Silly Steeneck's

Great little baker!

2012-02-07T07:10:00.000-07:00

Morgan got the funnest gift for Christmas... babycakes cupcake baker! She has tried so many of the recipes from their cookbook and we have all enjoyed eating her creations. They have been tasty and easy for her to make on her own. The only mishap that we have had was when she added granulated sugar instead of powdered sugar in the icing!

Picture's from our Elder...

2012-01-31T23:36:00.000-07:00

In January we got a package from our Elder... it had things that he needed to send home, a few odds and ends and 3 cds with pictures!!!

We did notice a trend in most of the pictures that were taken at the MTC...

and Zack is not the tallest kid around...

but he sure looks a little like a giant in some of these pictures!!! :)

Maybe it's in that cafeteria food there!

He's finally HOME!!!

2011-12-19T11:25:00.000-07:00

Last Wednesday was such a great day!!! After two years Ben is HOME safe and sound.

He looks and sounds pretty much the same....

He thinks everyone looks blonder... we think his hair is darker.

BUT... He is different. More calm, the same.... but better!

What a GREAT day! We are sooooo glad to have you home Ben! Love you!

Countdown

2011-12-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

ONLY 5 HOURS

GO!!!!!

The Countdown!

2011-12-06T08:50:00.002-07:00

There are 8 days left!!! Morgan mad this chain a few weeks back and I think it has made time slow down!

Hawaii

2011-12-06T08:48:00.000-07:00

Last month we went to Hawaii with Russ' mom & dad & brother and sisters (& spouses). We had such a great time... here are a few of the pictures.

Russ always has to find an "off the beaten path" hike or waterfall... this was literally a hike through the jungle! Lots of fun!

We had to stop at 24/7 a restaurant featured on Man VS Food. The pancake challenge was to eat three 14" pancakes with toppings in less than 90 minutes.... Unfortunately our whole table could only finish 1/2 of our order! They tasted real good though!

Hanauma Bay... turtles, eels & lots of fish... on my!

This beautiful sunset picture was taken right across the street from our hotel. Gorgeous!

Girl Trip!

2011-10-27T08:42:00.000-06:00

Last week we took a girl trip to St. George. Brayden wasn't too uspet... he got to stay home and take care of Russ. :) We wanted to see The Little Mermaid at the Tuacahn and celebrate Meg's Birthday! We already have plans to go to next season's Aladdin!

This is taken in the St. George Tabernacle.

We were on the last row... which worked out perfectly! We all had such a great time and really enjoyed the show!

Instead of cake (we had cheesecake later) Meg enjoyed her slurpee!

See Ya... In TWO Years!

2011-08-31T09:58:00.000-06:00

The drop off at the MTC is no longer the cry fest that it used to be... (that happens in the car afterwards!) It is literally 5 minutes from start to finish. I think it is easier on both parties!

Last hugs! (I did get one... just not a picture of one!)

These two pictures were taken right before and right after the nervous little wave... It is so great that the other missionaries are there to help them check in and everything!

ON A SIDE NOTE... I DID GET TO TALK TO ZACK THIS MORNING! HE IS ON HIS WAY! HE SAID THAT HE IS A LITTLE NERVOUS, BUT EXCITED TOO!

The Night Before...

2011-08-29T18:38:00.000-06:00

The night before a Missionary leaves for the MTC can be a little hectic... BUT we had been gathering everything that he would need for the past 3 months. Zack took a picture of his stash before he packed it. He was set apart as a missionary too. It was nice to have Grandparents and Aunt Sandy there too.

Fall Pictures 2011

2011-08-19T08:22:00.000-06:00

We had BIG plans...

2011-08-18T10:39:00.000-06:00

It's the Monday before Zack leaves for the MTC... we had plans to go to Crystal Springs.... We are all ready to go, some even in their swimsuits... I call to confirm their hours... ALL the slides are closed for the day... QUICKLY come up with a new plan!!!

We talked about going to a local swimming pool, miniature golfing, bowling but we couldn't agree... SO we ended up going to a movie. "Cowboys & Aliens"... the trailers that I had seen looked ok... everyone hurry up and get into the car... the opening scenes are blood and gore and it gets worst from there! I do not recommend this film.

These pictures are obviously the happy before the movie starts faces!!!

Zack's Farewell

2011-08-16T09:49:00.000-06:00

We had Zack's farewell a couple of weeks ago (July 31st). He did such a great job on his talk.... no flippin' or slang of any kind :)

He already acts like a missionary!

We will miss his smile around here!

July 24th

2011-08-15T09:08:00.000-06:00

This year for the 24th we went down to Aunt Becky's (inlaw's) to swim with the family. Sadly these are the only photo's that I took that day! I don't know what it is with holidays and my family this year.... but Megan is getting nervous for Labor Day! It's her turn for an accident! :(

Day 3 of Staycation

2011-08-13T13:39:00.000-06:00

Day 3 we went to see Harry Potter 7 part 2. LOVED IT! It even made me cry. I'm a little sorry to see it all end!

Day 2 of Staycation

2011-08-12T09:43:00.000-06:00

Cowabunga Bay... We were so excited to try out this new park. It was OK.... the slides look MUCH bigger from the freeway! I would say great for younger kids. I think we would have had a better time if the wind wasn't blowing all day!

Fry Night is always a hit at our house. We don't do it very often.... so when we do the kids get to pick out what we are going to fry. Tonight was pot stickers, onion rings, chicken, zuchinni and lots of other good stuff!

Day One of our Staycation!

2011-08-11T13:22:00.000-06:00

First stop... the Brigham City Temple.

(We also stopped at Idle Ilse... but I forgot to take a picture)

Lunch at Burger King!

Silly Kids!

We checked out the DI and then headed to Logan where our first stop was the Logan Zoo... If you can call it that! We still had fun though!

Meg cannot wait till hunting season!

Next stop... 1st Dam. Those of you that went to Utah State... you know where it is!

Then we checked out the desserts at the Deseret Book bakery! Too good!

We then went to the Pepp. Farm Plant to check out their cookies... sadly they didn't have any that we wanted!!!

Last stop... the Creamies plant!

Boy were we tired when we got home!

Steeneck Reunion 2011

2011-08-08T23:00:00.002-06:00

The Steeneck reunion was great this year! (it always is!)

Cindy was in charge and we had it at a nice cabin.

We sculpted veggies...

Enjoyed the local wild life...

had lots of yummy treats...

And even had time for a nap or two!

We can't wait till next year!

Thomson Reunion 2011

2011-08-06T12:22:00.001-06:00

This year the Thomson reunion was held up Butterfield canyon. The weather was great and we all had a fun time!

There was still snow in some parts of the canyon and the melting of that snow made for a great waterfall!

Some catching up!!!

2011-08-05T17:41:00.000-06:00

Ok Ok... I know that it has been a while... I will try to catch up a little at a time instead of bombarding you with photos!!!

Morgan turned 11 this June! She was so excited because it was the Daddy daughter date with activity days group. Can you guess the theme?!?

Morgan has always been very independent and she did her own outfit and hair!

She is also becoming quite the little chef! She is always wanting to bake cookies or cupcakes. She now has to giveaway 95% of what she bakes! That way I can stay on my diet and our neighbors can enjoy her new talents!

Getting caught up!

2011-06-06T11:24:00.000-06:00

Sorry it's been soooo long! I just cannot get back into the habit of picture taking and blogging lately! I will try and get caught up so I won't feel so guilty!

Zack & Jenica doubled with us to our Stake Prom! It ended up being pretty fun with lots of people!

Brayden received awards with the completion of his 7th grade year! Yahoo!

We made the trek BACK to Cherry Creek! Much better weather this time until Saturday night when it SNOWED on us AGAIN!!!

SORRY if this grosses you out... Morgan did have a little incident with her index finger! We get the stitches out this week! Hopefully there won't be too much nerve damage!

Easter 2011

2011-05-03T08:52:00.000-06:00

This year for Easter we has Family Home Evening @ the Atkinson's. Complete with a fluffy bunny! The kids were a little tentative after he hopped away a few times... but he was very soft.

Zack and Charlie

Brayden loves the HUNT!

Bountiful Temple

2011-05-03T08:46:00.000-06:00

Saturday the 23rd we went with Zack through the Bountiful Temple.

It was so great that our families could be with us to support him.

Zack and his Grandparents.

First Camping Trip of the year!

2011-05-03T08:40:00.000-06:00

Our first camping trip turned out to be a little crazy... We left home on a Wednesday night and got to Cherry Creek around 10:30. The next day we woke up to an inch of snow. It quickly melted off and kids happily got out the four wheelers.

You can't tell... but Pippin is so happy to be here! NOT! It was a little cold for his liking.

Friday morning we woke up to even more snow! They had to go out and brush it off the awnings.

Needless to say we packed up and headed for home. We weren't sure how well we would make it out of the area with the muddy dirt roads. Even though there were many problems... we had a great time. I cannot wait till it warms up so we can go again!

Yahoo!

2011-03-23T12:28:00.001-06:00

Zack got a call this morning @ 7:30 from the post office (one advantage of living in a smaller town), and they said that they had his mission call there. He went over and got it and Russ picked up Brayden from school and we called Meg. He is going to the...

San Jose, California Mission and he leaves on the 10th of August!!!

He is very excited and relieved that it is an ENGLISH speaking mission!!!

Clue #2

2011-03-23T10:45:00.000-06:00

The Beach Boys did a song about the GIRLS that live in this state!!!

__________ girls!

Clue #1

2011-03-23T08:51:00.000-06:00

A song written in 1968 made popular by Dionne Warwick...

Do you know the way to ___ ____?

IT'S HERE!!!

2011-03-23T08:19:00.002-06:00

ANY GUESSES???

It won't be long...

2011-03-03T12:15:00.000-07:00

I have been a little more teary eyed as my second son starts his preparations to serve a LDS mission. I think it is because I know what its like now. (Ben, my first has been out for FIFTEEN months next week!) I know how much we will miss him! He was made an Elder a couple of weeks ago and he turned his papers in to our Bishop last night! We should hear where he will be serving his two years in about 3 to 4 weeks! I'm just not so sure that I am ready! :)

Sweet Heart Dance!

2011-02-14T12:22:00.001-07:00

This weekend was Meg's sweetheart dance. She had a real hard time finding a double SO.... she got to double with her parents and T's parents! We all had a fun time (we... his parents... have been friends for a long time). Meg cannot wait till her 6 months are up so she can actually drive with a date somewhere and not have to have her parents drop them off!

Meanest Mom EVER!

2011-02-11T12:09:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite blogs that I follow is The Meanest Mom. I like her sarcasm & she has some hilarious stories and creative ways of thinking up consequences for her own children. (Check out her story about the chicken Pox!) I started reading her blog mostly because I have told my kids their whole lives that I'M the meanest mom. With this in mind... I have been trying to get my children to keep their rooms clean, make their beds, do their jobs... sometimes we succeed sometime we don't.

Earlier this week Zack ordered a codex for Brayden and they are eagerly awaiting its arrival! I had a brilliant idea (if I do say so myself!) on Tuesday... I will receive the package... and HIDE it somewhere in their mess of a room!!! They won't know whose room it is in... only that it has arrived! Brayden decided that he would thwart my efforts by keeping his room clean all week!

IT GOT HERE TODAY!

Let the cleaning begin!!!!

Maybe I will be cruel and hide it in their sisters room!

Can you see the resemblance?

2011-01-18T23:58:00.000-07:00

Yep, you guessed it our dogs name is PIPPIN after Pippin and Mary from Lord of the Rings! They both are small, have huge eyes and brown fur (hair)... so why not? I just can't stop calling him Scooby! (our last dog!)

Gonna be Trouble!

2011-01-13T13:19:00.000-07:00

You know there is gonna be trouble.... when your husband and children are secretly planning and whispering.... then suddenly there is an unexpected "errand". THIS is what greeted me after crafts last night! He is a Chorkie. Now we just have to name him! Any sugestions???

Here we go again!

2010-12-29T10:42:00.002-07:00

Tuesday started out pretty good... we just had to run to Bountiful to get Zack's stitches out... or so we thought! The stitches started to come out ok... but as she got further up his arm two separate spots on his stitches started to open up. Then it started to bleed...oooze...seep through many layers of gauze. She was also concerned about the lump further up where the stitches didn't come apart! The P.A. came in and looked at it and they called his Dr. and they said that most likely Zack would need to have surgery in the morning to clean everything out.

We didn't get too far from the Dr's office and she called us and asked if we could come back to the hospital tonight at 6 for Dr. to look at it. Then another call telling Zack not to eat or drink anything... just in case the Dr. wanted to work on it then. Then we got home and got another call asking if we could be back there asap. So we headed back to Bountiful and checked him in. Don't you love his cute knees? Dr. came in and said it was a hematoma and that it wouldn't take long. It didn't! Surgery was only 15 mins. Dr. doesn't think that there is any infection... but put him on a antibiotic because of the 2 surgeries in 2 weeks! He is doing well this morning! Excited that he found a cheap drum set on KSL! Now if I can keep him off of them long enough for his arm to heal... we will be set!

It looks good?!?

2010-12-22T09:35:00.000-07:00

This morning we took the bandages off for the first time so he could shower before work. It looks like one of Frankensteins scars... but I am told that chicks dig scars! The bruising starts where the wrapping ended... thus the weird bruises! We put cream on and rewrapped it so he could go to work. Stitches come out on Tuesday! He does have a weird lump now! We will see if it goes away...

Update!

2010-12-20T00:56:00.000-07:00

These were Zack's hands on Friday. His arm had gotten swollen and it was staying cold. We called the nurse and she said that we could loosen his bandage it we did it quick and wrapped it right back up!

We did... it started to feel much better and the swelling went down quickly and he was able to move his fingers much more! This is how his arm looks today! He can take his bandage off on Wednesday night and take a real shower!

Zack's Surgery

2010-12-16T06:36:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Zack had his stainless steel plate removed from his arm. It took a lot longer than we anticipated... but he is home and doing well this morning. Zack asked the nice nurse if she would take a picture of his arm during the surgery... she did... it is a little gross... but if you would like to see what the inside of an arm looks like... let me know and I can email you a picture!

Is that Taylor kissing Edward???

2010-12-07T12:30:00.000-07:00

Friday night was our annual girl party up at Park City... it just happened to coincide with the Eclipse release. Meg, Tay, Krista, & I went over to Wal Mart at midnight so we could finish our movie marathon. Things got a little silly from there. Oh well... what else you gonna do at an all girl party except kiss a cardboard cutout of a cute vampire and wear-wolf ???

Thanksgiving Weekend 2010

2010-11-29T18:32:00.000-07:00

Thanksgiving was at our house this year. Lots of good food and fun cousins!

Maggie was kind enough to provide the after dinner entertainment!!! She sure is a cutie!

That weekend they finished up the hunting (HOPEFULLY)! Both Brayden and Russ filled their tags! Thanks to Kendal and Tom for all their help!

The Hunt 2010

2010-11-08T10:41:00.001-07:00

The hunters returned home successful last night! Meg got a nice 3 point and Zack... a 1 X 2 point. But, in all fairness... Zack did find Meg's and told her to shoot!

Divide & Conquer

2010-11-04T13:22:00.000-06:00

Tuesday we had one of those nights where there just aren't enough parents to go around! Meg had Evening of excellence, and Brayden had a Court of Honor... This wouldn't be too big of a deal but I would have liked to been at both. Meg's required Sunday dress... so Russ opted to go with Brayden. I asked him to take LOTS of pictures... (Brayden was getting 11 merit badges) and I got THREE! They were pretty much this same picture!

Trick Or Treat

2010-11-01T09:54:00.000-06:00

Sadly this is the only picture I got of their costumes!!! Zack was heading to work and dropped off Brayden at his friends!

Ward Party

2010-10-27T08:48:00.000-06:00

Can you guess who Meg went as???

If you need a hint... check out her pouffy sleeves!

Meg's Present

2010-10-25T09:21:00.004-06:00

Meg had her party on friday night. She dressed up as the bride of Frankenstein. (Thanks Hannah for the costume idea) She didn't like her hair ratted... but everyone thought her costume was cool!

We kind of surprised her for her present. Her birthday was on Sunday... and they got back saturday night... but I told her that cause she didn't tell me what she wanted that she would have to wait for her present.

I had Russ wrap her present in with brayden's gun and so that it was she opened... then in the bullet case was her real present... a cell phone!

She was very excited... but disappointed that it won't have text messaging! Oh well you can't have EVERYTHING that you want!

New picture of Ben

2010-10-22T08:14:00.004-06:00

I'm not sure what the outfit is all about... but I do think that he has bulked up a little bit!

Are you kidding me????

2010-10-20T08:37:00.003-06:00

My sister Liz posted a school picture of her kindergartner yesterday... And can I just say... it was not the best photo that I have seen of her!!! I really do not like school pictures!!! They take normal looking children and....

TURN THEM INTO ZOMBIES!!!

Cant we do something about this injustice!?!

Sweet Sixteen!

2010-10-19T11:22:00.001-06:00

Meg had her Sweet Sixteen (you'll have to ask her if she's ever been kissed!) on Sunday. Still haven't decided on a gift yet though! Hopefully by her party this weekend! Any suggestions???

Halloween Party 2010!

2010-10-17T22:27:00.004-06:00

The Halloween party ended up being at my house this year ...(It was kinda sad that NONE of my kids were here though!)

Hannah was a spooky bride of Frankenstein!

Jeanette was a Rabbi!

Mag's was a cute little witch!

Sammy was a scary skeleton!

Tay and friend came as the yankees!

Ethan was a nerd!

Kenny was a cute tinkerbell!

Mon was the queen of the Nile!

Travis was a Mad Scientist!

Jess was a Witch... Wow look at those gams! (I guess that's what you call them!)

Seth & Chloe were our favorite Star Wars characters!

Des was the perfect little angel!

We made Mummies out of Mommies!

Played Halloween bingo, and lots of other fun stuff! Thanks Laura for planning it all!

And of course the night wouldn't be a Thomson get together without a little zit picking! The PICKERS will remain anonymous!

Can't wait till next year!

Latest Addition!

2010-10-08T13:58:00.005-06:00

I have always wanted a witches broom so Tuesday I just did it! I love how rustic and worn it looks!

This is a shot of most of that corner of the porch.

I am linking this post to...

Witches Brew!

2010-10-06T06:35:00.003-06:00

Halloween is such a fun holiday to decorate for! The weather is still nice, there is so much to choose from, & lots of great ideas out there!

I have had this little fog machine for quite a few years now and it HAS to be my favorite Halloween item! It puts out so much artificial fog and boils like a real witches brew! Plus it only uses water! (pictures don't really do it justice!)

This summer I watched at garage sales for these great bottles to accompany my boiling cauldron. I just added the vinyl labels and twigs for stoppers!

Then I made this Witches Brew Checklist to go with the group! I love the Ladies Fingers!!! (Thanks Jeanette for that one!)

Fun Halloween Topiary

2010-09-30T19:08:00.006-06:00

I think I got this idea from a picture in a BHG magazine... I loved the idea and came up with my own version!

First I made 2 topiary forms. The ones at Robert's were $10 each, so I decided to make my own! The 5" styrofoam balls I got at JoAnn's with some 40% off coupons! I cut the 7/8"dowel at 16" each and the 6" x 6" block of wood I cut from a post I already had! Drill holes in the ball and the block and glue in the dowels!

The flowers I got at the Dollar Tree. It took about 5 bunches for EACH topiary! The eyes are bouncy balls that I got last year.... any old eyes will do though! I just started glueing and poking them in!

Next I painted the dowel and block base a dark brown.

Then I wrapped the dowel with some craft wire and some grapevine twigs! I love that you don't notice the eyeballs right away! Then, they kinda jump out at you!

Total cost on this project was under $8 for each topiary! Cost doesn't including the wood blocks, paint & eyeballs! Not too shabby!

I am linking this to...

It's been crazy busy around here...

2010-09-29T15:57:00.002-06:00

It's been a little bit since I blogged or done any projects... and this is part of the reason! I SWEAR every year that I will not make them again... and then I do! Total count was TWELVE this year! There are NINE here with 2 cats! WHEW! Now I can get on with halloween projects and decorating for Halloween!

Photo Shoot

2010-09-22T09:35:00.002-06:00

It's been years now since we have actually ordered the "school pictures". We always get the class pictures... but the individual pictures usually don't cut it. There has been lots of sunflowers around lately, and some really cool trees down at the Jr. High... so this is not our last attempt... but I like them so far!

Do you have this problem???

2010-09-20T23:44:00.002-06:00

I added this to my chandelier on my porch...

Because I have a REAL bird that likes to visit and leave these behind!

Hopefully it will get scared off!

My baby is getting all grown up!

2010-09-15T08:06:00.001-06:00

Zack started his new job today.

Morgan & I were in the area and I couldn't resist checking it out!

If you are in the area stop in and say HI!

21 Years???

2010-09-13T23:39:00.003-06:00

Why is it that I can never figure out how many years that we have been married!?! I was fortunate enough to be born in an easy to remember year that is super easy to figure out the math concerning how old I am. My kids & Russ' birth years are no problem either.... Sometimes when I figure out how many years that we have been married... I accidentally make Benjamin an illegitimate child! We cannot have that now! (He is not by the way!)

Every once in a while Russ does something that TOTALLY reminds me of why I married him 21 years ago! He is very good at fixing things and is not afraid to take things apart to figure them out! And even if he cannot fix it... it is fun trying! I especially love his eyeglasses! Even though I have many MORE gray hairs... his eyesight is much worse!!! He is such a great dad and I love him LOADS!

Steeneck Reunion 2010

2010-09-09T07:32:00.000-06:00

A couple of weeks ago we went to a family reunion. Along with the perfunctory pot luck meal and family photos, a lot of reminiscing about the good old days went on. Aunt Sandy tells of one story in particular about how they used to roll down the hills in a barrel at the park that was across the street while they were growing up. This is not the first time my kids have heard the story... but we are at a park... with a barrel at the ready...

I cannot believe this girl of mine! She DEFINITELY is NOT afraid to get a little dirty!

Pre-Flight!

She rolled and bounced quite a ways.

Funny thing is she did it three times, and actually talked J.D. into trying it out!

Thanks Aunt Sandy!

It's finished!

2010-08-23T14:29:00.002-06:00

My shelf & all of it's decorations for my office wall are finally done! We (my sisters & I) have all been a little crazy for owls lately! The last piece that I found is the GENUINE macramé owl. What do you think... does it blend well with the decor? Liz said it was too weird. Now I am wondering if my $1 garage sale find is great or not! Wow the power of peer pressure!

Bear Lake

2010-08-22T09:27:00.004-06:00

Our Thomson campout was at Bear Lake this year! During the rain... we went down to Logan to visit the factories (cheese, ice cream, cookie). Seth and Chloe enjoyed their ice ream cones.

The day at the beach was perfect! Just a little cool breeze to make it Not too Hot! Sammy had such a fun time running around in the sand!

But, the best thing was the new treat we concocted! Toasted Circus Peanuts! FABULOUS!!!

Just don't get them too toasty! They were better just lightly browned! Yum!!!

Walking Woes!

2010-08-17T08:23:00.004-06:00

I have found a walking route that I like that measures almost 3 miles that I have been walking for the last little while. I have been sore and it has been good! Since I broke my pinky toe a couple of months ago... I have been very selective on which shoes I have been wearing. Yesterday I decided my toe was feeling pretty good soooo..... I would try to wear my walking shoes. THIS is what happened! I have worn these shoes HUNDREDS of times and it just doesn't make sense! This monstrosity is on the opposite foot of my broken toe! Now if you see a crazy lady limping with BOTH feet down your street... give her a little sympathy... I know I will!

(YES, those unsightly lumps above my blister are just my varicose veins... I should probably get those taken care of!)

Moon Lake 2010

2010-08-08T11:02:00.003-06:00

Moon Lake August 2010

We had so much fun @ Moon Lake this year. It is such a fun campground that we make the 3 and a half hour journey to get there!

Even though it rained every day it was great! Nice and cool most of the time!

We caught snakes... well, Brayden caught snakes!

Saw lots of cool rocks... many of which made it home this year!

Went on hikes! Look at that view! The lake was a little low this year, but not too bad!

Has it really been 4 weeks?

2010-07-18T20:38:00.004-06:00

I cannot believe it has been 4 weeks since my last post. Boy, what a slacker! We have been doing fun stuff though! The week of the 4th we had our Steeneck camp out up at East Canyon!

Aunt Sandy was in charge this year. In these pictures we are having a relay race!

I don't know what happened to my girls.... but they missed the batch of "eww that's gross" when it was being handed out! Neither of my girls get grossed out by many things! Morgan is holding the baby mouse that they found in the field. Of course she had to wash her hands before roasting marsh mellows!

This is the crazy ritual that happens each year as the guys set up the screen for movie night! Thanks Uncle Doug!

Morgan's B-Day!

2010-06-17T09:11:00.002-06:00

Morgan had her birthday this week! She turned 10!!!

This is how her cake turned out!

THIS is how her cake SHOULD have turned out...

BUT someone got into the M & M's!!!

I won't mention names! Don't you hate it when that happens?!?!

DUCT TAPE Father's Day Boutonniere

2010-06-16T13:19:00.007-06:00

Jenica came over and helped me to learn how she made Zack's flower for prom!

You start with a piece of wire about 3" long...

I started out with 2 then decided to only do 1 flower!

Tear off a piece of duct tape about 2 to 3 inches long... fold over one side

fold over the second side and add a small strip of contrast color along edge!

Wrap around wire. Repeat until you have the size of flower that you want!

Cut out two leaves

Add a small strip of same color and attach to the wire.

Curl end and then YOU ARE DONE!!

Just in time for

FATHER"S DAY!!!

I am linking this post with

My girl decides to be a BIG one!

2010-06-11T18:44:00.008-06:00

I have been working with Morgan lately to KEEP her room clean! It seems like a never ending battle! So I had a talk with her about wether she wanted to be a BIG girl with grown up things or a little girl with toys... I told her we would change her room BUT that she would have to choose which toys to put away because there would not be room for both!

This chair is the last piece of the hair center... (I don't know what else to call it!)

I got it for $3 or $4!

Of course I had my helpers HELP!!!

After we got it all stripped down to the bare bones (YES those are STAPLES!!!)

I took a pattern and cut out the material!

Then I sewed them together and we stapled it back on!

I gave the base a new coat of paint!

Now she can do her hair in her room!!!

I still have to add a few more embellishments... but I got her chair and boxes done today!!!

I am linking up with...

I can't believe I forgot Graduation!

2010-06-11T18:35:00.004-06:00

Things have been a little crazy around here is my only excuse... I totally forgot to post Zack's graduation pictures from High School (not WSU)

Jenica & Zack

Awards Assembly

2010-06-07T08:47:00.002-06:00

Among lots of other awards... Meg got a plaque for her 4.0 CUMULATIVE Grade point average!!!! She was a little worried that she lost it this last term... but her teachers took pity on her and she is still a 4.0! Way to go Meg!!!

3D Sunflower!!!

2010-06-04T10:38:00.006-06:00

I LOVE Summer and all of the FUN crafts that go along with it!!!

This year I wanted to make a 3D SUNFLOWER...

This is what I came up with!!!

You can see more of my crafts HERE

I am participating in Jen's blog hop over at tatertotsandjello.

I used DecoArt....

Marigold

Avacado

Terra Cotta

Dark Brown

I also used Gorrilla Glue to connect the 3D petals to the base!!!

I LOVE the finished product!!!

DecoArt Link Party!

2010-06-04T01:26:00.007-06:00

I am participating in tatertottsandjello's blog hop! Jen is featuring projects that use DecoArt paint and I sure do alot of that!!! Most everything I make HERE uses DecoArt paint!

One of my FAVORITE new crafts is this gnome!!!

Some of the colors are...

Tuscan Red

Flesh Tone

Hauser Light Green

Calypso Blue

Brayden turns TWELVE!

2010-06-03T20:11:00.002-06:00

Brayden had his 12th birthday on Monday! He wanted to make these cupcakes for his Birthday! They turned out pretty cute!

Our latest Seminary Graduate!

2010-05-24T12:34:00.002-06:00

This picture of Zack turned out sooo funny! I had him pose for Ben and this is what he came up with!

Prom picture! If you look closely you can see the DUCT TAPE CORSAGE that his date made for him! Too cute!

Wrist Corsage for Prom

2010-05-16T12:26:00.002-06:00

Zack had Prom this weekend (more pictures later!!!) and instead of getting his date a wrist corsage that would wilt after an hour... WE MADE ONE! Her dress is black with white and I think that this will go well with it! We also included a clip that she can add on later to make it into a hair clip!

Let the SUN SHINE!!!

2010-05-13T13:37:00.002-06:00

I am so glad that today is FINALLY SUNNY! I love spring with all of the new growth and flowers that it brings... I just need a little SUNSHINE in between all the storms!

Morgan gathering all the HAIL to put into the freezer!

YUCK!!!

News from Ben

2010-05-10T11:06:00.002-06:00

Self portrait...

I guess it was easier than walking over to his companion and asking...

"Can you take a picture of me?"

This is a picture of Ben in his NEW Easter tie... notice the color!!!

This is a picture of their pet cockroach Gregory! EWWWW!!!

I guess that it was inevitable that one day Benjamin would reunite with the cockroaches...

While living in Knob Knoster, Missouri (While Russ was activated during Desert Storm) we lived in a trailer in the mouth of the Black Hills Forest (I'm not lying... I couldn't make that name up!). One of the fellow guardsmen told me of when her husband had a cockroach CLIMB INTO HIS EAR while he was sleeping and had to have it surgically removed!!!! Needless to say... I didn't sleep very well while in Missouri! I would have nightmares of one getting into Ben's ear! So all I can say is this... Ben, Sleep with ear muffs on!!! I will sleep better!

He has just transfered and hopefully there are NO cockroaches where he is at now! I KEEP TELLING MYSELF THIS!!!

And the winner is...

2010-05-07T09:50:00.002-06:00

The M & M cake did TWICE as well as the Strawberry cake! I was very surprised! They were the first two things sold at the auction last night and I do think that if they would have been a little later... they might have gone for a little more... but, $22 and $4o isn't too bad! Meg's flowers and frame holder went for $30. (sorry, i forgot to take a picture! They were soooo cute too!)

Let them eat CAKE!!!

2010-05-06T10:20:00.005-06:00

O.K. So I have to give credit where credit is due... I found this FABULOUS idea over HERE

I just LOVED her ideas! So we decided that we would try them out for our charity auction tonight! The kids are earning money for their summer camps!

Zack helped to decorate the strawberry one... there was a little left over of the sheet cake... so of course he had to make one for Jenica!

Brayden helped with the M & M/ Kit Kat Cake! I think that I would have to bid on his!

Megan is going to be making some flower pins!

Shayna thanks so much for the fun ideas! We are so excited to see how well the cakes do at the auction!

I am linking up with tatertots & jello this weekend! Go check out all the fun ideas!

Newest Graduate!

2010-04-25T23:17:00.002-06:00

On Friday Zack graduated from Weber State with his Associates Degree. I don't know how it is ok that he has this degree BEFORE his High School diploma.... but that is how it all worked out! It was a nice (and SHORT) ceremony... it was great to recognize all of his hard work! He is a great kid! We are so proud of your accomplishments Zack!

A Pretty Place for my Flower Pins!

2010-04-20T12:58:00.006-06:00

FINISHED PROJECT!

I needed a place to store all of the cute flower pins that we have been making.

This is what I came up with!

1. I started out with this wider than taller frame that I got for $8. Brayden & Zack could not believe that I was going to cover up the picture... Sorry!

2. Draw on the back where my ribbon is going and DRILL through where they intersect!

3. Add batting and trim at the edge of the picture.

4. Trim fabric to 1 1/2" around the picture.

5. Fold over the fabric and Glue it ot the back of the picture. Trim corners.

6. Pin 2 lengths of ribbon with a thumb tack at the marks on the top of the picture.

7. Cross ribbon in the front... then thumb tack onto the picture on the bottom.

Make sure that all ribbon is straight!

8. Spray paint frame. I did 3 or 4 coats of paint!

9. Antique frame. Just dilute a matching paint with a little water then wipe ON then OFF.

10. Add buttons. Just attach at the holes that were drilled earlier!

11. Add your pretty flower pins or hair clips!

MULCH anyone?

2010-04-18T23:09:00.005-06:00

I love my yard and we have slowly been trying to add plants, trees and shrubs a little at a time. It can be sooo expensive! Saturday was the day... the day we finally took care of the dreaded weed problem on the side yard of our home! We usually have to hack down the taller that me weeds a couple of times a season... but NO MORE!

I don't know if you have every tried this method but we have and it worked pretty well! We have such a large area and this is a great solution! Just layer 5 to 7 pages of newspaper and get it wet then add a generous layer of mulch! WhaLaaa! No more weeds!

Doesn't it look nice and pretty?

We did not put the paper down in the front cause of all the lovely ground cover that I have... I still want it to spread.

We got enough to finish most of the yard but we will need 2 more scoops to finish up the garden! I will post pictures after we are done!

I am soo excited that I would jump up and down for JOY... but I can't! I'm too sunburned/stiff/sore & wounded to do it! It was STILL worth it!

Sneak peek!

2010-04-16T06:59:00.004-06:00

Ok so I have been in a VERY creative mood lately! It is not something that comes on demand always so I was excited that I could find inspiration for next months crafts for Make & Take .

I cannot post the crafts for next month until the 26th so I thought that I would give a little sneak peek here!

The picture doesn't show it well.... but the wood is chunky and the little gnome has a teeny tiny nose! Thanks Laura for your crazy gnome fetish!

Project for Laundry Room

2010-04-15T07:32:00.005-06:00

I love having natural light in my laundry room! It seems to brighten up the room and make the job seem easier. I guess it goes back to doing laundry when I was growing up. There were 7 girls (and 1 boy) so needless to say... the older kids did their own laundry! (It's OK! MY kids do their own laundry too!) Our laundry room growing up was in an 6ft. by 6 ft room if that! No window or anything... doing laundry was a chore!

So when I saw this idea (sorry I cannot remember where!!!) I knew that is what I wanted to do for that window treatment. It took her 5 hours to cut out the design of a 12" by 12" paper and I just don't have that kind of time! So here is my version!

1. Find a deal at the D.I.

$6 for a 26" by 21" picture frame

(you can use a ready made... but this cut down on cost)

2. Spray paint the empty frame black

3. Cut out DAMASK design with vinyl cutter!

5 hours down to 5 minutes! Weed design.

4. Apply a thick coat of ARMOUR ETCH (I found this at Micheal's)

(I could have gone a little thicker for better results)

Wait 5 minutes and wash off.

5. Peel off vinyl

6. I lined the back of my frame with ribbon and then add fish eye hooks to hang it from.

7. Add hooks to window sill and tie ribbon to frame. Then hang it up!

I LOVE IT! Much prettier version of laundry room! It still lets in lots of natural light and looks great too!

Easy Indoor Green House!

2010-04-12T17:46:00.002-06:00

I saw this trick last month @ Relief Society. We have been so excited to plant for spring.

I thought we might get a jump on the seeds and try it for ourselves! Thanks Dave U.

First put the dirt in the egg carton and soak well!

Then put a seed in each section and poke into the soil! Morgan was a fabulous poker!

Cover the seeds and put into a bread bag. Blow it up and twisty tie it shut!

Watch them grow! The water should condense on the bag and fall into the soil!

How easy is that!

Meg's Halloween find... ALMOST!

2010-04-09T08:35:00.003-06:00

Last weekend we took a road trip as a family... to Spanish Fork no less.... There were only a few grumbled mutterings under their breaths! We started out in the morning and stopped at the different D.I's along the way. We got a few fun things... then Megan called me over excitedly to show me what she had found!!! What a fun addition to any Halloween costume!!! They were $10 which didn't seem too bad, but I have a policy... they use their own money whenever possible... this way they have to decide if it is something that they REALLY REALLY want! She thought that $10 was a little steep for shoes to wear once so she asked the Manager if he would go down in price. Sadly he would not... but we still have the picture!

Meg loved how they made her ALMOST as tall as Zack!

Scary Sneezy Monster!

2010-04-08T07:44:00.004-06:00

Last weekend I got this deal over at Target. They had their automatic air fresheners on sale for $6 and I had a coupon for $5 off.... so I figured $1 instead of $13 is a great price we will try some! We got them home and put the batteries in (Megan got one for her room too) and Megan came down and I asked her if she liked the smell... She said it was ok, but that it kept scaring her cause it would go off without warning. I LAUGHED with her (OK AT her) and the next day I put mine together and thought nothing more about it!

Later that night (about 12:45 a.m.) I was up reading and this loud noise scared me from the other room. It happened again about 40 minutes later!!! It sounded like a person SNEEZED and the sound carries so it seemed as if THAT PERSON WAS RIGHT NEXT TO ME! Needless to say I jumped again!

I finally figured out what was making the Scary Sneezy Monster noise after doing some investigation! It was my deal of the day! It now resides in the laundry room with the door CLOSED tight at night!

NOTICE it's big GREEN evil eye looking at me!!!

EASTER 2010

2010-04-07T07:44:00.005-06:00

This year General Conference fell on Easter Sunday! It seems like it has been a long time since that has happened. I loved all of the talks on the atonement today! What a great way to start Easter Sunday off.

After Conference the Thomson family came over for Family Home Evening and an egg hunt! It was great to have the little ones here now that mine are getting older.

This is one of my favorite pictures that I took! It was an accident! I wanted a picture of Zack w/Desi... for SOME reason he really enjoys her! I love that he is reaching out for her... I think it is a good indication of what kind of Dad he will be!

It took the girls a little while to figure out that there was actually CANDY in the eggs... but Maggie quickly caught on and could not get enough!

Here's our annual Easter Egg Hunt picture! (Minus Madi, Kyle & Ben)

Ben was shocked how grown up Megan and Monica are getting! He couldn't believe how different Meg looked in just 4 months!

Cute little chicks!

I cannot get the heart warming pictures of the big kids on the hunt anymore... so I guess this one of the loot will have to do!

New window treatments! Finally

2010-03-29T08:21:00.004-06:00

This is our BEFORE picture. I liked the grouping but thought it was too small. I have been wanting to do a window treatment forever... but they can be expensive and I already had the blinds up so it kind of got put on the back burner. Then last month I found a FABULOUS deal ($2 for a pair of sheers) at Target and decided that it was time to work on them!

We bought the pre-primed mdf and cut and pieced it together for the boxes....

Added the moldings for aesthetic appeal!

Painted them a high gloss to match the trim on the doors...

I just hung the sheers with a cheap spring bar! I love how it softens the light coming in from outside! Our room gets very warm in the summer... I think this will help! I like how it fills up the wall space too!

I have linked this post with

Beneath My Heart

This is my first link! Hopefully it works!

From Ben!

2010-03-22T22:31:00.005-06:00

I got 10 emails from Ben today... this is not a usual occurrence. I sometimes get two and if we are really lucky three emails on Mondays. Today he sent the pictures that he had tried to send last week... that didn't work! So he sent them separately. At least we will avoid the SD card debacle! This was the only picture that he sent that actually had him in it! He looks good! I love seeing him with his missionary tag! It is also nice to see the scarf (that he swore that he would NEVER need) put to good use! He did speak in church on Sunday, just like the missionaries here! I got a little teary!

This is what the other pictures were like! I can just imagine him riding along seeing this scene and having a laugh! I know that we did! He thought that it was hilarious that there was a real cemetery in the background!

Signs of SPRING

2010-03-20T13:12:00.002-06:00

Usually around late Feb. early March I start hearing the words... "Can I Mom??? Huh Can I TILL the GARDEN???" Brayden is my resident green thumb. Especially in the spring! I always know that Spring is coming.... because Brayden gets ANTS IN HIS PANTS!!!

Don't you wish you had your own FARMER?

The real Hair Doo!

2010-03-18T12:49:00.002-06:00

Here's how Zack's haircut really turned out! Pretty handsome!!!

This is a picture of one of Zack's assignments from his college art class. They had to bring a bunch of garbage (it is mostly the packaging from my drapery rods!) and make a sculpture! Way COOL I think! We call him Henry!

Zack's new Do!

2010-03-17T08:42:00.002-06:00

Have you ever wanted to dramatically change your hairstyle?

I am reminded of Lane (Gilmore Girls Episode) when she dyes her hair purple... even if it was for only an hour!!! Zack had that same experience this week. I was cutting their (Russ, Brayden & Zack's) hair... everyone has to do it at the same time... I hate getting hair everywhere! I really cannot remember how the topic of a MOHAWK even came up! Once the idea was planted and then we thought how funny it would be to send pictures to Ben... it was a GO! Should I show you his real haircut??? Maybe TOMORROW!

Cookies coming out of our ears!

2010-03-16T09:47:00.004-06:00

Sunday was FHE at our house.... & I had asked (been bugging) Russ to make these new cookies that I found the recipe for over on www.bakingbites.com They are Girls Scout cookies! (All except the first one which is made from a potato over on family fun website!)

Samoas w/o the choc drizzle on top!

Thin mints

Tagalongs!

By the time we were finished everyone was covered in chocolate! But don't you wish you came to FHE at our house!

The left over choc. didn't go to waste... they dipped creamies!

It's official... well almost!

2010-03-15T08:36:00.001-06:00

Brayden had his first "Scout" overnighter this weekend! Contrary to the look on his face... he said he had a really good time! Only 2 1/2 months till he will be a full time SCOUT!

oh Yeah... Remember this...

2010-03-04T01:16:00.004-07:00

I forgot about this project that I did a little while ago!

I found this too tall candle holder at the DI a while ago for $2

First I cut it in half... then Gorilla Glued the wood discs to the cut end of each half.

Then I added the larger wood discs to the uncut ends to give them more stability.

Next... spray paint, sand and stain!

Whalaaaa!!!

New Project

2010-03-01T08:44:00.002-07:00

BEFORE: Notice all of the MISSING chickens!!!

You know when you have a project in your head and you finally get it done... but it doesn't quite look like it looks in your head?? When we built our home I had fabulous visions of a faux tin ceiling in our kitchen. We used the Ralph Lauren metallic paint... but it just didn't look exactly like that picture in my head! Well two and a half years later and a very patient husband... we finally fixed it. I know the change is subtle but I know that it is there!

Helper boy Zack!

This job needed extra long arms!!!

Finished product! What do you think??? I hope it brightens the area a little!

Today... I finally did it!

2010-02-26T00:33:00.003-07:00

We have been living in Hooper for the past ALMOST three years, and ever since we moved here I have loved this old tree! It is on the way to my house. It even lets guests know it is time to turn right. I have wanted to take a picture of it for ALMOST three years now and today was finally the day! It is a very cool tree! Even Laura thinks so!

Happy Birthday to me!

2010-02-22T22:31:00.002-07:00

Last Thursday was my Birthday. I turned 40 which in my eyes is not that bad... but I did have a bad experience from that day. Let me explain. Ben (my missionary son) sent me a birthday card with this itsy bitsy tiny micro SD card tape inside-- which I found out today had a birthday song video, pictures from the MTC and other good stuff on it! Well, as I was taking the tape off of the card so we could download the pictures IT BROKE IN HALF!!!

I felt like crying! SO if anyone can offer any info or help, it would be greatly appreciated.

Letter from Ben

2010-02-16T07:17:00.001-07:00

Here is Ben's letter from yesterday!

:P I got to go to church... and I went to dinner at a councilor in the bishopric's house and his daughter gave me a piece of chocolate when she found out that I got nothing for valentines day!!! She's really cute!!!(and like 9 yrs old...)

Other than that though, we went to see Marty again yesterday. I really like him, I hope he joins the church! We spent pretty much a whole hour just answering his questions and then stressing how important it was for him to gain a spiritual knowledge of the truth's we teach in addition to an intelectual understanding.

aanyways, questions! I luuurve questions!

We had snow from about noon til about 9-ish I think on Friday the 12th; it was like 2 inches or something her in Acworth; people freaked out.

:P No. Me and Elder Manning are both still here in Acworth. (Poor Acworth!)

The area... IDK... I guess it's kinda thoroughly middle class. There are a few ghetto-ey areas where there are absolutely tiny government subsidised duplexes, but other than that, most of the area is middle class, and there are a few areas that are a little more rich; not really anything too different from the area's at home.

The people.... they're all people. Lol, idk. Lots of them are actually people who have moved out here from the west over the years; not many people in the acworth area are originally from the south. Or, at least, not many of the people in the ward are; there are plenty of non-members who were born and raised here, I just don't know them.

Some of my great experiences..... Uhhhh.... -skips-

The teaching is coming... idk? your questions are becoming kinda like not very specific...

Marty... Yeah, I think I talked about him a bit. He's doing OK. He's really interested in having us over and learning and understanding, but he's hesitant to come to church with us and until last night I don't think he realized the importance of just praying about things. The other family... Well, we haven't been able to meet with them again since then; we've dropped by and all, but they weren't able to come to church yesterday because she wasn't feeling very well. We're going over there tentatively on Thursday, I think.

Yeah... I really lost 20 pounds. I was at 159 in the MTC the last day that I weighed myself, which would have been like Monday, and tuesday I flew out of there; I dropped down to 140 for a while, but now I'm back to about 150 and have been for the last little bit. (No, my pants were just fine.)
:P

I've not eaten many things that were really any different than anything I would have eaten with you guys at home except for that Guatamalan Tamale that I think I already told you about; The one that had BONES inside of it? Yeah.... ... That was a little shocking.

I'm not sending you pictures because I can only send like 1 per email, and it's rediculously annoyingly difficult with this archaeic system that the church wants us to use while we're on our missions; I'll send you some photo's and video's on a flash card in the mail soon. (Also, because I'm not really taking any pictures of anything to have some to send...)

My pocket wach has been great!!! ... But you could send me my wristwatch if you wanted... and if you got the battery replaced... and if you were going to be sending it to me... Yeah. :P I just can't abide the ticking sound all the time, so I don't usually have it on me....

I dunno. I mean, there isn't any snow or anything around, but it doesn't exactly look like spring or anything. Everything looks... dead.

I bought a helmet the first day in Acworth; it's red and yellow and black, rediculously too fancy, the only one on sale in my area, and cost me $85!!! :P I wear it whenever I'm on my bike.

I'm never tired of your questions, just tired of computers that kick people off every 30 minutes so that you can't just sit and finish everything you want to get done without interruption...

:P I'm happy she was glad; I heard I had a letter from her, but I won't get it til tomorrow b/c we weren't at transfers... Yeah. Love you much!

Bai!

(Presidents day???? Come on. That's like, not a real holiday; the schools only get it off so that the teachers can have teacher work day....)

Megan's Big Day!

2010-02-13T09:44:00.003-07:00

Isn't this picture of Meagan so cute! Well, it is the last one you will ever see of her with her braces on!!! The day is finally here!!!

Here is our first look at Megan bracesless in over TWO years!

Next, came her favorite part... the dreaded taking of the MOLD! I cannot believe that they have not come up with a better way to do this!!! I hated it when I had to do it over 25 years ago!!!

Then the taking of the pictures! I could not stop laughing! Then Meg started in and it was very hard to stop. I think we will use this one at her wedding reception!

So HAPPY! She is all done! What a great smile!! Say CHEESE!

Yummy Breadsticks

2010-02-08T23:33:00.003-07:00

There are things that I am good at and lots of things that I am not. I inherited my love of homemaking from my mother and my use of power tools from my dad! One thing that I did not inherit is my Mom's talent for making bread. My mom makes FABULOUS bread and rolls! It is not Thanksgiving unless you get at least one of my mom's rolls. Well to make a long story short... I found a great recipe over at www.thecookingmamas.blogspot.com for breadsticks and they are super easy and have turned out wonderfully every time we have made them!

1½ cups warm water
1 tablespoon instant yeast
2 tablespoons sugar
3 ½ cups flour
½ teaspoon salt
3 tablespoons butter, melted (for the baking sheet)

Mix all ingredients (except melted butter) in your mixer for three minutes. Let the dough rest for 10 minutes. Heat oven to 375 degrees. Spread melted butter onto an 11X17-inch baking sheet. Roll out the breadstick dough about 1/2-inch thick and cut into strips with a pizza cutter. Twist slightly if desired and place about 1/2-inch apart on the baking sheet. Sprinkle with garlicbread sprinkle (made by Mcormick). Cover with greased plastic wrap and let rise 30 minutes. Sprinkle with Shredded Monzerella Cheese and Bake 15-20 minutes at 375 degrees until golden brown.

Purse Project

2010-02-08T08:39:00.001-07:00

I know it has been a little while since I posted about this find...

Here's how it turned out! All for about$2.50!!!

Boy, how we've changed!

2010-01-26T23:20:00.002-07:00

I cannot believe that this picture was taken just a short 3 1/2 years ago! It used to drive me a little CRAZY when people would tell me to savor their youth. How could I savor it... I was just trying to survive it! These pictures were take at Brayden's baptism when he turned eight. He will turn 12 this year and be old enough to pass the sacrament! Where has my cute baby gone with the missing front teeth! (Be careful Liz... It will happen to you too!!) Enjoy those toothless grins while you can! Our family is changing so quickly now it is hard to catch my breath. I want to yell... STOP! WAIT! let me catch up a little!