new do

ashley had been asking for a haircut. i was finally able to do it. the goal was to give her a chin length cut. this is what ended up happening...

 (her face is misleading. she actually likes it.)

Liberty bell

Elizabeth had a history project. She chose the Liberty Bell. How do you make a copy of the liberty bell?! Rice krispies of course, 

and fondant! (I forgot to mention, the fondant was root beer flavored…)

*she got 100% on this!

BRRRR! it's really chilly!

violin

elizabeth decided that she wanted to do violin for her elective this year.

i was finally able to get lessons arranged for her. 

she's a year behind everyone else, because she wasn't doing violin last year. it's been causing a few problems in class and during the concert.

she LOVES it!

her's is the one on the floor. not the micro-mini one in her hand

wedding chaos

oh my word! what a weekend! and SO much fun!!!

ok, to start with, we traveled down to ogden tuesday, and stayed with sister #2 for the night.
wednesday, we drove down to provo. i went shopping with sister #3 and mom to grab things for the wedding. sister #3 finally got keys/code to apartment, so we had somewhere to sleep. however, no heat.... and no hot water..... and no beds....
oh, late in the afternoon, we learned that the brunch location was going to be used for a funeral. gratefully, the ward clerk, or whoever he was, found us another location.
thursday, is kinda when the insanity started, or the beginning of the end, i suppose. i baked cakes all day long. we were doing 2 half-sheet cakes for the reception, and needed a cutting cake. in trying to ease some of the stress from mom, i took on that job.
4 half sheets, 2-9 inch squares, and 2-4 inch squares. 1.5 lbs butter, 28 eggs. and all day long!!
we also decided to dip plastic spoons in melted chocolate for use at the hot chocolate bar.
friday, was absolutely packed! the brunch started at 10:30. sister #3, the bride, was 20 minutes late! after the brunch, we put her in her dress, or tried to. the zipper split on us! talk about murphy's law! mom did a quick fix on the way to the temple for pics, and we quickly dressed her in the bathroom at the visitors center. pictures started at 1-ish. sealing was at 4, and she was married! afterwards, we went to chuck-a-rama, cause no one had eaten since the brunch. WHEW!
saturday, we decorated the cakes. 10 lbs fresh raspberries, 10 lbs fresh blackberries, 7 lbs cream cheese, 1/2 gal whipping cream. thankfully, it only took us about 2.5 hours...not 8 or more. the reception was at 2, and we had the happy couple off by 4:30p. the rest of the family did our christmas gift exchange around 5:30.
and then everyone crashed for the rest of the weekend....(if only)

christmas

i like this smaller christmas thing. less to have to deal with when it's all done, and less to have to get rid of as well.

christmas village

this is how my village looked this year. next year, i hope to have more of the buildings done.

christmas is coming!

it's time to start thinking about christmas.

last year, i simplified the gift process. and i loved how it ended up working, and cutting down on my stress and clutter.
each child gets 4 gifts. something they want, something they need, something to wear, something to read. there's the stuff from santa, and anything else family gives, but it makes it feel less chaotic.

the little girls blankets from their 2nd christmas, are starting to wear out. i decided it was time to make some more. i knew that if i tried to do something too elaborate, they wouldn't get completed, so i brainstormed with some friends and came up with a simple solution. old flat sheets, and batting. i can sew the flat sheets together on 3 sides, slide the batting in the middle of them, and all i have to do is tie them, and close up the last end.

i started looking for fun stocking stuffer items as well.

i hope i can get everything done in time. i really don't like working until 1 or 2 in the morning christmas eve.

it's great to be 8!

this has been quite the weekend!

shannon turned 8 on thursday. 

friday, i spent cleaning the house as best i could. it was quite the job too! i ended up filling both the garbage can and the recycling can clear to the top! as well as 3 bags for donations.

stephanie showed up around 6:30, just in time for dinner.

dad's plane got in at 11:15p. and it made for a long night.

saturday, shaun baptised shannon. she was absolutely beautiful!

afterwards, everyone came back to the house for lunch. fried chicken and sides. my grandfather, and step-grandfather used my piano as a table. and they sat there and talked for quite awhile.

costumes

whoa! halloween is quickly coming up, and i still need to get costumes finished! so, although you can find costumes for mal from descendents, you can't find them in a size that will fit elizabeth. so, we got a little creative, or, i did.

DUCT TAPE!

the beginnings of a custom costume!

pumpkin patch

i wanted to do something a little more interactive with the kids for halloween. especially now that we are not homeschooling. so, i found a local pumpkin patch.

for a small amount, we were able to get 8 large pumpkins, and about 20 mini ones.
on top of that, they had a "train" the kids could ride, and the turkey was wandering about.

 ashley thought the turkey was the coolest thing in the world! she got to pet it!

i replaced my styrofoam pumpkins with the mini ones. they had much more weight to them, and i didn't have to worry about them flying away!

oktoberfest

holy moly, it was hot!!

lee's summit, puts on a harvest carnival, called oktoberfest. craft booths, carnival rides, music, food.

we had fun looking at the crafts, thinking that we could easily make them for pennies compared to the cost they were charging.

the bigger kids ran off to do their thing, and mom, dad, and i kept the little ones with us.

the little ones rode a few rides,

(that's my phone number on michaels arm in the event that he got lost.)

 got sno cones, and then we found the face painter.

and wouldn't you know it, i got sunscreen on everyone but myself!!

coloring

this was my newest stress relieving coloring page. specific to christmas!

j is for jumprope

ashley,

michael,

i is for igloo

ashley,

the i is kinda hare to see, and the igloo is a little boxy...

 she totally missed the i's in is...

michael,

h is for horse

ashley,

 a handprint art horse!

michael,