Christmas ABC's

Here are some of the first things that come to mind when I think of Christmas...

A- angels
B- baking, bells
C-cookies,caroling, cards, cocoa
D-ReinDeer, dreams
E-envelopes for addressing
F-Family and Friends, Food, Frost
G-gifts, gingerbread houses
H-helping others
I-icicycles,
J-jingle bells, JOY and Jesus!!
K-king
L-lights,
M- Merry, mingling,
N-NOEL
O-ornaments
P-packages, presents, Peace, programs
Q-
R-Rudolph, Red, Ringing
S-singing,Santa, popcorn strings, Silent Night, Snow
T-Tree, Tinsel, Toys, Tags
U-universe
V-virgin Mary,
W-wrapping paper, white Christmas
X-
Y-young
Z-

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Some things about me-fun from another persons blog

So, this is going around some blogs I read....here's my version. You too can play along....cut and past into your own post. BOLD the items you've done! I marked mine in italics:-)

1. Started your own blog
2. Slept under the stars
3. played in a band
4. Visited Hawaii
5. Watched a meteor shower
6. Given more than you can afford to charity
7. Been to Disneyland or Disney World
8. Climbed a mountain
9. Held a praying mantis
10. Sang a solo
11. Bungee jumped
12. visited Paris
13. Watched a lightning storm at sea
14. Taught yourself an art from scratch
15. Adopted a child
16. Had food poisoning
17. Walked to the top of the Statue of Liberty
18. Grown your own vegetables
19. Seen the Mona Lisa in France
20. Slept on an overnight train
21. Had a pillow fight
22. Hitch hiked
23. Taken a sick day when you’re not ill
24. Built a snow fort
25. Held a lamb
26. Gone skinny dipping
27. Run a Marathon
28. Ridden in a gondola in Venice
29. Seen a total eclipse
30. Watched a sunrise or sunset
31. Hit a home run
32. Been on a cruise
33. Seen Niagara Falls in person
34. Visited the birthplace of your ancestors
35. Seen an Amish community
36. Taught yourself a new language
37. Had enough money to be truly satisfied
38. Seen the Leaning Tower of Pisa in person
39. Gone rock climbing
40. Seen Michelangelo’s David
41. Sung karaoke
42. Seen Old Faithful geyser erupt
43. Bought a stranger a meal at a restaurant
44. Visited Africa
45. Walked on a beach by moonlight
46. Been transported in an ambulance
47. Had your portrait painted
48. Gone deep sea fishing
49. Seen the Sistine Chapel in person
50. Been to the top of the Eiffel Tower in Paris
51. Gone scuba diving or snorkeling
52. Kissed in the rain
53. Played in the mud
54. Gone to a drive-in theater
55. Been in a movie
56. Visited the Great Wall of China
57. Started a business
58. Taken a martial arts class
59. Visited Russia
60. Served at a soup kitchen
61. Sold Girl Scout Cookies
62. Gone whale watching
63. Got flowers for no reason
64. Donated blood or platelets or plasma
65. Gone sky diving
66. Visited a Nazi Concentration Camp
67. Bounced a check
68. Flown in a helicopter
69. Saved a favorite childhood toy
70. Visited the Lincoln Memorial
71. Eaten Caviar-only once and not again..eww
72. Pieced a quilt
73. Stood in Times Square
74. Toured the Everglades
75. Been fired from a job
76. Seen the Changing of the Guards in London
77. Broken a bone
78. Been on a speeding motorcycle-with someone else
79. Seen the Grand Canyon in person
80. Published a book
81. Visited the Vatican
82. Bought a brand new car
83. Walked in Jerusalem
84. Had your picture in the newspaper
85. Read the entire Bible
86. Visited the White House
87. Killed and prepared an animal for eating
88. Had chickenpox
89. Saved someone’s life
90. Sat on a jury
91. Met someone famous
92. Joined a book club
93. Lost a loved one
94. Had a baby
95. Seen the Alamo in person
96. Swam in the Great Salt Lake
97. Been involved in a law suit
98. owned a cell phone
99. Been stung by a bee
100. Totally copied a post from someone else's blog to your own

Christmas and Me~

1. Wrapping paper or gift bags? Both:-)


2. Real tree or Artificial? Real

3. When do you put up the tree? We try to put it up the weekend after Thanksgiving.

4. When do you take the treedown? usually the week when the kids go back to school or the week after:-)

5. Do you like eggnog? Yes, love it!

6. Favorite gift received as a child? Baby Alive doll

7. Hardest person to buy for? My Husband

8. Easiest person to buy for? Breanna or Cassie

9. Do you have a nativity scene? Yes

10. Mail or email Christmas cards? Mail-I am getting a late start at making my cards this year..going to work on that this weekend.

11. Worst Christmas gift you ever received? A vest that didn't fit me-never even got to wear it.

12. Favorite Christmas Movie? I like alot of them, can't choose one favorite..I love all the movies that come on the family channel(25 days of Christmas:-)) but if I had to pick one it'd be Christmas Vacation.

13. When do you start shopping? Not even early enough-I still need to shop:-(

14. Have you ever recycled a Christmas present? No

15. Favorite thing to eat at Christmas? Pecan Sandies cookies

16. Lights on the tree? Oh yes-the more the better:-)

17. Favorite Christmas song? The Little Drummer Boy

18. Travel at Christmas or stay home? Travel and Home

19. Can you name all of Santa's reindeer's? Dasher, Dancer, Prancer, Comit, Cupid, Donner, Blitzen, Vixen and Rudolf.

20. Angel on the tree top or a star? Star

21. Open the presents Christmas Eve or morning? we do both-at my dad and step mom's on Eve and Morning at our house.

22. Most annoying thing about this time of the year? Not enough money to be able to get something for everyone we love. That really is not the meaning of Christmas but I still love to buy for people I love.

23. Favorite ornament theme or color? Red and White

24. Favorite for Christmas dinner? Prime Rib with my husbands family:-)

25. What do you want for Christmas this year? anything that comes from the heart.

A bunch of things wrapped into one

It has been over a month since I wrote in my blog-I can't believe that..I was so wanting to keep up with journaling here but lately it seems like life is going a million miles an hr. so I am going to just update here today of all that has been happening and add some photos to go with it.
Yesterday we celebrated our daughter's Birthday--she turned 11 and we had family come over for the day, it was so nice to spend some time with them and just enjoy the day. Friday night she had a bunch of her friends over for the night and WOW they were busy--kept me running all the time, so between Friday and Sunday I was pretty busy.
I seriously don't know where 11 yrs. has went so quick and she is growing up right before my eyes. What went from baby dolls and barbies has already went to clothes, lotion, lip gloss and hair crimpers:-) she is such a fun girl.
Halloween night we spent with my Sister in town this year and it was so much fun-the kids made me up with glitter make up and little jewels on my face to go with my witch hat..lol Cass had a great time straightening my hair and putting the glitter spray in it-she just loves to overdo it;-)
We had a great time hanging out with my sister and nephew and niece, the kids got alot of candy and just had a great time since the weather was great for the end of Oct. when we usually have snow by this time.
I had my Body shop at home party the other night and that was quite fun and relaxing soaking our feet in the Vanilla Spice scent..I fell in love with it and just had to get it so..that is what my purchase and free stuff consisted of, it should be here within 10 days:-) Yay!!
We are getting ready for Thanksgiving and can't wait for another great day with our friends by the Resevoir--we have made this a holiday tradition now to spend it together. I am still making out the menu as far as what we are bringing for dinner but shouldn't be too hard since she told me she is making most of the dinner.
Basketball practice starts tonight for the kids and we will be running again soon for games in some crazy weather-although I must say it has been such great weather so far, this isn't a typical Fall season with no snow yet(did I actually say that)
So could life be any more busy..um Maybe! Just give me five minutes:-)

Saying goodbye to a dear friend

this photo was taken in 2006 when we went to visit her for the day

Yesterday we got the phone call I was dreading all along of our dear friend Chloe that has been battling cancer for a long time. She passed away 2 days ago and had been in a coma for 2 days. I met Chloe through my daughters school when she was teaching and helping her with some of her subjects and from the first minute I met this lady I loved her. What a dear heart she had and so loving to our daughter who took to her immediately too. She used to say to us "if Cassie ever ends up not at home just look for her at my house." I felt so good to know that our daughter was in good hands with a lady that cared for her so much and not just was a teacher to her, she actually took her feelings to heart and believed in her ability to do well in school. Over the years she worked with our daughter I grew to love her personality more and more and just the way she'd make you feel when you walked in the room with a smile on her face. She had been battling cancer for what seemed like forever but did it with positivity and faith. That is what I call a true fighter! I love the fact that she loved our daughter so much and looked forward to the days she got to work with her in school. I am going to miss this lady so much and have done my share of crying the past couple of days-I am glad I got to know her and even see where she lived, we went there one day when she was inbetween treatments and visited her and got some school work for Cassie to do over the Summer. She took us to lunch-said she wanted to do this and treat us that day:-) We took some photos outside in her BEAUTIFUL yard and near her flower garden and I will always remember this day. I will miss her always and love her too-Goodbye my dear friend and rest in peace and comfort-you are no longer in pain and we will think of you each day that passes by.

Apple Cider Recipe

8 cups apple cider

1/3 cup packed brown sugar

6 inches of stick cinnamon

1 teaspoon whole allspice

1 teaspoon whole cloves

1 orange, sliced into thin wedges

8 whole cloves

1. In a large saucepan, combine the apple cider and brown sugar. Add the spices and orange wedges, studded with the 8 whole cloves. Bring the mixture to a boil; reduce heat and allow to simmer for a minimum of half 30 minutes. Strain solids and return to the pot. Serve hot.

Makes 8 cups.

This is a recipe I want to try out-I love the tastes, smells and feel of Fall and I can't wait to try this homemade recipe of Apple Cider..mmmmm I can just taste it now.

Technorati Tags: recipes

She's a spitfire:-)

I forgot that I hadn't posted a picture of our new dog yet that we got this Summer. The girls bought her after doing LOTS of talking to Daddy about it and finally convincing him if they bought it he'd let them get one. She sure has added some excitement to our lives around here and she runs the house like she owns the place LOL. One of the funny things she does is when Todd comes in the room and even seems to put his hands on me she gets very loud and lets him know who's boss-well we all know who is boss in this house but she THINKS she is. She is so fun and lively. I am so thankful we decided to get her and here is our little one in some of her limelight around here.
Her name is Niyah and she isn't going to get much bigger than she is now, maybe about 3 or 4 lbs. more.

A great tasting tea

Revolution Tea | Mixed Tea Samplers | Tea Variety Packs

This morning I finally tried my little box of tea that I had picked up at the coffee shop. It is in this little tiny box(a little sampler tea) and I just had to buy it-yeah I am a sucker for anything in a cute little box..lol but it is one of the best flavored teas I have had in a long time-I got the Honeybush Caramel tea and I think I have found a new favorite flavored tea. It tastes so good and a great tea for these cool almost Autumn mornings. If you are a tea drinker you'll have to check it out, here is the website to go to if you are wanting to try some new tea and I think their sampler prices are pretty good too:-) Enjoy!

A new brand of tea

Revolution Tea | Mixed Tea Samplers | Tea Variety Packs

This tea is so good. I found it one day in town at one of the coffee shops. I bought just a little box of it to try and so glad I did. It is really good, I think I have found a new favorite flavored tea-I got the Honeybush Caramel tea and if you get a chance check them out and try some. I think their sampler packs are a good price too. Enjoy!

Catching up-where have the days gone??

Wow!! It seems like life has been going 100 MPH lately with end of Summer fun stuff trying to cram in before school started and we had our fair that we were at for 4 days, the kids did really well with their animals-some blue and some red ribbons but overall we had another great year there. Last weekend was the end of Summer rodeo and dance on Sunday night and this year I think was the first year I have ever been to the rodeo in the rain and mud-we stood outside all day while it rained(the grandstand was all full) and needless to say we got soaked. By the time I got home I was ready for a LONG hot bubble bath. The cowboys that day were just caked with mud from head to toe. Mondays rodeo was worse than Sunday..we actually woke up to snow?? I was cold before I even got out of bed. If I didn't have to work in the concession stand I don't think I would of even went.We also had a bad thunder storm and lots of lightning that weekend and lost our phone, sattelite and dishwasher in one night. It sounded like someone had broke one of our windows. Today we finally got our satelite working again-the guys were out here for 2 hrs. fixing it. Lightning can do some damage in a hurry-Yikes! I am glad we weren't outside when it struck our house.

Fun new scrapbook supplies to feast your eye on:-)

Scrapbook Supplies - Two Peas in a Bucket

I love all of these new supplies at Two Peas;-) now if I only had some money to get some of them. After spending more than I had planned on school supplies and clothes I don't think I can get any of this until next month but we'll see. I really love MAMBI stuff:-)

Mom Bloggers Club

This is a great place to meet other Moms that also have a liking for blogs:-)
Everything from stay at home Moms, Married working Moms, Single Moms and all kinds of Moms.
I am a member here and if you'd like to come and join me and meet other moms click on this link or on the side bar where my badge is. It is a fun place and there are even scrapbooking Moms:-)

Visit Mom Bloggers Club

Happy Birthday To My Baby!

My baby boy turned Nine today and I seriously don't know where the years have gone. They have been filled with great times and lots of memories but I can't help thinking about the day he was born, I had to have a C-section and was a planned one on a Saturday.
I felt truly blessed to know we were having a boy- we had decided to stop at 3 and when we found out a few mos. before that we were having a boy I was so excited to meet this little guy.

He was born at 10 AM on a Saturday and what a sweet little bundle he was all wrapped up in his blanket (you know the ones the hospital has) with lots of dark brown hair and eyes that seemed as dark as his hair if not darker. He was a quiet baby, just kind of wimpered a bit when he was hungry..this told me alot about the baby I had just had a few minutes earlier-he was a calm baby and very content to just be with Mommy(at that time) now he is still a very calm boy and has a mind so big I think he is always dreaming of things to take apart and then fix again. His favorite thing to do right now is spend any time he can with Daddy in the tractor and he is now both a Daddy's boy and Mommy's boy but I so cherish the day God blessed us with him and made our family complete! I hope he doesn't outgrow that time he wants to spend with us and I hope he sits on my lap for a few more years or atleast cuddles with Mom once in awhile. They sure grow up fast and the years fly by-Happy Birthday to my baby and I hope you make lots of dreams today.

Reflections of July

I can't believe it is the end of July already and less than a month from now the kids will be back in school. I don't know how time goes so fast but it seems to fly by and now I am realizing how behind I am in my blog, there has been so much going on around here this month and I have just not kept up in my journaling.
We now have another addition to our family-we got a Chiuaha on the 20th after lots of consideration and looking online and etc we got her from a pet store in Missoula-she is very loved and gets lots of attention..she is so adorable!!! Her name is Naya-pronounced Niya.
Our Niece got married and what a beautiful wedding, it was better than a fairytale. The place they were married was in the mountains near a small creek with lots of trees and grass-a place I had dreamed of myself of a wedding when I was younger. They went on a Carribean cruise for their honeymoon.
We have not had such great luck with our 4-H pigs this Summer and it has all been within a month and half-we have lost 3 of our pigs and used to have 6 so that each child could take 2 to our fair. They got a disease that pigs get that is common to Pneumonia and is very contagious we found all this out after finally having the last one that died tested and autopsied-we put the other 3 on medicine right away-Tylan and had to get that from the vet in Missoula. Our fair is only 2 weeks away and we are keeping the faith that all will go well. The vet said that they will not be contagious by the fair and the medicine will be out of their system so that they can still go to market. We have lost alot on these pigs this year and what a hard way to learn what they can get, there are actually alot of diseases they can get that just amazes me. The first sign we noticed with them is that they went off their feed and just moped around.
We had a great time with our family that came for the 4th-I love that holiday!! We BBQ'd
some steaks, corn on the cob and had a potatoe salad that my sister in law brought and then had ice cream for dessert. We went to the fireworks and then came home and did our own..very fun!
Yesterday the kids and I and a couple of their cousins went to Splash Montana and had a blast-we were very leary on going in the first place cause it wasn't very warm and the wind was blowing but the water was heated and it was great. I got some awesome pics. and will have to put them on later cause they are not on my computer yet. The new pool was open there and it is HUGE-it's called the Lake, I am so hoping we can get there again before Summer ends.
This month has been very busy and it seems like we have been going going all the time and my house looks like it too-yep, I have clothes on the couch that need put away and my scrapbook room is a mess. I think I have some serious organizing to do and then I can actually sit down and do something in there.
So that is my update for the month of July

Summer of Weddings

Last night my friend needed help with her daughters rehearsal dinner, she needed servers for the Prime rib dinner that she had made for her daughter and fiance. We got to the restaurant and we were locked out so her husband went and got the key and then it was a mad rush for us to get the place all set up and tables decorated..it turned out beautiful! Pink tables with rose petals and floating candles in the center of the table in a big beautiful glass vase. We did it in great time and got the last one done as the bride and her fiance and their wedding party came through the door. Me and my girls and another gal that we knew started serving up the plates for everyone..Prime rib, fresh asparagus, garlic potatoes and some rice too and rolls then for (what my girls called) a decoration some fresh parsley on the side of the plate. I stayed in the kitchen and the girls took the plates out as we dished them up-they did a great job. The to be bride just loved it all and even gave the girls a little thank you gift. We have known them for almost 11 yrs. and it amazes me where the time goes..it is hard to believe that tomorrow night she will be a new bride. Our niece is also getting married tomorrow at the same time in a different place and since our oldest daughter went to school with my friends daughter she was really wanting to attend her wedding-I don't think this would go over too well with my husbands side of the family. I am looking forward to Christy's wedding tomorrow-she is a special girl and I used to babysit her when she was a little girl-again, where did the time go? I love weddings so much and especially when it is family..there is something in that which makes me get all teary eyed. Besides these two weddings this Summer we attended one other and will also be going to my step brothers in August and have been asked to be the photographer. I hope my camera holds up and gets faster...lol it has such a slow shutter speed it seems like lately and this could be really annoying, I can just see me saying oh just a minute hold that smile or that pose or don't drop her I am waiting for my camera. I really hope not!
I will have photos to post later of the wedding but that is my blog for today-Weddings of friends and family.

Back on the scrapping track:-)

Tonight I finally spent some time in my scrapbook room working on some pages and it was really nice being able to get something done. I put together some pages that I had bought a few weeks ago at Scrapbook Hideaway-I love the Presto Packs, they are so much fun and Gina is so talented putting them together for everyone to do. I got the Easter and Happy Birthday packs and now will have to find some photos to go on them:-)
I also did a school page and put away some things that were taking over my scrapbook room and couldn't work til they were put away, I don't know where all of my stuff has come from..all of a sudden I have so much that I could almost open a store with it..Yikes! I am setting some challenges for myself for the rest of Summer to work on the supplies I have already and put pages together with what I have in my room-Use my imagination..maybe grab some things and whatever I pick up I will have to put together a LO with it-this sounds like a definite challenge to me:-) I have alot of paper, stickers, rub ons, ribbon, glitter, and now that I am a CM consultant I have albums and pages to use so I have no excuse..time to get those pictures scrapped. I am going to be uploading them after I have enought to put on my camera since it makes no sense for me to take a photo of my LO's one at a time and put on my blog..i am a serious photo girl and take Alot of photos so taking one each time I finish a LO makes no sense-guess I have alot to get done, it will be part of my day along with my housework and other chores during the day. If you don't hear from me for awhile you will know I am buried in my scraproom working on projects..Just kidding! I will be uploading LO's soon:-)

The day before my favorite holiday

I am so excited about tomorrow..I love this holiday!! Being with family and watching the fireworks, where we live they have an awesome firework show-it is the BEST one I have ever seen and seems like every yr. it gets better and better. At the end it is almost like they are falling right down on you because the finale is so amazing and non stop. Have you ever seen those weeping willow trees? That is what this is like except everywhere. People cheering and clapping-You can just feel the patriotism-I love the USA and am so thankful to live where we do. I am a music kinda girl too and that is what makes this show so spectacular-music along with fireworks-it is the good music with songs about America, soldiers and the things about the USA that makes you get chills and even tears in your eyes. Last year I took some photos of the fireworks but I also did some video on my camera and WOW this was really awesome to have the actual event on tape but as for now here are some photos from the 4th of 2007..these are my photos(only a few of many) that I still need to scrapbook. Hmm sounds like I have a project to work on very soon.

My Favorites!!!

Todays blog challenge is about our 25 favorite things and I could actually list way more than that since there are SO many things I love but here is my list.

1. Ice Water or Ice tea- I really do love water the best of any beverage, it is refreshing.
2. Shrimp scampi- one word Yum!!
3. Fall is my favorite season-love the colors and the change in the air..also makes for some beautiful pictures.
4. Anything from Bath and Body works-lotion, bubble bath, lip gloss. I think if I ever worked there I wouldn't have much left of a paycheck..lol
5. Tim McGraw is my favorite male artist and I got to go to his concert a few years ago...Awesome and a great time with my sister and brother.
6. Scrapbooking is my favorite hobby.
7. Photography is my 2nd favorite hobby-you should see how many photos I have on my computer..lol
8. Black Licorice -I love it!
9. Oregon Coast was my favorite vacation-I love the ocean!
10. Sky Blue and Red are my favorite colors-one is calm the other energetic..this also describes me.
11. Footloose and Walk to Remember are my favorite movies.
12. Jamocha Almond Fudge is my favorite ice cream..mmm wish I had some right now:-)
13. Favorite Memory-the day I got married and my babies were born..such sweet memories, there is nothing like the smell of a newborn baby that is brand new.
14. Popcorn is one of my favorite snacks-love it with butter.
15. Friends-I have had many good ones through the years but some of my best are: Angie, Dana, Rich, Linda,Amber..ok so I am almost at 25 since I listed five favs. in one..lol
16. Bubble baths-awww they are so relaxing and comforting.
17. Honda Accord-after owning one I truly love these cars.
18. Number-7 is my favorite number and I don't know why, I just like it;-)
19. Past time- Reading or spending time on the computer.
20. Flower- Roses of any color..love them!!
21. Soda Pop-Dr. Pepper-I don't drink it that much though, only on occasion with dinner or when were out to eat.
22. Anything BBQ-chicken, steak, burgers, fish..the joys of Summer:-)
23. Salad with Blue cheese dressing
24. Thunderstorms-I love rain and thunder too.
25. Animal-Horse and Dog
    

Celebrate the day you were born-Birthdays

Our Blog challenge today is about Birthdays and how you celebrate them or what you do for yours and others...Well I didn't celebrate my B-day as in a party sense when I was an adult until only about 4 or 5 yrs. ago when My Dad married my step mom and her and her family were really into celebrating each others B-days with dinner or atleast a get together and even gifts:-) so I remember her telling me that B-days are our own special day to celebrate us and the day we were born. Some people don't believe in this and others do and the way I look at it is that I am glad I am here and Life is special and the day you were born is a good day meant to be celebrated-not in a boastful way but in a good way, it makes you feel good and for me it is just another reason to get together with family and that is what is important to me -spending time with family even if there wasn't any gifts and only food:-) I love food! But I have gotten some pretty awesome gifts on my Birthday too; Plants, jewelry, scrapbooking supplies, music,chocolate, clothes, $$ and etc. This year my Mom got me something I had never seen before and when I saw the box I couldn't even imagine what it was and then when I got home I opened it and WOW...It is a wall hanging that you plug in and it has a picture of a waterfall on it and even makes the sounds of a waterfall with motion. It is the coolest thing ever, I think this year it was my most favorite gift cause it is so unique and something I had never seen before.
Birthdays are Great!! Thanks Mom:-)

Animals are dear to our heart

We are very fortunate to live where we do and be able to have our animals. I am so thankful for this, each one has their own little personality. We have had our Siamese cat the longest of all of them , she is about 6 yrs. old and is now pregnant-she hasn't had any kittens for about 3 and 1/2 yrs. so we are very excited here, especially the kids. Our newest member of the family is Honey..she is Cassies horse-she bought her and if there was ever a horse loving kid it is her. Honey needs some work since where she came from she was only ridden 3 times last year and is now quite spoiled but she is getting easier to work with every day. Todd rode her yesterday and said she was alot calmer than she has been-she didn't try to rear up or throw her head with him like she was before. I already love her but it is pretty easy to love a horse. Buggs is our old horse and he is soo sweet, I think you could almost walk under neath him and he wouldn't do a thing to you-he is a GREAT kids horse and up there in his years..I hate thinking about the day that he isn't around anymore and Cassie will just go to pieces. Rowdy is our Dog and he is Austrailian Cattle Dog, he has a cute disposition and sometimes smiles when I walk up to him-it is the cutest thing. Sammy kind of came to us after his owner passed away and he is our other cat-very spoiled and obviously ate really well where he was before because to get him to eat cat food is like pulling teeth, he might eat it if you sneak some steak in it or something from the oven..he is adorable but my gosh does he know that this place isn't a restaurant? lol
Our Piglets are the kids 4-H projects and now with all three kids in 4-H we thought it'd be a good idea to raise them ourselves so our Sow had 10 babies in Feb. and Oh my gosh they were so tiny(for pigs anyway) and they really have personalities. I never knew how smart pigs were until we started raising them-they can be so comical at times too.
That is the menagerie of animals we have at our little farm in the dell:-) We also have 2 rabbits that live outside in their cages and get lots of attention and get to run around inside sometimes and hang out with the kids. Thank God for animals!!!! Gotta Love em:-)

Sunsets-the sky is a canvas..paint it well

a photo of the sunset on our way home. It looked like there was fire in the sky.
sunsets are so awesome!!!!

Here is a sunset that I captured just at the right time as we were driving home the other night and it was so beautiful. I couldn't stop with the camera-sunsets are one of my favorite all time things that inspire me.

HAPPY FATHERS DAY!!!

To My Dad-the first inspiration I ever had in my life: my teacher and my friend who taught me about life and the way to treat people and the beauty in art and also taught me how to tell a person what you feel cause they can't read your mind. Took me fishing, hunting and camping and made it fun. To this day I remember them all. I love you Dad!!

To My Husband-who has taught me what "real" love is and for being so patient, understanding, loyal and a great Dad to our children(they look up to you so much) You truly are my BEST friend in life and I know anything I tell you it is locked within your heart and stays with you only. I love you and am blessed to have you.

And for all the other Dads/Fathers I know: My Brother, My friend Rich, My friend Jim-you are great Dads and I am so thankful to have you in my life and for all the things you have taught me in one way or another. Today is your day...Happy Father's Day!!

A little insight about ME:-)

Hmmm a little about me, well where do I start? There are many things that make up me and these could be a little tricky to write because I don't usually write about me so much-mostly the things that I like that makes up a small part of me but to get to know me a little more I guess I have to go a little deeper on what really makes up Me..

I was born in 1970 in Wyoming and I am the oldest of 3 with a sister and brother both younger than me-I always thought it was a joy to have one of each when I was growing up. I graduated in 1989 and about a yr. after high school I decided I wanted to go as far away as I could (to see a new place) to be a nanny. I went to Connecticut and I loved it but I was quite homesick for my family and for where I lived so that was short lived and came home 3 months later. I met my husband 4 months after I came home and we started dating but never got married for almost a year later. I knew the first night I met him that I would end up being his wife.

I became a mom when I was 24 but so close to 25 that it would count for it:-) I knew all my life since I was a kid that I wanted to be a Mom and Wife but never knew I would be blessed with the family I've got. I now have 3 children and they are the light of my life.

I don't deal with changes so well and I am a dweller-my Mom always used to tell me that I dwell on things too much..this is my emotional side of me coming out. I feel like I am too sensitive at times with things and I can sometimes cry at the drop of a hat-you know commercials, songs, drawings and cards the kids give me..you name it.

I love my friends and my family and when you are my friend you will be for life. I get hurt easily but I bounce back too. I love to talk and listen to music-music has inspired me since I was a little girl (my friends and my sister sometimes call me on the phone and ask: what is the name of this song?) lol. I love cooking and trying new recipes but I am not a very good baker-you should see some of my cakes that are from a darn box recipe(can we say cooking school-NOT)

I am a scrapbooker and card maker-love making cards with rubber stamps and my supply of scrapbook supplies keeps me busy. I just became a Creative Memories consultant and really love teaching others the hobby. Right now I would say that I am content where I am at but I have my days and that I will leave up to God-He knows me the best!

I am so Greatful..

Todays blog challenge is on something/someone we are greatful for and when I think about this it is a hard one for me because there are so many things that come to mind that I could probably write a book but I am most greatful for God being in my life and just for making me the person I am today-for all the blessings he has given me in my life and of these there are many. Without Him I would have nothing. He has blessed me with many things in my life and these are some of them I am most thankful for

1. My family-both my family that I was born to and the family I have created with my husband:our children that from the moment they were born have been a gift in my life
2. For the place we live and the job my husband has that keeps us here in a place we love and a great place for our children to grow up.
3. Friends- the friends we have that are a constant joy in our lives and that we get to spend precious times with them.
4. For unanswered prayers because God always knows what he is doing.
5. For the creativity and ability I have to scrapbook our memories and create life books for our children to have when they are grown.
6. For our health-I am thankful for this each and every day cause I know anything can and will happen when you least expect it.
7. For my brother and sister and all the fun and not so fun times we had growing up and even now I am more thankful since we are older to be able to share stories with them.
8. I am thankful for sunsets, roses, lilacs, waterfalls, and our childrens laughter
9. Vacation-this is a special time for us each year to have quality family time and look forward to it each year to spend time together.
10. Thankful for each of our kids talents or interests to make them their own "unique" self.

These are just a few things I am most thankful for-when I search my heart there are many many more but I am sure there will be another day I can list those.

Fun with photos

Here is a photo of me that I livened up a bit..I am into the gray scale with a touch of color on my photos and never really knew how to do it before but now I have found 2 great programs to do that with: Photo Explosion and CM Memory Manager(I love this program) you can put photos into all different folders and even put them into more than one folder and put labels on them so they are easy to find. You can list them by year and if you have the ability on your camera(date stamp) it will keep track for you in your photos folder and list them by DAY:-) this is an awesome tool to have if you are someone like me that forgets dates of photos taken-yes I do that alot so I say Halelujah to Memory Manager. It is very easy to use and has very nice tools, my favorite one to use is the clone brush and color remover. Photo Explosion is another great one to have but is a bit more complicated to figure out and takes some time, once you have it figured out you can add many things and change colors of photos w/out it having to be changed all together(the original photo I mean) You can add backgrounds, text, borders, change from color to black and white, sepia and etc. This photo of me was done in Memory Manager.

Water

Today we are to post a photo of water on the Blog challenge and it took me a bit to find a more recent photo but I truly think I am a water person, water captivates me and I love being around it. The best sound in the world -well one of them is a waterfall or a fast running creek. I remember going camping all the time when I was a kid and falling asleep to the sound of a creek running by just calmed me so much and to this day I love it. Water falls, creeks, and the ocean waves crashing on the shore. Something about water is so soothing to me. For my photo this time though is a photo of water that is nearby where we live that we don't seem to get to as often as we used to for fishing and boating and just having fun but still love it and what a beautiful sight it was on our way home the other evening. I took this photo from the car as we drove by.

Summertime Memories

I don't know where to start for memories cause I have so many great ones, from the time I was a kid to now being a Mom and making special memories with my own kids and my family.
Me and my sister used to go to my Grandmas for about a week in the summer and have such a great time with her going shopping, spending time outside in the yard drinking tea and lemonade-just laughing and being crazy..Grandma was so much fun. I remember driving to the store in her little Pinto car and helping her put clothes fresh and clean right out of the wash on the clothes line(there is something about the smell of clothes that are dried on the line) mmmm

We would slip into bed each night in the BEST smelling clean sheets ever-I can still smell them like it was yesterday. Grandma would clean her face every night with Noxema face wash and that smelled pretty great too! :-) Our brother wouldn't go with us cause he was too young.

Being a Mom now I'd have to say that our vacations that we have been on are some of the best memories ever-we have been to some great places and seen lots of neat things...MT. Rushmore, Jackson Hole and Grand Tetons, Oregon Coast(this was the prettiest place we have visited I think) running on the beach in the rain with the kids-my husband thought I was crazy..lol

4th of July has always been my favorite Holiday and every year we go to a local fireworks show that is so awesome-especially the finale. The people that host it give every kid that shows up their very own bucket of fireworks: sparklers, poppers, glasses, candy and more that kids love.

I have some great photos of the kids having fun with their sparklers and waiting for the big show to start. Something about small town life and the "little" things you get to do make great memories.

Our county fair is another fav. memory of Summer, our kids love taking their animals and being with family and friends and learning all about 4-H-it is a great time!

Finally..the Best ever Summer memory I have to this day and always will be is the day our son was born-Yep he is a Summer baby and now going on 9. The day was so sweet bringing him home to his new crib/bassinet that my sister in law loaned to me-Mom and Dad came to visit and stay for a couple days and the whole experience will always be in my mind and my heart. Where do the years go?? Awww, sweet memories!!

Yummy Summer Eats! -blog challenge

My all time favorite thing to have in the Summer time for dinner is always on the BBQ and can be anything from chicken, fish or steak(I love this the best) with some corn on the cob and baked potatoe and goes great with iced sun tea with LOTS of lemon in it-the more the better. These all go so well together especially on a really warm or hot day. I am still waiting for another day to come when it will be even warm here since we have had so much rain lately and haven't had a chance to BBQ much yet this Summer. Just thinking about steak with seasoning on it is making my mouth water- I feel like how our dog must feel when he is waiting for the bone from the steak after dinner..LOL oh please please hurry up and eat. Maybe by July 4th we will have some good BBQ's. If I am super hungry I will even have a small side salad with it-I am always in the mood for salad-YUM!
Sounds great to me but as for today we are having roast since it feels like a good day to cook inside with it being so cool from all the rain we have gotten lately.

Vacation- blog challenge

Vacation in CA-California Adventure & Disneyland

Vacation is something we look forward to every year and by the time school is out we are counting down the days til we can leave the phone and work behind and invest in some much needed family time with no schedules and just free and fun time together. With ranch work that my husband does he is so ready for vacation by the time we leave because of his demanding and busy job. Last Summer we got to go where we had been talking about for years and kept saying we'd go when the kids were older..well we got such a great deal on our trip when I called the travel agency that we decided THE KIDS ARE OLDER :-) Disneyland here we come!!! I couldn't believe we were actually going to fly there and go on a shuttle bus to Universal Studios and didn't have to drive at all-wooohooo!!! I was ready for trip with no driving and just to go in style.

The only way we could do this was by putting some $$ away from our tax return (which we do every year) just for this Vacation/family time. It was like a dream come true-isn't that what they say on t.v.? We were so excited, we had 5 days and 4 nights in sunny CA. and it actually was pretty nice when we were there too(I think it only rained 1 day) and the rest it was very hot! Our youngest was estatic about flying-none of the kids have ever flown before and this was a joy all by itself but our youngest the most cause he talked about since he was old enough to know what a plane was-this got me pretty excited to see his amazement, it was cute.

This Summer-actually in a couple weeks from now we are headed to Cody, Wyo. to see some awesome rustic and western style of living in a town that is filled with lots of history(which I love the old cowboy days) and I was born in Wyoming and have never been there yet. My Oldest daughter is going a little crazy right now with the thought of all the wild horses she is going to see. LOL

Our middle child is just glad to be going any place she can go to and dress up:-) she is such a girl.

This year we are driving and hopefully it won't be too far for us to listen to the kids argue about this and that in the back seat by the time we get there.

Here are some photos from last Summer's trip

BLOG CHALLENGE- COOL!!!

I joined the Blog Challenge over at Scrapbook.com and I am going to try really hard to keep up each day, this will be really fun and get me motivated to do alot more blogging:-) and there are some great ideas for blogging too. I have always wanted to do a Blog CHALLENGE and now can join in. I am really getting inspired by all these ladies that I have visited and read their blogs and am just excited to see what they come up with. How FUN!!!!

For now here are some scrapbook pages that I had done awhile ago and wanted to share

Montana: I love living where we do and the beauty and peacefulness of it.

Sisters: My two girls at a moment that I caught them snuggling and couldn't resist this photo..love it!

Autumn is: first off it is my most fav. season and this seems like so long ago-this is our oldest daughter who is now 13.

How'd those pigs get out??

Today we woke up to find once again that all but one of the pigs got out of their pen-of course she is the biggest and looking like the fattest one and that obviously is why she didn't fit under the fence. They did the same thing yesterday morning and we put the old water trough that they don't use anymore near the fence to cover up the hole they made-we didn't even think they'd get out today too but that is what Shawn discovered when he woke up and saw them roaming out in the field. He told me that his sisters were going to get some excercise today and I told him he needed to go and help..I kind of got a kick out of him thinking HE was not going to do a thing but watch them run their little hineys off catching all six of those pigs.

This is a common thing with our 4-H pigs, each year we have had pigs they decide that for some reason the grass is greener on the other side (or else they just love to watch us chase them around) I must say that pigs are pretty smart though and boy do they have a personality, I have learned this over the years. Lets hope that tomorrow isn't another repeat from today. I am hoping that the fence is secure enough now for them not to do any more digging but as for now they are all in and happy for the time being-we will see.

One of my upcoming reads

Names My Sisters Call Me by Megan Crane

My review

View all my reviews.

This is a book I want to read. The other day I spent hours looking up books online that I wanted to read because lately it seems that I have been bit by the book bug and want to read more and more. This book sounded interesting to me just because growing up with a sister myself and the things we went through it got to be quite intersting at times and this book sounded like it might be full of surprises and excitement right around the corner, could be an intense detail of what these sisters went through and maybe a good read so...this is one of the many books on my list to read this Summer. If anyone has read it please link back here and let me know what you think of it.
I just looked at the time and realized I need to get ready for town-it is an hour away and so I need to get going and get home at a decent hour. I have many errands to run today and with kids that woke up on the wrong side of the bed it could be quite a day..ugggghh!!!
Have a great Day!

Two makes one complete

I thought it was about time I posted a photo of me and my one and only-He truly is my soul mate. We have been married for 14 yrs. and I really do think it gets better with time, we have shared so many great times together. I must admit though that he works too hard and such long hours that I think it really wears on him. He is a rancher and I never knew all the jobs that a rancher actually does: farming, mechanic, doctor animals that are sick, help cows that are having calves, fix fences that keep the cows in, haul hay and pretty much anything else that they call him to do. He works in rain, snow and sleet and still comes in with a smile on his face.
Well maybe not always a smile but atleast doesn't complain (as much as I would).

I really believe he is my soul mate because he compliments me and I don't mean on how I look but the things I am terrible at he makes up for and he Never has had a bad word to say to me or about me. He is a positive person and I really need that! I am truly Blessed to call him my husband, I can only imagine what the next 14 years are going to be like. With him I am complete. He is the good on my bad day, he is the sunshine in my rain, when I am feeling blue he is always there for me with a hug even after his long day-How did I ever get so lucky? I love this man with all my being and all my soul- a part of me he will always be.

Birthdays are special days:-)

I love Birthdays!! Ever since our kids were little we have had birthday parties for them, it was their day and meant to be celebrated with lots of fun, friends, family and surprises. This year for her Birthday Breanna wanted to have a Girl theme with girlie stuff. I was thinking this is good, a girlie themed cake and everything. She took the drawing that she came up with for her cake to her teacher at school who does awesome cakes and then told her this is what I want please. Well it turned out great-so girlie for Breanna's b-day:-) We had family come from Helena and some family and friends from here and it was a great day. She had a slumber party and they had a great time, they did makeovers for each other and listened to music and watched Ratatoulie-she got it for her birthday. It is hard to believe she is 10 already, I seriously don't know where the time goes..one day you have a baby and the next day it seems like they are talking about what they want to be when they grow up and wanting to wear their hair just so and listening to music and even talking about the boys they think are cute. I will cherish these years always because I am realizing how fast they go by.
Here are some photos from Breanna's birthday
this is the cake that Breanna drew for her teacher and just like that she made it up for her. It was so good too: white cake with almond flavored frosting with 10 candles on it.


Here is the Birthday Girl with her cake..wearing the tiara she got in Disneyland last Summer, it was just right for the occasion -she felt like a princess on her B-day.Here is one of her candles..I love these kind of pictures :-)