made us to be unique. There truly will never be another duplicate of me, my life experiences, decisions and the results, ever. With that in mind, I really believe that if I am doing the best that I absolutely can every day, then I am fulfilling my responsibility to be the best me that I can.








































This was a huge "dump"!
This project is so much better to open, see the colors, feel the textures experience the belief. I have loved this experience, and look forward to another opportunity to do something like this again!

So now I am off to go make six new stockings! Found some great inspiration in the Neiman -Marcus catalog and some great deals on fabrics and notions at Jo-Ann's. Work on making some advent calenders for gifts and finish Chloe's birthday baggie book! Yup, it is a lot to take on, but I believe in myself!
B-

Thursday, November 24, 2005

Giving Thanks

So much to be grateful for today!
*Wonderful children (love you so much Tyler, Laurel, Chloe and Carter!)
*Supportive Husband (I appreciate all you do Dave!)
*Incredible Sister! (Rox you know you are FAB don't you?)
*The kindest and most patient Parents (Richard and Ruth I hope Cleveland UT, was good to you!)
*Terrific Friends that we didn't get to celebrate the holiday with but love very much!( Karla, Craig, Rawley and Kricket we missed you!)
*Tender Mercies from Heavenly Father and a Faith in Christ as my Saviour and a wonderful gospel to help us grow in our beliefs and strengthen our convictions
*Talents to develop and adventures to enjoy!

We had a wonderful day with our family and Roxanne bringing her family over as well!











































The turkey was wonderful, the gravy was perfect, my pies were spectacular (if I do so say so myself!), the yams were incredible, and the mashed potatoes creamy. A day of thanks that I won't soon forget! (I'll be in the gym trying to remove it!)
Sometimes it is so hard for me to stay focused on what it is that I really need to be prioritizing. I love this holiday for this very reason! I don't need to have a lot of worldly things to be happy, and this day reminds me why!
Thanks to everyone for all they are to me and all they do for me!
B-

'Lo Bob, you have pie?

It was the baking of the pie day!
Two pumpkin! Yummy!












I am a little obsessive about my pie crusts, they have to be done a certain way, and always have to be homemade!





I love it when they look like this when rolled out, no cracks, no mends, just a perfect shell waiting to be filled!







Multi-tasking is one of my favorite things, I think it is because I am lazy and want to get as much done at once as possible so I can relax! While I was doing the pies, I also had my cranberry jelly going on the stove. It smells so good when the orange and cranberries are boiling!









Are these pies just perfect looking or what?
And they smell fabulous!
Can't wait, and Carter is very excited, he loves pumpkin pie (it is his favorite) and he wanted to eat one of them tonight!

Chloe made banana bread for us to have for breakfast tomorrow morning, and it also smells incredible! I just love how all the smells mingle together and smell so inviting!



I also have one of my famous "Mile High Apple Pies" in the oven!
Made while watching "Lost" of course!
The yams are baked and waiting for their whipping tomorrow and the turkey is in the brine having a soak! I'll be up at 5:00 a.m. to get the big boy into the oven, we want to do an early dinner/late lunch so we can take the family to see a movie in the evening!
Yup, we have pie!
B-

Tuesday, November 22, 2005

Preparations for Thanksgiving

I love Thanksigiving, it is a major "food event" in our family! I only enjoy cooking the really fabulous stuff, the things that kids really don't want to eat. So for Thanksgiving, Christmas, and Easter, I usely pull out all the stops and go for it!
My Menu is:
*Turkey (fresh)
*Mashed Potatoes
*Homemade Gravy
*Twice baked Yams
*Homemade rolls
*Artichokes
*Broccoli
*Homemade Apple Pie
*Homemade Pumpkin Pie
*Various delicious Nibblies

I am so excited! I also found the biggest (really,really huge) pomegranites at Costco today! So beautiful!
















They look big in this bowl, but not really impressive.















The bowl that this is next to is a about a 8 inch pasta bowl!
These pomegranites weigh about 3 pounds each! the seeds in the bowl is from half of a fruit!
Anyway, my kids and I love to pick on them and this is the only time of year you can get them, so we usually eat ourselves sick on them!

I also found gorgeous artichokes today!















I am getting up tomorrow morning, playing tennis, finishing last minute shopping, hanging out playing paper with Rox and then I am going to get started on the pumpkin pies in the afternoon, I am really looking forward to spending the day with the family, and celebrating a day for expressing gratitiude!
B-

Friday, November 18, 2005

Junkitz Design Team Entry

Submitted my Design Team entry for Junkitz yesterday. I have spent the entire day today second guessing whether I sent the right stuff or not. I love what I did for the different requirements.
I had been working on this entry for a while, and I can't post the projects that I submitted, so I am posting the two that were inspired by my 3-D project.











I have loved the challenge of pushing myself with using just products that I could find. Junkitz has been hard for me to find in my area, and I am not much of an online shopper.





















So I tried to be really creative with the items that I did have that I hadn't used on my other stuff!
There are days when I feel like I can do anything with paper and glue.
That was yesterday!
Today has been long trying and very frustrating with my real world, and the self-doubt is creeping in.
So I put these here to remind me that I love what I do, and that is what matters.
I really would like to work with Junkitz, and I did my very best with what I had available to me, and I hope that it is what they are looking for.
If not, then I will have some beautifully preserved memories, and hopefully a sense of accomplishment for at least giving it a great try!
B-

Wednesday, November 16, 2005

Run to Target!



These are my Dollar Spot finds! I love them! There are three kinds of printed tape, one has bright pink snowflakes, one has very thin stripes in Bright pink, white and light and dark green and the other has white, light and dark green and bright pink polka dots! Then there are the chenille ribbons, so soft and yummy in bright pink and Becky Green! There are these wonderful bobby pins with little square jewels and then sequined flower hair clips, so FAB!

I have made two layouts for my scrapbooks with the goodies that I bought there!

This is the first one that I did, it was from Chloe's Sixth Grade Graduation! It is such a special picture, and I wanted just the right look for it! I had not found just what I wanted until I found these fun shiny Girlie Girl clips
~perfect~

The second(sorry about the bad photo of the layout, it is late and I don't have good light!) is from Laurel's 14th birthday! This picture was from Girl's Camp, where she got to celebrate with all the girls from the ward! She was so happy and she is so fuzzy about what kind of layouts I do for her, they can't be to fem or she hates them! I thought this turned out perfect for her! So festive and fun, but simple and CUTE!



Anyway, run, don't walk to Target, because this stuff is so cool, it won't be there long! Don't forget to get the take-out boxes, they are also very fun!
B-

What do I see?
















1. I see that our family spends too much time and money at our 7-11!

2. I see that it is a beautiful November Morning because of the wonderful quality of light coming in our south facing windows.

3. I see that I married the right person for me! He is neat and tidy and doesn't ming giving the kitchen a good cleaning. Where I on the other hand have about a million other things I would rather do than clean pretty much anything other than myself!

4. The beautiful rose that Laurel cut off the backyard bush and gave to Tyler to put in a Dr. Pepper bottle is at the end of its beautiful bloom.

5. That I am so amazingly fortunate to have such a wonderful home and family!

B-

Sunday, November 13, 2005

The art of learning to create art

I was going through some of my old work trying to put a portfolio together, and thinking to myself if I was crazy to think that I would every really become a true artist and designer.










I work hard at creating beautiful images, taking stunning photos, and relaying the truth as seen through my eyes.



















As I have learned different techniques and skills, I still like to see where I have come from and where I would like to go next.



















I feel like there is so much for me to learn and do and try, and not enough time. So many things that seem within reach, but are just elusive enough to keep me wondering if I will attain them.














So I keep trying new things, keep doing old things in new ways, and hope that they make sense when I am done.











So Here I Am in a state of fracture, effort and wonder.

















I will always wonder if I am creating art or learning about the art of creating art.
The lines between perfectionism, appreciation and accomplishment are very thin in my mind.
B-

Friday, November 11, 2005

I got "tagged" today

I got tagged to play by Colleen Stearns on her http://www.junkitz.com/designers/blogger.cfm?UserName=Stearns&View=Blogz blogz! This is a great get to know others game, so here it goes!

Names you go by
1. Mom
2. Becky

2 parts of your heritage
1. Norwegian
2. English

2 things that scare you
1. My kids getting hurt
2 . Spiders

2 of your everyday essentials
1. Evening prayer and hugs
2. Body cream by Bath and Boody works in Peony

2 things you are wearing right now
1. my pajamas
2. A smile ;)

2 of your favorite bands or musical artists (at the moment)
1. Bare Naked Ladies
2. Good Charlotte

2 favorite songs (at the moment)
1. American Idiot
2. That song by the Gorillaz that I can not remember the name of!

2 things you want in a relationship (other than real love)
1. Friendship
2. Integrity

2 truths
1. Very competitive
2. Closet Perfectionist

2 physical things that appeal to you (in the opposite sex)
1. Forearms (weird I know!)
2. Personality!

2 of your favorite hobbies (besides scrapbooking??)
1. Tennis
2. Skiing

2 things you want really badly
1. A new car
2. A home makeover

2 places you want to go on vacation
1. Long trip to Europe
2. New Zealand/Australia

2 things you want to do before you die
1. Play with my grandchildren ( I don't have any and am not close, but you asked!)
2. Become closer to God and Jesus and get better at serving others

2 ways that you are stereotypically a dude/chick
1. I love to shop
2. I have a lot shoes

2 things you are thinking about now
1. Getting ready to go play tennis
2. Who I will tag!

2 stores you shop at
1. Costco
2. Nordstom

2 people I would like to see take this quiz
1. Jessie http://speckledbird.blogspot.com/ Baldwin
2. Sonda http://www.myscrapblog.com/SondaT/Tadlock

That was very introspective, thanks Colleen for the tag!
Have a great day all!
B-

Tuesday, November 08, 2005

The games people play!




It was so fun to watch Chloe and Dave playing checkers together!
















They kept adding to their "kings" every time one of them got taken off the board, it would be put on one of the others that was left!















Dave won, but Chloe is still way cuter!
She will get him next time!

Sunday, November 06, 2005

Halloween has come and gone, but the candy is still here!


I love candy, I love halloween and the combination can leave me remembering the festivities with a gift of about 5 pounds hanging on my rear!
Well I was so good this year!
Up until two days after Halloween I had not eaten any of the candy!
Well there was that Baby Ruth just sitting there begging me to eat it (the big one)
and the left over mini-snickers *love* those, had three in one sitting yesterday! And so it goes!
As for the kids, they each brought home about eight pounds of candy! I usually hide it and then dole it out carefully. This year I just decided to let them graze, they would always just neak what they wanted anyway, and I would sneak it to. So this way they can just get themselves sick of it and be done and I won't eat as much of it! I hope this plan works!
The kids were hilarious! No one really wanted to dress up except Carter, but they all wanted to go trick-or-treating. So they did a frantic dig and came up with pathetic costumes that were entertaining to everyone in the neighborhood!
Carter was so COOL! he loves Bionicles, and we found a Bionicle costume at Target (it was on sale too, even cuter!)
Chloe was a cute witch! Big biker babe boots, short shiny black skirt, and a purple witches hat, adorable!
Laurel was a pirate (arrrrgh!) She had on her school clothes and found a red sash and a buff with the Jolly Roger on it, so funny! Our Neighbors just love the kids so much that it was entertaining to them to see them out like this being complete hooligans!
I don't have a picture of Tyler, he snuck out before I could get him! He put on his afro wig, and the big purple fuzzy coat. It was way too small for him! So funny! His buddy Tony borrowed the hula skirt and coconut bra--I really wish I had a picture of this, Tony is a BIG guy with a great sense of humor, and it was so funny! They went out and visited all of their youth and Church leaders and goofed off! Not much candy came back with him, but he was giddy from the silliness! Such a great holiday, one in which the kids can just be kids and the parents can let them! Now, where are those mini snickers.....