Family picture

This is the only family picture that everyone is somewhat looking and behaving at the same time. I'm so glad we got at least one good one. I'll have to crop it a bit to lose some of the sky. We had a gorgeous location picked out to take pictures, but it was irrigated so we has to move onto plan B...which was the church lawn at the end of my street. We couldn't go far since we had dinner cooking at my house. There is not one good picture of my personal family. Someone was either butt pinching, crossing their eyes or me yelling at them for screwing around. They are going to learn not to mess with me because now they HAVE to do ours over again...that will teach 'em!

Good-bye my Julie...

What a hard emotional night this was. I had to say good-bye to my dear sister Julie. It was so hard on the whole family. Lots of tears and heavy hearts as we said our final good-bye's. There are no words to express just how much we will miss her and how painful it will be to have her so far away. I haven't been able to stop crying. I really want to be happy for her starting out a new life in Tennessee with Justin, who we love. It's the selfish part of me that thinks of all I will miss out on with her. I have such fun memories of being with my sisters. We all honestly love being together. There will be such an emptyness with her gone. We need her! She is our funny girl. I hope and pray that it will be no longer than 2 years.
Julie...You better email me all the time and send pictures. I will take over the bossy sister position on a temorary basis while you're gone. Somebody has to do it and I like the power of that. :o) I love you to pieces! (((hugs))) Jolene
P.S. We took tons of family pictures that I will share later when I'm not so tired and emotional. Gotta get some sleep!

Got buttons?...

I've been storing my buttons in a couple of pint size mason jars, but I really wanted them to all fit in one large jar. I found this at Wal-Mart. The best part is that it was CHEAP!...we're talking like $5 bucks cheap! and cute to boot! Hey...I even have a good inch and a half of space left at the top. Perfect for digging in to find just the right colors. :o)

Cute little tummy!

I've had requests to see tummy pictures of Brittany. It may seem teeny to you, but her tummy was beyond flat so we've seen lots of growth. She is feeling the baby move everyday. On Thursday she will be 20 weeks. HALF WAY THERE! I also included a picture of Brek and Brittany with their new (used) car. We all love it and it has the all important air conditioning. We are hoping to get an ultrasound very soon so we can see what this little bundle of joy is. The rest of the information is copied and pasted in from her pregnancy calendar.
Size Your baby is between 5 1/2 and 6 1/2 inches crown to rump, and between 9 and 10 inches from head to toe. She weighs about nine ounces. Over the next month, she'll gain about a pound! Right now, she is about the size of a mango.

Mesa CK Convention

WOW! I can't believe it's been so many days since I've posted. The convention was so much fun! This was the first year for my sisters Julie and Coleen. (Rene' didn't go) All my classes were great. Of course I came home with several unfinished projects...I always do. Julie and Coleen are coming over tomorrow to finish some up. (see the cute boxes we made!) I won prizes in 2 classes! A big woohoo for me! I got a bag full of stuff from the card class that was sponsored by Provo craft. Then I got a way cute purple 9X9 album with paper, ribbon and rub-ons from Making Memories class that the adorable Margie Romney-Asslett taught. She is such a fun girl...I love her! (Me and her in the top picture) There is also a picture with the pickle ladies, Kristan and Joan. I made a beautiful album in that class. They were great teachers and both very sweet. I got to see Katherine Brooks-the artist briefly, but so sad that I didn't get a picture with her. I really wanted to, but she was sitting in the back of one of our classes and left before I could. My sister had her for a teacher and loved her. The vender fair was a lot of fun too...like herding cattle. Surprisingly I didn't buy as much as I usually do. I did get a few things like Basic Grey paper, Melissa Frances paper, the pink QK hand tool, rub-ons, 2 shirts and renewed my magazine subscriptions. Plus $20 worth of stuff from the $1 booths. Perhaps that means I already have too much...who knows. I don't really think that could be true. ;o) My good friend Paula came to convention for the first time too. It was her birthday present to herself. She had some good classes and managed to do some damage in the vender fair too. I think she is officially hooked now. I'm glad she had so much fun. Notice the picture of the police car...well I don't really know the details, but I saw a woman sitting in the back of the car hiding her face. (I was nice and didn't take a picture of her) I'm assuming she was shoplifting because the cops were kind of chuckling about being arrested for stealing paper. What kind of scrapbooker would I be if I didn't at least get a picture of the car. It was part of the weekend experience.
After convention was over on Saturday night I came home and was so tired, but I had promised Mark that I would go with him on the motorcycle to meet up with a friend of his and his girlfriend. I was too tired to even change into good shoes so I kept my sandals on. It had been warm all day so I thought to myself ...no big deal! I was so wrong! We drove out in the desert through Fountain Hills and then into Scottsdale to this outdoor restaurant. It was the greasy something...can't remember the name. They serve burgers and you eat out at picnic tables while listening to a live band. It was fun except for the icky smoke in my face all night. On the way home I froze my butt off! I know what you're thinking...crazy Arizona girl doesn't know what cold is. I am fully aware of my wussyness, but it was freaking cold...especially out in the desert. I was so wishing I had on my boots and chaps. It was a very long 45 minutes of teeth chattering and shivering. I was so happy to be home and in my own bed.

Yup! it's real!

As soon as Chad turned 18 he snuck off and got himself a tattoo. He hid it for as long as he could, but eventually mom's find these things out. In case you are wondering what exactly it is...apparently is it the "famous" logo. I see this thing on all of his art work. I tried to explain to him that in a few years he is not going to think this is cool and yet he has PERMANENTLY tattooed this to his chest. HUGE MISTAKE BOY! and there's not one darn thing I can do about it. Why oh why do teenagers think they know everything??? :o/

Old window flower box

I finally got all the dried flowers poked in the old window box and hung it up today. I think it turned out real pretty. I'm now wishing I had cut them a teeny bit shorter so I could see more of the window, but then it would have shown the ugly wire that it's hanging by. I can't win everything. I'd say that the curb appeal has improved quite a bit, so I'm a happy girl! :o)

Mesa CK convention!

Mesa CK convention is this weekend...so dang excited!
Here are my classes:
Thursday night-
6:00-8:00-Photo corrections and artist effects (Epson)
Friday-
11:10-12:10 A years worth of cards (provo craft)
12:30-1:30 Simply fabulous with MM (making memories...Margie is teaching..yay!)
1:50-3:50 A year in the life album (rusty pickle)
4:30-5:30 20 more tips and tricks (creating keepsakes)
Saturday-
8:30-10:30 Is it art or is it scrapbooking (provo craft)
1:50-3:50 Just between friends (Melissa Frances by heart and home collectables Inc.)
There is plenty of time in my schedule to wander around the vender fair ogling at everything. I will try to keep the drool to a minimum. I usually always take a class from Deluxe Designs, but Katherine Brooks teased me and said I've already done it all and don't need it. She is so funny! She is a great teacher! My friend Paula is going for the first time to all three days as well as 2 of my sisters on Saturday. Should be lots of fun! I haven't made any layouts for the contests and it's not looking like there will be any time this week, but that's okay with me...too much un-needed stress.

My biker dude!

Here's Mark in Minnesota picking up his new bike. I think it's a 2003 Yamaha Venture Midnight Royal Star. Even if I'm wrong, it sure is pretty. It's not like he know the names of scrapbook companies. :o) Doesn't he look so happy?! Jim and Ginney, the couple he bought the bike from emailed me this picture just before he left. He really liked them a lot. He drove for several hours on Wednesday. That first night he slept in Ankeny, Iowa. He woke up at 3:30 a.m. and headed out again. He met his Brother Steven and his wife Chris in Missouri so they could show him the land they bought there. He said it was beautiful! Then he was off again. He drove all the way through Kansas, and a piece of Oklahoma and finally decided he'd had a long enough day and pulled into a town called Dalhart, Texas to sleep. I talked to him this morning and he was in New Mexico so he will be home early this evening. His butt is sore and he's had way too much exposure to the sun. Good thing I sent him with sunblock. He thought it would be nice cool weather for his ride, but it turns out that part of the country had record highs. I'm just glad he got out of Kansas before the tornado hit there. Can't wait to see him!

More cute porch...

It let me post two more pictures today so you could see the potting bench closer and a different view of the porch. I've talked to Mark a few times but have yet to tell him about this. I also bought and old window that has a small flower box attached. I'm going to buy some dry flowers to put in it and hang it on the front wall just to the left of the door. I love it!

Cute front porch!

Okay...I went a teeny bit crazy since Mark went out of town this morning. For the past 3 years+ I've been wanting to make my front porch more homey and inviting, so admittedly I took advantage of the situation and went shopping. Here are before and after pictures. It's a big piece, but it was so cute I couldn't resist. I really like it a lot. Mark will be okay with this, right?! For some reason blogger is acting funny so I hope this posts.

New name badge

I've been using the same name badge for convention the past couple of years so I decided to freshen it up a bit with a new look. The old one is on the left and the blue one is the new one I made. I think it's simple, but really cute. I'm so in love with the Emily QK font. This thing comes in so handy for carrying my class tickets, money and ID. I LOVE IT! CK Convention is only 2 weeks away! yippee! :o)

I've been tagged!

My sweet friend Pam tagged me. This is a different sort of tag. You are suppose to choose someone you admire or respect and highlight them. I got to thinking about it and I'm choosing my good friend September . She has so many good qualities about her. For one, she's a sweetheart! She has a great sense of humor and she's very smart. She is a wonderful mother to her son Josh. She spends so much time with him creating positive bonding experiences. He is a lucky boy to have a mom like her and I know he will grow up to love and appreciate her dearly. I would love for her to teach me a thing or two or twelve about photography. She has taken some truly amazing pictures that really take your breath away. I'm always blown away by the power of them. Another thing that I admire is she is very goal oriented. She joined Rhonna Farrer's 21 day challenge and has been doing terrific at it. Currently she is on day 12 and has seen huge changes in herself. Her goal was to exercise...basically move more, sit less and she certainly has been doing that all the while feeling the good pain that comes along with exercise. Plus the amazing entries in her journal about it are inspiring to me. I love seeing her doodles and creative style that has been coming out in her entries. She has a positive outlook about everything and I love that about her. I'm so glad to count her as one of my dear friends.

I think everyone looks better in this kind of lighting...hee..hee...This is me and her in Amy's scraproom back in October...fun times!
I'm tagging September, Amy, and Jeanette.

Sticky popcorn! YUM!

Oh how I love sticky popcorn! I was in a mood for this delicious treat, so I made a batch. I have some friends coming over tomorrow night to scrap and I thought I'd share some, but my family is eating it pretty darn fast. I got this recipe from my good friend Paula and I thought I'd pass it on to you to enjoy!

Sticky Popcorn

3/4 cup unpopped popcorn

3 cups miniature marshmallows

2 cups cashews

1 cup (or more) reese's pieces (or M&M's)

1 cup butter

1 3/4 cup sugar

1/2 cup light corn syrup

1/4 tsp. salt

1 tsp. vanilla

Pop corn in an air popper, sift out all the unpopped kernels with your fingers. (this is an important step. I forgot once and we all hurt our teeth) In a very large bowl pour nuts and marshmallows over popcorn, mix around, set aside. In a medium sauce pan melt butter, sugar, corn syrup,and salt. Bring to a boil for 3 minutes stirring constantly. Remove from heat and add vanilla. Stir in and quickly pour over popcorn mixture. Mix and fold together until well coated then add in the reese's pieces or M&M's. I happen to prefer the reese's pieces. YUM! :o)

Menu planning dud!

This past month I've been a menu planning dud. My poor family has suffered because of it, so I'm getting back on the wagon. Everyone is happier when they know what's for dinner. Mark cooks breakfast every morning before school and work so I don't worry about that meal...just keep him stocked up on different breakfast supplies. I've decided that one day a week I will try a recipe that I've never made before. Gotta have some fun experimenting on this big group. I will post my weekly menu on here every Monday. Thursday night dinners are always way easy because Mark goes riding. The cheesecake topped with fresh strawberries is a peace offering to my family for dessert tonight. Everyone that saw it in my cart at Sams Club were drooling over it...glad it had a lid! ;o)

Monday

tacos- chicken and beef with homemade salsa

Tuesday

Flank Steak, grilled seasoned potato slices, corn on the cob

Wednesday

Spaghetti and meatballs, garlic bread

Thursday

Grilled hotdogs, potato salad, chips

Friday

Date night...eat out..kids fend for themselves

Saturday

Ham steaks, steamed baby potatoes and carrots, green beans

Sunday

*new recipe...Cream cheese crock-pot chicken, homemade creamed corn, rice, rolls

Gotta go make the salsa. We're having an early dinner so we can be to Cole's baseball game by 5:30

2 evil sisters for sale...cheap!

My sisters are very evil girls! The ones I'm speaking of are Julie and Coleen. (the ones of each side of me...# 2 and 4) They look mischievous don't they?! They played the WORST April fools prank on me yesterday. They had my nephew Kayce-13 (Julies son) call me last night. He was crying and could hardly talk. This is how the conversation went...
Kayce- ummm Jo...we were on our way to your house to bring the trailer back we were in an accident. Someone hit us and we were spinning around. (crying the whole time he's talking)
Jolene- Oh my gosh Kayce...are you hurt? Are you all okay?
Kayce- ummm Coleen and Kindra (his sister) are both on stretchers. Coleen neck was snapped and Kindra is bleeding. There is a lot of blood. (all the while crying and trying to get the words out with dramatic pauses in his story...Keep in mind Coleen has broken her neck before in a car accident and had to have a halo brace screwed into her skull for months)
Jolene- where are you?
Kayce- Just a minute...the police officer needs to ask me a question.
Then the line goes dead! I'm freaking out! My heart is racing, I have tears in my eyes. I slip my shoes on and run into Mark and tell him they had been in an accident and we were disconnected before I could find out where they are. We have to find them. We have to go. Then the phone rings again. I say where are you? and all of them yell out April fools! I was PISSED! Dangit! I'm going to cuss! You guys suck dirt! Why on earth they think that injury or possibly death is funny, I'll never know. Let me just say that Kayce was VERY convincing...even to them as they listened. They said it felt like it really happened as he was telling the story. They really got me! Put that boy in acting classes...he's going to be a star!