Photo Valentines!

So I know a few of you saw the adorable Valentine idea from http://24-7-365.blogspot.com/2009/02/lavish-me-with-praise.html   I decided I just had to do it too!  So I took some pics of my school age  kids.   

got on my Digital  scrapbooking software and made a background,  inserted their photos.

Then I added the suckers!

So Cute!

Young Womens bookmark

I decided that the Young Women need a magnetic book mark too!  I found out that their theme for this year is Joshua 1:9 Be strong and of good courage; be not afraid , neither be thou dismayed, for the Lord God is with thee whithersoever thou goest.
What A great theme!  I decided that that theme needed to be on a book mark so here it is! I could not decide if I wanted the Christ picture black and white or sephia tone so I decided to make one of each. 

 I have not had this one printed out yet so I can't show an example of a cut completed one, but here is the jpg image. 

you click on this image, copy it and save it to your computer and then send the file to Walmart photo or whatever photo place you like and have it printed out as a 4x6 photo. I kept a little extra space on each side of the photo because most photo places crop off some of each side of a 4x6 photo so preview your prints before you order them so you can see what it looks like cropped. They usually let you preview it.  I know Walmart does.
 After you get your prints cut them down the center long ways to seperate the two book marks. fold in half the other way and add the magnets. You can laminate them also before you add the magnets.

here is a finished primary one so you can have an idea of what it should look like.

A passion of mine...

I discovered a few years ago that I love to do stitchery. I find it very relaxing and it's something I love to do while watching tv or while riding in the car, especially on long trips. I've even made up a few of my own patterns. I haven't taken pictures of everything I've done, but I thought I would post a couple of things that I've created over the past couple of years.



This one is actually a Mac-a-doodles design. I met her (the Mac-a-doodles lady) one year at one of my mother-in-law's enrichment activities and this pattern is the one that started my love affair with stitchery. You can find the pattern here: http://www.macadoodles.net/index.php?main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=28main_page=product_info&cPath=3&products_id=28



This design I did on my own, but I think I got the idea from Michelle. I took it a little further by gluing fun buttons on the frame. Very fun!

Great Family Home Evening resources!

     For those that don't know, I am a member of  The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter day Saints:-)  We have a wonderful program that our church has had for many years called Family home evening.  We set a side a night every week free of schedules and and spend it together as a  family (Monday night works best for us).  We have a short lesson that has a gospel message and then we have a treat and do a fun activity together.
     I have discovered a couple of really great resources lately that have been working great for our F.H.E. lessons.

 First is the new Gospel Principles manual put out by our church this year.  It is a perfect resource to teach our families the basics of the Gospel. I feel like our lessons have been more meaningful since we started using this manual as a resource.  If you want one of these and don't have one you can order one here.

http://www.ldscatalog.com/webapp/wcs/stores/servlet/ProductDisplay?catalogId=10151&storeId=10151&productId=14701&langId=-1&cg1=13710&cg2=13711&cg3=&cg4=&cg5=&sortId=3&sortOr=1&retURLtext=Back%20to%20'Books%20and%20Manuals'&retURL=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.ldscatalog.com%2Fwebapp%2Fwcs%2Fstores%2Fservlet%2FCategoryDisplay%3FcatalogId%3D10151%26amp%3BstoreId%3D10151%26amp%3BcategoryId%3D13711%26amp%3BlangId%3D-1%26amp%3Bcg1%3D13710%26amp%3Bcg2%3D%26amp%3Bcg3%3D%26amp%3Bcg4%3D%26amp%3Bcg5%3D%26pageId%3D1%26pageCt%3D15%26sortId%3D3%26sortOr%3D1  Wow! that is a big link!

Second there is a great resource on Sugardoodle.net.  A lady named Angie put a lot of hard work into making Family Home Evening lessons that go along with the monthly Primary themes this year ( Primary is what we call the Childrens Sunday School  time at my church). Here is the link to get those lessons.

http://www.sugardoodle.info/joomla/index.php?option=com_content&view=article&id=5512%3A2010-family-home-evening-lessons&catid=4492&Itemid=200001

Don't eat Pete!

Hey all this is Michelle!  
I had some fun over the weekend making a couple of "Don't eat Pete" game boards with my digital scrapbooking program. I had lost my old game board and never thought it was cute enough anyway.  And have wanted to make a new one for a long time.

 My kids thought this first one was weird because there are girl pictures on it and Pete is not a girl name, but I could not find enough cute clip art of  boys  faces so thus there are girls too, but I thought it would be fun for a class room setting that has girls and boys:-)

This second one was a last minute one after the kids made a stink about how impossible it was to have girls be named Pete.  So this is was the result.  I think it turned out cute!

For anyone who does not know what "Don't eat Pete" is it is a game where one kid/person goes out of the room and the rest of the group decides which picture is going to be Pete.  You lay a piece of candy (generally m&m's or skittles). on each picture.  You call the person singled out to come back into the room.  They start picking up candies one at a time (usually eating them as they go) then when they start to pick up the candy on the picture that was previously chosen by the group everyone yells to the top of their lungs "DON'T EAT PETE!"  The person picking up the candy usually jumps about 10 feet in the air and everyone has a laugh and a new person is chosen to go outside the room.  It is a simple game yet kids love it and would play it all day if you let them!  I am sure the candy has nothing to do with it :-)

I would suggest you print this out on card stock or as a photo and then laminate it.  I love my Scotch brand Laminator.  You can get one at Sams Club for $25.00!
I have to admit I have not printed one out yet so I don't know how they will print out especially as a photo so make sure you preview it in case part of it gets cut off.

Updated picture

I'm realizing that I haven't been very good about sharing updated photos of my little family with you, Michelle, because all of the pictures showing up on here are several years old. Even though I love them and they bring back some wonderful memories, I thought I would post a more updated picture of me and mine. I'm happy to say I no longer have anyone in diapers after 12 long years of changing diapers every day! I loved having my babies, but I'm really enjoying them a little older as well. It's just a new phase for our family that I'm liking. This picture was taken this past fall in the Smokey Mountains.

 

Happy Sunday!

HELLO!

Wow, I feel honored that Michelle would want me to be a part of her blog!! I feel like I get most of my craft ideas from her and sooo wish we lived closer together so we could craft in person, but I guess this is the next best thing!

To introduce myself a little, I am the happy and contented wife to one really amazing guy! He makes my heart sing (most of the time :)) and I'm so glad we found each other 15 years ago! I'm also the proud mama if 4 really great kids (one of which just got a part in his first play. Yea!!). I love being a stay at home mom and even though I struggle with accomplishing everything I'd like to in a day, I enjoy the time I get to spend with my family. I also love to craft and am happy to say that my daughter has been bitten by the bug as well. We have a lot of fun doing things together. I enjoy creating things and saving money while I do it. My husband AND I spent 13 1/2 years of our marriage in school (he finally got a real job last summer, thank goodness!) and I had to get creative when it came to home decor and gifts. And, even though our money isn't as tight as it used to be, I still can't bring myself to buy things that I know I can make. It's just way too fun to make it myself and be able to say, "Yes, I made that." I enjoy browsing my favorite blogs and finding all the great ideas out there so I can make them, too!

Anyway, enough about me. I thought I would post a little something I have made recently, especially since Michelle hasn't seen it yet. I made this at Christmas time, but didn't finish it in time to use this year. I'm excited to be able to use it next year, however.





The idea is that you will read a scripture a day about Christ's life, starting with his sacrifice and going backward through his life until, on the last day, you read about his birth. After you read the scripture for the day, you flip the ornament over and most of them show a picture or say a word that has to do with that scripture. By Christmas day you will have a beautifully decorated tree and feel a little closer to the Savior. I'm always looking for ways to bring Christ front and center during the Christmas season and I love advent calendars. This was the perfect blend!

The pattern can be found athttp://www.youcanmakethis.com/info/featured-products/CHRISTmas-Tree-Advent-Calendar.htm 

I used scrapbook paper instead of the cardstock it asks for in the pattern, however. I thought it would make it a little more decorative. I was happy with the way it turned out!

My sister Paula

I have been inspired by other blogs that have other sisters and friends contribute to a blog together. 
And so I asked my sister Paula (who I love to craft with) if she would like to join in on Bug a boo corner with me!
I am so excited to have her on board soon to share some of her creative crafty ideas with you!
And I think it will be fun to stay more connected with her since she is far away  in Tennessee and I am in Utah. It will be the next best thing to crafting with her personally!

Us in High School :-)

Paula and her beautiful family!

So keep your eye out for future posts from her!

Shannon Hale book signing

My girls and I had fun on Saturday at a local book store called "The Purple Cow". They were having a book signing with the Shannon Hale  (One of our favorite authors).  Her Husband Dean Hale and Nathan Hale ( The illustrator) were there also. They were introducing their new Book "Calamity Jack" Which is a sequal to "Rapunzels Revenge" (Graphic Novels for kids).  It was so nice meeting her!   She was so nice and seems so down to earth.  Shannon and Dean were about an hour late because they were mixed up on the time,  but we were able to be entertained in the mean time by Nathan Hale the Illustrator of the book.  He drew a couple crazy monsters on a big poster board and let the audience help him decide what the features should be.  He is an incredible artist! It took him two years to do all the illustrations for "Calmity Jack". Here is a little comic strip I noticed On his blog this morning of his trip out to Tooele for the book signing.  So funny! http://spacestationnathan.blogspot.com/2010/01/calamity-jack-2.html

Shannon was kind to let me take a picture of her with my girls.  Check out her Rapunzel wig made of yarn !
If you have not read any of Shannon Hales books yet you will love them!   My favorites are "Goose Girl", "Book Of A Thousand Days", "Princess Academy" and these graphic novels "Rapunzles Revenge" and "Calamity Jack".  Here is a link to Shannons website http://www.squeetus.com/stage/main.html
By the way Paula your signed book is all ready to be sent out in the mail tomorrow!

PBS Masterpiece Classics

I am in love with the Cassics like Jane Austin, Charles Dickens, Elizabeth Gaskell etc.  It seems like British Authors have some of the most interesting stories to share.

For part of the year PBS shows movies of these wonderful Masterpiece Classics  on Sunday nights at 7:00 pm or is it 8:00 pm I forget because I have my DVR set to record automatically. Tonight they are showing the 2nd half of "Return to Cranford" which is a sequal to  "Crandford" A book written by Elizabeth Gaskull which I just love!  Then next week will be a new version of "Emma"  I already love the Gwyneth Paltrow and the A&E versions so it will be interesting to see a new one.   Here is a link to the PBS site http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/

Primary bookmark Magnet jpgs

For those of you that saw my Primary bookmark magnets over at sugardoodle.net and are interested in getting  the jpgs click on the the pics below,  save/copy them to your computer. Have them printed as 4x6 photos cut them in half length wise. lamenate them if you want, fold them in half and then add the magnets.

This is what they  look like when they are finished.

If you want just  regular bookmarks here are the jpgs with the Jesus picture turned around.

Here is a  jpg  for a Young Womens magnetic bookmark.  It has the Young Womens theme for 2010 on it.

Best bread ever!

I hope my sisters don't get upset with me for posting this recipe, but I think my Mom would have been happy to share it with anyone who wanted it so I will share it.
This is the bread that I grew up with.  My mom found the recipe years ago in some womens magazine of some kind and tweaked it a little bit to her liking . When I was little I never appreciated how yummy this bread was.  I would complain that I wanted the "Wonder Bread" that everyone else ate at school and why did we have to have homemade bread!  I came to my senses as I became older and realized how lucky we were to have a Mom who was such a good cook.  My  Mom was an Idaho farm girl that chose wisely at a young age that she would rather cook and help with the household responsibilities  instead of work in the fields with the rest of her siblings and as a result she learned to be a fantastic cook.  My friends always liked eating at our house and enjoying my Moms fabulous homecooked meals. 
She Passed away 3 years ago of  from Cancer at the age of 72 and there is not I day I don't miss her. A few days ago while thinking about her I decided I felt like having some of her bread.  I think back with wonder at how she would make bread every week kneading it by hand with no special bread mixer like I have (That women had arms of steal!).  I have no excuse with my K-Tech mixer (similar to a Bosh) and so I have decided that I am going to make it on a more regular basis.  For some reason this batch I made did not rise as high as I would have liked I think my yeast was a little old and that must have been why.  It still turned out yummy!  I made it on Friday it made 4 loaves and my family loved it so much that they had it all eaten by the end of the weekend!  So anyway here is the recipe and if you make let me know how it turned out for you and if you liked it.



MOM'S WHITE BREAD RECIPE ( This is the by hand version, but I will add side notes at to how I do it with the mixer)

To a bread pan add: (I just add it to my mixer bowl)
6 C. luke warm water
3 pkgs. yeast (sprinkle over water)
2/3 C. Sugar (sprinkle over yeast and water)
Let sit for about 10 minutes or until everything floats to the top
Add:
8 tsp. salt
2 C. scalded milk (warm milk)
3/4 C. oil
about 15-18 cups of flour

Stir ingreadients.( or turn on mixer) Begin adding between 6-8 cups of flour a little at a time and add mre as needed. stir with a spoon until you cannot stir anymore and then begin kneading with your hands. Keep adding flour until the dough is nice and smooth, losing its wet and sticky feel.( I add the flour a little at a time until the dough stops sticking to the side of the mixer  bowl) Rub oil on dough and pan. cover and let raie about 45 minutes or until it had doubled in  size. ( if you have quick rise yeast that only needs to rise once you can move the dough to the pans at this point and let them rise there) Grab dough and turn it over and punch it down. Cover and let it rise again for best results and the punch down dough again. Grease bread pans. Divide dough, shape and put into pans and let it rise to the top of pans. Bake at 350 degrees for 25-30 minutes or until golden brown.

bugaboo book pick for January

I almost forgot to add a book for January!
This month I am going to recomend a book that my brother keeps telling me I should read."Cry the beloved country"

 I know nothing about it except that it is about South Africa. If you have read this book tell me your thoughts on it.

Book Mark gifts for Primary

I am the secretary in our Primary Pres. at church and  we were trying to come up with Birthday gifts for the kids that would have the Theme for the year "I know my Savior lives".   We decided to do magnetic book/scripture marks.  We have the picture of Christ with the children on the front and the 2010 Theme on the back.

We borrowed this book mark idea from one of my favorite blogs I follow http://www.controllingmychaos.com/search/label/bookmarks  She explains how to make them.

I think they turned out really cute :-)  We lamented ours so that they would be more durable.

We have a new baby at our house!

This is our little Mocah Bear!  My Dads black poodle had 2 pups and we were all surprised that they came out Chocolate brown!  We were not going to take a puppy because we already have a Retriever, Two cats and some fish, but My Dad wanted one of the Chocolates to stay in the family and so we finally warmed up to the idea.  And we are glad we did.  She is a really great pup so far.  We were going to change the name since we are not coffee drinkers, but nobody could agree on a name and so in the mean time we just continued to call her Mocah because she already comes to that name.  We eventually all decided to just leave it because it seems to fit her personality best.  She also looks like a little teddy bear to me :-)

Easy Dinner Idea!

When it comes to cooking I can make more complicated stuff if I set my mind to it, but I prefer  quick and easy with a busy family:-)  Tonight I am trying Sour cream ritz chicken. It is so easy to throw together if you have all the ingrediants on hand and your chicken is thawed.  It is in the oven right now and smells heavenly!   I got the recipe from http://www.quick-and-easy-dinner.com/Quick-and-easy-dinner-blog.html I used her suggestion and used french fried onions except I mixed them with the ritz crackers too.  I will let you know how my family likes it!

So It is later tonight and the chicken was so good! I did forget to mention that I did sprinkle the chicken with salt, pepper and smoked paprika before I put the sourcream mixture and top.

Happy New Year!

I hope everyone has had  a great holiday! Just a couple more days left dang it!

My brother Russ was having fun with his scroll saw and designed and made me this wood "family" sign for Christmas.  I am excited for the blank canvas and am trying to decide if I should paint it, stain it, mod podge some scrapbook paper on or combination of a couple of those things.  Any suggestions? 
He also designed this "Love" one and has few more designs he has sketched out that are in the works.  I think they are so cute!