it will change your life

A Happy Valentines Day

2012-02-14T20:43:00.000-08:00

I have to admit. I was expecting today to be terrible. It was the second year that Adam has had class on Valentines Day ... and although we went on a great date this last weekend to celebrate, I really was expecting my day to be like this:

{I have to admit Adam and I totally laughed when we took this picture}

But Adam really pulled out the stops today.

** DISCLAIMER ** Anyone who has ever known me has known that 20 out of the 31 Valentines days I have celebrated in my life have been TERRIBLE! So this is not a post to brag, or make anyone feel terrible ... it is only to say that I am grateful to have had a great day this year, and that is it :)

Adam went to Nordstrom Rack, picked out a shirt combo all on his own and gave it to me this morning. Then me and the boys decided to go have lunch with him in Salt Lake at Cafe Rio. For dinner my sister invited us over for a homemade pizza heart dinner with her family, and upon getting home was two dozen roses on my door step.

Today I realize that Valentines is more than romantic love. {Even though I have to admit, Adam really was super romantic without even being here} ... but I had a lot of time to realize that I have a lot of people that love me. I have two little boys who love me, and can't live without me. I have sisters, parents, and friends who care and love me. And most importantly I have a Father in Heaven who loves me.

Those realizations {okay and Adam too} Made this one of the best Valentines Days I have ever had. I hope you had something make you smile today too!

*** NOTE - Working on a great segment for Studio 5. Can't wait to post about it next Tuesday!

The Enchilada's That Changed my life

2012-02-01T12:37:00.000-08:00

I bet you didn't think that enchiladas could be life changing! But I can guarantee if you try these babies, you will be licking you lips for hours. Here is the recipe, then a few pointers below!
(not actual picture of this recipe ... but looks very similar to this!)

Chili Verde Chicken & Cheese Enchiladas
1 small red onion, halved
1 1/2 pounds tomatillos, husked, rinsed, & cut into fourths
1 to 2 serrano chile peppers, stemmed and seeded (optional)
1/2 C chicken broth
1/2 tsp Salt
Pinch of sugar
8 Corn tortillas (I prefer small taco sized flour tortillas)
3 C shredded rotisserie chicken (Costco best flavor & price)
2 1/2 C shredded mozzarella and/or Monterey Jack cheese (I use both
1/3 C fresh cilantro (maybe more)
2 Tbsp extra virgin olive oil, plus more for greasing

1. Preheat the broiler.
2. Cut onion into cubes, & separate. Place tomatillos onions, & serranos chili's on a foil lined baking sheet. Spray cooking oil on top of vegetables and broil until vegetables are soft and slightly brown, turning as needed (7-10 minutes).
3. I choose to shred my chicken while vegetable are cooking, if you haven't already shredded chicken.

4. Transfer vegetables and any liquid to a blender, add the chicken broth, and sprinkle a little fresh cilantro in blender and puree. Season with 1/2 tsp salt and the sugar.
4. Meanwhile, stack the tortillas, wrap in a damp paper towel and microwave just until warm and soft, 1 minute; keep covered. 5. Spoon a portion of the chicken down the middle of each tortilla. Add a few cilantro leaves and a little cheese then roll up.
6. Place the enchiladas side by side in a lightly oiled 9 X13 inch baking dish and brush with the 2 Tbsp olive oil.
7. Broil until crisp and golden, 3 minutes.
8. Slice other half the onion into thin rings and set aside. Pour the tomatillo sauce over the enchiladas and top with the remaining 1/2 C shredded cheese, and a few sliced onion rings.
9. Return to the oven and broil until the cheese is bubbly and golden brown, 3-5 minutes.
10. Garnish with any remaining cilantro, avocado, and salsa

Laundry Room Love

2012-01-28T14:07:00.000-08:00

I have decided that it is time!
It is time to do something with these blank blue walls!
(This is my laundry room bathroom!)A few months back I decided to sketch out a few fun pictures of laundry items to hang on the wall in the bathroom next to my laundry room. I hand drew each little laundry item in illustrator, added a little caption at the bottom, then waited until I made it to Ikea to get some frames. ($11 for all three!)

I finally made it to Ikea yesterday, and today printed out the images onto watercolor paper. Then used some watercolor paints to give them color to make them pop. Within a 1/2 hour, my bathroom pictures were hanging! I am feeling SO much better about those blue walls now, and I am even closer to finishing up this bathroom! Here are some closeups!

I am hoping to include an antique wash board on the last wall. I just can't wait to complete this room. If you're interested in these sketches for your bathroom wall, please email me and I can give you the details!!

Instagram and Studio 5!

2012-01-20T07:29:00.001-08:00

A few weeks back, Studio 5 contacted me to do some projects that use Instagram photos!inInsta-Gram – Definition:
the hottest and most popular iphone photography App out there!

It's a simple photo-taking and photo-sharing free iphone app that is for taking pictures, adding filters to make them look retro, and then for sharing them with sites like Twitter, Flickr, Tumblr, and Facebook.
And second, it's a simple social network of other people's photos. You can "like" or comment on the photos, and see what's new. It's easy and doesn't take much time or effort.

I have become a huge Instagram fan, and rather than just using them as an online sharing tool, to show my friends and family a view of my life through pictures … I have used them for fun décor in my home!(frame used on Studio 5 segment Dec 2011)

Studio 5 saw this project back in December as a fun photo gift, and thought a few more ideas using instagram photos would be something viewers would love to see … so here are a few fun websites and projects I came up with to spark your interest!

The first website I found and ordered products from was http://teenytile.com/
Tiny Tiles are 2” ceramic tiles made specifically with pictures on them. You can upload any pictures on your computer to the website, but it also can access your instagram photos easily and have them ready to send to you in a matter of minutes. The Tiny Tiles come with magnets to put on the back. Perfect for a refrigerator fridge magnet!

Coaster Tiles

All you need are some cheap tiles from Lowes. Print out photos from your favorite photo printing lab, or off on photo paper on your personal printer. Use Mod Podge to stick them on, and a clear coat on top. After they are dry, use sand paper to smooth the edges! Put some felt pads on the bottom, and you have yourself a darling coaster! SUPER simple and very cute! These I made them up in about 20 minutes total! (except drying time)

Sincerely.com offers Apps for both the iPhone and Andriod. Each have different functions. Here were two of my favorites!
Postagram – download the free app to your iPhone, or andriod. Purchase credits, and for $.99 they will send a Postcard of your instagram photo to anyone! When they arrive, the picture can pop out, and your receiver can use it for anything! If you ask me, this is the perfect valentine for anyone. Just to test it out, I made a few and they arrived at my house in just a few short days.
Pop Booth Pictures – download the free app to your iphone. You can take 4 photos in a row. Download them to facebook, send them in an email, or again, they will print them out and send them to you! A fantastic way for another valentine if you ask me! What grandma wouldn’t love that! Here is a little idea I found online of what to do with a bunch of your photobooth pictures!
Click here to see how she did it!

Instagoodies is a great company that you can upload your photos to and they will make them 1” stickers to stick anywhere. With photo collages being the latest trend, this is one of the easiest ways you can stick them to your wall. I wanted to use these on my segment, however they didn't make it in time!

DIY Mini book

This little mini book was super easy to make! It was a pre done template from Stampin' Up's digital Products called a coupon book. I used Stampin' Up's Digital software, My Digital Studio, and printed it on my own home printer. They can also print it, however I ran out of time to get it ready for the segment! It turned out great if you ask me! This little book could also be made with scraps you have from scrapbook paper, or digitally online. I am super excited about this one! It turned out really cute!

Printstagram was one company I really wanted to use for my segment, however their products take anywhere from 5-8 weeks to arrive. We just didn't have the time. Check out these products ... they are super cute!

Happy Birthday!

2012-01-18T08:00:00.000-08:00

Years ago I had a roommate that was entirely too excited about her birthday. There were reminders of it daily, how many hours count downs, and LOTS of birthday excitement. I wonder, why are we all not like this? It seems like each year I get more and more embarrassed when people wish me a happy birthday! Is it because I'm afraid to toot my own horn? Am I afraid to bring attention to myself? Are I seriously embarrassed that I am one year older? (because 30 is SO different than 31!)

So in honor of my awesome roommate ... HERE I GO!
(Super cute cake pict from etsy. Click here to see more cuteness!)
HAPPY BIRTHDAY TO ME!
I am "31" and I am going to enjoy every minute of it!

(Maybe I will make myself this awesome birthday cake and sing to myself (since Adam won't get home until 10 tonight!))
CHEERS to being Happy about Birthdays!

Logo = Pizza Discount

2012-01-15T21:14:00.001-08:00

About a year ago I worked on this logo for a dear friend of mine, that decided to start an awesome pizza company!We were both thrilled with how the logo turned out, and now the pizza company is open for business!

This weekend I got to try it, and let me tell you by my honest opinion ... IT WAS UNREAL!!

Here are some details about it for you (and a coupon code to order it for your family!)
http://thepeelpizza.com/is an online gourmet pizza company that is delivered directly to your door! Made fresh from scratch homemade pizza delivered from our home to yours on disposable pizza peels that allow you to bake it fresh on your own personal pizza stone . . . resulting in an amazing crispy bottom and golden chewy crust piping hot when you’re ready to eat.
Adam and I tried the Hawaiian, which is our favorite! It was wonderful ... especially with the fresh grated parmesan grated on top! Other varieties include:
BBQ Chicken
Combination
Pepperoni
Sausage
Alfredo Chicken
6 Cheese
Western Flare
Meat Lovers

Here are the details of how to order one for your family, and get a discount too!
First - They only deliver to Alpine, American Fork, Cedar Hills, North East Lehi, & Highland, Utah.
Second - Your order must be placed 24 hours in advance.
Third - Don't worry about tipping or cost for delivery! It is included in the cost, and they don't accept tips!
Fourth - Want $2.00 off your pizza? (including their pizza's on sale? Type "firstorder" in the promo code box online and it will discount their total.

I can say first hand, this is not even close to something you might get at somewhere like Papa Murphys! IT IS 10X better!
Be sure to support my sweet friend and enjoy!

Busy Busy Busy

2012-01-12T14:02:00.001-08:00

Working on a Segment for Studio 5 on January 20.
Organizing my house for the new year.
Working on a photobook.
Adam's back in school 3 nights a week.
Preparing lessons and activities for Young Womens.
Turning 31 next week. YIKES!!

Seems like I can't hardly take a breath!
Have an awesome post coming soon I promise!
Just think about Botanical Prints and get excited!
Mandy

New Year, Organizing galore!

2012-01-02T10:59:00.001-08:00

I have always had this fascination with being organized! In fact, it has been something I have loved all my life. In 7th grade, I did a speech in a class all about organizing clutter. (REALLY, what 7th grader really cares about that!)

With the new year 2012, it seems like my goals continue to improve with organization. I am no perfect at it by any means, and have lots of room for improvement ... but the idea behind organization isn't really perfection, it is just doing a few things one day at a time to relieve stress! That is really what it does! Organization creates freedom!

Recently I found an awesome calendar on Pinterest that was much too awesome not to share with you today. It is a calendar for the entire year that gives you simple steps each day to de-clutter in 2012!! I have printed it out and can't wait to get started. Click here to download and print calendar as well as check out the awesome website www.mysimplerlife.com the Although there are a few things that don't relate to me, I figure 99% of it does, and it is something to keep me going each day.

The next thing I have been working on this week is wrapping up organizing my 2011 pictures, getting ready to make my year end photobook, putting all the pictures in my planner ... and trying to start out the new year right. In June of last year I did a post on the Crafting Chicks blog all about photo organization. I never posted it on my own blog, so I figured it would be a great time to share it with all my blog readers! Happy Organizing to all of you!

First, this post is for scrapbookers, and non scrapbookers. It is for anyone who takes photos and wants to preserve their memories!

I am sure many of you are a lot like me ... you have boxes and boxes of photos, files upon files of digital photos, yet when it comes to remembering when each photo was taken, we all get a little bit on amnesia. It is easier to let the photos sit on your computer, or collect dust in your basement right?

Today I hope to show you a way to at least organize your photos, and then hopefully inspire you to take the plunge and store them yourself. I also want to encourage you to find a way to enjoy the photos too!

My biggest fear is to loose my digital photos. I am a visual person, and can spark a memory by just looking at a picture. (I guess that is why I take thousands a year!) It is very important to back them up, so that if I ever have computer troubles, I won’t loose them. Let me introduce you to a dear friend:

Mr. External Hard Drive!
You can by External hard drives really anywhere ... Costco is where I got mine. It is 1 Terabyte. You can also find them here on Amazon. They run about $100.

Now you might say, that you don’t really want to spend the money, but trust me ... you won’t regret it! It is a lot cheaper than hiring someone to try and get photos off of a fried computer. Often times, computer experts will recommend that you purchase two hard-drives, just incase the one fails, however I haven’t gotten that far yet!

My computer told me the other day, that I had way too much stuff on it, and I couldn’t save anymore! (Can you blame it when I have close to 13,000 pictures on it!) So I decided to transfer them all to the hard drive. Then I started to get nervous and I slowly started to delete them off my computer. I tried to take them and upload them to a photo browser like Shutterfly or Costco, but it was taking HOURS. I felt like I really needed to make sure I had a second back up, and I needed a faster way!

Rather than spending another $100 to buy another hard-drive, I spent about $20, and I went and bought me some printable DVD’s. I have really had such a great time organizing the last couple of years of my life. Here is how i chose to do it:

First: Organized my photos into years by creating a folder for each year.
Second: Split each year into seasons (spring, summer, winter, fall)
Third: Split each season into individual activities / holidays. (lagoon, fourth of july, etc.)
Fourth: Now that they are organized, I decided to add the photos that are on all those floating disks. These could be disks others have given to me, along with disks from photoshoots, etc. This will be a back-up incase one of your disks get ruined.
Fifth: I saved all the individual seasons onto a DVD. (So for every year I have a Beginning Winter, Spring, Summer, Fall, and Winter end disk). The reason I say a DVD, is because it has a lot more space on it than a CD. Many people would argue whether or not to get “gold” disks, or other types of disks that claim to be more archival ... I personally didn’t spend the money, because these are just a “back-up” of what is already on your hard drive!

Sixth: Mark the disks - This was my favorite part. I have this printer:It will print on your disks, rather than just a sticker! Aren’t the photos just fun? For time sake, and organization sake, invest in a good cd marker and be on your way!

Seventh: Get some really inexpensive boxes from Ikea to store them in.
Eighth: Create Tabs. File the 5 disks, along with the “loose disks” from each year behind each disk. I like to color coordinate mine.
Nineth: Find your favorite photos from each Season. It will be impossible to scrapbook every photo, and will cost you hundreds of dollars if you end up printing them all. So create a folder on your desktop and copy your favorites into that folder. NOW, this might take some time, but if you do a little each day, you will be pleased with the time spent.

Tenth: Create a photobook. As much as I love to scrapbook, using darling paper, fun embellishments, and have full access to creativity, I also am realistic. Here are my reasons for a photobook for recording your year:
Cost effective.
Easy to print one for each of your kids. They will have a small library when they leave home.
You won’t have to add a room onto your house for the 4” heavy Albums ... instead maybe just a small shelf.
There are endless possibilities, sizes and programs! For the studio 5 segment I did on Photo books click here!

I mainly create my photobooks as a journal and history of my family that year.

So you might ask, so when do you scrapbook your photos? Well, I like to create mini albums of events, vacations, or special themes. I also have created a special one for both of my cute boys of their first year!
In conclusion (lots of information to process, I KNOW), but my reasoning for doing organizing my photos in this way is to make sure I can organize my family memories, so I can remember them, and most importantly to create a back-up of my photos.

Winner! HAPPY NEW YEAR!!

2012-01-02T10:11:00.000-08:00

Sorry I didn't get a winner posted last night. Had a get together with some friends from High School to see one of my friends that I hadn't seen in years! It was a great night!

Here is the winner for the contest!
The Allen Family said...
Dave's grandpa kept a journal his whole life and after he passed away we started going through them and it was so awesome because he had paste pictures all over so I have been looking for a new way to keep my journal!!

Congratulations! Be sure to send me an email with your address so I can get this sent off tomorrow!

Look forward to a great post for the new year!
M

One Last 2011 GIVEAWAY!

2011-12-31T14:12:00.001-08:00

Looks like I have one more MyBook Planner for 2012 to give away!! I couldn't just see this amazing planner go to waste!

Be sure to enter a comment below to win, and if you aren't already a follower, be sure to become one and you will have 2 chances to win this amazing book. Contest ends Jan 1, 2012 at 9:00 pm ... so hurry!

I DO still scrapbook!

2011-12-26T14:11:00.000-08:00

Seeing that the last year has been such a busy one, I haven't been posting much of anything that has relation to scrapbooking. In fact, I haven't had much time to scrapbook at all since the move. It seems life is life and just happens to take over!So I thought I would share an album that I put together at the beginning of December for a sweet friend of mine from college. She sent me an email a few months back asking if I would be willing to do a scrapbook for her, displaying the moments from her courtship with her fiancé. (Married Dec 20! CONGRATS JESS!)

As I don't scrapbook much for people anymore, because lets face it, I don't scrapbook much for myself these days either ... I thought this would be something fun to do. She was super organized and had everything, including journal entries how how she felt when she was dating him. She gave me logos, and had it laid how exactly how she wanted it. I got to pick the paper (Crate Paper) and Album (American Crafts), and do all the creative stuff. It was SO much fun, because I didn't have to worry about the stuff I have a hard time doing (journaling and organizing the photos!)

So as a last gift to you in 2011 I want to share with you (with Jessie's permission of course) her sweet album that she gave to her husband for Christmas. All of the blur are her personal journal entries, and are kept private for Scott of course!

Hope this will motivate you like this has for me to make the resolution to scrapbook more in 2012!!

Hope you have enjoyed this process! Sure makes me wish I would have kept better track of my feelings when I was dating Adam.

I am enjoying a solid week with Adam and the kids! NO WORK OR SCHOOL! YIPPEE!!! Hope you enjoyed your Christmas and have a break too!
M

Merry Christmas Eve

2011-12-24T10:42:00.000-08:00

Wish you all a Merry Christmas.

As we approach the awaited day, and having lived in the season of this sacred holiday of Christmas, I am in awe of the countless blessings we have. I have enjoyed the busy season, watching countless acts of service being done for others, and have to say that the true spirit of Christmas is when we get outside ourselves and serve other as Christ did. How grateful I am for the Savior Jesus Christ and for the perfect example He set for us with his life.

I hope you all feel the love of the Savior as you celebrate His sacred birth!

Merry CHRISTmas!

And the Winner is:

2011-12-19T19:59:00.001-08:00

First off, Sorry for the late response in my giveaway! I really have a great excuse that "changed my life" this weekend!
Bryson and Chad decided to give mommy a Christmas Gift while I was busy finishing a few neighborhood gifts!

Yep! Snuck my craft paints out of my office and made a beautiful picture in our basement! Needless to say this "changed our life" this weekend. 2 Hours of scrubbing carpet, and thank you to Stanley Steemer ... we got 99% of it out! WHEWW! But on to what you are waiting for!!

WELL, SURPRISE ... I actually have 2 winners! Exciting huh!
First is:

LINDSAY KAY!
Amazing ideas Mandy! Always new and fun ideas! This planner is perfect for making it all your own! It would change my life by helping me center on all the good things that happen so that I don't forget them!

CONGRATS!!

And the next one is:

CONNIE!
I havent recorded a daily journal since I was making top ten lists of the guys in my life- that was about 30 years ago fyi ;)
So this journal would certainly change my life for the better. I tried to order one with the promo code, but I must have been a day too late. So Ill go for the win
Great job Mandy

Email me your address' so I can get these books to you awesome ladies!
I am hoping to post a few fun holiday activities we have been up to! (Including our neighborhood gifts!)

Photo Gifts on Studio 5 + GIVEAWAY!!

2011-12-16T07:00:00.000-08:00

As always, I had a blast on Studio 5 today! I lucked out and was joined by my amazing husband, and some Christmas Shopping too! What a well needed fun day!

So rather than end with the giveaway, shall we start with the giveaway? I think that is a GREAT idea!

1 | Photo Daily Planner

So my first photo gift was one of these AWESOME planners!I told more detail about them on my blog last January. Click here to see the post.

The idea around this book is to record a bullet point record of your daily life, then include pictures of yourself each month to show a history. It is a simple scrapbook, however it has been my favorite record keeping journal that I have done. This is my third year doing these journals, and I have to say it has Changed my life!

To order for gifts, they will be shipped from New York on Monday. Be sure to enter promo code MDUT5 It will give customers 40% off + Free Shipping on 2012 MyBook Planners as an introductory special! Because you might have to expedite shipping to get it there in time for Christmas, please include this in the notes. If you have questions, please be sure to contact Perannum.

NOW FOR THE GIVEAWAY!!!
Be sure to leave a comment on how this could "CHANGE YOUR LIFE"! 2 Lucky readers will get one of these planners and have the chance to try it out for 2012!
Get a second chance by following my blog!
I will pick a winner on Sunday!!

2 | Photo ornaments / Birthday magnets

I just want to thank Jamie from the Crafting chicks for her awesome idea of using Juice lids for ornaments. You can see her post about this by clicking here.

I loved Jamie's ornament idea, and decided to take it one step further. I used photoshop to create the darling picture decals of my nephews and nieces. Included on the decals is their Birthdate. Each year the pictures get outdated, so rather than just using these ornaments for a few weeks this year, use them all year round. Simply cut off the ribbon, and attach a magnet to the back. Use them on your fridge, or even these awesome magnet strips from Ikea, to remember the Birthdays of your loved ones. I put them on one month at a time.

Start saving those juice lids! Christmas time is a great time for making wassail, and enjoying juice for breakfast!

3. Frame necklace

My next project is one that I searched for! Now I know that this is one that is well used, and has been around for a few years, so I wanted to give you another way of customizing these darling chunky necklaces. This charm is from Stampin' up! and would be a good idea to order ASAP if you want it in time for Christmas! For Preferred pricing, my sister-in-law is a demonstrator and can give you her preferred pricing discount by following this link. www.saradouglass.stampinup.net
Go to home decor, then charms and chains to find the Simply Adorned collection!
I collected the pictures of the nephews and nieces from my husbands side and simply created a collage of them in photoshop. I printed them off on photopaper, then simply placed it in the necklace. I can't wait to give this to my Mother-in-Law! She will love it!

If you are last minute, and don't have time to order these in order to get them in time for Christmas, I have been told that you can go to Heartland Paper Co. in Bountiful, and I found these at Dear Lizzy in Highland. Much more expensive, and in my opinion, not as cute, however they would work okay too!

4 | Instagram frame

It seems like there are ideas popping up right and left, using those darling instagram photos. Although the idea I found originally from Talia Christine here, I adapted it to easy found items at Star Mill in American Fork, Utah. If you don't live near, I am sure you could find similar items at your local antique store.

It started with going to get a window frame. Then I found these antique slides and just couldn't resist! With a few tacks and some chicken wire, this turned out to be an awesome project. I loved changing out the photos and placing my Christmas Cards there. I have it hanging in my entry way, and it a perfect place to display all of those beautiful photo gifts that I receive in the mail each day in December.

5| Iphone photo case

There are so many photo projects that are all over the internet, however I found this one that stood out!

I found these iphone cases here at discountphotogifts.comThey also just came out with ipad customizable cases too! The company is located in Miami, FL so in order to get them for Christmas, you are going to have to do quicker shipping, which will also mean more $. Be sure to enter the PROMO code: UTAH for a $5 discount. This discount is available until Jan 1, 2011 and is only available on the iphone cases!

BONUS IDEA!!

I thought that it would be fun this year to personalize each gift with photos of the person it is being given to. Since Bryce is only 3 and Chad is 2, they don't quite know how to read yet ... so this way they can tell which gift is theirs. Another idea I haven't done but thought would be fun to do was to put photos from the past. don't you think it would be cute to put pictures of your loved ones when they were small on their gifts? Just a thought!
Please email me if you have any questions!

OH and don't for get to enter the giveaway!!
M

Studio 5 Tomorrow!

2011-12-15T18:03:00.000-08:00

Be sure to check out Studio 5 tomorrow! I will be showing some unique ways to give Gifts that use photos.

As always I will have the segment as it is available for those outside of Utah, and get excited for a giveaway!
Here are some close ups of each project:
Be sure to check back tomorrow around 11:30 MST!
Wish me luck!
M

My Christmas Cards reveal!

2011-12-08T20:56:00.000-08:00

HAPPY HOLIDAYS!!! I hope you are all enjoying this wonderful season. I thought I would give you a little note before I talk about my Christmas CardsJust a little side note for the season: Last year I posted almost every day in December to give my readers a 25 day count down of things I did with my kids. As fun as it was, it stressed my Christmas season and I was more worried about the activities I was posting on my blog, than actually enjoying those Christmas moments with my kids. So if you see my Post's a little sparse this season, please know that I am enjoying this wonderful season with my family, and will be posting when I can.

On another note, I do want to tell you about my obsession with Christmas Cards! If you don't know me personally, you might have seen my first studio 5 appearance (here it is to review)And if you aren't familiar with either one ... LET ME EXPLAIN!

I L-O-V-E Christmas Cards. I love sending them, I love designing them, & most of all, I am giddy everyday when I open my mailbox and receive LOTS of Christmas cards! But as much as I love those sweet cards, lets all get serious ... they stress all of us out, RIGHT??

So in an effort to try and get them done, I held my annual Christmas Card party! You say, What is that? Watch the clip below for me to explain!I was supposed to do this party a few weeks earlier, but it just didn't get to happen. So we held it on December First! It was full of YUMMY treats and great friends. Some of those yummy treats included Gingerbread Cupcakes w/ cinnamon whipping cream, Artichoke spinach dip dip, Sweet and Salty Gram Cookies, Brie Cheese dip, some yummy M&M's and chocolates ... and last but not least Wassail! (Recipes will be shared on a future post!)

Each year I try to get it all done before December 1, so that I don't worry about them the rest of the season. However, because of reasons beyond my control, I didn't get them sent out until yesterday ... and I just couldn't show them on my blog until they were sent out, RIGHT??

SO drumroll please ... This year I worked with the WWW.PAPERCOTERIE.COM to create some unique, simple ... but darling Christmas Cards. I love interactive cards. Whether it is texture, unfolding, or pulling out ... the Paper coterie caught my eye for the perfect card this year!

The card took me 45 minutes from start to finish to put together online, and arrived on my door step in less that a week! I LOVE my cards this year and hope you will take advantage of the awesome deals Paper Coterie is offering on their website this season:

1. 40% off all posters and desktop sentiments!
2. 50% off Canvas'
3. Buy one copy and get one free on their photobooks!
4. Buy one get one free Calendars!

I will keep you all updated of any more promotions this season ... but for the meantime, be sure to take advantage of these AWESOME deals!!

Give it up!

2011-11-30T19:19:00.000-08:00

I keep telling myself ... Mandy ... how hard is it to just get on the computer for a few minutes and update? I take hundreds of pictures of the projects I am doing ... however I can't ever find the time to sit down and just post a picture! SO ... Lets just finish up November, shall we!

November 23
I am so grateful that we didn't have to travel somewhere for Thanksgiving, and that we got to spend time together as a family in our home, rather than on the road. I am also thankful, that as of tomorrow, I won't have to do the table arrangements again for another year ... he he he! SO fun, however, lots of work!

November 24
I have the GREATEST family in the whole world. (Sorry if you think yours might be better ... fat chance of that :) wink wink!
I am the youngest of 5 - 4 girls and 1 boy. I have 18 nephews and nieces, and all of us live within 20 minutes of each other! My family is my best and I am SO thankful to have each member a part of my life.

THANKSGIVING RECAP:
(Didn't the table settings turn out fun. We had over 30 people there, so I had to simplify a few things from my Studio 5 segment!)

* I brought pumpkin pie and was in charge of table settings (shocker I know :) wink wink!
* Spent the morning finishing last touches, while Adam enjoyed his day off with the boys.
* Dinner at 2:30 pm at my sister Marney's house (4 blocks away!)
* The tables settings were a HUGE hit, especially with the little ones, and the family trivia was a riot! Everyone enjoyed it!
* Forgot to get my key lime cheesecake out of the fridge ... and I have been enjoying all of it this week by myself!
* Played games (wacky 6)
* Geared up for Black Friday

November 24/25 BLACK FRIDAY

So I have never done the Black Friday sales in my whole life. I wanted to find out what all of the big talk was all about. So with some friends we went to Walmart at 10:00! CRAZINESS I am telling you! It was super fun!
Then there was Target at midnight ... not as much fun! The line took 2 hours to get through. And Old Navy last! The line was so long, that we bagged it and went home at 3:15.
Adam woke up at 4:30 to go to Best Buy and Smiths Marketplace. Home and got a few hours of sleep.
Next was RC Willy, 10:00 am ... complete waste of time.

The rest of the day was spent shopping for FURNITURE! Adam and I decided that our gifts to each other for Christmas would be furniture for our house. We went home for naps, frustrated with no luck.

I have to say ... would I do it again? Maybe ... but I think the getting up early thing is better for me than staying up late. I am thankful that at the end of the day on the 25, our good family friend, going to massage therapy school, was offering free massages for practice! I am SO thankful for 1 1/2 of amazingness ... something every person needs after Black friday!

November 26
Thankful I talked Adam into going to Gardner Village ... and guess what! We found our furniture ... here is a hint ...

November 27
Thankful I had a full 4 days with my husband home. I am so sad it has to end, but can't wait until Christmas Break!!
I got a Nap after Church! Much needed ... seeing that I am getting sick

November 28
Thankful for a Washer and Dryer. Although I HATE doing laundry, I am grateful I don't have to wash by hand!

November 29
Thankful for my NEW LIVING ROOM FURNITURE!!! YIPPEE!!! Can't wait to show you everything soon!

(oh and my wonderful parents who watched my kids while I was at Young Womens tonight! They even brought take out from Olive Garden for dinner. Everyone needs parents like the two I have! I am so lucky!!)

November 30
I am SO Thankful for all of you amazing friends, family, and people who follow my blog (regardless of how sporadic I am at updating!) I am grateful for your sweet comments and friendships I have made through this thing I call a Blog. You have changed my life!!

What a week!

2011-11-22T20:01:00.001-08:00

My apologies for not being on top of my thankful list! What a week I have had.

So rather than giving you the list of things I have have been doing, I thought I would include it in my thankful list ... so starting with:

November 15: I don't think I disclosed anywhere that I watched 5 of my nephews and nieces last week! So that made 7 kids from ages 17 - 2! WHEW! With having Studio 5 on top of it all, it became a little stressful! On Tuesday night, Adam called me and told me he locked his car keys in his car at the University of Utah (a 40 minute drive away)! So we put a movie on in the car for the kids and headed up to Salt Lake. My kids weren't sleeping well at my sister's house, so we headed home to sleep for the night. I have to say, regardless of my sister's amazing king sized pillow top matress ... it just wasn't my bed. I am SO Thankful for my bed and a great nights sleep!

November 16: Have I mentioned how grateful I am to be a contributor for Studio 5? It is a dream come true! I am also so grateful for an amazing supportive family. My mom watched my kids, and my sister's youngest ... while my sister Tammy came to Salt Lake to help me set up. I couldn't have done it without them! Thanks SO much!

November 17: I was so grateful to have a day to just relax. Although I was still watching all the kids, it was a lot more relaxed than the two days before. My kids slept so much better at my sister's house, and I felt 100% better!

November 18: Adam and I got to go on a date to the Draper Utah Temple. This was the first time I had ever been to that temple, and it was gorgeous! After almost getting into a few car accidents because of weather, and it being dark outside ... I am thankful that I didn't reck, got to spend some much needed time with my hunny, and spent the night feeling so peaceful in the temple!

November 19: I usually go grocery shopping on Monday's, but seeing that we spent the week at my sister's house, I didn't have any food in my fridge. Not only was I grateful for Adam coming with me, and helping me so I could get done quickly, but I can't help but be thankful that we are able to go to the grocery store and get everything we need. We are so spoiled!

November 20: My mom and dad invited us to dinner with all of my kids and my sister's kids today. It was a much needed break from cooking, and such a yummy dinner. Is it just me, or does dinner always taste better when someone else makes it. We always tease my mom that she sprinkles "Suzy" dust on everything. Thanks once again mom, for an extra helping hand.

November 21: I absolutely love my nieces and nephews. I would watch them again in a heartbeat ... however today I am grateful to be back at my house with my two kids. I know there is a reason Heavenly Father has only given me one at a time. I love my boys, and if watching my sister's kids did anything for me ... it made me be a better mommy today to my two boys. I feel like the luckiest mom in the whole world!

November 22 - TODAY! I am so grateful that Adam didn't have school tonight, so that I could go to my Young Women's activity, and not have to find someone to watch my kids. He was such a great help, and I am so grateful for the cute Young Women I get to serve!

Placemat and Bingo

2011-11-17T13:04:00.000-08:00

I have had a few people tell me that they haven't been able to download the placemat and bingo card. Here are the links and instructions for ya!

When you click on the "here", it will take you to a website called sendspace.com. From there, click on the blue square that says "CLICK HERE FOR DOWNLOAD FROM SENDSPACE". It will download automatically to your computer.

CLICK here FOR THE BINGO

CLICK HERE FOR THE PLACEMAT

The file is in a pdf format, so you should be able to print it. For the placemat, I sent my file to alphagraphics and had it printed on an 11x17. Call a Kinkos, or Alphagraphics near you and they can give you an email address to send it to. It made it a lot easier!

If you have any other problems and can't figure it out ... feel free to email me and I can just get you the document. Sorry for all the problems!

I will be back tomorrow to give you my thankful notes from the last couple of days!

Studio 5 - Thanksgiving Placesettings

2011-11-15T11:00:00.000-08:00

I have to say, that the segment I prepared for today was the most time consuming and intense segment I have done yet! I am, however pleased with how it turned out and can't wait to give you a few more details, along with a few places to help you when making your table setting special!

**WARNING - PLEASE don't expect to make EVERYTHING exactly as it is. Adapt it to your liking, and time availablity ... and PLEASE don't feel guilty if you don't get to it this year for Thanksgiving. All of these ideas could be easily adaptable to Christmas as well! These ideas are to simply get that wonderful, creative mind working, and excited for the fun festivities that come along with celebrating Thanksgiving!

Here are some of the details of my segment!
Little Turkey Table
My idea behind this table is to create excitement for the Thanksgiving food, and enjoy fun activities to make this a Thanksgiving dinner they will never forget!One of my favorite things about this table was the experience I had with my mom, my kids, and my nephews and nieces at Color Me mind in Provo, Utah. Color Me Mind is a place that you can go and paint ceramics of your choice in any design you like! We spent a few hours on a Saturday to paint cute plates. I let them all enjoy doing anything they wanted on the plates. It was AWESOME and just made my table setting so perfect for the kids! We went on Saturday, and had our plates back by Wednesday! So this is do-able for anyone who would like to do this for Thanksgiving. Be sure to call for an appointment! Color Me Mind is an INTERNATIONAL company. Look here to see if there is a location near you.

Here are a few more details!

1. Curve your fork using a heat gun. I was inspired by the awesome frozen yogurt joint called the Orange Leaf!
2. Everyone needs a drink at Thanksgiving Dinner, and what kid doesn't like juice boxes? I printed out a picture of each kid, used a circle punch to cut it out, backed it on a scallop circle, and put I wrapped some kraft cardstock around the juice box and placed the photo and name plate on front. For the feathers I cut five, 3/4" x 3" strips of paper and rounded the corners then adhered them to the back. SUPER easy and just darling for a table card, and drink for the kids!
3. These little turkey's I found on www.ourbestbites.com. Be sure to visit this awesome website to get great instruction of how to make it!
I don't know about you, but my family always has a hard time to get our little ones to eat. They are just so excited about being together, that they forget all that wonderful food in front of them. So I came up with this little hand drawn bingo card. Every time they eat something, have them look on their bingo card for a picture of what they just ate, (turkey, stuffing) and put a sticker on it. When they fill up the card, bring it to grandma for a chance to make one of those super cute Oreo Turkeys!
Click here to download bingo card
Most kids don't have a huge attention span, especially at the dinner table. Here is a cute placemat for them to color so all the adults can visit!
Click here to download placemat!
Oh, and don't forget a cute crayon holder for each little one to take home with them! Click here to learn how to make them. (I made 4 in an hour! They are super easy!!

Last but not least, I used a stuffed turkey and a pumpkin to make the table just look festive!

Thankful for Teens
The idea around this table is to make a casual, non-traditional colors, and fun table for the "younger" adults! wink wink!Here are a few details:

Just a quick SHOUT out to Stampin' Up who inspired this table. I used their Spice Cake line to inspire my color scheme. The Fabric, and Buttons are all coordinated together so it made my place setting coordinate!

1. Cover a paint can with cute paper, roll up your plastic utensils in a paper napkin and hold them together with a piece of ripped fabric, and add a crush bottled soda for their drink!
2. I decided to do a little decor for my place. These could easily be used for decor in a room or a closet. Maybe a good idea to have a few extra supplies around in case a few of the girls want to make extras! I found this tutorial online that can explain exactly how to do it. I would suggest the scoring tool from Stampin' Up. I also did mine 3" x 12" and put two together. I put mine together with a hot glue gun!
3. My favorite thing about this table is the place setting tags ... just a die cut around a typed name. EXTREMELY easy! Then is the idea of FAMILY BINGO! Ask your guests in advance some questions that other people might not know about them. Then set the questions at each place setting. It will be a fun activity for the teens to get to know CRAZY uncle Jim, and maybe even spark some great memories in the party!
Some other details about the centerpiece:

I am in LOVE with my banner. Just some simple burlap, ribbon from Hobby Lobby, Wooden sticks, and two pumpkins! The letters are the Serif Font from Sizzix (you can also purchase from Stampin' Up!)

A few days after I designed my banner I saw some other cute ideas of banners on one of my favorite websites, the crafting chicks. Visit their blog to find even more cute ideas!

A few last little details!
* I got the plates at Hobby Lobby ... Paper makes easy cleanup!
* Yes, that is my homemade Buttermilk Pie in the middle of the table – Just a temptation to get your guests excited to eat all their dinner! wink wink! (I might just have to post the recipe another day!)

If you don't know a demonstrator, and want preferred pricing, email me and I can give you the information!

Adult Casual
I wanted to create a handmade feel with this place setting, and give you an inexpesive way of creating a beautiful table using what you have on hand!

**The one thing I didn't get in time before I did my photo shoot was a beautiful table runner using chevron fabric. Look at the segment online to view how it turned out!

The details!!

1. I thought a Thankful card at each place setting was a great way for your guests to focus on the real reason for Thanksgiving. Offer to mail them, or deliver them to the person they choose to write the cards to. The card I created used basic supplies of what I had on hand. All of the products and stamps are from Stampin' Up!
2. Each name tag was created with a tag punch (Stampin' Up!), and a scrap of fabric. Stamp a monogram and hand write each name. I liked the feel of the mason jar with the rest of my decor.
3. Cut out your own place mats using Burlap. It is really cheap too! I made 4 place mats for $2! I also dressed each one up by stenciling a little decoration on each one. Really simple and just a great finishing touch!
My favorite part of this table setting:
I made these little burlap pockets by folding over a pocket and stitching both sides. The corn husks are what you use to make tamales, the napkins I made using leftover fabric, and I just used my everyday utensils. Wrap it up with a stripe of ripped fabric, and finish it off with a button! Just the right finishing touch!
Other details:
Plates - Used the yellow plates I had at home (purchased at Target)
Centerpiece – Flowers, with lemons – Try wrapping vase in Burlap as well!

Adult Formal
This is a very sentimental table. I wanted to find a way to spark memories in the guests at my table. Surrounding my guests in pictures, and a very soft white color pallet, allowed for endless possibilities!
Thanks to my mom for her beautiful China, Silver, Cloth napkins, and Tablecloth! This table was inspired by the tables I have grown up, eating Thanksgiving on!

My favorite thing about this place setting are the monogram plates. They are actually homemade! Purchase ceramic markers at your local craft store (I got mine at Michaels). Here is a great tutorial on how to make these!
Here are some of the details:

1. Although this might look simple, adding a small touch of printed transparency paper just added the finishing touches. It also gives the table just a hint of color!
2. My mom and I went through all of our family scrapbooks and found pictures of past Thanksgivings. We sure enjoyed remembering memories, and I can't wait for the rest of the family to enjoy these pictures. I got the clip frames in the dollar section of Michaels, and printed the wallet sized photos at Costco.
3. Glitter Pumpkin name plates. I purchased these glitter pumpkins last year at Hobby Lobby. Then a simple wrap of a strip of paper around a pencil, just made these name plates elegant!

The last thing I wanted to do was bring a little charm to the table. Who can resist an edible centerpiece. It creates color to your table, along with a little bit of a healthy nudge, before you fill up on all that rich food!
Other Details:
White paper doilies for place mats. I got mine at Party Land in Lehi, Utah. I know you can also get them on www.pebblesinmypocket.com.
Don't forget beautiful clear stemware ... and my favorite drink: Blood Orange Italian Soda - Made from Archer farms at Target!

Conclusion –

You don’t have to use every idea on every place setting. Mix and match the place settings shown to create a memorable atmosphere for you Thanksgiving table. It is super easy to get overwhelmed, so just do as much as you have time for!

I am grateful

2011-11-14T21:18:00.001-08:00

(Photo from Pintrest)
Today I am grateful for the coke I had a 4 pm. It has been a crazy busy day ... So thank you Coke for making my day great!!

I am thankful

2011-11-13T21:09:00.000-08:00

Due to the fact that I can't get on my computer, you're going to have to live without my little "I am thankful" graphic for a few days!

So I didn't post yesterday, and it is because I have been super busy with my segment for studio 5, watching my sister's 5 kids while they are on a cruise, and trying to finish up everything on my fabric ... (whoot whoot!) It is going to be a super busy week for me, but it is going to a WAY fun week too ... so I can't complain!

On November 12, I am just thankful that I got to spend a fun Saturday night, going bowling with my nieces and nephew ... and I didn't have to brave the FREEZING cold BYU game with my hunny! (He took my nephew instead!)

Today (November 13 - What a crazy busy day. Sunday's are supposed to be a day of rest, however today wasn't ... and it was my own fault. I am super grateful that I made Buttermilk pie though ... I forget how much I love it! It was just what I needed on a long hard day! Hope you have all had a remarkable weekend!
M

Prayers heard!

2011-11-11T21:05:00.001-08:00

I have to say, that after an extremely busy day, I had so many people willing to help me out so that I could work. I know that God hears prayers and I am thankful today for those people in my life that answered them!

Remembering

2011-11-10T21:27:00.001-08:00

Today I went to my parents house to look through our scrapbooks and found a bunch of pictures displaying past Thanksgiving's. I was amazed how many pictures I did find ... and how much everyone has changed. Check out a few of these classics! My sister Tiffany in 1975Dinner in 2000 Can't have a Thanksgiving Dinner without Coke! 2006And my Amazing Sister-in-Law, Milka's recipe for Turkey is always a favorite

So Today I am thankful for two things ... an awesome mom who helped me sift through pictures and scan for an hour. And also, I am so thankful for Camera's. So many awesome memories are recorded because of these amazing devices. I am grateful for Digital Camera's today that record so much more! It was sad to see that from 1965-1975, my mom had one picture album. For 2010 my mom has 3 albums! Oh how I am grateful for technology!

Be sure to tune into Studio 5 next week to see what I am doing with these photos!

Studio 5 - Coming up!

2011-11-09T19:09:00.000-08:00

Today my day was spent, preparing for my next segment for Studio 5 on November 16th. I am doing a Segment on some really great Table Setting ideas ... SO GET READY! I just can't wait to show you. I am so thankful for the opportunity I have to go and share creative ideas with Utahn's everywhere ... and maybe a few others online. Although my segments are a TON of preparation for just a few minutes, they are so rewarding, and so much fun to do! Stay tuned!

Mandy

So Grateful!

2011-11-08T21:07:00.001-08:00

November 8 - Tonight Adam came home and said that they gave him the paperwork for Graduation! He gets to walk in May, but has to finish his classes through the summer! Tonight I am SUPER excited for a light at the end of this tunnel. I don't know if school has been harder on Adam or me ... but regardless of how hard the sacrifice, it is worth it!

EXCITING NEWS!!

2011-11-07T16:02:00.001-08:00

November 7 - Today has been a day I have been waiting almost an entire year for! I have been trying to figure out how to continue working and staying at home. After concluding my contract with Creating Keepsakes I felt a void and wanted to continue creating but I was ready to try another creative avenue. I approached RILEY BLAKE fabrics to design some fabric for them. I have submitted a few designs ... and after a few months of revisions and talking ... I met with them today to finalize! Alpine Fabrics (which is associated with Riley Blake) picked up my line and another line I am completing right now! I AM SO EXCITED I CAN'T EVEN TELL YOU!

SO for today, I am thankful that I chose to become educated in Graphic Design, and I am so thankful to have been apart of so many amazing design teams that have helped me get to this point. I can't show you the fabric now, but I can promise you, the second I can show it to you ... I will! Hope you're Monday is marvelous!
M

Thankful 5 & 6

2011-11-06T12:40:00.000-08:00

November 5
SO thankful for good friends that last through the years! Went to dinner with a friend from High School, her husband, and two kids ... although it was a "food fight" he he ... it was great to be around people that have influenced my life in such a great way! Thanks for an awesome night at Brick Oven Maria & Doug!

November 6
I can't help but be so grateful for Sundays. The way we work Sunday's at our house is Church, resting, and enjoying family together. Today my parents invited us to dinner ... SO grateful I don't have to cook dinner! Every first Sunday of the Month, members of our congregation stand and express their love for the Savior. It is called Fast and Testimony meeting. We all are fasting, not partaking of food for 24 hours as a symbol of sacrifice for something or someone in need. As I have fasted today, I am grateful to be apart of such amazing Church that allows me the opportunity to feel of the Saviors love. I am grateful to be a daughter of God, and I am grateful that I am aware of the plan he has for me.

I hope you're all enjoying your wonderful Sunday!

Freebee's!

2011-11-04T14:10:00.001-07:00

I got an email from Stampin' Up yesterday and wanted to give you all the heads up!

Stampin’ Up! will be offering FREE digital content November 4-7 in honor of Digital Scrapbooking Day!

It is FREE brand-new, exclusive digital content from Stampin’ Up!? Join Stampin' Up! as they celebrate Digital Scrapbooking day with a four-day online event. Check out the killer cute stuff they're offering!

Access your FREE downloads from MyDigitalStudio.net, after completing a quick survey. Their downloads are compatible with most design software, so tell all your friends!

OH, here are yesterday's and today's Thankful moments!November 3 ... I had a headache ALL DAY LONG! So I have to say I was very thankful that the kids went to bed good, so I could lay on the couch and do NOTHING last night!
November 4, I am thankful it is Friday and I remembered it is going to snow tomorrow! Me and the boys raked the leaves and cleaned up the yard, in preparation for snow. Jumping in leaves are some of the moments I enjoy the most while watching my kids grow up! Who would have thought that a pile of leaves could make them SO happy!

FINALLY! Some Halloween Picts!

2011-11-02T20:35:00.000-07:00

Met my family for lunch today in Orem and got my camera back from my mom. SO excited to show you the darling picts from
Halloween!

I don't know why it is, but I love to do a theme with my boys. Their first year, Bryson was a chef, and Chad was a lobster! Last year it was Bryson as a horse, and Chad as a cowboy!

This year ... Bryson as a Pirate and Chad as a Parrot!

Daddy even came home early to answer the door for Trick-or-Treaters ... and I got to go out with the boys! They were more concerned with the dogs and cats at the doors than the candy!

Overall ... we had a GREAT Halloween!

For DAY 2

For an AMAZING HUSBAND ... who regardless of his busy schedule, came home tonight, fed the boys and kept them while I went to an Activity at my church. He is so stressed and busy with work and school, yet he still finds time to be with the boys and help me when he can. I LOVE THIS MAN!

I am THANKFUL!

2011-11-01T19:13:00.000-07:00

First off, I am just one of those people who celebrates the holidays in order. I like to Trick-or-Treat on Halloween, I like to eat Turkey on Thanksgiving, and GOOD HEAVENS ... I don't start celebrating Christmas until the day after Thanksgiving! (other than my Christmas Card party, and that is just to relieve stress ... not celebrate!) I can't tell you how many people on FB today were talking about listening to Christmas music today! YIKES!

So in honor of the THANKSGIVING SEASON, I am announcing what I am doing to enjoy this wonderful holiday!

For years, I have wanted to do a gratitude journal ... however with the rush of Halloween, November 1st comes along and smacks me in the butt! I thought about stressing, making a journal today and rushing to find something I was thankful for, but then I realized that it was going to 1. Stress me out, and 2. Make me think all the things I am not blessed with.

So I then came up with the concept of making the journal as I go throughout November, and having a HUGE reveal at the end of November of my thankful journal! What do you think! Want to come along in my journey? LETS DO IT!

SO FOR NOVEMBER 1ST:
I am thankful for a warm home to raise my boys in! It was a really blustery day today, and I was so grateful to have a warm home, a working furnace, and a place to protect my family!

ALMOST ... A happy halloween!

2011-10-31T20:38:00.000-07:00

I was getting ready to post some really cute Halloween pictures, and then I remembered that I left my camera with the cute pictures of halloween in my parents car! Guess you'll have to wait until tomorrow! Luckily I got one at the Halloween Parade as a teaser
Until then, here is the lo-down on our day:
Halloween Parade to see all of our cute cousin's and their costumes
Cheese tortillas cut out in a pumpkin shape for lunch
A little break at the park for mom and the kids
Boys take nap, I make taco soup, homemade bread, and pumpkin chocolate chip cookies
Daddy home a little early
Trick-or-Treating
Soup "Birthday" party for my sister!
Ending with a great episode of Castle!

What was your most favorite thing you did today?

Hope you all had a WICKED GOOD Halloween!
M

Fall "Comfort" food

2011-10-27T20:42:00.000-07:00

I don't know what it is about fall, but I start to get into the mood to cook again!

One of the recipes I grew up with, is one I enjoy making on a cold fall day. It is a little bit more time consuming than some other recipes ... however it is worth every minute of preparation! So I thought I would share it with you!

Chicken Turnovers

GRAVY
2-3 Chicken Breasts
1 small Onion, minced
2 1/4 cups Potatoes, grated
1 Carrot, grated
1/2 cup frozen Peas
1-2 TBSP Cornstarch
1 tsp of Chicken bullion
Salt & Pepper to taste)
optional: Thyme to taste

Cook chicken in 3 cups of water. Remove chicken and cut into small pieces. Put back into water. Add onion, potatoes, and carrot. Cook until tender. Thicken broth with cornstarch, Add peas.

** While vegetables are cooking, make the turnover crust.

CRUST
2 cups Flour
1 tsp Salt
3/4 cup Butter
1 Egg, beaten
3 TBSP Vinegar
6 TBSP Water

Cut butter into flour and salt, but using a pastry cutter or food processor. Add eggs, vinegar, and water. Mix until dough is in a ball. Split into 2 balls. Roll out into a 6" square. Fill squares with 2 TBSP of gravy. Fold over crosswise. Press edges together using a fork.

Bake at 400 Degrees for 20 minutes. Serve with additional gravy on top.

It is one of my favorites and I am so glad to share it with you! Hope you enjoy!
Mandy

Guest Post

2011-10-26T14:16:00.000-07:00

So I have never had anyone guest post on my blog before ... however there is a first for everything right?

So Emily Patterson contacted me a few weeks back and wanted to post an article. If anyone has a guest poster they would like to see on my blog ... please email me and I can consider posting more articles from others! Thanks!

Emily Patterson is currently working as a Marketing Support Coordinator for Primrose Schools providing written work to the blogosphere which highlights the importance, and some of the specific aspects, of a quality, early childhood, education. Through an accelerated Balanced Learning® curriculum, Primrose Schools students are exposed to a widely diverse range of subject matter giving them a much greater opportunity to develop mentally, physically and socially.

Halloween is an exciting time of the year. Being the first major holiday, especially from a kid’s point of view, after school starts this is a time to have fun. Halloween offers a great opportunity to beat boredom. The best part of Halloween is that, unlike Christmas that requires people to purchase many, expensive presents, most of the Halloween activities are very affordable.

Here are 10 wallet-friendly ways to beat boredom during Halloween.

1. Go Trick-or-Treating

This is the most obvious Halloween activity. Going trick-or-treating is a fun time. Usually younger children begin as early as 5:00 p.m. on October 31, so they can be finished well before bedtime. Aside from a few renegades, most people are done by 9:00 p.m. This is a rare occasion where young children will be running from house to house along with older teenagers, and almost everyone has fun. To ensure that the night remains a good time, be sure to supervise younger children and to not eat candy until its wrapping can be inspected.

2. Count Candy

A fun activity for children after trick-or-treating is to count and sort the candy. For the very young, this can be a fun way to practice math. Older children may be inclined to sort it and trade amongst themselves. When sorting the candy, parents can suggest that one piece be selected to be eaten that night. This helps prevent a sugar high at bedtime.

3. Bob for Apples

Bobbing for apples, a classic Halloween party game, is frustrating, funny, embarrassing and fun. This innocent game can be enjoyed by anyone who is old enough to hold their breath. The splashing makes for some great entertainment.

4. Have a Halloween Party

Having a Halloween brings together friends and family to celebrate. This is also one of the easiest parties to plan. People will know to wear a costume. Fall dishes such as apple and pumpkin pie are standards. With lots of candy, pumpkin carving and apple bobbing, the party is complete!

5. Make a Costume

Making a costume can be a great bonding experience between a child and a parent. With enough creativity and some patience, almost anything can be made. Usually, homemade costumes are higher quality than those bought in stores.

6. Join a Costume Parade

Costume parades are a great place to show off the costume that was just made. Of course, people who purchased a costume can also participate. Some parades even have prizes for the best costume. This is one of the few times each year when people who enjoy wearing costumes can gather together. There are parades in cities and towns, adult parades and children’s ones. Check with the school to see if students will be participating in a parade.

7. Watch a Halloween Movie
(These are my favorite! ... that is Mandy;)
Watching a movie together is an affordable way to spend an evening. Rent one of the classic Halloween movies and make some popcorn. For adults, there are many scary movies to select from. A classic for children is It’s the Great Pumpkin, Charlie Brown.

8. Go to a Haunted House or Corn Maze

Visiting a Haunted House with a group will cause some laughs, and many screams. People jumping out, strobe lights and smoke machines all are enjoyed by many. Children who are too young for haunted houses, as well as epileptics that cannot enjoy strobe lights, will have fun at a corn maze. At these, farmers carve out designs in a corn field so people can try to find their way through. Another similar activity for little children would be a hay ride.

9. Carve a Pumpkin

Carving pumpkins together is a fun family event. Lay out some newspaper and get started. There are a few techniques experienced carvers use to ensure a beautiful pumpkin and a good time. When carving out the top, they leave a notch in it, so they know how it goes back on the pumpkin. Using a knife specifically for carving pumpkins helps prevent injuries. Finally, keeping the pumpkin seeds is advised.

10. Roast Pumpkin Seeds

Those pumpkin seeds that are saved form carving pumpkins can be made into a delicious, healthy snack. There are two ways people generally cook pumpkin seeds. First, they can be placed in a skillet with a little olive oil. Then they are stirred constantly for 10-20 minutes, while being watched carefully for when they taste done. Another method is baking. A single layer of pumpkin seeds can be baked in the oven, but this technique is more difficult to oversee. A couple of seasonings that can be used are: salt, garlic and salt, or apple pies spices.

Roughly two months into the school year, people often become restless by Halloween and get bored. This holiday is the perfect excuse to get out and have some fun. There are many activities unique to autumn and specific to Halloween. These are just 10 wallet friendly ways to beet boredom during Halloween; there are many more activities to think of.

Thanks Emily for posting on my blog today! Hopefully it will inspire a few last minute activities for your halloween!

Time for something Crafty eh?

2011-10-21T14:10:00.000-07:00

So I found this awesome wreath a few weeks back from Pintrest ... and I fell in LOVE!

So as much as I loved it, I knew I had a few supplies laying around that I needed to use. I got a really cute stacker of fall fabric a few years back and have never done anything with it ... so I decided to do this instead!The wreath itself was $5 at Hobby Lobby, and everything else was just what I had hanging around! I thought it turned out really cute! Each night for a few nights I just sat on my couch while watching TV and made the little rosettes! Click here for a tutorial on YouTube on how to do these. Then I simply hot glued them on the wreath ... tied a bow, and WALA!

Hope you're enjoying this wonderful fall Friday!

T.M.I?

2011-10-18T15:32:00.000-07:00

Too much information?? My husband seems to think so ... however I have made a vow to tell you about the things that change my life ... and this thing has done just that!

If you had told me a few years back that I would have even considered buying a Bidet, I would have told you you're crazy! I guess it really isn't a Bidet, it is just a toilet seat ;)

Rewind to 2 years ago. Adam and I watched my sister's kids while they were in Hawaii! We became aquatinted with their Master Bedroom bathroom ... and I wasn't sure how I felt about this little "bidet". About 3 Days into our babysitting ... I decided to try this little seat ... and I knew it was all over from there! It changed my life! As much as we loved it, we were in a rental home, and they were a little bit spendy!

Fast forward to last weekend! We get a text message from my Bro-in-law saying that these sweet treasures were on sale at Costco for a fraction of the price that they normally are. After stewing over it for a week ... we bought on Saturday. Adam ... my ROCK AWESOME husband put in a new plug and installed it by himself! It sprays according to gender, it dries, it has a heated seat, it controls the temperature of the water ... WHAT MORE COULD YOU ASK FOR??

And if you're asking if it is a life changer ... I would have to say definitely!

The winner is:

2011-10-11T21:52:00.001-07:00

Love this!!! Upstate New York is the coolest place I have visited.
Mary S.

CONGRATULATIONS MARY!!!

although I chose Mary as a random winner, I have to admit that Upstate NY is one of the COOLEST places I have ever been! I actually lived their for a year and a half!

Email me Mary and I will get going on your design!

Feel free to email me if you would like to hire me to custom design a canvas for your family!
Mandy

Last Chance for Giveaway!

2011-10-10T11:48:00.000-07:00

Just incase you didn't make it through my never-ending post ... I thought I would give my blog readers one last chance at my giveaway! I will be drawing on Tuesday instead of today!
The giveaway is a custom canvas designed just like the one above. I have had so many inquires on my design that I thought it would be fun to give away one! I will make it using the vacations, or words of you choice ... in a square. The giveaway is for the design services only ... a $50 value!

Please comment with the coolest place you have visited, along with your name. For an extra chance, become a follower of my blog!
GOOD LUCK!

A "peary" awesome project, Q&A, and a giveaway!

2011-10-07T12:51:00.000-07:00

It seems like the theme to this week has been pears! I picked up a huge box to can this week, and finished canning 20 jars yesterday.

And now a drumroll you have all been waiting for! I finally got my table topper back from being quilted! (I know, a little bit of a long anticipation on your part!)I am in LOVE with the Decadence pear fabric by Samantha Walker printed by Riley Blake, and I have wanted to use this pattern from Camille Roskelley's book Simple for awhile! I am very pleased with how it turned out! If you have never quilted before, this was a perfect starter project! I cut and pieced it in 2 hours, and it was REALLY simple!

And totally random ... a new "pair" of shoes! Just what this mommy needed ... a comfy pair of shoes to slip on and can pretty much wear with anything!

Last but not least, I have had a HUGE response to the Canvas I displayed on Studio 5! I thought I would give you some information and answer some questions if you're looking to design one yourself.

First - Belinda emailed me looking for steps to follow on how to make a a canvas on your own. I emailed Belinda back and thought I would share the same responses with you!

If you're wanting to take a stab it on your own ... here are some tips!

I find it easier to line up words in Illustrator, however this is definitely do-able in Photoshop.
* Only pick 2 fonts. I used Chalet Comprime (taller, skinner, with letters close together font). I also used Gotham. Use both Capitals and Lowercase in both fonts. I also find some free fonts I love to use together are garamond, and century gothic.
* I started by creating my document the size I want to have it printed in. Mine was 30" x 30". When you are finished, be sure to flatten all of your layers and change the document to a JPEG. This will make it so you can have it printed everywhere. I suggest Pro Digital Photos for printing your canvas because they have great quality and they are local. PLUS they are awesome to work with.
* Next I typed out individual words, in different type boxes. (This will make them easier to move around)
* I started in the left hand corner, and just played around with different sizes and fonts.
* By using "FREE TRANSFORM" (in my version of Photoshop it is Command-T or in the Edit menu). JUST BE SURE TO USE HOLD DOWN THE SHIFT KEY WHEN CHANGING THE SIZE. IT IS A NO NO NO to stretch the font or make it longer. You want all of the letters to look uniform, not stretched.
* Last, watch the spacing between the different type blocks. You want to create a similar margin between type, as well as make sure you use your guides to line all your type up so that it looks uniform.

If that explanation was FOREIGN to you, then I am available for hire!
If you're looking to have one designed just like this:Only with your own vacation words: I can do it for $50. (This does not include the printing)

If you want something more custom designed, then I charge anywhere from $75-100!

A FEW MORE STUDIO 5 QUESTIONS:
How did you mount your growth charts?
I mounted them on Masonry board (you can get it at lowes, and they will cut it for you there!)... painted it white, stuck the growth chart on. On Bryson's I mounted it again on a piece of ply wood, painted brown to give a 1" border, then nailed a claw picture hanger to the back!

Where did I get my top (the one I wore on the segment)?
BEST KEPT SECRET ... Seasons boutique in Sandy (just east of Southtown mall ... in the same parking lot as Nordstrom Rack)

What fonts did you use on your Subway Art?
Chalet Comprime, and Gotham

Questions about Paper Coterie:
Unfortunately I was in Lake Powell when the code wasn't working. If you tried to order something, and my code didn't work, please contact their customer service ... they might be able to help you out!

AND FINALLY A GIVEAWAY!
I decided it is time to give some service to my AWESOME followers! I decided to giveaway 1 canvas design to a lucky reader! That is right, I will custom design your canvas (square, just like the one shown on Studio 5). Unfortunately I can only give away the design, not the printing of the Canvas, but if you're interested in winning, Leave a comment with the most interesting place you have visited! Get a second chance at it by becoming a follower! Winner will be announced on Monday!
HAPPY WEEKEND!
M

Take two!

2011-10-03T20:30:00.000-07:00

I got a phone call about a month ago from a new neighbor of ours, asking us if we wanted to join a group of neighbors on a "couples" retreat to Lake Powell. After talking to Adam, he just felt like with being reassigned a new job site, and busy with school, we just couldn't do it! I was SO bummed!

It wasn't until a couple weeks ago when Adam came home one evening and told me he was going to do everything he could to make it work! I was SO excited!

We left on Wednesday, and came back Saturday evening. Our Lake Powell trip we went on in August was fun, but you know, as well as I know, that with kids ... leaving home isn't necessarily a vacation. In fact, my sister calls leaving home with kids, a trip! Without kids, leaving home is a vacation!

Laughing so hard we cried, waterskiing / wakeboarding until our hands couldn't hold on any longer, hiking the hole in the rock, and getting to know new friends. It was such a great weekend! I felt like I was a kid again.
I needed such a physical break from mommyhood! And then was so uplifted by General Conference. This was such an amazing weekend ... hope yours was just as amazing!

Get Well Soon!

2011-09-26T20:36:00.000-07:00

One of my favorite things to do is to bring a smile to others when they are down.

1. The task usually involves food
2. It might also include something crafty.

I won't disclose who, however I have a friend who is going through some really harsh health trials right now. I remember when everything went crazy with my health a few years back, I had a friend who sent me a care package. It made the things I was experiencing a little lighter, and totally brightened my spirit.

I guess I can say, I feel it my duty to pay it forward ... So I thought I would share a few ideas with you of how to pay it forward to someone you know who is struggling.

I simply just got some fun candy, wrapped it with a little piece of pattern paper, and put a "sweet" thought on each one. I can't say they were overly decorated ... however the thought is what mattered ... right? (at least that is what I keep telling myself!)

1. Before you know it you will be saying: "Hi-Ho, Hi-Ho" it's back to work I go! So enjoy relaxing while you can!
2. Remember that everything happens for a "Riesen"
3. Each day feels like a "Dud" when you're sick. Luckily you have chocolate to get you through.
4. I know you're going through a "Sour Patch" but with faith you'll get through.
5. Bad news makes you feel like saying "Gimme a Break"! With lots of prayers, and a treat, you'll "Crunch" right through it.
6. When you feel like your medical bills are going to be "100 Grand" Read this Scripture: Matt 6:33
7. Proverbs 3:24 - When thou liest down, thou shalt not be afraid. Yeah thou shalt lie down and thy sleep shalt be "Sweet"
8. When you think that you can't take it anymore, "Chews" to Count your many blessings.
(Strip paper by Bella Blvd.)
Please, enjoy making someones day and use these ideas!

A Quote that has changed my life!

2011-09-22T20:23:00.000-07:00

(Thanks to the AWESOME creative team at American Crafts for posting this on their wall!)
I don't know if you blog, but often times there is this little bird on my shoulder that makes me feel guilty for not showing you EVERY little thing I create during my week, or sharing more of my life with you. This was a quote I really needed. This summer, I really have done just that ... I have taken time to live ... and although I haven't posted everything I have done, I feel like I have created better, smarter, and finished creative projects I have wanted to do for YEARS!

I think often times we all have a picture in our minds of these blogging friends, and that their life is PERFECT! That they never sleep because they create, or cook, or sew, or are the PERFECT mothers. I promise that MOST of the time, they only post the best of what they have. Just a little reminder, that we are all normal, everyday people ... mommies that often don't get a shower until late afternoon (if at all) ... and for heavens sake, sometimes eat cereal for dinner.

AND IT IS OKAY!

Just wanted to give you permission!
So I leave you with one more quote ... instead of getting bent out of shape because you don't think you are what others are:
Being happy is much more important than crafts sometimes!
I rest my case!

Studio 5 - Capturing Growth Moments

2011-09-18T11:00:00.000-07:00

A few weeks back, I got a call from Michelle at Studio 5, and she asked me to be a contributor! It looks like I will be doing a segment 6-8 segments throughout the next year!!

So today is the first segment of the line-up and it has been such a fun process to prepare!
It is all about Capturing your child's growth moments in a fun and creative way!

First off, I want to give a huge SHOUT OUT ... to two companies that I teamed up with for this segment! First, let me introduce you to www.papercoterie.com
Not only did they allow me full creativity on their amazing website, and sponsor the projects for my segment ... but they were amazing enough to offer guests on my blog a $40 credit to spend by September 30th, 2011! You pay only the applicable shipping charges. Make sure to place your order before midnight on Friday, September30, when the event code expires. There is no minimum order, and your coupon code is MANDYDOUGLASS

The next company was Pro Digital Photos in Pleasant Grove, Utah. (www.prodigitalphotos.com) They are the same company I worked on my Christmas Cards with, as well as the photobook segment I did on Studio 5! These people make it happen and you won't be disappointed. Look below to see what they helped me create!

I wanted to give you a few details on the projects I made for my segment.

GROWTH CHARTS | Made by www.papercoterie.com

This product is what inspired me to do this segment in the first place. Stacy Julian did a promotion with the Paper Coterie on her blog a few months ago. I ordered one of these growth charts for my son! I loved it online, but I just about pee'd my pants when I got the actual product in the mail! AMAZING quality, beautifully designed, and SO versatile!
They are made out of fabric. You can place it on the wall directly, or do Iike I did and place it on masonry board and hang it on the wall. Either way, it is something you can take with you if you move and use for years to come! Click here to make one using your FREE promotion! (scroll down to the growth charts!)

Journals | made by www.papercoterie.com
These journals were SO easy to create! I love having them around my house, because they are cute enough to leave out on the counter, and if you're like me ... you don't remember them if they aren't in eye site! (right?) Making both Journals took me about 10 minutes! SO easy. You can also make one of these using the free promotion. They can be personal, the funny things your kids say, etc. You can personalize them completely to you! Click here to get started!

My child @ ... Book | made by www.papercoterie.com
There are THOUSANDS of websites to make photobooks on. Even ProDigital Photos makes amazing, personalized photobooks. I chose this one for my segment because of the theme. This book took me 1 hour to make. It was well designed and all I needed to do was upload my photos, and change the wording to match my Bryson.I did also add some text on my photos, displaying when each photo was taken. I loved how it turned out and can't wait to do one for each year of both of my boys! Click here to use your free code to make one for your son or daughter! Click here to check out the great photobooks you can create on www.prodigitalphotos.com

Memory Boxes | made by www.papercoterie.com I thought these looked cool on the website, however I was BLOWN A-WAY when I received mine in the mail! The quality is AMAZING, and it looks so great with the first few weeks of Bryson's pre-school products. They are on backordered until October. Click here to look at all the awesome styles, and get excited to order yours soon!

Vacation Wall | Made with products from www.prodigitalphotos.com

This is a project I have wanted to do for a few years now, and finally had an excuse and a deadline to get it done! You saw my "teaser" on my last postHere is how it was done. I created the file in Adobe Illustrator, then I put an amazing action, called Dirt Bag from www.getotallyrad.com. Then I simply sent off the file to www.prodigitalphotos.com. I sent it on a Friday and had it back by Wednesday. I am lucky that they are local, but since it is a website, they will ship anywhere! The wording did take me a while ... but I was SO pleased with how it turned out! If you would like to hire me to create one for your vacation wall and personalize it to your family, please email me! skierdouglass@gmail.com.

Next came the frames and pictures. Prodigital Photos also printed all of my amazing photos. Their photo tech's made them look amazing. Click here to get information on their photo printing options!Lastly, came my frames. I went to our local "Good Will" called the Deseret Industries and picked up LOTS of frames for $1 each in a variety of sizes. Then I took them home and spray painted them to match my rug in the basement. It took a while, but it was worth every minute! I was so pleased with the outcome of my wall!

I hope a few of these projects were able to inspire you! Feel free to comment or email me with any questions on Today's segment. You may just find it on an upcoming segment!

Our Labor Day was PEACHY!

2011-09-07T22:10:00.000-07:00

Hope you all had a fabulous weekend!

We were so happy to have our Daddy home. It seems like we only see him a few times a week with school and work these days. We got to spend the whole weekend together and even spend some time out on Utah lake with my sister's and their families!

One of my favorite things from this past summer has been to watch my sweet husband, and his excitement for the food we have been growing in our backyard ... (I promise, only a few more posts about our garden stuff!)

I however have been most excited about having a peach tree!

Growing up, we had a peach tree, and I loved every minute of it. My dad always made peach cereal for us in the morning! We cut up peaches, put milk in it, and added LOTS of sugar ... and there you have it ... PEACH CEREAL! I decided to continue the tradition on with my little ones. I went a little peach crazy this past weekend!

1. Peach Cereal
2. Canning Peaches
3. Peach Pie for Sunday
4. Homemade Peach Ice Cream

I know, a little extreme for one weekend. I promise I don't do this every weekend! My family keeps wondering what I am on ... I just tell them I am high on peaches!
I still have a few peaches left, however & I don't think I am going to do peach jam this year, so I guess I will just keep enjoying a bowl of fresh peach cereal for the next week. UMmmmm! I am loving this.

My lack of blogging only has been because I am working on lots of projects, canning, and getting ready to do studio 5 again!

Here is one project I am sending to the quilter tomorrow ... This is the fabric from Riley Blake Designs! It is new ... called Decadence, by Samantha Walker!

Did you just pee your pants? Because I did when I saw this line! I JUST LOVED IT! I can't wait to get it back so I can show you how fun my project turned out!

And here is a little tiny sneak peek at a creation I am working on for the Studio 5 spot! September 19th is the day! Don't miss it! (Don't worry, I will post it for all of you that don't live in Utah!)

All I can say is 30" x 30" Canvas ... SUPER EXCITED!

Check out this DRESS!

2011-09-02T16:22:00.001-07:00

Can you believe that this entire dress was made out of toilet paper?
Adam's Aunt and cousins did this for a contest! They need lots of votes on Facebook to win. Do you think you could take a few minutes and vote for them! I think they deserve it, don't you?
Click here to go to the link.
Then "like" the Cleaning Supplier FB page.
Next Click on the picture you see here on my blog.
"Like" the picture.
If you want, you can unlike the Cleaning Supplier after you're done!
Thanks a ton in advance!

Working on a post for you! Hope you're having a fabulous week!
M

Mandy Mandy quite contrary, How does your garden grow?

2011-08-24T19:59:00.000-07:00

Growing my garden has been life changing this year. It was my first real garden and has been SO much fun.

It was a little chaotic putting it in, because we owned our house, but didn't live in it yet!

I wasn't sure how much space I had so I just kept buying stuff ... and in the end ... I had more than I realized!

We grew:
Tomatoes (Roma, & Early Girl)
Corn
Red & Green Peppers
Anaheim & Jalepeno Peppers
Peas
Green Beans
Grapes
Potatoes
Cilantro
Zucchini
Pumpkins
and we have a peach tree!

YIKES! We have been harvesting a lot in the last few weeks, and tonight I made a GARDEN DINNER so I thought I would share with you some yummy recipes of what we are making with our little harvest!

First, Adam (my husband) doesn't care for peppers, unless Salsa is in the picture. I had a TON of green peppers I didn't know what to do with, so I decided to try to make STUFFED PEPPERS.
They are basically peppers stuffed with rice and hamburger! I know, sounds a little weird, however they were pretty good, and the family ate them. Although they were good, they didn't CHANGE MY LIFE, so I'm not going to post the recipe. However after making them I found a recipe on familyfun.com that looked better than mine. You can look at that one here!

CORN has grown really well for me, and although I am totally satisfied with just eating corn on the cob, I thought putting a little bit of corn in my CORNBREAD MUFFINS would be yummy, and a get in another serving of veggies!

SWEET CORNBREAD MUFFINS
By Lara Wolford

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
optional (1/4 cup fresh or frozen corn)
Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Drop the batter into muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Last, but certainly not least has been my ZUCCHINI! I only planted one plant and it is going CRAZY! My family is tired of ... ZUCCHINI BREAD, even though it is REALLY yummy, so I tried something different tonight for dessert, and WOW was it a winner! ZUCCHINI BROWNIES!!! I found the recipe again on allrecipies.com. I didn't put the nuts or the frosting on. Here is the recipe I used and LOVED

ZUCCHINI BROWNIES
1/2 cup vegetable oil
1 1/2 cups white sugar
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
2 cups all-purpose flour
1/2 cup unsweetened cocoa powder
1 1/2 teaspoons baking soda
1 teaspoon salt
2 cups shredded zucchini

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F (175 degrees C). Grease and flour a 9x13 inch baking pan.
In a large bowl, mix together the oil, sugar and 2 teaspoons vanilla until well blended. Combine the flour, 1/2 cup cocoa, baking soda and salt; stir into the sugar mixture. Fold in the zucchini. Spread evenly into the prepared pan.
Bake for 25 to 30 minutes in the preheated oven, until brownies spring back when gently touched.

AND for your information!
ZUCCHINI BREAD
(This is my mom's recipe!)

3 Eggs
1 Cup Brown Sugar
1 Cup White Sugar
1 Cup Oil (optional: substitute applesauce)
1 tsp Salt
1 tsp Soda
3 Cups Flour
¼ tsp Baking Powder
3 tsp Cinnamon
3 tsp Vanilla
2 Cups Zucchini Squash, grated fine
1 Cup Chopped Nuts (optional)

directions:

Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Cream Eggs and sugar. Mix in oil. Then mix all remaining ingredients together. Put in loaf pan. Bake for 50 Minutes or until toothpick comes clean. Makes 2 loafs

Oh and we can't forget BAKED ZUCCHINI! We dipped ours in ranch and they were really good, and pretty healthy! (I got the recipe from allrecipes.com)

BAKED ZUCCHINI CHIPS

2 medium zucchini, cut into 1/4-inch slices
1/2 cup seasoned dry bread crumbs
1/8 teaspoon ground black pepper
2 tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese
2 egg whites
Directions

Preheat the oven to 475 degrees F (245 degrees C).
In one small bowl, stir together the bread crumbs, pepper and Parmesan cheese. Place the egg whites in a separate bowl. Dip zucchini slices into the egg whites, then coat the breadcrumb mixture. Place on a greased baking sheet.
Bake for 5 minutes in the preheated oven, then turn over and bake for another 5 to 10 minutes, until browned and crispy.

The only other GARDEN RECIPE I would love to share with you is my

GREEN BEANS ...

I put in a handful (after I have popped off the ends and divided them in pieces. Then put in some chopped onion, garlic, and either a little butter or olive oil. I saute them until they start to cook, and add a little water to make sure they don't burn. Salt and Pepper those babies and they surely they will CHANGE YOUR LIFE!

A garden has been loads of work, but SO much fun and my husband has gotten SO excited about eating veggies this summer. It was worth every weed pulled, and effort made to have it!

Please use my recipes, however if you do try them, PLEASE let me know what you think :) OH and if you have questions, please email me!

Family Photos

2011-08-18T13:48:00.000-07:00

Remember that awesome contest with HI-YA PAPAYA that I posted a few weeks back? Well I actually WON! CRAZY huh! I was super excited because we are in need of some awesome family pictures for our new house ... and we got EXACTLY what we were looking for! THANK YOU SO MUCH to Jesse and Cristi who rock and gave us such awesome photos! Be sure to contact them for your family! They will do an amazing job! Check out a few of my favy's!

Lake Powell ... Changes my life!

2011-08-16T15:19:00.000-07:00

Now I can't say that getting to Lake Powell was a great event. It turns out that Chad got an ear infection on Monday, and Adam and I went to the doctor on Tuesday for chest colds. But STILL, we were determined to go! We drove down on Wednesday night and stayed in the Marriott (Thanks to Marn and Erik!) and enjoyed a great nights sleep. We had two wonderful days boating with my two sisters and friends. We also had a great opp to see some of our "besties" from Page. We had to cut the trip short, because of the passing of my uncle (Which was a good passing ... terminal cancer ... late seventies ... it was his time), however regardless of coming home early for the funeral, we were grateful to get home and rest.

Now you ask ... why would Lake Powell be a life changer? I have been vacationing at Lake Powell since I was about 8 years old. The serenity, the beauty, the 80 degree beautiful blue water, and the experiences. When you get away from everything and can just relax and enjoy yourself, you find that you can focus on the more important things of life. Living in Page was also such a life changing experience for me. (Page is the resort town of Glen Canyon Dam, which makes Lake Powell) We met the most incredible people and gained life long friendships. They are simple, wonderful people, who are not judgmental and they don't let the world get in the way of what is important. WHAT A FABULOUS trip to remind me again, of what life is all about!

OH, I forgot to post about that awesome photography shoot giveaway! Can you believe that I won?? Click here to see our awesome family picts! Can't wait to display them in our house!

FINALLY ... an update!

2011-08-07T20:14:00.000-07:00

Don't you think it is about time?

Adam and I leave for Lake Powell on Wednesday, so I thought it would be good to give you some updates and pictures of our house.

Here are two of my favorite things on the outside:
Our View

My GardenWe planted Green Beans, Tomatoes, Corn, Peas, Anaheim Peppers, Jalapeno Peppers, Red & Green Peppers, Cucumber, Zucchini, Cilantro, & Pumpkins. The family before us planted a peach tree, potatoes, and had a grape vine! We are starting to harvest little by little, and are LOVING it!

We are still FAR from having everything decorated inside. Not only am I having a hard time deciding how I want everything and what furniture I want, I also have a budget! However each day I make a little progress.

Here is what I chose for my Fridge and Washer & Dryer! Super pleased so far:

Our house is 5 finished bedrooms (potential 6), 3 full bath, 1 half bath, living room, family room, basement room, kitchen, laundry, and a storage room. The house was decorated great before we moved in, however I like to make things my own. I thought I would share with you a few pictures of some things I have changed.

Master Bedroom:
From this
to thisI Purchased 2 antique doors that I am refinishing for my headboard. I also can't wait to replace my SWEET high school furniture with new. & I am thinking stripes?? kinda like this??What do you think?? I hesitate to share my unfinished decorating process on my blog, because I still have a long way to go, however I thought it would be fun to invite you along for the ride!

Next was the back bathroom:
Before was Americana ... cute, but not my style. So I painted it blue! I can't wait to get this from Ballard Designs to hang my laundry! And maybe some cute art like this:(Also from Ballard Designs)

Next is Chad's Room:
They had a set of twins in the room before. Super cute for a boy and girl set of twins:However after the dots were gone, that dark brown on the bottom didn't do it for me. We decided to paint it white for now. I still want to change the color on top, but figured I could live with it for now. Some SUPER cute accessories to show you soon with his room!

Next was my favorite change ... and that was the basement!
Before

After ... With no furniture yet ;)

Lots more to do, but those have been the main focus of my busy summer ... along with lots of fun water fun activities with my kids. Adam has a break for a few weeks from school, so a little vacation is definitely needed! As an end to my VERY long blog post, here is a teaser of the before of my office!The pink was a little much for my style of office (although it was super cute for their little girls) so we painted it all white for now. I am working on some fun plans!
Can't wait to show you what I am doing with my scraproom!

Make and Take today at Roberts!

2011-08-05T07:05:00.000-07:00

American Crafts called me a few weeks back and asked if I would go to Roberts Crafts in Orem for a few hours to do a make & take for them. I haven't done one in a long time, so this should be lots of fun.

I didn't design it this time (which actually is kinda relieving), however I will be there with bells and whistles!
Come join me if you get a few minutes and are in the area.
I will be there from 1-3 pm!
See you there.

BTW ... I really hope to update you on lots of stuff in the next few days. Summer is just busy busy busy. I have to remember that the most important thing is to spend the time doing things with my family, and "if time" then to update my blog. Although I am sure my blog readers wish this were different, I have to do what is best for the fam. Thank you all for your great patience! I have LOTS of fun things to post!
M

I am still alive

2011-07-24T15:36:00.001-07:00

I promise, I am still here. Just enjoying the summer with my boys. I promise a few posts here really soon!
M

WELCOME HOME!

2011-07-01T19:59:00.000-07:00

WHEW! What a crazy few weeks it has been in my life! I knew that I hated moving, but I think that the past few weeks really confirms that! I do, HOWEVER, firmly believe in opposition. With the bad, always comes the GOOD! SO first ... lets give you a little bit of the good that comes from moving ...

THINGS I LOVE ABOUT THE MOVE AND MY NEW HOUSE!

There are just a ton of little kids in the the neighborhood. Lots that are Bryson and Chad's age. We haven't gotten to know them all yet, however we're just starting!
We got a new lawn mower, and the boys just love to help daddy! (First time in our married life we have had to mow our lawn! We have sure been spoiled!)
My Garden is blooming like crazy!
The boys are loving the Strawberries that are in full bloom.
I have repainted 4 rooms and I am working on the basement! (THANKS to my amazing mom who is unreal!)
All my flowers haven't died ... just a few ;)
My boys are finally getting used to sleeping in their new rooms.
I have the entire upstairs unpacked. Downstairs ... well ... it is coming ;)
My new ward (Congregation) has been so welcoming and sweet. In fact we had our across the street neighbor make us bread! It was VERY yummy!
The painful research on my fridge and frontload washer and dryer paid off. I LOVE THEM!
I am redoing my Master bedroom ... and loving the progress.
Nights when Adam is gone to school haven't been as lonely, because I have had lots of projects.
My entire family pitched in and helped us move. I am in serious debt to all of them.
My Niece watched my kids so I could paint and move. She is the best!
We were in our house one day earlier than planned.
Although there were hiccups ... everything worked out (see below)
There are horses in a field near by.
There is an AWESOME park just a skip away from our house.
The closet in my office is SO great and it really fitting my storage needs well.

THE THINGS I AM NOT SO HAPPY ABOUT, IN REGARDS TO THE MOVE:
My boys are going to miss their best friends (the horses, Appache and Mex) Not to mention their owner Mindy too!
We miss our cute neighbors that lived below us for two years and their darling twins.
The day we got possession of our house, the sellers made us aware of a wet spot in the basement they found under their couch. Our inspector didn't catch it and they didn't know about it. It ended up a pipe break behind the kitchen cabinets. SO YES, along with moving, we had move out our kitchen cabinets, repair 4 holes in our sheetrock in the basement, and although the home warrantee covered most of the repair costs, we still had to pay about $200. (not as bad as we thought, but still not fun!) Adam even was handy enough to fix the sheetrock behind the cabinets, so we could put the kitchen back together!
Our sprinklers are massively messed up and Adam has spent the last few Saturdays fixing them. Thankful for a husband who is handy, and an awesome bro-in-law that does sprinklers and landscaping for a living.
Our garbage disposal didn't work for a few days.
Bryson and Chad can open these doors really easy and escape outside.
There is a cinderblock wall on the south side of the property that is a little bit of a hazard. Nothing that a fence can't fix, however just have to do it ;)
Waiting to order wallpaper for my office, so it is a little bit in shambles!

Everything really is going SO good. We have had so much support from everyone and appreciate all the warm wishes and help. I can't wait to show you more pictures of the house. Give me a week or so, so I can finish some decor stuff ;)
M

Hiya Papaya!

2011-06-28T15:35:00.000-07:00

My cute friend Cristi is an AMAZING photographer and is giving away a free photoshoot (I assume it is for the locals). Check out her blog here and look at her amazing new house. (the post is below the contest information on her blog). I was drooling over it this year in the Utah Valley Parade of homes! Be sure to visit for your chance to win a free shoot with her!

A new post is coming soon about my new house. Check back in a day or so!
Hope you're having an amazing summer!

CRAFTING CHICKS

2011-06-23T14:13:00.001-07:00

Today I am featured on the Crafting Chicks website. So excited that they invited me over to their fantastic crafting amazingness. The post is all about how I organize my digital photos. Please feel free to leave a comment if you have any questions and I will do a big answer"fest" for those of you who have questions. Click here to go to the post!

This organizational method that I have created is something I have thought out for a long time, and the post took me weeks to prepare for. Definitely worth the visit!

In the meantime, still unpacking, trying to quit my head from spinning ... I promise I will be back soon!
M

It's Moving time!!

2011-06-14T20:19:00.000-07:00

That is right! We FINALLY get to move into our house. We got the keys, I have been painting all day, can't wait to show you pictures ... now I need a nap and a coke! I'll be back soon! Next week I have am being featured on the CRAFTING CHICKS blog. Be sure to check back for details!

M

I can't believe he is 2!

2011-06-04T22:44:00.000-07:00

Yesterday Chad turned two!

I can't believe how fast he is growing!

Let me tell you about my little Chad.

First ... He loves balls. He is pure boy. He is REALLY Little! 2 % in weight and height! His best friend is Bryson. He loves "Appache the horse" (this is one of the horses that boards in the barn in the back of our house). He loves to watch Tangled (because of the horse of course!). He hates to eat, unless it is pancakes / waffles, peanut butter, pizza, or spaghetti. He gives the BEST hugs. He sings I am a child of God word for word. He loves mommy!

For his Birthday, we woke up and had waffles, opened presents, and played with all of his new toys. Then his cousin, and favorite babysitter came to help me out for a few hours so I could prepare for his Birthday Party.

Here is the invite for his birthday:copyright Mandy Douglass Design
We decided to have a BALL birthday party! We started off with different "ball activity stations. Here is some pictures of each station.

After each station we took a picture with all of Chads cousin's and friends:Then we had Ball Cupcakes, and Ball Drinks:He even got to have a ride on his favorite animal friend Appache, and Mindy (Appache's owner was so sweet to give anyone who wanted to at the party a little ride too!) ( I should have just has the riding the horse as the whole party. Chad has been telling everyone he see's that he got to ride Appache for his Birthday!)

And last, gave party favors to all who attended!Chad had a wonderful birthday, and mom got a WONDERFUL night's sleep! WHEW was I tired! Birthday parties are exhausting :)

Happy Happy Birthday!

2011-06-01T21:16:00.001-07:00

Just a little birthday wish to the greatest husband in the World!
I love you!

Seeing a whole new perspective!

2011-05-24T20:21:00.000-07:00

The last few weeks I have had multiple doctor appointments for my eye. They are just the routine ones, just to make sure that my good eye is in great condition. It has now been two years since I lost the vision in my right eye (if you're new to this information you can read about this here)

The doctors are really confident that things are going really well. In fact my Optic-Neurologist said that my good eye looks better than ever. Although all of these appointments have good news, it still is a little blistering ... having to kind of re-live the news that I won't ever get the site in my right eye back again.

So the rain has been CRAZY, as it has everywhere, this spring. It has kinda put me into a funk, and almost a little bit of a depression. Waiting to get into my house; having our ward split; letting my contract go with Creating Keepsakes; not working for any company for the first time in years; lets just say ... this has been a wild a crazy few months.

I have had a lot of time to ponder. On Easter Sunday I was asked to speak in church. I spoke on renewal, and how I am looking forward to the Savior coming again. I am so excited be resurrected and to someday have my vision back. It was something I really needed to study, and be reminded of my important belief.

My sister Tiffany has been helping me buy and prepare my garden for this year. Being reminded of the possibility of loosing my eye site permanently someday, makes me want to plant as many flowers as I can. By doing this, I am hoping that I will get to enjoy these beautiful flowers, and vegetables not only this year, but for many more years to come. This past week I have been spending a lot of time at my new house (well in the yard), preparing an area to grow a garden. It has made me feel purpose, and excitement to start this new chapter of my life! (Thanks so much for all the help Tiff!)

All of these experiences led up to the feeling I had today. It was the same feeling I felt, the day I was driving down the street in Albany, New York ... finally adjusted, and loving missionary life. It was the same feeling I felt when Adam told me he loved me, and wanted to marry me! It was the same feeling I had the day I found out I was pregnant with Bryson. It was the same feeling I had as I snugged my little Chad while reading scriptures tonight, feeling so much love for this little soul. What my life would be like without him? It knowing that I have a Heavenly Father ... who loves me! I have purpose in this world and I am who I am. Regardless of eye, my life matters.

I am so grateful for the life I have, and although everyone has their challenges ... I am grateful for all I have learned through mine, and continue to learn. Everyday may not be hunky dory ... however it is my life. I am surrounded by so many that love me, by two little boys that are my world, by a husband who loves me, and think ... I couldn't possibly want anything more!

LAST MINUTE NOTICE!!

2011-05-20T14:13:00.000-07:00

So in preparation of moving ... I am cleaning out my scrapbook room. I was planning on having a Yard Sale, however my sister told me she is doing one TOMORROW (MAY 21) with some of her neighbors!!! I figured I would jump on the Ban Wagon, rather than just do my own!

I am going to be selling some of my "extra" stuff :) One of which is a Big Shot from Sizzix! Here is the information if you're local and want to come and take a look. TRUST ME, you won't be disappointed! (Plus, I get to meet some of you awesome bloggers!) I am also told that her neighbors have some good stuff!

(7:30 am - 2:00 pm)
It is approximately at:
10300 North 6580 West
Highland, Utah

** Just south of Freedom Elementary, and about 1 mile North of Costco in Lehi!

Bath Time!

2011-05-19T20:19:00.000-07:00

I just love putting these two in the bath!
It's their favorite thing in the world!

I have had a little time on my hands to finish up projects I have wanted to do for years! So here is one that I will get to use in our new house! I am super excited!I love doing stitchery, and haven't finished a project in a long time! (copyright original design my Mandy Douglass)

So here's to Bathtime ... and those extra cute hooded towels!What am I going to do when they grow out of them ?

Service brings BLESSINGS!

2011-05-17T20:59:00.001-07:00

So I don't agree to do things for people to receive things in return, however I graciously accepted this return ... here is the scoop!

The house we live in now, (not our new house yet ... one month to go, YIPPEE!) Has had a huge ward (congregation) at church. I was serving the Young Woman and we had close to 60 girls! It was a lot of work! So a month or so back, they decided to split the wards. It was something we all knew was coming, but it was still sad to see people you are used to seeing a few times a week, and had become friends with, kinds stripped away from you.

Fast forward a few weeks. We now have our new ward all set up, and a new Young Women's president was called! (MERCY, no it wasn't me!) It is a sweet Japanese lady and she is as amazing as ever. Well she somehow thinks she is not creative, and so she asked if I would help put together a gift for the Young Women to give to them on their birthdays. After much thought, I came up with this:It reads "CHEWS" TO DO THE THINGS THAT WILL MAKE YOU HAPPY ON YOUR BIRTHDAY"
It then is followed by things that are written in the 13 Article of Faith (This is the theme for the Youth this year in the LDS Church). The Articles of Faith are thirteen statements describing the fundamental beliefs of members of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Click here to see what each Article of Faith is).

We wanted to give the girls something spiritual. There are so many gifts that others give you, and thought we could give them something different. All of the gum-balls I got at Orson Gigi in Salt Lake City, and they are the colors of the Young Women Values

I also did this really cute lanyard for a temple recommend holder ... however I forgot to take a picture! Don't worry, I have to make a few more, so I will be sure to post a picture when I get them done :)

So in return for doing this, Miwa (this cute Japanese lady I referred to above) told me she would make me some Japanese food! Tonight she brought me Okonomiyaki
I had a missionary companion that was Japanese and made this for me a few times. I LOVE IT, and would gladly accept Japanese food for crafts anytime!

THE WINNER IS ...

2011-05-13T21:17:00.000-07:00

Olivia said...
Love your room, can't think of much else to add, except perhaps a door sign so you can be sure of peace when you're busy.

CONGRATULATIONS OLIVIA!

Be sure to email me your address so I can get you your Creative Spaces issue!

For the rest of you, MAN I wish I could just send one to all of you ... but since that isn't possible, there is a coupon code below if you would like to order it!

Finishing updating my computer! WHEW ... so excited to have my computer up to par again!
Hope you're enjoying your week and getting outside like we are to enjoy the sunshine!

Creative Space Evolution!

2011-05-09T15:59:00.000-07:00

This past week I received this in the mail!
Not only did they feature my space, but they featured my sister-in-law too! (Sara Douglass)

Rather than shooting my office again, they featured the same article they did in the April 2009 Issue of CK. My office has taken 6 years to get where it is now, however it is still changing! It started as this:2005 - Newlywed and totally poor!
Then my temporary space when we moved to Page, AZ
and then moved again to another condo in Page:
After sheer panic when CK told me they wanted to feature my office ... I begged Adam and it evolved to this:We moved ... yet again ... are you counting?? And made this video of my new space:

copyright CK 2010
NOW moving again! Lets hope I don't have to do this again for a while!

I am SO excited to decorate my office and show you the additions. Thankfully I have this AWESOME issue "CREATIVE SPACES" to help me out!

I am also excited to announce a giveaway of this great issue of CREATIVE SPACES to one of my lucky winner! Maybe this will inspire you as much as it has inspired me!

Leave a comment of something you think I should add to my office! I will pick a winner this Friday! This is a contest for everyone, even international blog readers!!
GOOD LUCK!

OH and if you're too impatient to wait for the giveaway, here is some info on how to get it!
It goes on sale tomorrow! Here is some information on how to get it!

First click here to link you to the website!

Click here to get a sneak peek

And last, here is a coupon code if you're too impatient to wait to win it on my blog:
SPACESBB
(It’s good for free shipping in the US, expires 5/27/11)

I have the MOST Amazing mom

2011-05-08T08:58:00.001-07:00

I have done quite a few scrapbooking pages about my mom, however I don't know if I have really ever told you much about my mom!She was Raised in Salt Lake City, Graduated from Hillcrest High School, Met my Dad at BYU, and got married when she was 19 years old. She had 5 children, all without an epideral ... 4 girls and 1 boy. (Printed in Creating Keepsakes Magazine 2010)
My mom was a stay at home mom, however she never had a moment that she was bored. I am much like my mom ... can't ever seem to relax without a project in hand. Let me just list a few of her MANY talents.

She is a watercolor artist and in fact I can remember many many days sitting by my mom water coloring with her as a young girl. She was so patient to let me create things myself, teach me techniques, and let my creativity soar!

She loves to scrapbook (and is the reason for me getting started!) She loves to create family histories that leave an impression on people. A few years back she made a "Mom, where did I come from?" Album and gave it all to us for Christmas. It was the written histories, pedigree charts, and pictures of many of my ancestors. It will forever be cherished!

She is an AMAZING cook, and my love for cooking came from her. Every night, at 6 pm on the dot (still haven't mastered that!) we had dinner on the table. It was always well balanced with a fruit and vegetable. Every Sunday it was usually Roast Beef and Potatoes (Dad's Favorite), and was always sure to let us help.(Printed in Creating Keepsakes Magazine 2010)
She has the most organized and clean home you have EVER seen! She prides herself on Cleanliness and makes her house a home. Because of the habits she taught all of us growing up, we have been able to stay organized and clean. I don't know if I will ever be as amazing as she is on keeping up on her house, but I sure do try!

She is an AMAZING seamstress! When she had young kids, my parents had a very low income. She would take old dresses of hers and make cloths for my older siblings! She always made us dresses for Easter, and Christmas. Even today she has become addicted to Quilting and stitchery. I am amazed by the awesome things she creates and not only that ... but how fast she does them.

She taught my dad to snow ski, and is the reason for all of us loving motorcycles! She taught me to ski at 3 and I even had my own dirt bike at 5 years old! She was always about creating memories for us and our family!

She always seeks to do things to make me happy. In Jr. High she told me if I saved up for my own airline ticket, she would take me to Disneyland. Well I did it ... and we went on vacation all by ourselves just she and I. For Mother's Day, Adam took the day off this past Friday, and so I could have a day to do whatever I wanted. My mom came with me and we enjoyed an incredible day in Salt Lake. I even had a Doctor's appointment at the University of Utah that lasted 4 hours. She was so patient to sit with me and calm my frustrations as the time was ticking away, and my shopping hours were decreasing by the minute!

She absolutely loves her Grandkids and spoils them rotten. Each Sunday she provides popcorn, dessert, and candy galore. She loves them so much and would do anything for them.

I am SO extremely lucky to have the mom I have and I love her more than I can express! I hope I can even be half the mom she was to me!

HAPPY MOTHER'S DAY MOM!
I love you lots!

(This is my gift to her. She has 20 grandkids ... so it was hard to fit all the flowers). Sorry I did get it posted earlier. Idea for next year right??

I am a Mother!

2011-05-02T18:29:00.001-07:00

Studio 5 ... A Utah Lifestyle show that I have been able to be on a few times is doing an awesome 10 day challenge on how Motherhood Matters. Today's challenge is to declare that
"I AM A MOTHER" with 5 women in my life.

So rather than sharing it with 5, I am sharing it with all of you!

I am a mother of two
cooker of dinner
cleaner of house
educator
religious teacher
wife of one :) tee hee hee
security
office / house manager
story teller
crafting fanatic
beautician / barber
walker - (or rather runner)
errand girl

I am a Mother ... and I love my job!
I Challenge all of you to do the same. Click on the link below for the challenge!
http://motherhood.ksl.com/

IT IS WORKING!

2011-05-02T08:51:00.000-07:00

So after an entire last week full of rain and THIS on Saturday morning:
I was thinking this "crafting my way to spring" wasn't working. So while Adam was finishing his finals this weekend, and I decided to take one more stab at it and make a few springy ornaments for my spring tree. During Easter I have little eggs to hang from it, but in an effort to keep my spring decor up for at least another month, I decided to make it look like this:

Thank you to Bella Blvd. for sending me DARLING paper to work with and Studio Calico for the darling vintage paper flowers (yellow). I couldn't have done it without you.

I woke up this morning, and look what I found:YEAH! it finally worked. Can't wait until they are in full bloom. It is supposed to get to about 70 + degrees this week, by Mother's Day, and so lets keep on Crafting shall we?

We haven't quite moved yet, and it is still a little early to start packing boxes, and so I am finishing up projects that I have wanted to do for YEARS! Can't wait to show you what I have been up to! (OH and I have a really fun project I am doing for my mom for Mother's Day. I hope I can get it done in time to show you and maybe inspire you for a cute mother's day craft!
M

Time to Change it up!

2011-04-29T10:13:00.000-07:00

It has been over two years since I have started this blog.

Lots of fun information for all of you wonderful friends and followers.

I have hesitated in the past to post things. Either they're too personal, not events that would "change my life", or ones I don't know if it would effect each of you for the better.

It is time to change it up ... time to try new things, and post things that my readers would like to hear about!

So here is where you come in.

Tell me what you want to know about.

Is it a craft? Scrapbooking? Cooking? Is it something about about me that you would like to know about? Is it about something completely not craft related? What posts have you loved? What posts don't you love? I want to hear it all! I am hoping to launch a new look to my blog soon ... and your opinion matters to me!

Thanks in Advance for your help!

Today looks a little chilly, but forecast looks like sunshine next week! WHOO HOO! So very excited!

Easter

2011-04-26T21:03:00.000-07:00

We had such a wonderful Easter this year. Started off by a busy day at church. I had the opportunity to accompany two women in our ward, singing a wonderful song! Then I also got to speak in church! WHEW! A little overwhelming, but it really brought such a great spirit to my Easter Sunday. Following church we had a great Easter dinner with Scalloped potatoes and ham ... and even an Easter Egg hunt (This is an annual event with my family).

The Easter Bunny definitely came, and the boys were so very excited. Here are a few of my favorite photos from the day!

I just want to end my post, telling my great blog followers that I am so grateful for the Savior Jesus Christ, and for his amazing life. He is RISEN, and lives in my life everyday! I am so grateful that he is involved in my life. Happy Easter to all of you!

April Showers Bring May Flowers?

2011-04-18T10:52:00.001-07:00

Well in an effort to quietly try get the sun to come out, get those tulips to bloom, and keep me busy, I have decided to craft my way to spring. Because we are now trying to get furniture for our new house, new spring decor isn't exactly in the budget. I decided to take a stab at making my Spring Decorations again. if you remember last year I made this topiary:(Click hereto see the post and how to make them)

Well I went to put the topiary up this year, and decided my spring decor needed some additions. I looked for inspiration, and decided that a banner would be great! I didn't want to do the theme "easter" because it would only be up for a week or so, & I already have this spring display on top of my Entertainment center:So I though, BLOOM! That would be a great theme.

Now because I have boys, I don't get to use pastels, glitter, or ribbon much ... so I decided that now was my chance. Here is how it turned out:
(Products used on each pennant: Chipboard, Glitter, Sizzix Big Shot, Serif letters, Scallop circle die cut, Bella Blvd. Flowers, Paper from an old book ... other products listed below each pennant, and Pink Ribbon I got at Dear Lizzy's. I tried to use the products I had just sitting in my office. Most of which came from a kit that Margie gave me a long time ago! Thanks lady ... kiss kiss)
(Paper: Girls Paperie by Margie, Pearl Brads, Ribbon, & Mix Tape by American Crafts, Buttons by Jennie Bowlin)

(Paper: My Minds Eye Laundry Line, Ribbon by American Crafts, Buttons by Jennie Bowlin)

(Paper: Girls Paperie by Margie, Crate Paper, Pearl Brads by American Crafts, Buttons by Jennie Bowlin)

(Paper:Girls Paperie by Margie I think? wink, Ribbon by Studio Calico ... I think again? wink, Buttons by Jennie Bowlin)

(Paper: Girls Paperie by Margie, Pearl Buttons by American Crafts, Ribbon from Margie's Kit, Buttons by Jennie Bowlin)

Last but not least, the one topiary wasn't cutting it ... So I made a few more rose balls, made a smaller topiary, and finished it off with some good ol' ribbon! WHEW!

Okay, now for the rain to stop and the flowers to come ... COME ON TULIPS! Let me see you BLOOM!!!!

Long waited Quilt Reveal!

2011-04-13T13:50:00.000-07:00

A few months back, my mom and I stopped into my Local Quilt store and found this book:
When I saw this book ... it screamed to me saying this is SO your style. I am a visual person, not usually the type to sit down and read a book. I look at the pictures, then put it away for a while. This one, however I read cover to cover ... doooling over each and every little quilt.

I have only pieced one quilt together, a queen sized quilt, that is still sitting under my bed, waiting for the day I can afford $200 just to have it machine quilted ;) This idea of me wanting to do a quilt started years ago ... I guess it is just a deep down love for sewing that I have always had! Back when I was 8 years old, my mom put me in a sewing class. I loved it, and have made little things here and there throughout the years. I have always wanted to complete a quilt, and even hand quilt it ... however after trying multiple times on my queen quilt to do it myself, I gave up!

I have been searching for a quilt for Bryson's big boy bed ... however I haven't been successful! Either they have been too cheap in quality, too expensive in price, or have some sort of illustration or alligator. (Which I am not fond of on clothing, for home decor, etc ... I know! I am weird like that). So I was looking through this book and found this quilt: My mind started thinking, maybe I could make this DARLING quilt masculine! So I found the colors I was looking for ... and here is what I came up with!

So I did it! I completed something on my bucket list! I will say, it wasn't cheap at ALL to do. In fact, I think going to get a darling quilt from The Company Store, or Pottery Barn Kids would have been a LOT cheaper ... however I am pleased with the results. We are waiting to buy Bryson's furniture until we get into our new house, so try to picture it with a darling bed, and dresser. I'll be sure to post a picture when we get into the house!

Life

2011-04-11T14:17:00.001-07:00

Sometimes life ... just seems to be a little mondane!

Today the sun finally came out. Oh how I have missed you dear sun!

I am not moving yet, I haven't started packing yet, however the last couple of weeks ... I guess I just needed a break! So I grabbed myself a kit kat bar, and let's be honest lots of other treats ... and just did my normal, everyday duties.

Being a mom ... Sigh!
It is something I have always wanted, however a little piece of me misses those great days, going to the mall without a stroller. Enjoying a lunch without an entire cup of lemonade on my lap. 4 loads of laundry total for the week (that was including sheets and towels!) Cleaning the entire house in an hour ... washing my hair everyday ... going running snow or shine ... working on my computer and creating amazing projects ... and last but not least, watching my favorite morning show, the Today show!

So I ask myself and so many others ... why is it that I asked for this? Tried and tried for 2 years, having 2 miscarriages along the way? Why would anyone want to give up such a life of freedom and what we all picture as joy?

It is because of these two!
Now my days sound more like this,
Waking up early so I can get some scripture reading in. Loving Curious George that comes on right as they wake up, so I can have time to shower. So excited for those days of sunshine so we can go on a run together. Giving the boys a little duster, so they can "help me dust". Try to run my errands before 2:00 pm so that we can have nap time. Buying endless amounts of goldfish to keep me sane at those stores. PEANUT BUTTER was a direct gift from God to me. I get to watch Friends while folding the 6 loads or more of laundry I do every Monday. I get to listen to Ratatouille about every other day while I am trying to finish up the daily chores. I get to try out new recipes on the boys the days that Adam is at school. I get to be a horsey almost each night as I let both of them ride on my back to bed to tuck those little ones into bed. I get to hear "Luboo Mommy (love you mommy)" every night as a thank you from these sweet boys. I sleep better than I think I ever have in my life, because I am exhausted at the end of the day!

If you were to ask me daily, is life as a mommy complete bliss ... I have to be honest, nope it sure isn't ... however I look at those little boys each night as they are snuggled in their blankies and are asleep and thank my Heavenly Father that he gave me two. That he trusted me enough to raise them, and I become overwhelmed with gratitude and joy as I enjoy those sweet moments of being a Mommy. Through the crazy amounts of jobs I have had in my life, I would have to say, that none is harder, yet more rewarding than being a mom! Thank you to all you sweet mom's out there who do what you do! I am so honored to share the same job title!
M

Appliances

2011-03-29T20:40:00.000-07:00

WOW! I have really dropped the ball on my blog lately. Thanks for being patient with me. We enjoyed a weekend away for Adam's spring break in St. George Utah. It was colder than normal, but we still had a great weekend.

So now that the house is ours, it is time to do some shopping. We have to buy a refrigerator, a washer and dryer, and a lawn mower! Sure wish I could spend those funds on more fun things! So I need a little advice. I am so very confused on appliances. Do you buy the top load?or front load?
Then there is fridges!!WHEW! I don't even know what to do! Of course I would rather buy fun furniture, and decor rather than a $2000 Fridge, so here is where I need your help! Which ones have you loved? Which ones would you stay away from? Any help would be AWESOME!

Hope to put more creative stuff on here soon!
Thanks in advance for your help!
Mandy

IT IS OURS!

2011-03-21T20:49:00.000-07:00

After 3 LONG weeks of constant working, getting information, and filling out MASSIVE paper work ....

IT IS OURS!
Papers signed this afternoon! Now I can finally have a little time to blog! We won't move until June, to give the family a little time to finish out the school year and move. I am a little relieved ... it gives me plenty of time to pick out colors for re-painting a few rooms, find some furniture, and take time organizing and de-junking before we move! Since the house isn't ours, I will wait to post pictures of the inside when we are in and settled!

We're a little nervous, a LOT excited, and can't WAIT to move in!

WE'RE SO EXCITED!

2011-03-03T14:14:00.000-08:00

So a week ago today, I went and looked at ANOTHER house ... I swear I have looked at 20 in the last few months. I figured something would be wrong with it, and the dreadful house hunting would continue...

I was SO wrong and we found the PERFECT house! We just can't wait! We are supposed to close on March 23rd! (We won't move until June so the family can finish out the school year!)

So please be patient with me with posting for the next little bit as we figure out this closing stuff. MAN buying a house is CRAZY business!

The Verdict

2011-02-22T13:33:00.000-08:00

AMAZINGLY GOOD!

So it was more the chicken than the Jerusalem Artichokes. They were unique, but not amazing. But the CHICKEN! SERIOUSLY! SO YUMMY! I made a few changes to the recipe however ... so here is what I suggest!

First, I don't use chicken thighs EVER! ... but my conclusion is that using thighs is a must! The Chicken was SO very tender and yummy. I took out the bone before cooking
Next, Saffron was $21 at the grocery store, and I am cheap (or realistic, whatever you want to call it) so I used Tumeric instead!
Last, NO NEED for whipping cream ... it was great without!

For the Rice, it could have used a little more of a flavorful rice. See below for my favorite Rice Pilaf recipe.
And on the side, CORN BREAD MUFFINS ... a recipe I got off of studio 5 about a year ago! Here are the recipes below ... TRUST ME, This meal WILL CHANGE YOUR LIFE! :)

LEMON CHICKEN

1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 fresh lemons
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided use
4 chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/8 tsp of Tumeric
1/2 pound Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), peeled (you could probably leave them out)
10 garlic cloves, peeled and halved (I used 7, just because I am not a huge garlic lover)
1/2 tsp dried thyme leaves
1/8 cup pine nuts, toasted

Preparation:

Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the lemon and set aside. Juice both of the lemons (discarding pulp) and set aside.

Place a large, deep, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in the hot pan and quickly brown them, turning only once. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken broth, and Tumeric to the skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Add Jerusalem artichokes (optional), and garlic cloves. Return chicken to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices.

Reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, until chicken and sunchokes are tender. Stir in thyme leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning, if need be. Return to a simmer and cook an additional 10 minutes. Sprinkle with pine nuts to garnish (or use pine nuts in the rice recipe below).

Serve on top of
RICE PILAF
(from Lion House Cookbook)

Ingredients:
¼ cup celery
¼ cup onion
1 cup rice
2 TBSP butter
2 cans chicken broth
1 T. dried parsley
¼ cup slivered almonds or pine nuts

Directions:
Combine butter, onion, celery and rice in a deep frying pan. Cook until onion is translucent and rice is starting to brown. Add in Chicken broth and cook for about 20 minutes on low heat or until liquid is gone & rice is done. Stir in Parsley and nuts.

Last but not least, Corn Bread Muffins - Not much nutrition, however REALLY good!

SWEET CORNBREAD MUFFINS
By Lara Wolford

Ingredients:
1 cup yellow cornmeal
1 cup all-purpose flour
1 tablespoon baking powder
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 cup whole milk
2 large eggs
1/2 stick butter, melted
1/4 cup honey
optional (1/4 cup frozen corn)
Method:

Preheat oven to 400 degrees. Combine the cornmeal, flour, baking powder, sugar, and salt. In another bowl, whisk together the whole milk, eggs, butter, and honey. Add the wet to the dry ingredients and stir until just mixed.

Drop the batter into muffin paper liners in a 12-cup muffin tin. Bake for 15 minutes, until golden.

Please use my recipes, however if you do try them, PLEASE let me know what you think :) OH and if you have questions, please email me!

OH just wanted to give you another little teaser for the quilt! It is Pieced, it is Quilted, just finishing a little hand stitching, buttons, and the edge! Can't wait to share it with you!

What the heck is THIS??

2011-02-21T14:05:00.000-08:00

So my cute neighbor introduced me to this AWESOME food Co-Op a few months ago. It is called Bountiful Baskets. The way it works is on Monday - Tuesday of each week you get onto their website (Bountiful Baskets) and place your order. This is available to a lot of the Western states. You pay $15 and then on Saturday morning I pick up a HUGE load of vegetables and fruit.

The thing I have loved about it is that the vegetables and fruit are REALLY fresh, and I try to change my cooking focus' on the vegetables I get, and I tend to eat better and cook with more vegetables & fruit ... not only that, but I try new recipes, because sometimes I get ingredients I wouldn't thing of purchasing. This week I got this:Now I am sure you were thinking what I was thinking: ... GINGER, right? Well luckily a cute lady was telling us as we were walking out that they are actually JERUSALEM ARTICHOKES! Never heard of them ... you?

So I looked them up online, and came up with a recipe! Gonna try it tonight, and hopefully it will be REALLY yummy! Can't wait to tell you about it!
Here is the recipe just in case you're curious!

Lemon Chicken with Jerusalem Artichokes

Prep Time: 10 minutes

Cook Time: 1 hour

Total Time: 1 hour, 10 minutes

Ingredients:

1 teaspoon lemon zest
2 fresh lemons
2 Tablespoons olive oil, divided use
4 chicken thighs
Kosher salt and freshly ground black pepper
1 cup chicken broth
1/4 teaspoon ground saffron
1/2 pound Jerusalem artichokes (sunchokes), peeled
10 garlic cloves, peeled and halved
1/4 cup heavy cream
1 Tablespoon fresh thyme leaves
1/4 cup pine nuts, toasted
Hot, cooked rice
Preparation:

Finely grate 1 teaspoon of zest from the lemon and set aside. Juice both of the lemons (discarding pulp) and set aside.

Place a large, deep, heavy skillet over medium-high heat. When hot, add 1 tablespoon of the olive oil and swirl to coat the bottom of the pan. Sprinkle chicken thighs on both sides with salt and pepper. Place skin-side down in the hot pan and quickly brown them, turning only once. Remove to a plate and keep warm.

Add the lemon juice, lemon zest, remaining tablespoon of olive oil, chicken broth, and saffron to the skillet. Bring to a boil, stirring to loosen any browned bits. Add Jerusalem artichokes, and garlic cloves. Return chicken to the skillet, along with any accumulated juices.

Reduce heat and simmer about 45 minutes, until chicken and sunchokes are tender. Stir in cream and thyme leaves. Taste and adjust seasoning, if need be. Return to a simmer and cook an additional 10 minutes.

Serve over cooked rice and sprinkle with pine nuts to garnish.

Happy Valentines Day!

2011-02-14T08:50:00.000-08:00

I have had a few of my readers ask what I was going to do for Valentines day, and sadly enough, I really didn't know until today! We fly by the seat of our pants at this house lately.

First a shout out to my FAVORITE 3 year old! Thank you sweet readers for the suggestions for his Birthday Party. We did a construction party last year, so I just was stumped! We did things really simple and picked out a Truck cake that he loved. Happy Birthday Yesterday baby boy! I can't believe how fast you're growing.Since I live in a house with 3 boys anything that has to do with the color PINK, or FLOWERS, or HEARTS are pretty well non-existent ... so on Valentines I have to get it all out. Here are some other things that happened today ... all of which had to do with food for some reason :)
Valentines for Bryson & Chad ... Check
Valentine Pancakes ... CHECK (see below for details and recipe)
Heart PB&J Sandwiches ... CHECK
Chad fell asleep while eating his heart sandwich ... CHECK
Bryson pooped his pants ... CHECK (Happy Valentines mommy!)
Adam gave me a VERY sweet valentine ... roses, a card, and my FAVORITE bagels from SL ... CHECK
Made heart pizzas with pink pizza dough ... CHECK
Bryson pooped his pants AGAIN ... CHECK (Happy Valentines again, just in case I didn't get it the first time)
Enjoyed eating chocolate fondue with my sweetheart ... CHECK
Relaxing and watching Castle ... CHECK!

So this morning I had my kitchen in a crazy mess from our family party last night, but I knew I wanted to make Pancakes like Jim! Mine will never turn out as amazing as his, however, we sure try!

Again after making the pancakes, I finally found a recipe that worked best with the squirt bottles. These pancakes are a very flat pancake and you have to eat a bunch of them to get full, however the taste is delectable!

Pancakes:
1 Egg
1 1/2 cups buttermilk
1/2 tsp. Salt
1/2 tsp Baking Soda
1 tsp. Sugar
1 tsp Baking Powder
1 cup Flour
2 TBSP Oil

Turn on Griddle to Med-Low heat and let heat up while you make your pancakes. Combine all your ingredients in a blender to make REALLY smooth. I colored my pancakes with Homemade Raspberry Jam. Form your hearts with a line on the outside. Then after it has cooked for about 30 seconds, fill in the remaining part of the heart. It was lots of fun.

Hope you had a GREAT Valentines day!

PS ... I didn't disclose that I didn't get a shower until 3 pm. Just wanted to let you know that life is real here at the Douglass home, and I will try and simplify next year ;)

Last but not least, Winter has been such a drag for me this year. I feel like life is just getting me down. During Thanksgiving time it is always really good for me to count my many many blessings. It puts life in perspective for me. So I decided it was time for me to write a list of things that I LOVE and things that CHANGE MY LIFE, just so I can try to include more of them this week to help me get out of these winter blues!

I LOVE sugar cookies
I love to just play the piano for hours
I love to cook
I love to finish projects
I love when my house is spit shined clean
I love to organize
I love to scrapbook
I love hanging out with my husband
I love running
I love going to lunch with my sisters
I love getting calls from friends I haven't heard from in a while
I love telling people about my religion
I love going to Zumba
I love eating desert
I love going out to eat
I love reading the scriptures
I love hearing "I luboo mommy" every night
I love checking on my boys after they have gone to bed and giving them a kiss
I love finishing everything on my to-do list
I love taking pictures
I love sitting on the couch, watching a good show, and regrouping my life before I go to bed.
I love to sew
I love to shop
I love to hike
I love to snow and water ski
I love to play softball
I love traveling

What do you love?

I phone!

2011-02-10T13:50:00.000-08:00

So i have been begging my Husband for an I phone for a few years. First we decided to wait until Verizon got the phone.
So Verizon got the phone...I was ready, however we thought we now have waited this long, why not wait until june and get the I phone 5.
So I just figured I would have to wait forever...that is until phone died last night.
So it just so happens that today was the day the stores started selling the phone at 7 am.
So I had no choice than to go in my jammies at 6:30 am and finally get my phone!
A little sad I won't be getting the l phone 5 but I am so extremely happy that I have it!

Since it is my first smart phone, I was hoping to get some hints on come cool apps. What are your favorites?

Enjoying a Sunday ... Idea's Help!

2011-02-06T20:45:00.001-08:00

Superbowl Party with the family (GREAT JOB GREEN BAY!)
Watching movies with Adam (RED)
Making Roast and Potatoes for dinner (YUM)
A great Sunday at Church (FAST SUNDAY)
Trying to decide on a dinner menu for this week ... Any ideas??

NEXT - Selling my Sillouette ... cause I got the new one. Email me if you're interested!
OH & My husband is wanting to sell his XBOX. Includes 3 Controllers, XBOX live camera, 5 games (Halo 3, Cabellas big hunt, Madden 10, Tiger Woods 10, a superhero game, and a race car game. We'll give ya a great deal! Fun present for your Valentine!

Bryson's 3rd Birthday is this week! (the 13th). Plus Valentines Day ... Looks like a fun filled week!
Any fun truck party ideas??

Winners and Potty Progress

2011-02-01T08:59:00.000-08:00

CAN YOU BELIEVE January is already over! WHOLY COW! I felt like I blinked and time passed. This is a little bit of a lengthy post, but has LOTS of good info!

The winner of the Haircut goes to:

Congratulations Jennifer Slaugh! Email me your info so I can send you the certificate!

I also there is a few people who I didn't hear from on the Planner, so I thought I would pick two more winners!

Andrea said...
This would fit perfectly with my New Years Resolution. I'm trying to be more organized and to forget LESS. I also love that you can keep a journal in the same place as your schedule. Love your blog, and thanks for the chance to win such an awesome product.

Andrea

AND

Brandi said...
Wow Mandy, I'm newer to your blog and just read your post from last year about your health scare, congrats from the bottom of my heart. I have been going through my own scare and my nightmare won't be over until March...hopefully. As you did, I dug myself into a giant hole emotionally and I think this would be very therapeutic. Thanks for sharing and a chance of winning.

PLEASE email me your address' so I can get you your planners (and because it is already FEBRUARY! YIKES! Where does time go!)

Last but not least - An update on Potty Training.
Here is my dilemma ... I have to first of all, get pregnant, survive 9 months of getting fat, then nursing, then stopping nursing and getting saggy boobs, then deal with naughty terrible twos, and now potty training? Not only that but then we have to take birth control? Can't the men at least get the joy of Breast feeding, I mean COME ONE!

(My sister keeps telling me, you think that this is bad, wait until they are TEENAGERS!)

I appreciate the AWESOME comments and advice. I have taken your advice and did a potty chart, went to get potty treats at the dollar store and after a week, here is the progress:
Not awesome, but not bad either. I think he might not have been fully ready when I started, however ... I think I am too far into it to stop and start again in a few months. I guess that is why you have a second child, so you can make up for the mistakes on the first, right?

As a THANK YOU for your awesome advice, here are the documents to print this chart yourself.
Click here for the chart and Potty Treat Bag decals.

Next, I turned 30! (January 18th) Why is it that we all get so weird when it comes to birthdays? Can't we just shout to the whole world? IT'S MY BIRTHDAY? Well I guess I can do that next year. For now I guess I'll move forward and enjoy the 30's while it lasts, right?

Next will be Bryson's Birthday ... I have a fun project teaser. It is going to take lots of work ... hence the reason my posting has lacked the last couple of weeks ... however I can't wait to show you the end results.

On top of all that here is what else I have been up to:
* Searching for houses
* Organizing all my mission pictures
* Preparing some design projects for a few companies
* Taking care of two CRAZY boys
* Balancing becoming a single mom for yet another semester
* Trying to stay warm
* Enjoying a fresh popped bowl of popcorn each night.

How was your January?

Cookie Cutters GIVEAWAY

2011-01-26T13:42:00.001-08:00

It happens every 5 weeks. An outing with me and my boys.
They start to look like monkeys, cause their hair is SO long ... so we head to our favorite kids salon to get haircuts! (featured in Creating Keepsakes Feb 2011 Issue. Posted with permission)

I used to cut Bryson's hair, until I became blind in one eye. The day that I nicked his ear with the buzzers, is the day I decided to try out Cookie Cutters.
You walk in, and there is a slide in the waiting room, plus a little computer that the kids can play games on. Next they choose a movie to watch. Then they pick where they want to sit. They have a choice to sit in an airplane, on a motorcycle, or in a car. If all that doesn't work, there is even Bubbles to blow! After their hair cut they get a balloon, attached to a cookie cutter and a sucker. It seriously is the BEST! My boys just LOVE to get their haircut. Not only do they do a good job, but the experience is just as great!

Today when I went in, I brought them a extra Feb. issue of CK so they could enjoy the page done about their salon, and gave me a FREE HAIRCUT certificate for a lucky blog reader. (Aren't they amazing?) You can only use your certificate in Utah :( sorry non local readers!

Bountiful
535 W 400 N
West Bountiful, UT 84010

Cottonwood Heights
1875 Fort Union Blvd
Cottonwood Heights, UT 84121

Draper
1223 East Draper Pkwy # B
Draper, UT 84020

Lehi
1438 Main Street Suite 11
Lehi, UT 84043
(This is the one I go to)

Providence Utah
555 W 100 N Suite E
Providence, UT 84332

Salt Lake City
1295 E. Miller Avenue
Salt Lake City , UT 84106

South Jordan
11587 S. District Main Drive
South Jordan, UT 84095

Be sure to leave a comment of why you need a free haircut! I will be choosing a lucky winner in the next few days!
GOOD LUCK

OH and fun posts are coming soon. I am enjoying a break from stress ;)

Photobooks

2011-01-20T11:00:00.000-08:00

Today is the day I am on Studio 5! Last Thursday Darin Adams (one of the hosts) called me and asked me if I wanted to come on the show. He wanted me to come on Tuesday, however it was my 30th birthday! {I'll do another post about that in a day or so} So we agreed to do the segment on Thursday instead.

It was funny that they should ask me to do this segment, and especially this week. Here is the reasoning:
First, I have been researching photobooks for 3 weeks, trying to determine which company best suits my interest.
Next, I have had my mind set on doing photobooks for a project for the past 5 years, however haven't gotten to it.
Last, It was a great opportunity to get my buns in gear and actually do this project.

I can't wait to tell you about it. Enjoy the clip for now, and then come back in a day or so, and I can give you more details about the MANDY DOUGLASS library of memories. My journal was a sneak peek ... and I will soon reveal my personal philosophy on scrapbooking. You can cut the suspense with a knife, can't ya!
M

Giveaway winners!

2011-01-19T20:45:00.000-08:00

I am SO inspired by all of you and your motivation to record your lives. I am so blessed to have you all in my life. So I figured tonight would be a great night to choose the winners for the giveaway! Don't ya think?

Random Counter here you go!

Suzi said...
This looks like a lot of fun. I would love to create one. Thanks for the opportunity!

Suzi

smileynann said...
I am a mom to 4 1/2 kids, and I HAVE to be more organized this year - I'd love one!

Natalie, Springville, UT

Amanda said...
Wow how wonderful! I could really use this to organize my scrapbooking. I typically get around to scrapping pictures once every 2-3 months. I love the idea of recording thoughts in one book to then transfer to completed pages. Thanks for the giveaway!~

and last but not least

Tracy said...
This looks like a perfect opportunity to do something for my dad. I would love to have one Thanks for the giveaway!

Be sure to email me your address so I can get these to you fast! I wish that I could just send one to all of you! I have really enjoyed this activity the past couple of years and can't wait to start this next one. I had a lot of people show interest in getting one of these journals for yourself if you didn't win. Here is the link:
First click here for the planner
or click here for the journal

Just FYI, I use the 6" x 8". It is worth EVERY penny!

Tomorrow is Studio 5, so be sure to check back for the video. It is all about Photobooks!
Mandy

Out with the Old ... in with the New & a giveaway

2011-01-17T14:38:00.000-08:00

I have always felt like keeping a journal has been important. However, other than scrapbooking, I haven't been the best at keeping an actual journal, until about 2009. For those of you that are somewhat new to my blog, click here to get the lo-down of what happened that year.

I have had so many feelings I needed to write down, so many appointments I needed to keep track of, and I was given this awesome product to use for a project for CK.It has a monthly calendar, and also breaks down each day with lines to record events. I started to record a few things here and there, Dr. Appointments, etc. then I started to write on the following empty sheets of journaling space details about things that month. It has been an awesome exercise for me! I just finished 2010 ... here is how it turned out (or at least a few of the pages):First is the cover. Each book comes with see-through covers and archival pockets at the front of each month. I chose to make a little list to tell the main events in my life from that month for the title page of each month. Each are exactly the same. I use the opposite side of the sheet protector to display a picture of me in that month. (It has been difficult, seeing that I take most of the pictures in our family. Last, each night I take a minute and record with bullets the happenings of each day. Following that, you have either the dates with lines, or in the journal you have a few pages of blank lines to record in better detail, some of the main events, or happenings from this month. (I have done both and like them both) In 2010 I used the Journal
I have loved this so much, that I decided to see if the makers of this AWESOME planner / journal would be willing to do a giveaway! They have been so generous, and I will be giving a few away!

Be sure to leave me a comment of how you think this would benefit you! I will be picking a few winners in a few days! Good luck!
M

Potty Training

2011-01-14T21:36:00.000-08:00

Yes ... it is time ...

Santa brought the CHOO CHOO train underwear, and a turtle toilet seat! CHECK

Lots of treats and licorice for when Bryce goes on the potty! CHECK

Giving lots of juice and asking every five minutes if he needs to go. CHECK

Bought some pull ups ... no more diapers. CHECK

So why in the world is it not working? Now I can sympathize with every mommy who has ever potty trained! This is a NIGHTMARE!

Any great ideas or books to reference? Need some serious help!

In the meantime, Studio 5 called again. Going on the Thursday. Can't wait to tell you about it! Stay tuned!
M

Cooking with Camille: Studio 5 TV Appearance- Moist Chocolate Deluxe

2011-01-11T19:35:00.000-08:00

I have to tell you, I have the most TALENTED friends anyone could ask for! I told a lot of you about my awesome friend Camille who wrote This cookbook a few months back. Well I thought it was so amazing and I LOVE to cook out of it, and so I told the producers at Studio 5 about her ... AND ... they called her ask her to come on the show to tell about her book and share a recipe!

Video Courtesy of KSL.com

Today Adam went back to school and I have to say I have been in a little bit of a slump all day long! It's not fun not really seeing your husband much. SO in honor of Camille's TV Debut, and needing a little cheering up, I made her recipe, Moist Chocolate Deluxe (aka the one person portion of "Better than sex cake") that she showed on today's show! Click here for the recipe!

CAN I SAY EVEN BETTER THAN YUM! I was thinking I would save a little portion of it for Adam to try ... not a chance. I BLINKED and it was gone! Glad it only made one ramekin ... otherwise I would have eaten WAY too much! Great portion for your new years diet! :)

Club CK

2011-01-10T20:23:00.000-08:00

So I know I just announced that I am resigning my position at CK, however I did say that I would be included on special projects, and so I will involved in the "Style Swapp Week" on Club CK!

In the January 2011 Issue of CK I decided to try a different style to match Maggie Holmes:How do you think I did?

It was SUCH a fun exercise, so I thought I would invite you to come join in the fun! First click here to go to CLUB CK! Next click on the Style Swapp Week link.

* Take a quiz to discover which style of scrapbooker you are. But remember, just because you might naturally be a one type of scrapbooker doesn't mean you can't give another style a try. Be brave and mix it up for the new year!

* Learn more about groups on Club CK, and then join a style group. We have groups for each style listed in the "New Scrap Beginnings: A New Scrap Style for a New Year" article in the January 2011 issue of Creating Keepsakes magazine.

* Post your layouts and join in the fun! Contributing Writers and Dream Team members (including me) will be ready to give you style coaching and constructive criticism on your scrapbook pages. Get ready to create your new favorite layout!

* Enter to win one of eight prizes by participating!

Sounds like fun right? SO if you have ever wanted some feedback from me on one of your layouts, now is the time to post it. I am following all of the groups, but will be focusing on the "cutesy" group!
Have a great Style Swapp Week!

A New Year ... Some New Information!

2011-01-08T07:27:00.000-08:00

So I'm only about a week late on posting my New Year post ... but what matters is that it is a new year, and I am still contributing to this blog.

First, A HUGE thank you to all of my readers! 2010 was an amazing year, and I feel like I have been so blessed to have interacted with all of you.

Next ... a big announcement
As of December 31 my contract with Creating Keepsakes ended. As I contemplated resigning, my mind kept going back to my sweet boys and the husband I don't get to see much lately, and I have decided to decline the offer to resign. It has been a hard decision for me to make, but it has been the RIGHT decision for me.

So where does this leave me with Scrapbooking? with CK? with other design work? Well, I have some great design offers in the works! I am still going to be scrapbooking, and hopefully will have more time to post projects that I will get to do. You will still be seeing my work in CK through the majority of the 2011 year (because we work in advance to the month of course), and I will still be available to special projects and they are presented to me ... SO you'll still be seeing a little bit of me around CK. As for the other projects, freelance design, etc. You will just have to stay tuned to my blog to see the fun things that are coming!

THANK you to ALL of the CK team, to the many incredible people I have had the opportunity of rubbing shoulders with and working with. Thank you for the most amazing, creative, learning, and excitement for the past 2 1/2 years. Thank you for choosing me as the Scrapbooker of the Year. It has been a dream come true! CK sent this darling cookie bouquet on the ending day of my contract. I have always wanted one of these and it was SO very fun to receive! THANK YOU CK! And thank you to everyone for supporting this wonderful journey of mine!

Lets finish up 2010 shall we?

2011-01-06T19:11:00.000-08:00

Christmas was such a crazy season for me. What I needed was a good week or two, recuperating with my husband! Thanks for your patience with me as I get my life in order. I have lots of fun things to tell you, however I didn't feel like it was fair to leave you hanging on the rest of my 25 days until Christmas Countdown. Sorry for the long wait!

On day 23 ... we headed to Thanksgiving Point to look at the lights, and the car line was CRAZY long. It would have taken us 2 hours ... so we headed and got an Ice Cream Cone at JCW's. Not the most incredible holiday activity, however we were together as a family, and that is what made it a great holiday evening!

For Christmas Eve ... We started out the day sledding. It has been a Christmas tradition in my family for years. I forgot my camera for the evening events ... but sledding is always followed by a dinner with soup and scones, decorating sugar cookies for Santa, and this year we did a scavenger hunt for the kids to find great things that symbolize Christmas, and then tell the children what they mean! (Candy Cane, Star, etc). It was awesome.

Last was opening Christmas Jammies!
This year I couldn't find jammy pants that were all matching for the boys. So I bought a pair of pants for Adam at Target, then I got another pair that were the same but that were XXXL. I cut two pair of pants out for the boys ... and WALA! For $4 each, I had pants for my boys!

Christmas Morning was awesome and it was SO much fun that the boys were able to open their own presents and LOVED playing with all their new toys!!

Adam had an ENTIRE week off of School and work, so rather than spending time on my computer ... I enjoyed being with my little family.

We enjoyed a day skiing with Adam's brother, nephew and niece.
Watching movies, watching football, drinking hot cocoa ... trying to stay warm (it was CRAZY cold here in Utah) ... doing our annual one puzzle a year, {Mug from my cute friend Becky ... LOVE IT! Thanks Becks! (from anthropology}
...and taking down Christmas. I have to say, it was a relief after looking at my poor little Christmas tree ... those of you who have ever had a 2 year old and or 18 month old will understand why my decor looks so sad!

It was a wonderful season, a great week, and now reality of life is back. I have more updates for you about the new year ... but I think I will leave that for another post tomorrow! Hope your Christmas was amazing!
Merry Christmas AND Happy NEW YEAR!!

HappyNewYear

2011-01-01T15:49:00.000-08:00

I am still here, just spending a few days with my husband. He had a full week off of work and doesn't go back to school for another week. I am spending as much time as I can with him. Thanks for understanding! I will be back soon!
M

The other days before Christmas!

2010-12-23T06:37:00.001-08:00

I can't believe that Christmas is just a few days away. CAN YOU BELIEVE IT!

I have been SO very busy that I feel like I have been SO stressed and haven't been able to full enjoy everything this season. Although this countdown thing has been a lot more work than I realized it would be, I do have to say that I am grateful I have done it, because it has helped me focus on doing fun things with my kids and husband everyday, and setting the busy, not so important things aside. So onward with the countdown!!

TODAY!
Our plan is to go and see the lights at either Temple Square in SL or go to Thanksgiving Point to drive through an area of lights in our car. It all depends on the weather! Either way ... lights is the plan!

Day 22

We invited Bryson's cousin's over, that just had a new addition come into their family, over to our house to play and make some sugar cookies! YUM

Day 21
We got about a foot of snow ... so we pushed aside mommy's todo list and decided to go sledding. Bryson was scared to death of sledding, chad LOVED it! It was a great day!

Day 20
We went to dinner with our friends here:It took over an hour to get our food ... but the company was great, the waitress was just the sweetest little latino lady I have ever met, and the food was pretty good. Thanks Doug and Heather for inviting us!

Day 19
We watched the Polar ExpressBryson doesn't watch a lot of TV, however he is starting to like a few movies. He was GLUED to the TV for about a half hour! He LOVES the ChoChoo movie (as he calls it) and begs to listen to the song "hot chocolate" over and over again in the car.
We also got them new outfits just for Christmas for Church. I think they are handsome, but I am just a bit partial to these little guys!

Day 18
Today Adam finished his finals, so in celebration of 3 WHOLE WEEKS off of school, we went on a date!
Yummy dinner here And went to see this movie:
We also prepared a few batches of yummy carmel chocolate popcorn.
This is the popcorn they made the day I did my spot on Studio 5. One of my favorite things about going up there, is that I get to taste the recipes. THIS IS TO DIE FOR!!! Click here for the recipe!
Day 17
I read one of my favorite Christmas Stories with the boys:

It is about time ... now isn't it!

2010-12-21T13:39:00.000-08:00

With the holidays, and everything that comes with it, I have had a harder time, trying to find time to update you all on the 25 day countdown. I will get going on that this evening!

But lets at least pick a winner, shall we!
First for the doodlebug products .... drum roll please!

Pam said...
I have followed your blog for quite awhile. I would love to win this giveaway. My recipes are a disaster...scraps of paper thrown in a cookbook. Everything else is extremely organized in my life, but I really need help with this!

CONGRATULATIONS PAM!!! Please email me your address so I can get this stuff sent off to ya!

And for the Master Menu Cookbook ... another drum roll ... from the little drummer boy (I need a coke today, can you tell?)

Heather V said...
I would love to win either of these wonderful prizes! My future husband is an extremely picky eater, so any and all recipes that he will eat go in my recipe box - which is in total disarray. Thanks for the chance!

Congratulations on getting married Heather! That is so exciting!
Just so you know Heather, my husband Adam is a "particular" eater too. He likes what he likes ... but 5 years has really helped. He is much more willing to at least try new things. Hopefully this will help ya! Be sure to email me so I can get your address as well!

It snowed a foot today at my house ... we weren't expecting a white Christmas this year, so I am THRILLED!
Hope you're enjoying your day!
M

Studio 5 Excitement

2010-12-17T11:00:00.000-08:00

Recipe Organization Overhaul!!!

So I have to admit, I have been working on this system for quite some time, and now I have finally completed it! Thanks Studio 5!

I mentioned on the segment some fun tips and giveaways ... and so lets get to the first giveaway! (That is right ... there will be 2!!!)

I created my Recipe Binders using this DARLING product from Doodlebug Design.Doodlebug has been SO generous in giving away a lucky reader some of these cute products so you can get to start your new recipe binder. Leave a comment to tell me why you deserve to have these products!!

Next is something I didn't get a chance to talk about on Studio 5, because there wasn't time! A few years back I got this book.
IT CHANGED MY LIFE! and I'm not just saying that ... nor is the author giving me anything for endorsing her book. Up until 3 days ago, I never knew Marie Ricks ... but now after meeting her I respect her even more. What an amazing and talented person. Her website is www.houseoforder.com

In this book is some AWESOME tips for Menu Planning. I don't know if you're like me, but I often find myself wondering at 5pm what is for dinner, and then if I am too tired to do anything about it ... it is the $5 hot and ready option :)

As I was hoping to explain how amazing this system is ... I found a website that is FREE until January! They will start charging to sign up in a few weeks, so I thought I ought to let you know about it! Go here!

This website allows you to create a meal plan by Selecting pre uploaded recipes, or uploading your own recipes. Then it will calculate what you need to buy at the grocery store, according to your menu plan, You can add it to your phone so you can check off the things you buy! (This would be fantastic for me, because I always loose my list before I get to the store :)

Each week I plan out a menu of what I am going to eat each night. Then I make a list of the ingredients and head to the store. This will help you prepare so you get a wide variety of foods, and can do it quickly!

If online isn't your first choice, I am giving away Marie's other book: This is a $10 value, and really great to get you started! Be sure to leave a comment.

I will pick one winner randomly for the Doodlbug Prize, and one for the Book! If you become a follower of my blog, You can have 3 chances of winning! Good Luck!
M

I Promised!

2010-12-16T21:03:00.000-08:00

So I told you I would be back. I think I am ready to go for Studio 5 tomorrow! The stress is in preparing, and before a blink of a second, it is all over! I can't wait to tell you more!

Day 16, Today
Me and the kids did a little going around town, and even stopped at our favorite bakery (Lehi Bakery) to get the most amazing Maple glazed donut you have EVER had! So the boys thought their day was fun!

But more importantly, this 25 day count down is supposed to include already planned ideas. Adam was in school tonight, so I got a babysitter and went to a fun little holiday gathering with some of my college friends. The food was AMAZING! The company even better, and Becky's house ... can you say Unbelievable!
Thanks so much Becks for the best holiday party ever.
PS ... Becky is selling a bunch of scrap stuff for a killer deal. Click here for the details!

Lets get down with the Count-down!
On the 15th Day of Christmas,
We made those ever so popular Candy Cane Reindeer. The boys just LOVED it! Don't as me what crazy person thought of this idea with a 2 year old and 1 year old. Fuzz balls + Candy Canes + Pipe Cleaners + Hot glue = a crazy mess ... but loads of fun!

On the 14th Day of Christmas,
We went Christmas Caroling with the Youth Group in our area. Don't ask me why I didn't get a picture of it. Adam was at School so I bundled up the boys and we walked around with them. They loved every minute. (**Picture taken last spring)

And on the 13th Day,

We delivered our first round of the 12 Days of Christmas.
I was in charge that night. I knocked on the door and ran faster than I had in a while.
Not only did I get the gift of giving, but I also received by getting my exercise for the day! It was AWESOME!**Note, this is only for the purposes of giving you a picture of how you might view me hiding in the trees! Not to be taken serious for a great photoshop photo, although, if you really think it is good ... I CAN be hired ::)

Studio 5! Again!

2010-12-15T16:45:00.000-08:00

I have the opportunity to go onto Studio 5 again on FRIDAY!!

As exciting as this is, it also has swallowed much of my time the last few days. I am continuing on with my Countdown, but just wanted to make you aware that I will be back shortly! I can't wait to show you what I am creating!!! HINT: It has to do with Recipe organization!! wink wink!
M

On the 12th Day

2010-12-12T21:49:00.000-08:00

We made some YUMMY Gingersnaps!

My sister-in-law shared this recipe with me. These ACTUALLY stay soft and the dough is REALLY good!
Hope you enjoy!

GINGERSNAPS!

1 1/2 c shortening
2 c sugar
1/2 c molasses
2 eggs
4 tsp baking soda
4 c flour
1 tsp cloves
1/4 tsp nutmeg
1 tsp ginger
2 tsp cinnamon
1 tsp salt
1 tsp vanilla
1 tsp vinegar

Cream shortening & sugar. Add molasses & eggs, beat well. Do the rest & mix well, chill, form into balls & roll in sugar, bake 350 for 8 to 10 minutes, don't overbake, I do 9 minutes.

This kind of makes a big recipe, so you can bake & freeze or just freeze the dough for later.