tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-23264531989944195302024-03-05T19:37:21.120-08:00Mary Poppins PerfectUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger86125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-63848200497443626492014-02-19T15:58:00.007-08:002014-02-19T15:58:41.744-08:00Chocolate Mint Day<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: #4c1130;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">Happy Chocolate <span style="color: lime;">Mint</span> Day!</span></span></div>
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We are celebrating simply & deliciously around here.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgs-Gn5ODLa1KkdW-oXmEiHuRqkOod5fjWtIi7VKFRUF3VFDds8UQyKhO_K5onv_xIy9U50WAx3VNYK_YS94orO2Zj1dD9etZeiJj22vLgjlrxejBWHlsYmzYmKb-iVK2Q9-JurnH5A6a/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIgs-Gn5ODLa1KkdW-oXmEiHuRqkOod5fjWtIi7VKFRUF3VFDds8UQyKhO_K5onv_xIy9U50WAx3VNYK_YS94orO2Zj1dD9etZeiJj22vLgjlrxejBWHlsYmzYmKb-iVK2Q9-JurnH5A6a/s1600/011.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-10797957684417829452014-02-11T10:17:00.000-08:002014-02-11T10:17:07.540-08:00Chinese New Year<div style="text-align: center;">
Happy New Year! </div>
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It's the middle of Chinese New Year.</div>
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Did you know?</div>
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It's not too late to celebrate; it's a few more days until it's over.</div>
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<br /></div>
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On the first night of the new year,</div>
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we had chinese food for dinner. Fried rice, pot stickers,</div>
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& spring rolls.</div>
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And I hung some paper lanterns over the table.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJsX2Bj3oKiU5NuVQjQFoM6Q69YR-1INbrvxBKFZDWFHoT5k-O34ToFkkCqYGoQxgR48ryayXm9hmpWI38pKMU32TjqKZbqomyAfcT9Gc5UWAqgsJTxE87WY2WirLDEx8kz4ZXmbN4KD7/s1600/027.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPJsX2Bj3oKiU5NuVQjQFoM6Q69YR-1INbrvxBKFZDWFHoT5k-O34ToFkkCqYGoQxgR48ryayXm9hmpWI38pKMU32TjqKZbqomyAfcT9Gc5UWAqgsJTxE87WY2WirLDEx8kz4ZXmbN4KD7/s1600/027.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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And since it's the Year of the Horse,</div>
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I found this neat cut out online.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ_ePerqm1H3-oiXP22nPxAyYZjtUN000ZZjThmM-3zbQqUxeFJzp8A9iOaByYePpxHigrqWFHE2jcj0_SbYNnL_s6O4XzjLOk26dgx0aTl2xrHUVBO1EfychmIQ_TuMpLEdVh7U7zW0E/s1600/028.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCZ_ePerqm1H3-oiXP22nPxAyYZjtUN000ZZjThmM-3zbQqUxeFJzp8A9iOaByYePpxHigrqWFHE2jcj0_SbYNnL_s6O4XzjLOk26dgx0aTl2xrHUVBO1EfychmIQ_TuMpLEdVh7U7zW0E/s1600/028.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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The kids and I made and colored some dragon masks.</div>
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Here they are, although one didn't really like his so he wouldn't put it up to his face.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX146OwVJPHEfKDyV1cp_Xw5UWICA31Uj40Q1Xy_YnA5YwoLdjuZ3Q0suPGQh-7BYg2OsVsTcgkzg7BPkJbT5XTT-NmZRmGbNOJXx9xOHF0Y5MWetoUfRK2-uBuYb9KASyKMBKJotPQUN4/s1600/021.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX146OwVJPHEfKDyV1cp_Xw5UWICA31Uj40Q1Xy_YnA5YwoLdjuZ3Q0suPGQh-7BYg2OsVsTcgkzg7BPkJbT5XTT-NmZRmGbNOJXx9xOHF0Y5MWetoUfRK2-uBuYb9KASyKMBKJotPQUN4/s1600/021.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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I tried to get him to put his up by putting mine up in front of the camera.</div>
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Here's the result:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMNqD14sTKFE8mWaLU8qtRNEEwyne2PUzSJMZ5-gzZBSMVSMoVKfk9_MhPmuiB0pRNeHk854O30jOHJkB9JHKDc08fajbUAf__sdtk_zn0j28aUtVPiABGKe7oB3HwiIjenAz9goDYQ4Y/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMNqD14sTKFE8mWaLU8qtRNEEwyne2PUzSJMZ5-gzZBSMVSMoVKfk9_MhPmuiB0pRNeHk854O30jOHJkB9JHKDc08fajbUAf__sdtk_zn0j28aUtVPiABGKe7oB3HwiIjenAz9goDYQ4Y/s1600/023.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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HAPPY NEW YEAR!!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-24538305845055415372014-01-28T20:04:00.002-08:002014-01-28T20:04:35.922-08:00Valentine's Craft<div style="text-align: center;">
My friend has been hosting craft nights every couple</div>
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months or so. Sometimes I do the craft</div>
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she's got going on, and other times I have brought my own thing</div>
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or simply shown up to have some girls time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Last week, we made these cutie Valentine's boards.</div>
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When I put all of my Valentine decorations out, I didn't really like the combination</div>
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on the mantle because I had chosen a pale background and there</div>
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was too much red. So I decided to paint my board pink.</div>
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Everyone else followed my friend's example & made theirs red.</div>
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And my board was from the scrap pile in the garage, </div>
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(and our second vehicle is taking up the whole garage because the </div>
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engine is spread out all over as Kidney Bean tries to figure out</div>
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why it doesn't run well, so no saws available)</div>
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so it ended up a little longer than all of the other ones, too.</div>
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And I <b>love</b> it. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JVZTnh0lRwMK4vQ32OukdHmqijXHRTc6UOCrwo0ZIZ2U8HCkKoTyQilOTzzSugjcoVVJRd-1dDiOFdgPaOzPr8wapYL1ZV2q9NeGdWyCtKXxP2nEVadkmFozEF6wkIRdpodaTFGusi52/s1600/010.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1JVZTnh0lRwMK4vQ32OukdHmqijXHRTc6UOCrwo0ZIZ2U8HCkKoTyQilOTzzSugjcoVVJRd-1dDiOFdgPaOzPr8wapYL1ZV2q9NeGdWyCtKXxP2nEVadkmFozEF6wkIRdpodaTFGusi52/s1600/010.JPG" height="320" width="211" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-2377338699236085022014-01-16T19:58:00.002-08:002014-01-16T19:58:25.168-08:00100 Days of Games, post 2<div style="text-align: center;">
We are making our way through our</div>
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100 Days of Games.</div>
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It's going pretty well.</div>
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We've mainly played Scrabble.</div>
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I won on day two, and we both had one letter left over.</div>
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That's pretty unusual for us; we typically play </div>
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every letter or just one person has a leftover. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacz2uygisbGcXxKBISK1H-ERPKCfiVCaDWMzeI6mipXRaisRLwSdXUlipfdlxuy1dhaXdjemwgJAaK_1d4OJkv8tmQWpsJi_2LbwpqTLZ9tr-bGDpLg3LQdXykusLEwz1o7Lt5aNzcP35/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhacz2uygisbGcXxKBISK1H-ERPKCfiVCaDWMzeI6mipXRaisRLwSdXUlipfdlxuy1dhaXdjemwgJAaK_1d4OJkv8tmQWpsJi_2LbwpqTLZ9tr-bGDpLg3LQdXykusLEwz1o7Lt5aNzcP35/s1600/001.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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I won on day three, as well.</div>
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But we started to clean up before a picture was taken.</div>
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Here's Mr MPP's guilty look, even though I'm pretty sure it was me that</div>
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messed up the board.</div>
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</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_i0YZhQCce-Jp_FLbr5pOS698uYse1hEiVH_C39T9lLEJWtEUnRf-BLAuybC2d_WiF9AEHMaY1XCR_k9w6xKT_4Ht6ud6sVe5fG3RPDlBHMXEu_mJIL9QL46sHbfESPPMOmkT1iHuM2X/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjq_i0YZhQCce-Jp_FLbr5pOS698uYse1hEiVH_C39T9lLEJWtEUnRf-BLAuybC2d_WiF9AEHMaY1XCR_k9w6xKT_4Ht6ud6sVe5fG3RPDlBHMXEu_mJIL9QL46sHbfESPPMOmkT1iHuM2X/s1600/004.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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The next day we broke our routine and played Connect Four.</div>
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Mr MPP bought me Connect Four for Christmas</div>
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when we were dating because he knew that I didn't like it because I've never been</div>
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very good at it. Well, apparently my analytical skills or whatever</div>
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it is you need to win Connect Four THREE OUT OF THREE GAMES have</div>
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improved, cuz I won again and again.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Last night, we missed out on the game. Things were crazy for bedtime for the</div>
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kids & then Mr MPP got caught up with work stuff & went to </div>
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two different places.</div>
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Neither one of us realized we missed out on a game until it was too late.</div>
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To make up for missing out yesterday, we played two games today.</div>
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He beat me in Scrabble by A LOT - 39 points!</div>
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And he broke 300, so he's feeling pretty good about it.</div>
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After that, we played Phase 10 & I won by 3 phases.</div>
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It's been fun & I'm glad he came up with it.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-21703663365507087102014-01-11T15:58:00.003-08:002014-01-11T15:58:54.312-08:00100 Day of Games<div style="text-align: center;">
We've been feeling a little disconnected lately, even though</div>
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my husband and I spend almost all evening together for most days of the week.</div>
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But we've been involved in different activities around the house.</div>
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And since we were starting to notice it making a difference,</div>
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we talked about it the other night when we were getting ready for bed.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And my husband came up with a suggestion that he said he'd been thinking about</div>
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for quite a while.</div>
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And he called it 100 Days of Scrabble.</div>
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But since we decided that we probably won't play Scrabble every night,</div>
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I thought I'd call it </div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: x-large;">100 Days of Games</span></span></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Courier New",Courier,monospace;"><b><span style="color: lime;"><span style="font-size: x-large;"> </span></span></b></span>And won't it be fun?</div>
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<br /></div>
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Well, I'm excited. And I think he's looking forward to it, </div>
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especially since he won the first game last night.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AT3DDHnB1qXXumj05lNIPSFZQxBGZNzgqCbUgCY-CzQFrLpAis8QHw7Nxl6B6_K3wCH0nPwNNE2mkinxfUW05IuYanSBOMJCwCEnmMv1p2C1PJNY8dBUurjbngbUUf-1dzF_s_RrxTT9/s1600/103.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9AT3DDHnB1qXXumj05lNIPSFZQxBGZNzgqCbUgCY-CzQFrLpAis8QHw7Nxl6B6_K3wCH0nPwNNE2mkinxfUW05IuYanSBOMJCwCEnmMv1p2C1PJNY8dBUurjbngbUUf-1dzF_s_RrxTT9/s1600/103.JPG" height="211" width="320" /></a></div>
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It was back and forth, and then I just couldn't play at the end </div>
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and he kept coming up with words worth a lot of points.</div>
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We'll let you know how the next few go soon.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-59764681064880798072013-12-05T15:51:00.001-08:002013-12-05T15:52:02.523-08:00Camera Strap<div style="text-align: center;">
It's a little difficult keeping up with the blogs now</div>
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that I've got four kids, but I'm trying to get better again.</div>
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Please bear with me.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was thinking about quitting this blog and putting all my crafts and things up</div>
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on my family blog again, but really, I do much better with two even</div>
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though I haven't been that great lately.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But life's a work in progress, right?</div>
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And a balancing act, especially trying to fit all the stuff I want</div>
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to do into a day. One thing that has </div>
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been helping me is adding some organic apple cider vinegar</div>
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to each glass of water that I drink.</div>
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At first, it's not that good. But now I'm to the point</div>
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where water doesn't taste quite right if it's not in there.</div>
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It's helping with my energy, and a bunch of other things....look it up.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Anyway, the purpose of this post is to show my cutie camera strap that I made yesterday.</div>
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I followed the tutorial <a href="http://www.crapivemade.com/2010/02/ruffled-camera-strap-tutorial.html">here</a>,</div>
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and then followed her advice and tried adding a strip of jumbo rickrack, which I liked.</div>
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And then I added three yo yos with button middles to make it </div>
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a little more cutie.</div>
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Her tutorial is really good and I thought it was pretty easy to follow,</div>
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so definitely head over there if you want to make yourself a new camera strap. </div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TB5S6tog4nHt6NaKbR9LuYQnnQ1yuO7EbFEF87dTvKS-FSIJVFbIECPwbYMfPRY7aF6EZqwsSt_aUwhTqVijLKhKW40dZM6HyRc1-fujkniU1Mf8memCtfXsPWqIouncBcatXGtvtoPo/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="420" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3TB5S6tog4nHt6NaKbR9LuYQnnQ1yuO7EbFEF87dTvKS-FSIJVFbIECPwbYMfPRY7aF6EZqwsSt_aUwhTqVijLKhKW40dZM6HyRc1-fujkniU1Mf8memCtfXsPWqIouncBcatXGtvtoPo/s640/012.JPG" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Go Idaho!</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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I love it!</div>
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<br /></div>
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I know it's kind of an awkward picture, but the hardware isn't very easy to get on and off,</div>
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and since I had attached it before I took the picture, I wanted to</div>
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keep it on the camera instead of dealing with that hassle. </div>
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And I just used scraps, which is even better.</div>
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I have an old SLR camera that stopped working right a few years ago, which is</div>
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when I started saving up for the fancy DSLR that I was finally</div>
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able to buy last year when it went on sale before Christmas.</div>
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I used the hardware from the camera strap from my old camera...I just cut off the </div>
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seatbelt material, then sewed this new one right onto the hardware.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-3219440785259410432013-10-02T14:58:00.003-07:002013-10-02T14:58:53.640-07:00Chasin' Cheeky Houseparty<div style="text-align: center;">
Have I ever mentioned that I am a member of <a href="http://houseparty.com/">Houseparty</a>?</div>
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It's awesome.</div>
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They offer different parties all year that you apply for to be a host,</div>
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and if you're selected, they send you a party pack with stuff to</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
host a party so your friends and family can try new products.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I've done it for several years now, and I've been able to host around 6 parties.</div>
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The last one was last week.</div>
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It was a <a href="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hS_xQYQLhgk">Chasin' Cheeky</a> party, for the new Hasbro game.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The kids loved it!</div>
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Even my 18-month-old got in on the fun and was able to put rings on the monkey. </div>
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<br /></div>
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We played Chasin' Cheeky, Hi-Ho Cherry-O!, and Memory.</div>
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We were also given some new Cheetos to try, and everyone thought</div>
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they were delicious.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
If you're not a member of Houseparty, I highly recommend heading over to the</div>
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website and signing up. There are some great parties coming up!</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXkakfPon-OJmXUPPwJUCGYXO_9lBCpFviuRLCD0mnaohtX_kIu-AViG5ylA6DnFhtBopoR4gAC-8_slyBGol4k9bhvS6uAuziVN8e6_maCfBI2Q2fWLDvubB6Nq6AQ4kkSItNCWOOzsJ/s1600/070.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvXkakfPon-OJmXUPPwJUCGYXO_9lBCpFviuRLCD0mnaohtX_kIu-AViG5ylA6DnFhtBopoR4gAC-8_slyBGol4k9bhvS6uAuziVN8e6_maCfBI2Q2fWLDvubB6Nq6AQ4kkSItNCWOOzsJ/s320/070.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-38012667610809680312013-08-19T13:08:00.002-07:002013-08-19T13:08:26.902-07:00Hope<div style="text-align: center;">
I was recently contacted by someone who has asked that I share</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
her incredible story, and after watching the video,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I am happy to do so.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Heather was diagnosed with cancer a few months after</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
having her first baby; she was told she had just over a year to live.</div>
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Fast forward 7 years, and now she is cancer free.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
You can see a great video about her by clicking<a href="http://www.mesothelioma.com/heather"> here</a>.</div>
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<br /></div>
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She is trying to raise awareness of Mesothelioma (cancer caused by asbestos),</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and also to encourage people to continue to hope as they struggle with</div>
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whatever problems they are dealing with.</div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-31244273208394850462013-08-12T13:55:00.000-07:002013-08-12T14:14:41.671-07:00It's a Winner!<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
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We went to the fair on Saturday, and I was excited to see</div>
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a blue ribbon next to my cake.</div>
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It's not my best work, and I definitely had some problems</div>
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when I was putting it together....</div>
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(for some reason I bought an off-brand shortening - big mistake!</div>
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And I know better than that...)</div>
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<br /></div>
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But it all worked out beautifully.</div>
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As you can see, I went with the taller, more realistic bluebirds.</div>
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My husband said that they were better.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVlbMQPqMDjwrgL6zU7Idm_jUK9sIIE4oomw1kgUh5d0mT61ALZEpCXjUQkLAODtuk3dH-P2ZIa9G5D1bsitLriNjQImX8XEoAOeMoMm7yVYacmic4kLtRUJ1xOZEXhqnRdVLVHKC7HDoX/s320/017.JPG" width="211" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
When I went to pick up my things yesterday evening from the fairgrounds,</div>
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I received an envelope with my prizes in it.</div>
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I brought home a blue ribbon, a sample of Red Star yeast,</div>
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a coupon for more yeast, and my score card for the cake.</div>
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I scored Excellent in each area (Appearance, Creativity,</div>
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Craftsmanship, & Appropriateness).</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
At the bottom were the following comments - "Swirls on top</div>
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coordinate well with bottom layer; contrast of color is good; </div>
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piping is uniform; roses look like fabric - very nice & pleasant to look at."</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmw6OFlvUGWPU_Utq89wEiEpRk-RuG4xwocKs6PP9F1z2c_tbo1qXCSgcPpBg61G0GPz-Grs8d4JUSbZBQTNK4_-Z6M_Mx0XjlgURYYEBO1S1YOnAKnPjySWcn7BYgHaS3qkpyZJhah8L/s1600/029.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcmw6OFlvUGWPU_Utq89wEiEpRk-RuG4xwocKs6PP9F1z2c_tbo1qXCSgcPpBg61G0GPz-Grs8d4JUSbZBQTNK4_-Z6M_Mx0XjlgURYYEBO1S1YOnAKnPjySWcn7BYgHaS3qkpyZJhah8L/s320/029.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
<br /></div>
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I was quite pleased with everything. </div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-60210510736054352502013-08-01T14:04:00.000-07:002013-08-01T14:04:17.536-07:00Sneak Peek<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
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The county fair is next week.</div>
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I've decided to make a cake to enter.</div>
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The top layer will have two bluebirds, but I couldn't decide which kind I </div>
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wanted to do. So I came up with these two sets.</div>
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<img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPkgx7G9jCSbOm6HYRwhMoh-wxfIDDQf8lFYF2XRZXUYCwYcMsXbNUse7BW85gn4QTdYACrcNAffA8HkJThrsmjtBiX2zGfS3j3PSIs1Cxaymo96zMR0BKWzeLoRF_ndPY3U1gfpkg2hyG/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></div>
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I think both sets are adorable, and I can't decide which one I want to use.</div>
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</div>
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It might come down to which pair dries the best. I still need</div>
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to try to add the legs (the sticks on the plate), but I want to make sure that</div>
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the beaks stay in place first.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Which one do you like the best?</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-88013031706490896812013-07-24T19:46:00.000-07:002013-07-24T19:46:14.562-07:00Betcha Can't Guess...<div style="text-align: center;">
...what my last name starts with!</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's my latest home project. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfGAHV17t0cl2OiARBVLti8yXP_DseiQ46kfJ8CuTfF8QZjadN8GML6bGZFWWLTeyqC-8jtiSWI969abVhoZ_OaLIkNa-mvbD6-1aCuCRMOzSpGb2TY-otzvcDgB8PQN3oYEt0nv2-8wv/s1600/014.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTfGAHV17t0cl2OiARBVLti8yXP_DseiQ46kfJ8CuTfF8QZjadN8GML6bGZFWWLTeyqC-8jtiSWI969abVhoZ_OaLIkNa-mvbD6-1aCuCRMOzSpGb2TY-otzvcDgB8PQN3oYEt0nv2-8wv/s320/014.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I love it.</div>
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And we've still got room on the wall in case</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
we come across more letters we love or another idea on how to make another one.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I spent less than $30 for all of it.</div>
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The white sparkly one, the lower case orange, and the uppercase red</div>
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all came home with me in my suitcase from Utah,</div>
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when I stopped at the <a href="http://thewoodconnection.com/">Wood Connection</a>. </div>
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The vinyl letters also came from there - in the clearance box for .50 - $1 a piece.</div>
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I made the yellow one - it's cardboard wrapped in yarn.</div>
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The green and brown ones were found at Michael's for .99 or less.</div>
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And the blue one with a threaded letter I made myself from scraps around here.</div>
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I'll post a tutorial on that soon.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Here's another look:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj4qst-CEO6BTxIHqzPFsvazKR8aEX4wuyVwqIEjHHL5SCEVvxUsbsm83ZVfnokGEiRhU5BMzOWfUKanHdsZRS8hWAo_8CmAmwmDziHRWgYxJVdqTzfxrTrGhkUc19ALRWU757Hcye6QoCH/s1600/015.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhuqZSEljks0efF53uNCj7Lt6prZV-njZKorWhy6zf_Lhq8JNayGHbuRaJyCkMeiu16fiPh49PUVo7M-rgKEd8_8ysPpNVinXYcSlSrL4ux_AahV2A9P9NtISeT1eu05sk_q46sFkLLvN/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhbhuqZSEljks0efF53uNCj7Lt6prZV-njZKorWhy6zf_Lhq8JNayGHbuRaJyCkMeiu16fiPh49PUVo7M-rgKEd8_8ysPpNVinXYcSlSrL4ux_AahV2A9P9NtISeT1eu05sk_q46sFkLLvN/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-53078630920848838462013-07-20T21:13:00.004-07:002013-07-20T21:14:09.777-07:00Watermelon Cupcakes<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
Every July, our <a href="http://lds.org/">church</a> celebrates the 24th of July.</div>
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It's the day that the pioneers finally arrived in the Salt Lake Valley in 1847.</div>
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<br /></div>
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The celebrations are all different, depending on where you live and what your</div>
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ward/stake (congregations/groups of congregations) decides to do.</div>
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In our current stake just outside of Seattle, they plan a big party for the afternoon.</div>
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There are bounce houses for the kids, games, and a pot luck where they supply the main dish.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Last year, we were really disappointed with how the day went.</div>
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I won't get into it much, but it was hot, everything was late, and we were hungry.</div>
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And it didn't seem to be very organized.</div>
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<br /></div>
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This year was so much better. The weather was perfect (overcast and cool),</div>
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the girls enjoyed the bounce houses, and it started on time.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I volunteered to bring some cupcakes again this year.</div>
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Last year, if you recall, I made some cutie little <a href="http://marypoppinsperfect.blogspot.com/2012/08/pioneer-cupcakes.html">covered wagon cupcakes</a>.</div>
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But people tended to view those with suspicion.</div>
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I think they thought the white was paper and weren't interested.</div>
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And this year I wanted to take something that looked great and was more appealing, but</div>
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I couldn't think of a pioneer-ish cupcake.</div>
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So I decided to do a summery cupcake.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Watermelon won.</div>
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<img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKlZ7k4GqPHzc5Wc808GRkCQAC-bks1y1zhBlLiqkPyAqijMCs5LH0Dcc-Z4qCP24sfxeV07VdDlVOB6ChtNBL6oKqcTuW0JTLM0oET6YHlvt23mW-aO_MIMNRe6bXeMWWKFL6YepVhw0/s320/029.JPG" width="211" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Don't they look delicious?</div>
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I used a vanilla cake mix (because the store didn't have white),</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
made it as usual, but added a small box of watermelon jell-o for a hint of flavor,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
and some pink food coloring for a better color.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sq_bo12rIpKdQitvjOVW8aKgMF_AQmVJXDDaoEmISf4XnFjX_aSEIOQCbtfO6tvW3wjWMbqAucG1U-4pyyqDi8sylDD0IbSKPU4QPu51Sbz41A01g_nX7VJPtULkc9ubb6176PEKwAA/s1600/030.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2sq_bo12rIpKdQitvjOVW8aKgMF_AQmVJXDDaoEmISf4XnFjX_aSEIOQCbtfO6tvW3wjWMbqAucG1U-4pyyqDi8sylDD0IbSKPU4QPu51Sbz41A01g_nX7VJPtULkc9ubb6176PEKwAA/s320/030.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Then I stuck some cutie gingham paper to the bottom of these clear plates to make it seem</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
like a picnic tablecloth, topped them with some delicious </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
vanilla buttercream frosting and a Sour Patch Kids watermelon candy.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WkO5g_ixIbUbZ0uHf6qv4TJQmUhPEL91Fnf-N9U5BnDBYhJV9rcQ2LgprXW2-9i3nBk_QNYoqmDFBAVxWVPnhga_iRlW3ECJjCgrkfK3KnCvuVtScg7GEVTfYOS6LQsKKhktUPUAvK0/s1600/031.JPG" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5WkO5g_ixIbUbZ0uHf6qv4TJQmUhPEL91Fnf-N9U5BnDBYhJV9rcQ2LgprXW2-9i3nBk_QNYoqmDFBAVxWVPnhga_iRlW3ECJjCgrkfK3KnCvuVtScg7GEVTfYOS6LQsKKhktUPUAvK0/s320/031.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
They turned out great, and they were eaten quickly.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Always a good sign.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-20664029138494473632013-07-12T14:30:00.000-07:002013-07-12T14:30:02.516-07:00<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
We made some fireworks shirts during FHE a few weeks ago.</div>
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Of course, they were to wear on the 4th of July.</div>
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I bought the shirts at Joann when they were on sale, 2 for $5.</div>
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I let everyone choose if they wanted red, white, or blue.</div>
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Except Daddy, since he didn't come with us. And the baby, since</div>
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I just used one of his old onesies. </div>
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We cut up some painters tape and placed it where we wanted</div>
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the fireworks to be.</div>
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Then put some cardboard between the front and back of the shirt so the</div>
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paint didn't run through.</div>
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<img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi44Lw_lYvJaBJEKZfmzQ-bONrCo-6XFvSEkr3PBvZSrYgEVqvmKoBz4nKeOjITNSxqsAU89qrcZi3yNjZ5__RAM9VqBFIsoDuWfjPDJQRNGM1tPYFbuhEu4mF1GPA76DDqEwCVrMluaSFj/s320/013.JPG" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
Then we started painting.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We used acrylic paint and round stencil brushes.</div>
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Just dab around where you want it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwNlnl1QpoA9TIOF_oUZBnUO-TfHceRhcrHyLWPFOvTD2ml5sTrTKbWs-ZWSvY9Kf3RF4NZri3ks9VWM1JJQzSfooN6w8z3Dij25iqUUFweLGGsRE49owdBaXzCL5QPN0DrDv53m_BMYe/s1600/012.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUwNlnl1QpoA9TIOF_oUZBnUO-TfHceRhcrHyLWPFOvTD2ml5sTrTKbWs-ZWSvY9Kf3RF4NZri3ks9VWM1JJQzSfooN6w8z3Dij25iqUUFweLGGsRE49owdBaXzCL5QPN0DrDv53m_BMYe/s320/012.JPG" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfVj4eCVhyphenhyphenlLz_kJka6Hzf_qrd4_IJL5t7Vdh0mOUSYaNwSv1dlC3qj3BNUZh5uK2v8YxxGoRnO2ZXnSRpViI1C0Wkvk4tlezpLl4WggnwBImnx3GipgnkSzpm1qyYn7lyewLHmkwn26o/s1600/011.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHfVj4eCVhyphenhyphenlLz_kJka6Hzf_qrd4_IJL5t7Vdh0mOUSYaNwSv1dlC3qj3BNUZh5uK2v8YxxGoRnO2ZXnSRpViI1C0Wkvk4tlezpLl4WggnwBImnx3GipgnkSzpm1qyYn7lyewLHmkwn26o/s320/011.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
We let them dry and then I sealed the paint in</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
by ironing the shirts...make sure to use a cloth between the shirt and the iron - you don't</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
want to get paint all over your iron.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The results:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqU3jwMZ60cZ6rlSzncIFRfOYeOj4Ogsie9yfP17e7KvEi0Nb8DRrudK5wsBu78ky6qKFmWVQF-BoMVg6KpQ_LzbCdD0fymF55Kr6dYK-rv7qG0u-JxIlFY9rCF680CVESYv09-FqhGm8/s1600/023.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgpqU3jwMZ60cZ6rlSzncIFRfOYeOj4Ogsie9yfP17e7KvEi0Nb8DRrudK5wsBu78ky6qKFmWVQF-BoMVg6KpQ_LzbCdD0fymF55Kr6dYK-rv7qG0u-JxIlFY9rCF680CVESYv09-FqhGm8/s320/023.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51NYqMUOEMbIeb4VWB0lwT8RALfD4TAXZ7tTkXSRD8YbWMxEV6gebHIBkAg9XMCG0JNnE6MW8XSvOslSZClGB0MdZ0kEXXGo_wqW-Cmpu6kNJGOYqX3eL-mD07DchaHViLm0b-7QBeAxy/s1600/020.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj51NYqMUOEMbIeb4VWB0lwT8RALfD4TAXZ7tTkXSRD8YbWMxEV6gebHIBkAg9XMCG0JNnE6MW8XSvOslSZClGB0MdZ0kEXXGo_wqW-Cmpu6kNJGOYqX3eL-mD07DchaHViLm0b-7QBeAxy/s320/020.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2g9k1uP8zdwqxlSRgmCIJujUZiSjeI_x3TQ38zzFDlVonTXKBy1szXBe21BOatQRPn8lB0DPjjJbomMLgGh2miWsXBnjwEOmgeHF_mzTGhXDhoTbNmbow6k9AfAy_UndF0CqLFNy3hT67/s1600/026.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2g9k1uP8zdwqxlSRgmCIJujUZiSjeI_x3TQ38zzFDlVonTXKBy1szXBe21BOatQRPn8lB0DPjjJbomMLgGh2miWsXBnjwEOmgeHF_mzTGhXDhoTbNmbow6k9AfAy_UndF0CqLFNy3hT67/s320/026.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-73254473666560731522013-07-11T14:19:00.000-07:002013-07-20T21:14:24.680-07:00Wood Craft<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
I spent a quick weekend in Salt Lake City last month,</div>
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and while I was there I stopped in a the <a href="http://thewoodconnection.com/">Wood Connection</a>.</div>
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It's a little shop that sells unfinished wood crafts.</div>
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It's probably a good thing that we don't live nearby and that the things</div>
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they sell online are limited, because it's pretty tempting to buy up the whole place.</div>
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<br /></div>
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So many fun things!!</div>
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Of course, since I was flying home and had to keep my luggage light, since</div>
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I wasn't going to pay to have it checked, I was limited by more than a budget.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I grabbed several things, though.</div>
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Some I am still working on, but this one is done and displayed</div>
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on the mantle.</div>
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<img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXeJnUYMabr6zY2-j9ZI5gdaJ6qkXwy62eUs8vhmlWdXyB6e3VOIanuKcM9ROyOPbUC91OqG-JT3by98YCZemlOW5NSkF5j6eh-uRGc9B_5Qqp1S2cK0asVYO17uAchwBmlWZZdNIvriUB/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
The watermelon pieces were around $6, and the vinyl was on</div>
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clearance for 50 cents.</div>
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I painted the back piece of the watermelon green, then</div>
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glued on some red gingham paper, then glued on the beadboard</div>
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that I had painted red, and then glued on the seeds.</div>
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The yellow sign was a piece of scrap wood from the garage.</div>
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<br /></div>
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They actually sell 2 more pieces of watermelon, which would have made a super</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
fun collection, but the weight and the budget were considerations that I had to keep in mind.</div>
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You can check out their website and see a few things they sell online,</div>
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but looking around their blog allows you to see finished products that people</div>
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have created from the unfinished products they sell.</div>
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So fun!</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-14074905415356832782013-06-07T09:57:00.000-07:002013-06-07T09:57:00.114-07:00BIC Soleil House Party<div style="text-align: center;">
Are you a member of <a href="http://houseparty.com/">houseparty.com</a>?</div>
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You should be.</div>
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<br /></div>
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Go sign up.</div>
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It's free, and you are able to host great parties to let friends </div>
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and family know about new products that have come out, or are about to come out.</div>
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I've hosted several in the past, and last Wednesday I was able to host</div>
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one for the new BIC Soleil Shave & Trim Razor.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I was sent 12 razors to give to party guests, and a box of </div>
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other items to make the party enjoyable.</div>
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We talked about how great the new razor is (no one had heard of it before),</div>
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but I used it prior to having the party & let me tell you,</div>
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it's my new <span style="font-size: large;"><i><span style="color: lime;"><b>favorite razor</b></span></i></span>!!</div>
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I was already a fan of BIC Soleil razors, but this one is even better.</div>
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It has a little attachment that you can slide on the razor & trim up the bikini area.</div>
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Awesome.</div>
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Go try some out.</div>
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And sign up for houseparty, because you can host great parties like this and </div>
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get new products to give to your friends.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-31377562032874760732013-05-28T13:41:00.003-07:002013-05-28T13:41:24.394-07:00Picnic Basket<div style="text-align: center;">
My little brother is married!</div>
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<br /></div>
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It was so awesome to be able to be with him while he got married.</div>
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What a great experience that was last weekend.</div>
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<br /></div>
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And since I was able to finish their present (with time to spare!) and give it to them,</div>
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I thought I'd better get on here and post a picture of it.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfWqGaU7RjZqgklkqMbJDSb7oNhTrLxm0qjBTWLf84vi92WD_tWpJD0340na02V1S75keyRr_8UztVyzgLd5P2nCw9mFJcaooZQULrxfkNRPSw6VqJ9e2DLOazlp_nZIGMuXX-aJqTqZ_/s1600/001.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMfWqGaU7RjZqgklkqMbJDSb7oNhTrLxm0qjBTWLf84vi92WD_tWpJD0340na02V1S75keyRr_8UztVyzgLd5P2nCw9mFJcaooZQULrxfkNRPSw6VqJ9e2DLOazlp_nZIGMuXX-aJqTqZ_/s320/001.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I made a large tote that I thought would be a great picnic basket,</div>
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with a coordinating picnic blanket.</div>
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The tote is from a pattern that I have made once before.</div>
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It's large, has 6 outside pockets, and 4 inside.</div>
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I don't know his wife very well, but I knew that she likes blue and yellow.</div>
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I found some great floral fabric, and lined it with yellow polka dots.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnndqVw4k6GF7R0k_Kqlv_po0N1vaamkZ1VRSpfQuQB2PCIu65km48SXUk6M6I5j0JpRF4FBlg3hIpCXTWTZvOaqv_Z0rua1h7XLbdHgO7Fiwxx-VkIoD7YkY_4wxASr2o4pGAyO-VVip_/s1600/002.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhnndqVw4k6GF7R0k_Kqlv_po0N1vaamkZ1VRSpfQuQB2PCIu65km48SXUk6M6I5j0JpRF4FBlg3hIpCXTWTZvOaqv_Z0rua1h7XLbdHgO7Fiwxx-VkIoD7YkY_4wxASr2o4pGAyO-VVip_/s320/002.JPG" width="211" /></a></div>
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The picnic blanket is a fabric painter's drop cloth.</div>
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I think we used the 5'x8' size.</div>
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And to embellish it, I grabbed a stencil brush, taped off a few stripes on two corners,</div>
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and dabbed on a bunch of acrylic paint.</div>
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After it was dry, I 'set' the paint by running it under a hot iron.</div>
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(But used a dry cloth in between the iron and blanket.)</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrM5F7AL-qwOX6r-s_3E9ixUbOq4I79TlawB0SKmjt2tIJRv1v7slVpcLaHPqJIGLPb5a6sP-uQNhG2MAcZdxqyU4hx5QKyKKKUkMvh-sYmN_GhJBtqCmKfIjBpY9sWxCzNLWWHvbaplrV/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrM5F7AL-qwOX6r-s_3E9ixUbOq4I79TlawB0SKmjt2tIJRv1v7slVpcLaHPqJIGLPb5a6sP-uQNhG2MAcZdxqyU4hx5QKyKKKUkMvh-sYmN_GhJBtqCmKfIjBpY9sWxCzNLWWHvbaplrV/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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Here's some close ups of the material.</div>
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I wish it was mine!</div>
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It turned out so much cuter! The light blue line on the outside is some</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
bias tape I used to make the pockets stand out a little more.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghl8ORtoSd2kuFTKb7JIASghQgau6N_yTirpAubve0BJ2FLwafEc9DarwPj6atWv9qE_MN-iPq1U4AqS6lN0yUP557PUUxiUtK4q8uwBhgX4ckI7iY8o1zoiLJ-UECqElhVNVV6XyYRv4M/s1600/004.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghl8ORtoSd2kuFTKb7JIASghQgau6N_yTirpAubve0BJ2FLwafEc9DarwPj6atWv9qE_MN-iPq1U4AqS6lN0yUP557PUUxiUtK4q8uwBhgX4ckI7iY8o1zoiLJ-UECqElhVNVV6XyYRv4M/s320/004.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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And since we couldn't just give them an empty picnic basket,</div>
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the kids and I went down the grocery aisles at Walmart and chose</div>
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a bunch of random, picnic-friendly food to fill it with. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYotDCTlfTKyVVbevJCaMohxgs_NNaRwhUX5qZCe2FESWrXuwoh3Krsp8IZkg_2LTtwgrX8eTYrSj4W9ArwAgdtRJU8Cx7P2cWzRJuOyqwTpPpTWDMysNjFm3TM0tB2MYC180fmifd-7r/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjTYotDCTlfTKyVVbevJCaMohxgs_NNaRwhUX5qZCe2FESWrXuwoh3Krsp8IZkg_2LTtwgrX8eTYrSj4W9ArwAgdtRJU8Cx7P2cWzRJuOyqwTpPpTWDMysNjFm3TM0tB2MYC180fmifd-7r/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-5013670557697836972013-05-21T14:33:00.002-07:002013-05-21T14:33:49.094-07:00New Projects<div style="text-align: center;">
So I obviously stopped following along with the </div>
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Blog Every Day in May stuff...I didn't really like the topics, </div>
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and I forgot.</div>
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Surprise, surprise.</div>
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It's a rare occasion when I <i>don't forget </i>something around here.</div>
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<br /></div>
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BUT, I have been remembering to take pictures of a few things we did last week.</div>
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There were 2 delicious holidays to celebrate - </div>
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sorry you missed them if it was because I neglected to post them.</div>
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For </div>
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<span style="color: #b45f06; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Chocolate Chip Day</strong></span>,</div>
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I tried a new recipe, found <a href="http://www.annies-eats.com/2011/01/14/giant-double-chocolate-cookies/">here</a>.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
But I made a few changes. One, I used mostly-melted butter.</div>
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My mixer is having a tough time lately, and since it'll take a few years</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
to save up for a new one, I can't mix up cold butter.</div>
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Even using mostly-melted butter, I sometimes still end up with little clumps</div>
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of butter that won't smooth out.</div>
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</div>
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Especially frustrating in the frosting process.</div>
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But back to the cookies! I also used regular Hershey's cocoa powder,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
since I had it on hand.</div>
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And I didn't make them giant.</div>
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And I added white chocolate chips.</div>
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</div>
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Super delicious!</div>
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Here's the dough:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOROzLZcugWq0rC8eh8pMypN65utZWRgrjsBgGe4FpGyQDOqSwbVdwcJIegV_tJxB9AWftlr6Io6wBRMY5A0nHXUrZLHtPOWMFZY-JZy2v7163zxLMYSrOOIdL0g0H4S0qSbRBudx3HiJn/s1600/003.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOROzLZcugWq0rC8eh8pMypN65utZWRgrjsBgGe4FpGyQDOqSwbVdwcJIegV_tJxB9AWftlr6Io6wBRMY5A0nHXUrZLHtPOWMFZY-JZy2v7163zxLMYSrOOIdL0g0H4S0qSbRBudx3HiJn/s320/003.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
That's the only picture I took of those babies.</div>
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But they were good!</div>
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</div>
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Also, last week we celebrated <span style="color: orange; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Reese's Day</strong></span>!</div>
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So I made some delicious treats using Reese's Pieces.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<a href="http://www.shugarysweets.com/2013/04/peanut-butter-reeses-pieces-shortbread-bars">Peanut Butter Shortbread bars</a>, and chocolate cupcakes with </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
peanut butter frosting and a few candies on top.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
So good.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And since Sunday was </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;"><strong>Neighbor Day</strong></span>,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
it was a great excuse to give away some goodies.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And I took most of them to ward choir, where they were promptly eaten</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
as soon as we were done.</div>
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</div>
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</div>
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I had never made shortbread before, and it was easy!</div>
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I tried to not use my hands to do the final mixing, but it's kind of necessary.</div>
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</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
My brother is getting married this weekend, so I've got a project going.</div>
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I'm making a present, which I can't tell you what it is</div>
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just in case one of those lovebirds reads this blog, but here's a sneak peek:</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGIkKkJ142NS5pykNHW1w3ycAcQRGvtzbFSUet_AfuYNdNHNXmUlXPKapJzyUVGSgFi3UIhEUu8wXhRHDWv4x3opaB1o_mTFDTV016QsJxIEcqNZbpP5hyphenhyphenfmt3dVa3t6DE37CRohaSAST/s1600/006.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgyGIkKkJ142NS5pykNHW1w3ycAcQRGvtzbFSUet_AfuYNdNHNXmUlXPKapJzyUVGSgFi3UIhEUu8wXhRHDWv4x3opaB1o_mTFDTV016QsJxIEcqNZbpP5hyphenhyphenfmt3dVa3t6DE37CRohaSAST/s320/006.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
And here's another sneak peak at a project that is a joint effort between</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
my husband and I.</div>
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Any guesses what this could be?</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgci_TQXzeWhnvXvAWZjUsmJO3Jf3jXp2bwjfAs5z2YWVzltrI5N9W9bfTE90cbkuhhecG4MQbgiWQZVJHXXneUXIr_KzrDeMRVbbwkkUAbhSLknzOLvyhI3yPY1lbJvSMHf_Z-bn0VZfBP/s1600/005.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgci_TQXzeWhnvXvAWZjUsmJO3Jf3jXp2bwjfAs5z2YWVzltrI5N9W9bfTE90cbkuhhecG4MQbgiWQZVJHXXneUXIr_KzrDeMRVbbwkkUAbhSLknzOLvyhI3yPY1lbJvSMHf_Z-bn0VZfBP/s320/005.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
And finally, since I already had the sewing machine out,</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
I changed the blue strap on this little tote my sister no longer wanted.</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
It had only one blue strap, but I prefer bags with</div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
2 handles. So I busted out some ribbon,</div>
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guessed on a length, and did a quick switcheroo.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwYN3jZQHomIxbWls_WZuw6ouvOC9y7RnMjAxuAxomN0aobk5mNNvkT8Cq6G0IR_ppeU6JvoDK6fDtX3nSrnHf6icufk35ooNjX9rZRaYHrqC66trI2YX4VaOlNvV0g5-DezA_7CTaKQQ/s1600/007.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLwYN3jZQHomIxbWls_WZuw6ouvOC9y7RnMjAxuAxomN0aobk5mNNvkT8Cq6G0IR_ppeU6JvoDK6fDtX3nSrnHf6icufk35ooNjX9rZRaYHrqC66trI2YX4VaOlNvV0g5-DezA_7CTaKQQ/s320/007.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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I like it.</div>
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Here's a picture that shows the blue, in case you were wondering.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF134tTrPefKfVhwXfzW8P4pTa3PfpC8ICRRdt9ng_mE6JfZEyCQuOKRpoXz3hm68_6yaT1T0xGjYKTrHe5Q0VCAsHlJ3YgcT4zlKmraYC-u28CeG5TaWnjq9IxjVAsrZk_9G3iMjfrE-/s1600/008.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="211" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhrF134tTrPefKfVhwXfzW8P4pTa3PfpC8ICRRdt9ng_mE6JfZEyCQuOKRpoXz3hm68_6yaT1T0xGjYKTrHe5Q0VCAsHlJ3YgcT4zlKmraYC-u28CeG5TaWnjq9IxjVAsrZk_9G3iMjfrE-/s320/008.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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It worked really nicely to take to church.</div>
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It held my scriptures, hymn book (since it was my turn to play</div>
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the organ), small notepad, keys, and the lesson that I had prepared to teach.</div>
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I have been needing a different bag to use because my last one is now </div>
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in the garbage. I just hope I can keep this bag white enough!</div>
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So far, so good.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-91081052439569009872013-05-13T10:42:00.003-07:002013-05-13T10:42:48.729-07:00Go Green?<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm not a big fan of the whole 'go green' movement.</div>
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Not that I don't participate in some environmentally-friendly things, as well as try to </div>
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minimize waste. I just think the slogan is lame.</div>
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And it annoys me.</div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-89983782780605483922013-05-10T21:09:00.001-07:002013-05-10T21:09:15.069-07:00Book Love<div style="text-align: center;">
I LOVE books!</div>
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We have bookshelves full of books around here, and I've</div>
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read many - I'd even venture to say most - of them.</div>
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At any given time, I'm in the midst of</div>
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reading at least 3.</div>
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<br /></div>
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I have a few go-to authors that I seek out every time</div>
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I'm at the library, just in case they have something that I haven't read before.</div>
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Here's the list:</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Mary Higgins Clark - great mysteries with strong women </div>
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as the lead characters, not graphic, and she keeps the language clean</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Carol Higgins Clark - follows the same writing style as her mom (above),</div>
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but focuses her books around one woman as the lead character in each one</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Mary Jane Clark - also write the same style; it's convenient to look for</div>
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all three of these women, because they are on the same shelf</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Ann B Ross - writes about Miss Julia, who is a sassy</div>
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southern lady who starts to really live after her husband dies unexpectedly;</div>
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also contain mysteries</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Joanne Fluke - write Hannah Swenson murder mysteries;</div>
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each book contains delicious recipes throughout - each recipe</div>
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that I've tried has been delicious</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Joseph Delaney - writes the Last Apprentice series; can be found</div>
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in the young adult or juvenile section, depending on your library; </div>
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all about witches and fighting evil</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- Jan Karon - wrote a series about a small town preacher, known as</div>
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the Mitford Series; delightful! She's also writing more books</div>
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about the same preacher after he's retired, the Father Tim series </div>
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<br /></div>
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I've been working my way through a list of basic western canon</div>
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that my brother gave me a few years ago. It's long - around 500 books or so.</div>
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So when I can't find something from one of my favorites or am not in</div>
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search of my book club's current read, I will look for something from this author.</div>
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As I've been reading these recommendations, I've found some great classics:</div>
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--Sherlock Holmes by Arthur Conan Doyle</div>
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--all Jane Austen novels - Pride & Prejudice is my favorite</div>
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-- The Woman in White by Wilkie Collins</div>
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-- Les Miserables - Victor Hugo (long, but worth it!)</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-10998367663184101252013-05-07T12:35:00.002-07:002013-05-07T12:35:35.807-07:00Pets<div style="text-align: center;">
I'd rather not.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-47854846172512802812013-05-06T13:17:00.001-07:002013-05-06T13:17:43.697-07:00Bank Holiday<div style="text-align: center;">
I don't really know what to think about this title.</div>
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Today is not a bank holiday,</div>
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and since I don't frequent the bank it's not a big deal to me when they are.</div>
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Sometimes I worry that we rely too much on a debit card.</div>
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We really don't have cash in the house, which should</div>
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probably be rectified in case of an emergency; it's not like someone would be willing to just</div>
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take my word for whatever it is I need the cash for.</div>
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Good idea.</div>
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I'll work on that.</div>
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And some for the car.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-79702920753159872892013-05-06T13:15:00.005-07:002013-05-06T13:15:38.505-07:00Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-40681866722790266732013-05-06T13:15:00.002-07:002013-05-06T13:15:28.037-07:00Fit & Healthy<div style="text-align: center;">
I'm trying.</div>
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A little.</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-1466641684107612082013-05-04T20:56:00.003-07:002013-05-04T20:56:30.083-07:005 Great Blogs<div style="text-align: center;">
5 of my favorite blogs are:</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- <a href="http://chocolateonmycranium.blogspot.com/">Chocolate on my Cranium</a></div>
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She's a homeschooling mom of 10 kids, has great insight into</div>
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a wide variety of topics, wonderful pictures, and it's usually really interesting to </div>
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see what she has to say.</div>
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I don't think that I could maintain my sanity with 10 kids, and I'm really,</div>
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really hoping that I don't have to find out.</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- <a href="http://www.imtopsyturvy.com/">I'm Topsy Turvy</a></div>
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She's an amazing cake artist, DIYer, and I know her!</div>
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We're even related in an</div>
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only-through-marriage-and-too-far-related-to-be-at-the-same-reunion</div>
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kind of way.</div>
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Ashlee always has one project or another going on, and her ideas are awesome.</div>
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<br /></div>
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-- <a href="http://www.makeit-loveit.com/">Make It & Love It</a></div>
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Crafts galore!</div>
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With awesome tutorials and detailed pictures.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-- <a href="http://thepioneerwoman.com/">The Pioneer Woman</a></div>
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If you haven't heard of her, you should check it out.</div>
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She's fabulous.</div>
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We've got her first cookbook here & it's awesome.</div>
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She's got stuff on homeschooling, photography, cooking, farm life, and all kinds of other stuff.</div>
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<br /></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
-- <a href="http://www.confessionsofahomeschooler.com/">Confessions of a Homeschooler</a></div>
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If you're interested in homeschooling at all, she's a great resource.</div>
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And she's made some great things for preschool.</div>
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<br /></div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-2326453198994419530.post-72572080024430502262013-05-03T13:44:00.000-07:002013-05-03T13:44:47.748-07:00Spring is Here!<div style="text-align: center;">
I guess I got a little ahead of myself yesterday & mixed up the</div>
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topics for the 2nd/3rd days. Oh, well.</div>
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And I also forgot to include the link to topics, which</div>
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gave me a hiccup to find it today.</div>
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So if you're interested in where my topics are coming from, it's <a href="http://www.rosalilium.com/2013/04/blog-every-day-in-may/">here</a>.</div>
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I didn't sign up to join the list - mainly because I don't want to.</div>
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<br /></div>
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But spring is here.</div>
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I think it's really been here for quite a while.</div>
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That's one nice thing about living near Seattle - our winter was really</div>
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mild & we've had great sunshine off and on for a couple months.</div>
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Which beats the surprise snow that I've seen friends and family getting</div>
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across the country.</div>
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<br /></div>
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We discovered a new park in early April. </div>
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It's the Tacoma Nature Center.</div>
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We took a short walk along part of Snake Lake, but had to turn around</div>
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early because I realized I left the camera on the front seat of the car.</div>
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Then we crossed the parking lot and found a nice playground.</div>
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We would have stayed longer, but it started raining and turned really cold.</div>
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So we ended up spending the rest of the morning at the Tacoma mall.</div>
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<a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2326453198994419530" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2326453198994419530" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="http://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=2326453198994419530" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a>Which was fun.</div>
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</div>
Unknownnoreply@blogger.com0