Good for a little chuckle...

GAMES FOR WHEN WE ARE OLDER
1. Sag, you're It.
2. Hide and go pee.
3. 20 questions shouted into your good ear.
4. Kick the bucket
5. Red Rover, Red Rover, the nurse says Bend Over.
6. Musical recliners.
7. Simon says something incoherent.
8. Pin the Toupee on the bald guy

PONDERISMS
1. Garden Rule: When weeding, the best way to make sure you are removing a weed and not a valuable plant is to pull on it. If it comes out of the ground easily, it is a valuable plant.
2. The easiest way to find something lost around the house is to buy a replacement.
3. Never take life seriously. Nobody gets out alive anyway.
4. Have you noticed since everyone has a camcorder these days no one talks about seeing UFOs like they used to?
5. In the 60's, people took acid to make the world weird. Now the world is weird and people take Prozac to make it normal.
6. How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire?
7. Who was the first person to look at a cow and say, 'I think I'll squeeze these dangly things here and drink whatever comes out?'
8. If Jimmy cracks corn and no one cares, why is there a song about him?
9. Why does your OB-GYN leave the room when you get undressed if he's going to look up there anyway?
10. Why doesn't glue stick to the inside of the bottle?

But Most Of All, Remember...
A Good Friend is like a Good Bra. Hard to Find, Supportive, Comfortable, and Always Close to Your Heart!

Staples, Art Masterpiece, Love Letters SALE

Anson got his staples out yesterday. YAY!!! He wasn't real happy when he saw we went to the same place. He said, "Oh this place again?!" He did such a good job! He was a little nervous when the doctor came in & wanted to touch his *owie head*. He started shaking & cried a little bit while getting the staples taken out. It looked like it hurt a bit. He said it hurt BIG, but he was fine once he was done. The nice nurse gave him a lollipop and 3 stickers! He felt special & glad to be leaving there! The doctor let us keep the staples & the removal tool. Anson loved showing the kids when they got home from school.

I just did my 2nd day of Art Masterpiece presentation today. It's getting easier, kind of. It's definitely FUN! Plus I get to see my munchkins for a few minutes at school.

Oh my goodness! January is flying by and Valentine's Day is almost here!

I have a new kit in my store at DigiScrapObsession (DSO).

Love Letters

A beautiful vintage Valentine's Day kit full of warm neutrals and deep reds perfect for those photos of your loved ones.

15 Papers and 1 Torn Paper
40 Elements {not all shown}

SAVE 25% NOW

Also, you can get this Addon to the kit Play for $2 in the store.

OR

You can get it FREE if you purchase the kit PLAY and send me your invoice via email {my email address is in the tou}. Then I will send you a COUPON to get the Addon FREE.

This offer ends midnight January 31st.

Play - SAVE 25% for a limited time

Ok, I'm off to meet my Mom & Sister for lunch! HAVE A GREAT DAY!!!

Kindergarten, FREE with Purchase & SALE

Not too much going on lately, but somehow I'm staying busy. It's probably the {extended} family drama. It's annoying & takes so much out of me!

On a good note - we got Anson registered for Kindergarten this week. He is so EXCITED!!! We opted for the all day class but due to huge budget cuts coming up (decisions haven't been finalized yet) we may not know until school starts if he will be all day or half day. All my kids have done all day class, so we really wanted him to be able to do that too. Plus if all the other kids ride together in the morning, why not ride together coming home. {they ride their bikes} Whatever happens, he will be thrilled. I'm a little sad to have my baby going to school soon. He's not in preschool and I've really enjoyed having our special time together! He's my little partner in crime! tee hee :)

Kids just need to STOP growing up! LOL

This morning while the kids were getting ready for school, Felicia was having issues on what to wear. Usually they get their clothes ready the night before, but for some reason, she said she didn't have ANY pants to wear. What? I just gave the girls a stack of clean jeans on Saturday! She said most of hers were capris and didn't want to wear the other 2. {we were having this discussion while I was still in bed this morning} Nathaniel told her to wear her blue pants because {the boy she likes} will be attracted to her! HAHAHA Ok, I think he's a little young to be giving advice like that! But her blue pants are CUTE! I told her we don't get dressed just for a boy! {she doesn't need to worry about that for a while} She decided on the blue pants and she looked great! YAY crisis over! LOL Really she looks FABULOUS no matter what she wears!

Today Anson gets his staples out!!! WOOHOOO!! Hope it doesn't hurt him. He won't let anyone touch his *owie head* {his words}. It looks a lot better. I think it's a thick scab. Hopefully it's healing properly and will be all better soon!

I have been having MAJOR allergies lately! Anyone else having the same problem? I wake up with puffy, burning, watery eyes and sneezing! UGH! I've been taking my Allegra-D but it's taking longer than usual to *kick in*! Most of the time I only need to take my morning dose, but now I think I need the evening dose too.

Guess my allergies don't even compare to all the people without electricity in the states with the BIG ice storms! Not only is it FREEZING outside, but they don't have any power or heat inside! Brrrrr. Hope they can all be safe & warm!!!

We've been having some chilly evenings & mornings, but we also had some really gorgeous days recently. So, with thoughts of warmer weather....

I made this Add-on to my kit PLAY. Want to know how you can get it FREE? Keep reading...

***NOTE***
This addon is FREE with purchase of the kit PLAY during Jan 25th - Jan 31st. To get this addon FREE, simply purchase the full Kit PLAY between Jan 25th - Jan 31st. Send me a copy of your invoice {my email address is listed in the TOU inside the kit}. Once I receive your invoice, I'll send you a COUPON to grab this addon FREE.

And these kits are still on SALE - My Girl collection & PLAY

These are also the kits being used in The Great Exchange Challenge at DSO {DigiScrapObsession}. Make a mini-brag (wallet/trading card 2.5x3.5 inches) size QP using PLAY or MY GIRL kits, and you get a copy of all the QPs that get made in the challenge! Better hurry if you want to join, these challenges end on Saturday. Then February's challenges will be up.

Oooops Sorry! This post turned into a long one. If you're still reading this - You're crazy but THANKS!! tee hee :)

one more thing.....Ooooh I'm happy because my Sister and I are having lunch tomorrow! We haven't done that in months! Can't wait to see you sis :)

My FUN week, Layout & FREEBIE

Do you remember THIS post {about the AMAZING David Bowman prints}?

Well, I got my signed David Bowman print {"Innocence"} in the mail TODAY!!!! Yippeeee!!

Thank you, David. It's even more BEAUTIFUL in person!!!

Today I had lunch at Subway {grabbed a turkey sub with my Mom}. LOVE that place! I also couldn't resist & stopped by Sprout's for a treat for the kiddos. Once in a while I'll get some yogurt or chocolate covered pretzels or gummy worms for them. Today I got some fresh Jordan Almonds. {candy coated almonds} Mmmmm. Anson says that Ashley will only like the PINK ones! hahaha

Had girls night last night. Usually a big group of us, but turned out to be only Alicia, Julie & me. We saw Bride Wars. It was SO CUTE!!! Fun evening!

Monday, we went hiking. It was the most beautiful day! We went to Usery Pass to hike Scarface. Usually we stop once we hit the Wind Caves, but we decided to continue to the top for the first time. It was rugged & some rock climbing {not too bad though & not very far to the top}. The kids did AWESOME!! Oh my gosh! It was AMAZING on the very top! It was really cool because there was a Mesa Police helicopter that was below us and circled around the mountain back towards us. We took pictures & waved and they came up high & really close & waved back! The kids LOVED it too! It's the closest we've ever been to a helicopter!

If you go to their site, they also have fun KID activities. I want to check those out. There was a hiker that I chatted with and she told me about the program. She's also a volunteer. They sound FUN!!

Here's a view from the Wind Cave {looking out}

Here's a view from the TOP
Isn't it AMAZING?

Have you seen the challenges this month at DSO? Lots of fun stuff this month, plus Bunny gave the site a beautiful facelift. You'll have to re-register, but it's totally worth it.

I'm hosting 2 challenges this month: Font & Quote

If you play along, then you get these posting bonuses {free} from me!

Font Challenge posting bonus

Quote Challenge posting bonus

I'm also having a SALE right now - SAVE 25% on these kits:

I scrapped!!

We were roasting marshmallows in our fireplace a couple weeks ago on a chilly night. It was FUN & Yummy!! Ashley liked roasting hers {barely} and then eating the marshmallows out of a bowl. I scraplifted KimB's Magic of Christmas layout for the DSO Scraplift Challenge.

I made this layout using the mini kit that I created for the DSO Color Challenge.

You can download this FREE kit HERE

By the way, I LOVE reading all the comments. THANKS ♥

Staples {and I don't mean the store}

The adventure continues....

Did you read the previous post? Thanks for all the comments. I thought I was freaked out by them playing on the ROOF. Well, it gets WORSE!

Saturday, I was on the phone with Ben (he was at work & usually calls during his lunch hour on the way to the gym) when I heard the doorbell. I got off the phone to answer the door. Oh and I was still in a robe at Noon. {Note to self: Apparently, I need to get dressed earlier on Saturdays. They seem to be our day of horror.} Felicia ran to the door to unlock it. Ashley is standing in the doorway in her jammies freaked out & crying. Anson was only in a t-shirt & his underwear. {our kids don't like to get fully dressed plus I thought they were in the backyard} She said they got locked out and Anson had fallen & LOOK! Anson turned to look at me as I was approaching the door. The right side of his face & head was covered in BLOOD! Yikes! What happened???

Ashley muttered something about being on the shed. She climbed down on one side and Anson had fallen backwards on the otherside. When she got to him, he was standing on a chair dripping blood everywhere! She's really frightened of blood, so this was completely freaking her out!

I called Ben right away. He was prepared to ditch work & rush home. I told him to wait. I called my Mom and being the SUPER MOM that she is, she rushed over to watch the other kids, so I could run Anson to urgent care. *Thanks Mom* I rushed to get dressed & brush my teeth {very important} and had to look up the nearest urgent care online (new insurance since the last time we've had to do this). Felicia, Ashley & Nathaniel (in that order) have all had stitches (well ok Ashley got the glue, which totally doesn't work in my opinion) so I was kind of prepared for this kind of situation. I felt so bad for him. He was so scared. I got him cleaned up as much as possible. Each kid that walked into the kitchen to see his head would cover their mouth and make a wide-eyed scared face. I had to tell them to stop looking at him weird & saying stuff because it was upsetting Anson. I was trying to calm him down & they were NOT helping.

Urgent care on Saturday at 12:30pm is apparently one of the busiest places to be. It was a LONG wait. We were there 2 1/2 hours when they finally took a look at him (he also got in a nice long nap - poor little sweetie). They applied the numbing gel & said it would take another 30 minutes to take effect. Finally they called us back and Dr Gomez got him all cleaned up & said it was really deep. He gave him 6 staples! Wow I wasn't expecting that. Have you ever seen them *staple* a head? It's weird. It didn't hurt Anson but he wasn't thrilled about the pressure or sound it made. I could barely watch without squinting & I'm not squeamish.

We finished about 3:30pm & decided to meet my Mom & the other kiddos at McDonald's (she took them there for lunch). Did you know that chicken nuggets happy meal & vanilla ice cream cone have healing powers? Well, they do. Anson was feeling GREAT after he scarfed all his food. I guess trauma makes him very hungry (well and he hadn't eaten breakfast since 9am). Nathaniel & Felicia thought he looked freaky. Ashley didn't want to get near him because it freaked her out too. I thought she was going to cry again. I told her that it would be nice if she gave him a hug to help him feel better. She looked at me like I was crazy and stood farther from him. Awwww at least Anson didn't notice he was too busy eating.

Anson wanted to play when he was done eating but I told him it wasn't a good idea. He might hit his head and make it bleed more. Nathaniel thought I said NO because it would freak out the other kids like it was freaking him out. Silly kids. As if they've never seen a wound before.

If you are feeling brave, you can see some gory pictures HERE.

He's doing really good & even tells us that it doesn't hurt {unless he thinks someone is going to TOUCH it}. He got lots of interesting looks at church & we had to explain several times what happened. We can't cover it because nothing would stay on his hair. And it looks kinda gross because we have to gob on the neosporin to keep it clean.

Oh and ALL the kids promised that they will NEVER climb on top of the shed again! As it turns out, it really is DANGEROUS!

Art & Adventure

My FIRST Art Masterpiece presentation(s) went well! I was so nervous, but the kids were AWESOME! I feel more confident now that I've done it.

Here's the first portrait we talked about in Felicia's class:

Artist in Studio by Jan Vermeer

These are the ones we talked about in Nathaniel's class:

The Dance Class by Edgar Degas

Little Dancer by Edgar Degas
(bronze statue)

I was really surprised how many kids really liked the art and would actually hang it in their houses. The ones who didn't like them could still appreciate them. YAY!

On to Friday... Ashley & Anson were being really quiet & suspicious after school. As soon as I found them, Ashley explained to me that they were playing on the roof. Ummm WHAT??? Yep, she said the ROOF {of our house}!!! She said it was EASY because they just climbed the wrought iron gate, onto the block fence, hopped onto the aluminum tool shed, then climbed onto the roof (over the carport). She was EXCITED while she told me about their little adventure. I told her how dangerous it was, etc etc, and to NEVER EVER DO IT AGAIN!!!

Ok Mom.

Well, fast forward a couple hours. Felicia had just came home from playing at a friend's house {with her friend}. I was about to get some dinner started when I heard loud noises in the ceiling moving across the house. I knew right away what it was.

Went into the backyard and found Ashley & Anson RUNNING on the roof back & forth!!!

I immediately told them to get down {I also took a few pictures for proof & blackmail later}. As I was beginning to count {you know the drill...get down...1....2....don't make me get to 3}, Felicia climbed up the wall & was starting to climb onto the roof as I was also telling her NO! She was thrilled that it was so easy & she was also running around. See, here's my blackmail proof:

Oh yeah, they're having FUN {for now}.

Then the other little master of disaster was trying to copy them. Oh Grandma arrived and saved him from getting into trouble. He jumped down & ran to the front of the house to greet Grandma, who was also coming over to take Nathaniel to get some frozen yogurt from Ocean Blue.

I ran to the front of the yard and yelled {I'm pretty sure all my neighbors heard me at this point} at them to GET DOWN and they were ALL GROUNDED!

I also made them promise to NEVER do it again! I also explained ALL the dangers of *playing* up there! They got to hear it all over again when Ben got home.

Our little adventure doesn't end there. Will be back in a little while to explain.

Awwwww my leg is tingling!

I was just checking my email {with my legs crossed} and now my right foot is asleep! BUT it's tingling all the way up my leg! AWWWWWWW I hate that! So, I just have to sit here for a couple minutes til it goes away. If I move too quickly, then the "pins-n-needles" feeling hurts even more!

Ok, well since I was done and have to wait, thought I'd share my pain with you! LOL

It's starting to feel cool and go away a little. Maybe if I get up slowly it will be OK. I need to get dressed and go do Art Masterpiece for Felicia & Nathaniel's class today. It's my FIRST time. Wish me luck!

School & Decorations

Parent/Teacher Conferences were AWESOME! My kids LOVE their teachers & so do I. The kids are doing EXCELLENT in school and their teachers all had WONDERFUL things to say about them! YAY!!!

Now I need to pick up a Kindergarten registration packet for Anson. He will go to school next year. Oh my gosh! My youngest will be in school!!! My sweet little helper & partner in crime will be gone all day. :( But he is thrilled about going to school, just like all my other kids were happy to begin school too.

I signed up to do Art Masterpiece for Felicia & Nathaniel's classes this year. It's my first time doing it, but I am excited but also a little nervous. Another parent in Felicia's class will be my partner, so we'll trade off each time. Tomorrow is my first day (it's only once every 2 weeks) for both classes. I need to get ready for that. {fyi-Art Masterpiece is a program at school where we go in for about 15-20 minutes and discuss assigned art prints. It's a great way for the kids to see different works of art and learn how to appreciate it.}

Just so you know...it's official...Christmas is OVER. We finally took our tree & decorations down, packed them up & threw them up into the attic until next year. We didn't actually throw them. hahaha Ashley & Felicia kindly snuck up into the attic, so they could be our helpers. Then while Ben & I were organizing all the boxes in the attic, the girls were making plans on how COOL it would be to have the attic be their bedroom! HAHAHAHA We reminded them it gets COLD in the winter and scorching HOT in the summer. They still thought it would be fun to have their beds up there and all the attic stuff pushed to one side. Oh my gosh, they were cracking us up!

Gym, Conference & Project 365

Went to the gym today! YAY ME!!! Didn't go all December and probably most of November. I can totally tell. UGH! Must work off holiday treats that are stuck to my hips & waist, plus more. Even though I was tired and wanted to go home right after we got there, I feel better knowing I got something done that's good for me.

Parent-Teacher conferences today. I actually enjoy going to these. The kids are doing GREAT and I LOVE hearing wonderful things from the teachers, plus seeing what projects the kids are working on.

Speaking of projects...I finally have my album put together for my Project 365. WOOHOOO!!! I signed up for Hobby Lobby's online newsletter & received a 40% off coupon {for ONE regular priced item - one coupon per customer per day - don't you just love those special rules?}. So, I printed several and told my Mom about it too. She printed more than me. LOL

We went to Hobby Lobby together Friday after the kids got home from school and again on Saturday to make an exchange plus get a few extras. We decided to take advantage of our fabulous coupons and regular priced items and get a good deal on them. We each went thru different cashiers, then switched and also sent Felicia thru the lines to get each of our items using our coupons. It took forever (as Hobby Lobby usually does) but it was WORTH it!

Look what I finally have completed (well organized so I can begin)!
It's my album for all my photos for my Project 365 that I'm doing this year. I even started printing my pictures & put them in my album! I'm so EXCITED!!!! You can see my photos HERE.

Well, gotta go. Kids getting out of school and have conferences soon!

Feelin' Loved

THANK YOU for ALL the wonderful birthday wishes & gifts, cards & e-cards!!! They all mean so much to me!!! I'm feelin' the LOVE ♥

I had a great birthday! It actually started the night before {get your mind outta the gutter}.

After the kids went to bed, Ben & I stayed up til 4am rocking the challenges on Rock Band 2. Ben's gettin' pretty good with those drums! Guitar is my fave!! {on medium}

Got the kids to school, then Ben & I were so tired & cold, we went back to bed. I guess rockin' out late the night before will do that to ya! hahaha

Received several fun phone calls. Our internet & phone kept turning off & on throughout the day. Darn Cox! Oh well, finally got fixed. So I missed a few calls but got some messages & emails from friends wishing me happy bday! Thanks!

Went to a late lunch at Chili's with Ben & Anson. Our waiter didn't see us for a little while, so when he finally did, he was majorly kissing up to earn his tip. It was nice to have a waiter really working for his tip. {we gave him a nice one} He also gave Anson a coupon for a free kids' meal next time we come. YAY!

Picked up the kids from school & headed to Sam's Club for some much needed groceries. There were churros & hot dogs after the shopping, but the day isn't complete without a kid meltdown. That made for a FUN ride home. NOT!


But the evening ended well because I had tickets with friends to see "The Lion King" at ASU Gammage! And some of the gals {in our big group} couldn't make it, so several ladies brought a daughter. Last minute, someone else couldn't make it, so Felicia joined me too! It was a fantastic night out! And the play was AMAZING!!! The stage, costumes, acting & singing - all PHENOMENAL!!! LOVED IT!!!


Oh, one more tidbit...I've decided to do Project365 this year. I've heard about it before, and I'd like to do it too. I REALLY wanted Becky Higgins' Kit of the Month 'Project 365' but it sold out in mere minutes. The site crashed & they had major technical difficulties, so anyway, didn't get it even though I really tried. Oh well. My Mom and I are shopping around and figuring out how to make our own cute albums to organize all our photos. In the meantime, I've started a 2nd blog to share all my photos in one place. If you want to take a peek, go HERE! {FYI-On Becky's blog, she decided to do her own album by weeks, so she started a couple days early so she would have Sun-Sat. I started early too in case I decided to go that route. Once I get my own album started, then I'll decide if I want to print my Dec 28-31st pics.}

Are you doing Project 365? If you are, I'd LOVE to see your photos too!

Another Year OLDER & Wiser Too

HAPPY BIRTHDAY - - - TO ME!!!

Not too much planned. I like to have low-key birthdays, plus they always seem to sneak up on me when we're trying to recover from the holiday chaos. I save the big hoopla for the munchkins! Anyway, Ben & I may have a lunch date & get my free birthday ice cream from Cold Stone Creamery. Mmmmmm
{If you haven't signed up with their online birthday club, you should. Then they email you a free coupon for the week of your birthday! How awesome is that?!}

Have a FANTABULOUS Day!!!

FYI - I also have some kits on sale at DSO!
Go check it out HERE!

Beautiful Pictures by David Bowman

I want to thank my friend, Shauna at Trying to Stay Calm, for letting me know about this wonderful artist!

I wanted to share these beautiful pictures and what the artist has to say about each one of them!

****EXPIRED**** You can ALL win a FREE signed 8x10 print of your choice (out of the three prints), by copying and posting to your blog or website this whole post! After you post then send an e-mail to David (contact@bowman-art.com) with your website or blog address telling him you posted it and that you read about this offer on my blog. Also send him your name and mailing address and he will send your signed 8x10 print of your choice :)

Hurry because...*This offer expires Monday Jan. 5th at noon!!

*David Bowman: has had a passion for art ever since he could pick up a pencil. He loves creating images of the Savior that inspire and uplift. Along with his Christian fine art, David has also written and illustrated a series of scripture storybooks for children titled "Who's Your Hero". Check out his website at http://bowman-art.com/indexFineart.htm to see more of his precious art.

"Innocence"

The Savior tells us we need to become as little children to inherit the kingdom of God. I've often wondered what it is about little children Jesus loves most, and I think its their innocence. They are clean slates, seeing the world and others through untarnished eyes. Their hearts are pure, without the baggage of cynicism and self-doubt. In this piece, I've tried to imagine how a child would act upon meeting the Master for the first time. Without reservation or inhibition, I think he would simply want to play with Him. He would be at complete ease, allowing his pure little heart to soak in the love and laughter of His pure, infinite heart. Its no wonder Christ delights in these little ones and sets them up to be our examples.

"Security"

One of the greatest human needs is a sense of security. In all aspects of life, we naturally gravitate towards anything that makes us feel safe. In this piece, I wanted to convey a sense of complete peace and calm like only the Savior can provide. It's a security that allows us to rest assured, without fear or worry, when we put ourselves trustingly in His arms. Little children have that inherent kind of trust in their parents, so it's fitting that the man and girl who modeled for "Security" are actually father and daughter. They generatedthe exact feel I was looking for.

"My Child"

This piece conveys an intimate, up-close-and-personal feeling of the Savior's love. Notice how all the lines draw your attention and point towards Jesus' face in the center. I chose the name "My Child" because the only thing that could compare (even remotely) to Christ's compassion for us is the love of a parent for his/her child. This image is also intended to put things in perspective. Above all, we are God's children first. He allows us the privelege of experiencing parenthood for ourselves and we are entrusted to be the mothers and fathers of His children here on earth.

Oh my goodness! Aren't these ALL just so AMAZING?!!! I LOVE them ALL! I'd have to say my #1 fave is the first one though. I just LOVE how Jesus is laughing & playing with the child. Ahhh just makes me think of how Christ would show his love with my own kids. Puts a big smile on my face!

Word of the Year 2009

It's 2009!!!!

MyHotComments

May you find Peace & Happiness this year!!!
xoxo