8 weeks ago my friend, Karyn Zendejas, entered a Muscle & Fitness Hers Transformation Challenge. She has been very dedicated and worked really hard! Please go HERE and vote for her! THANKS!!!
**All the names are ABOVE the pictures. When you get to the website, hit CTRL+F then type her name Karyn Z to find her. You can view her BEFORE and AFTER pics if you click on her picture. Then don’t forget to hit the VOTE button on the bottom of the page.
THANK YOU!!!!!!
I’ve been mostly posting updates on facebook recently.
Seriously, I can’t believe it’s been over 2 months since I last posted here!
Here’s a few updates:
Ashley was baptized as a new member of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-Day Saints! We’re so proud of her! I also found a beautiful white dress for her to wear so she would feel extra special!
My Dad got married over spring break. He’s been going back ‘n forth between here and California and wherever his new wife needs to be. She just graduated with her Masters degree and is looking for a job in several states. So, we’re not sure where they will end up.
My Sister is moving to Colorado in a week. :( She needs some fresh new scenery and will be staying with one of her best friends, so I’m not too worried about her. Although I will miss her terribly.
We had a wonderful Easter and Ashley even learned to ride her bike (without training wheels)! That was a HUGE accomplishment for her. She has been terrified to get on her bike even though Ben was always holding on. We’re so proud of her!
Ben has been in Taiwan for the past 3 weeks (for work). He’s coming home tonight! I’m so excited!!! We’ve been using skype for the first time to talk to each other. It was fun being able to see him while we talked. I think it kind of made it seem like he wasn’t so far away. He could also show me his hotel room and the view from his window. I took snapshots nearly every time we talked, which really wasn’t that much because of the 15 hour time difference. Sometimes he was being silly, so of course, I snapped those moments, usually without him knowing. haha Sorry babe, I just couldn’t resist sharing some of these pics. *Can you tell what was on the tv one night?
While he was gone, my friend from TX, Karyn, visited me for almost 2 weeks! We had so much fun together! We went to the gym nearly every day, visited the kids’ P.E. classes at school (it was parent P.E. week), shopped, went to bunko, rollerbladed, and swam lots! 
We also had a relaxing Mother’s Day {considering Ben wasn’t here, Karyn’s kids were back in TX, and my Mom wasn’t here}! Here’s what we made for breakfast – Belgian waffles with strawberries & cool whip!
And the kids made some cute gifts at school for me!
M-Marvelous, O-Oh’ So Nice, T-Terrific, H-Heart, E-Extra, R-Reads to me (that last one took a minute to figure out) By Anson
“Dear Mom, Happy Mother’s Day! I love you and thank you for helping me with my homework. Thank you for making all these yummy meals. I also wish that every day was no school so that I can spend time with you everyday. I love you very much. Love, Ashley”
M-My Special Hero!, O-Often makes me Happy!, T-The very best Mom!, H-Hugs from you makes me feel loved!, E-Everlasting love!, R-Really amazing mother! by Felicia
Awww they just melt my heart ♥
Karyn also introduced me to a new food – Quinoa (pronounced Keen-wah). It’s really good and good for you! I got a small package in the health food section at Fry’s (a grocery store). I made just one cup of dry Quinoa, it pretty much doubles in size when you cook it. When it was done cooking, we mixed in sautee’d onions & green peppers, then added some frozen peas and corn – you let it sit covered for a minute or two and they get cooked from the heat of the Quinoa. I had some leftover grilled chicken, so I threw that in there too. That was our dinner the other night. Nathaniel & Felicia love it, so do I! Since I posted about it on facebook, here’s a pic:
With everything that has been going on, I decided to take a little break from digital scrapbook designing. Hopefully, I can get some mojo and get back into it soon. I really love it, but I’ve needed a little break.
I can’t believe that school is almost over for my kids! Less than 2 weeks are left!!! Next week, Nathaniel & Felicia have an orchestra concert, history fair (they’ve been working hard on a history report and presentation), and their hip hop dance recital. Felicia also has to write a short speech and make a poster because she’s running for student council President! Elections are Wednesday! Way to shoot for the stars! Yearbooks have arrived and I’ll be busy handing out preordered ones next week and selling the rest of them before and after school. Then the last week, the kids will all have their class parties! They are so excited!
Ok, so that’s a little bit of what we’ve been up to, of course there’s more but then this post would never end. haa haa A couple more busy weeks, then SUMMER VACATION!!!!! YAY!!!
Ok, this has taken way toooooo long to type this up plus add all the pics (my comp kept freezing and wouldn’t let me add the pics for a while). I need to help get the house cleaned before Ben gets home tonight! :)
I’ll start with the shocking news…
For those of you who haven’t heard yet, my Dad met someone online, they met and immediately became engaged. They have recently set the date for May 20th to get married. It’s been kind of difficult dealing with this. My sister and I have been trying to be happy for our Dad but it’s still too fast for us. But it’s what he wants, so there’s no changing his mind. She will be visiting here March 18-26th, so that’s when we’ll get to meet her.
Good News…
I finally removed the hangers, bagged, and donated all of my Mom’s clothes. It was 2 huge trash bags plus a bag for her shoes.
Fun news…
I shopped for bunko prizes last week. Then I hosted bunko at my house on Friday. It was a blast! And I got a cute prize (I really wanted to keep all of them)!
On to sweeter news…
My darling Ashley had her 8th birthday over the weekend. I can’t believe how quickly she is growing and changing. She has been wanting secret journals, so she received a couple of those. You know the kind that has a mini key with it? She thinks they are so cool. She also got a Moxie doll (like a Barbie doll but with changeable heads) and an iCarly notebook, but I forgot to buy some batteries, so she hasn’t used it yet. I think you have to use a passcode to get it open, then you can write your notes in it. My sister also found a gift & card that my Mom had bought for Ashley before she died. So, Christy was able to give that to her. It’s a necklace with a charm and inside is a mustard seed with a quote attached that reads, “If ye have faith as a grain of mustard seed, nothing shall be impossible unto you.” Ashley was so excited!!! I love the one I got just like it when I was 8 from my Aunt Wendy. I still have it.
Enjoying breakfast (homemade Belgian waffles) with her BFF that spent the night.
Playing a little xbox.
Eating lunch after the makeover her sister gave her. 
her bday cake (rainbow chip with rainbow chip frosting) 
The whole gang! 
blowing out 8 candles. 
her Moxie doll. 
some wall scrapbook kits 
Ashley with Grandma and Grandpa Stradling 
Ashley & me 
Ashley & Ben
And because Ashley turned 8, she will be getting baptized this Saturday. She is thrilled!
Decluttering news…
Ben & I helped the kids go thru their closets & dressers to gather all the clothes that don’t fit them. We filled 7 trash bags!!! {well 2 or 3 were already filled with baby/toddler clothes just waiting to be donated}. Ben dropped off ALL the clothing for donations yesterday! It really feels good to get all that stuff OUT of the house that we weren’t using. Now, if I can just get the computer room organized. Hmmmm. That’s for another day. LOL
* NEW * March Challenges are posted.
Head on over to the DSO Challenge Blog for some inspiration, plus you earn freebies!
Here's what you get FREE if you play along:
{remember my posting bonuses are coordinating}
HAPPY SPRING and HAPPY SCRAPPING!
Tintinnabulation
is a long word that describes the sound of a bell ringing.
~you can hear the pronunciation HERE
I found this word on the kids’ lunch menu. I thought it was an interesting word & I had never heard it before.
I’m so excited to be a part of my first HUGE Blog Train! YAY!!!
Just a little kick-off to SPRING! {my fave time of year}
Here’s what you have to look forward to {for FREE} if you hop around to all the participating blogs:
Ok, so you may have just hopped here from Sara Ellis’ blog.Here’s my portion of this GORGEOUS Mega Kit Shine On:
You can grab it HERE.
Next Stop is LouCee Creations (my fellow DSO Designer)! Wooohoooo!
If you get lost along the way, don’t worry, head over to the Blog Train Blog for a list of all the participants!
Enjoy! And I would LOVE to see if you use my part to create something!
Thanks Trish for all your hard work organizing yet another fabulous blog train!!!
So, I decided to post the list here too:
1. Rustic Charm Creations - http://rusticcharmcreations.blogspot.com/
2. Inspiredbydominic Designs -http://www.inspiredbydominic.com/blog
3. Jeanne Marie Scraps - http://jeanne-maries-scraps.blogspot.com/
4. JayaPrem's Hangout - http://scraps-by-jayaprem.blogspot.com/
5. Pixie Mama Designs - http://pixiemamadesigns.blogspot.com
6. Wyld Web Designs - http://wyldwebdesigns.com/wordpress/
7. AnDi Designs - http://andreaditonno.blogspot.com
8. Graham Like The Cracker - http://gltcblog.wyldgrahamcrackers.com
9. Laura Marie Scraps - http://lauramariescraps.blogspot.com
10. Chris Greiser - http://sketchmeifyoucan.blogspot.com
11. Barb Speck - http://www.barbspeck.blogspot.com/
12. Kalo Designs - http://kalodesigns.com/wordpress/
13. Leslie G. Designs - http://lesliegdesigns.blogspot.com/
14. JennCk Designs - http://jennck.blogspot.com/
15. Color With Caryn - http://blog.colorwithcaryn.com
16. Shanmomto4designs - http://www.shanmomto4designs.com/
17. jennylyn Designs - http://www.jennilyndesigns.com/journal
18. DeliciousScraps - http://Deliciousscraps.com
19. My4PrincessesDesigns - http://www.my4princessesdesigns.blogspot.com
20. Trish H. Designs - http://trishhdesigns.blogspot.com/
21. TMA Designs - http://themathematiciansassistant.com
22. Designs by BubblyKori - http://bubblykori.blogspot.com/
23. GeniaBeana Scraps - http://geniabeanascraps.blogspot.com
24. JW-DigiScraps - http://www.jwdigiscraps.com
25. Mad Genius Designs - http://bothmadandgenius.blogspot.com/
26. mITSYBELLE Designs - http://mitsybelle.com/blog/
27. Chaos Lounge - http://jen-at-chaos-lounge.blogspot.com/
28. Bon Scrapatit Designs - http://bonscrapatitdesigns.blogspot.com
29. Starry Eyed Designs - http://starryeyeddesignsbyamy.blogspot.com/
30. HotFlashDesigns - http://p-u-s-h.typepad.com/
31. Scrapper's Delights - http://scrappersdelights.com/blog/
32. Lizard Dau Designs - http://liz-lizarddaudesigns.blogspot.com/
33. SandEz Creationz - http://sandezcreationz.blogspot.com
34. KimB Designs - http://kimbsdesigns.blogspot.com/
35. Wilma4ever - http://wilma4ever.blogspot.com/
36. FoxyDesigns - http://foxydesigns.biz
37. KimericKreations - http://kimerickreations.blogspot.com
38. ikscrap - http://www.ikscrap.nl
39. Charlize Creations - http://beautyframe.blogspot.com/
40. Christine Smith Digital Design - http://christinesmithdigital.blogspot.com
41. GET Designs - http://ginnytallent.blogspot.com
42. Robyn Pali Designs - http://robynpalidesigns.blogspot.com/
43. Trixie Scraps Designs - http://blog.trixiescraps.com
44. gabs-art - http://www.scraplantis.com/gabs-blog/
45. Willow Grace Designs - http://willowgracedesigns.blogspot.com/
46. Designs by Keira - http://designsbykeira.blogspot.com/
47. Little Red Scraps - http://littleredscraps.blogspot.com
48. Altered Sea - http://alteredsea.net
49. Wetfish Designs - http://wetfishdesigns.com/blog
50. A-liya - http://a-liya.blogspot.com/
51. Mel's World - http://mels-world1.blogspot.com/
52. Sweet Tomato Designs - http://sweettomatodesigns.blogspot.com
53. Kiss This Designs - http://littlebitofthisandalittlebitofscrap.blogspot.com/
54. AliSarah Digiscraps - http://scrappincuteness.blogspot.com
55. Flutter Expressions - http://www.flutterexpressions.blogspot.com
56. Major Scrapola - http://majorscrapola.blogspot.com/
57. Jennifer Fox Designs - http://jenniferfoxdesigns.blogspot.com/
58. Polka Dot Pixels - http://polkadotpixels.blogspot.com
59. Nikki Epperson - http://gonescrappindesigns.com/blog
60. Digital Artistry by Nicole - http://crop-a-holic.blogspot.com
61. Happy Scrap Girl - http://happyscrapgirl.blogspot.com/
62. Susan Robinson Designs - http://susanrobinsoncreative.blogspot.com/
63. LDrag Designs - http://ldragdesigns.blogspot.com/
64. Sherri Tierney - http://sherritierney.blogspot.com
65. Mikki Designs - http://mikkidesigns.blogspot.com/
66. Digilicious Designs - http://digilicious.typepad.com/digi_licious_designs/
67. BooLand Designs - http://boolanddesign.blogspot.com/
68. Photocowgirl - http://photocowgirl.blogspot.com/
69. Jewelscraps - http://jewelscraps.blogspot.com
70. Kathy Winters - http://wordartfun.blogspot.com
71. Late Night Scraps - http://latenightscraps/blogspot.com
72. Creations By Rachael - http://www.creationsbyrachaelb.com/wordpress/
73. Allison Pennington - http://allisonpennington.familyartspace.com
74. Sherry Ferguson - http://sherryfergusondesigns.blogspot.com/
75. Day Break Scraps - http://daybreakscraps.blogspot.com
76. Shel Belle Scraps - http://shelbellescraps.blogspot.com
77. eqrAveziur- http://eqraveziur.blogspot.com
78. Moonchylde Creations - http://www.moonchylde906.blogspot.com
79. Geek Chic Scraps - http://geekchicscraps.blogspot.com/
80. ScrapBug Designs - http://scrapbugdesigns.blogspot.com/
81. Sara Ellis - http://scrapsillysara.blogspot.com/
-->82. Andrea Dickinson - http://the-dickinsons.blogspot.com/
83. (had to backed out link to next person!)
84. LouCee Creations - http://louclark.blogspot.com/
85. Twin Mom Scraps - http://twinmomscraps.blogspot.com
86. DesignZ by DeDe - http://designzbydede.blogspot.com
87. Tahera - http://scrapbookartstudio.wordpress.com/
88. AmyEdwards -http://amyedwards.com
89. Lillyscrap - http://lilleyscrap.blogspot.com
90. Tricia Curtis - http://triciacurtis.com/blog
91. A+ Designs - http://www.aplusdesigns.blogspot.com/
92. KariQ Designs - http://kariqdesigns.blogspot.com/
93. Snips & Snails - http://snipsandsnailsscraps.blogspot.com/
94. Brandi Beaver - http://www.brandibeaver.blogspot.com
95. Scrapmuss Designs - http://scrapmuss.blogspot.com/
96. Kris Myers Designs - http://nwfotobug.blogspot.com
97. Project B Designs - http://www.projectbdesigns.com
98. Rebeccapsp Designs - http://rebeccasscrappingsilliness.blogspot.com/
99. Smooth Sailing Designs - http://myplaceintimelaura.blogspot.com/
100. Victoria Feemster - http://victoriafeemster.wordpress.com
101. Verena Designs - http://www.verena-online.info/blog/
102. Pixelfairy Designs - http://pixelfairydesign.blogspot.com/
103. BTA Designs - http://btaphotography.blogspot.com/
104. SgD DESIGNS - http://scrapbooksgonedigital.blogspot.com/
105. Maitri - www.maitriscraps.blogspot.com
106. Topsy Turvy Digital - http://blog.topsyturvydigital.com/
107. Designs By Sassy - http://sassyscrappin.typepad.com
P.S. Please remember that everyone is in different time zones, so if their part isn’t posted yet, check back in a little while because you don’t want to miss out. Thanks!
The kids are so excited for their class parties today! Which basically means lots of candy & treats! What better way to celebrate a holiday? hahaha It’s ALL about the candy! LOL
The kids assembled their Valentine goodie bags Wednesday night. It got kind of late, so Anson had already fallen asleep and wouldn’t wake up. Oh well, he was excited to see everything all done when he woke up.
Here’s the candy that went into the bags – candy ♥s and kisses!
Ashley started making the bags by herself.
Then Nathaniel joined in.
Once Felicia finished her homework, she helped too.
YAY! All 108 bags are assembled and ready to go!
Here’s what went into each teacher bag. A goodie bag plus a 3-pack of delicious milk chocolate covered caramels plus a card!
They all took their Valentine goodies to school yesterday. Nathaniel and Felicia already handed theirs out. All their friends were excited to receive cute treats!
Nathaniel & Felicia’s classes are also having a gift exchange (it was supposed to be instead of cards for everyone, but we opted to do both). Everyone filled out a little questionnaire and then exchanged them. Here’s what Felicia is giving away to a girl in her class.
Here’s what Nathaniel is giving away to a boy in his class.
By the way, this is supposedly Nathaniel’s *girlfriend*. Aren’t they cute? They were sitting together at lunch yesterday. I also got one of those huge Hershey kisses, so Nathaniel’s giving it to her today. He’s happy he has a little gift for her! :)
Felicia has a boy who likes her and keeps giving her treats this week. She was out sick Monday & Tuesday, so when he came to our house for cub scouts Tuesday night, he gave her some Pop Rocks. (yep he’s in our ward and is one of Ben’s scouts) Then he gave her a sucker and a little toy (from Sonic) yesterday. Isn’t that sweet? You know what’s funny? Felicia had a crush on him for the longest time (like a couple years), then recently he started being mean to her at church and school. Hmmmm I told Felicia he probably thought she was cute and no longer knew how to behave *normal* around her. haha Then suddenly she’s sick and he tells a few people (well the word gets around quickly – u remember those days right?) that he wanted to give her a treat since he felt bad she was sick, and a friend told her when I was picking up the kids from school (she was in the car with me). She is no longer hating on him. Oh yes, I totally remember the grade school drama. LOL
{This was taken at Skateland last night & the boy who’s been giving Felicia treats is in this picture – far right. I was trying to get them in a pic together but not make it obvious to embarrass her too much. heee heeee}
Back in January, Ashley’s class was reading & talking about Flat Stanley. So each kid made one of their own. Here’s Ashley’s Flat Stanley. Isn’t he cute?
Everyone got to send Flat Stanley on an adventure to a friend/family in another state. Ashley chose to send him to my brother’s family in TN. They had so much fun with him! They took lots of pictures and sent him back to Ashley’s class, so they could find out about his adventure. Ashley was thrilled to hear all about Flat Stanley and her aunt & uncle & cousins in TN. She got to leave the letter and some pictures at school. So she brought the rest of the pics home and Flat Stanley. She liked them so much she hung them all by her bed.
Thank you Spencer, Merrianne, Libby & Jacob for taking such great care of Flat Stanely & returning him home safely!
Alrighty, I’m off to get some things done today. Have a wonderful Valentine’s weekend! ♥
