Welcome to Our Halloween

It's a fun place to be.

In our land there are Dragons, Fairies and Princesses.

There are also witches and vampires. Things may seem scary, but they don't scare us.

We have a dragon to protect the castle.

He is fierce.

But he also protects damsels in distress.

Look out! This is what he will do if he catches someone not having Halloween fun.

I don't think he will need to worry about that at this 3rd grade party.

They had a minute to win it and they had a howling good time.


A few didn't have the Halloween Spirit though, so they had to be taken care of.


Maybe it was this guy. He looks like a sneaky character to me.

Oh it must just be that mask.

He really got into it. Way to save Halloween!

Now the others can join in the fun.

Cowgirls,

dolphins, ninjas, care bears, and dragons are the perfect ingredients for fun.

And Fun is indeed what they had.

For that is what you are supposed to do in the Land of Halloween.

Is it COOL or CRAZY?

We had our first real snow. Dallin couldn't wait to play in it. He was dreaming of fluffy white snowmen, snow ball fights and snow angels. But Mommy was dreaming of VERY WET snowpants, gloves, hats, coats and boots. You see, this snow came after a big rainstorm and then was followed by a little more rain. This is not my Favorite dream. I was fighting ..... trying not to give into the nightmare. All of that wet stuff = cold kids = lots of crying. Me and them.

Suddenly I got an idea. I got a wonderful, awful idea. Hee, hee, hee.

Why not bring the snow playtime indoors? Hold on, I know what you are thinking. I am Crazy! Cuckoo! Loony Bird!!! Yeah, I know. My sister who was here thought so too.


But my boys thought I was Super Cool when I scooped snow into bowls and let them play with it at the table.


They made miniature snowmen. One looked like Gonzo.



They used their inside toys to play with the snow. Another advantage of indoor snow playtime. Their trusty trucks got to haul snow.


The trucks were so quick. First you see it, now you don't.



There weren't any snowball fights, but being indoors didn't mean we couldn't put snow down someone's shirt.



We thought Luke wouldn't like it, but he LOVED it! He started putting snow down his own shirt. We got a kick out of it. Such a funny kid!



They did the Mash, They did the Snow Ball Mash. The Snow Ball Mash. It was a Playtime Smash! They did the Mash. It caught on in a flash. (I know you all are going to do this now ;) They did the Snow Ball Mash.



And yes, I really AM CRAZY! I let my kids even eat some of the snow.



Gasp!

This may become the best way for my little ones to play in the snow, especially if it is wet and cold outside. My sister told me "I think your experiment worked!" Maybe I am not that crazy!

It snowed again last night. Hmmm, I wonder what we will do today.

So Close to Heaven

We were close to Heaven, but we weren't able to get in. We could only take a glimpse. But how wondrous it was.




We found Heaven on Earth when we traveled to Zions National Park & Bryce Canyon. When in Nature, you feel closer to Heaven. It is like taking a peak into the glorious realm where our Father dwells. I am thankful that he shares some of it with us.


It is peaceful as you walk along a river. The beauty that surrounds the water is stunning, the air is cooler, it's easier to breathe, but the sound of the water rushing over the rocks soothes my soul. I imagine these soothing sounds when I think of Heaven. Zions has several places where water cascades right out of the pores of the sandstone. It creates lovely hanging gardens. Doesn't that sound just like the kind of Garden you would find in our Heavenly Home?


Around every turn through Zions there are stunning Mountain vistas. Each peak has a name that was inspired by something that reminds you of God. You can't help but feel awe at the sight of the Magnificence you find in nature.




There are three peaks named Abraham, Issac & Jacob. They are also called the Court of the Patriarchs. Abraham is on the left, Issac in the middle, then Moroni, and that white thing behind it is Jacob. If you have been to Zions, have you ever wondered why the peak that is hidden is called Jacob? I always think they must have mixed up Moroni & Jacob.


Well we went on a hike where we found Jacob. This must have been the view the men had when they named these peaks. Now I get it! Issac is on the left, Jacob is on the right. Sorry, Abraham is on the left, out of the picture. He is shy. This is the best picture I could get (Oh how I wish for a panoramic lens) Too bad everyone can't see Jacob the way we did. Well they can, if they are up for a hike in the sand away from water. Yes we really were in the desert. I think you also can see it if you schedule a horseback ride.


There are so many wonderful things to see in this world. I hope you can go and find yourself a bit of heaven on earth. It is all around us. I feel blessed to be in Utah where we have so many of the world's treasures. Sorry, I don't mean to hog it all. Maybe you should visit and we will take you on a trip that is close to Heaven.





Maybe these pictures will inspire me to do better, so we can really make it to Heaven someday. The vacation didn't qualify us for entrance. We had to come home to learn how to get along better. OK, so the vacation wasn't perfect, but it will be something we will always remember.

I am a Craft Starter

There are so many ideas for the cutest crafts. I want to do them all. I get a great idea and buy the things to make a wonderful craft. Then something happens. Somehow this wonderful, perfect idea turns into clutter to fill my craft closet. Sometimes I start the craft, but not nearly as often do I finish it.

I have to fess up. I have a problem. I don't know if there is a meeting for Craft Starters, but I think I need help. How do I pass up the Amazing deals in a store that I know will make the perfect gift for my kids or craft for my living room or my Mom or friend? Or better yet, how do I get myself to finish the crafts? I made a To Do list of all the projects I want to complete. This included Home Improvements. I couldn't believe all of the crafts I had started or planned on doing that made this list. I have checked off other things, but so far no crafts yet.

My sister & I have been working on the Cutest Most Wonderful Craft Ever. Or so it seems to us. But somehow it still hasn't moved to the next level. We work on it often, but we haven't finished one yet. These are gifts for Christmas for many loved ones. (Women of course) They are stunning. I can envision the finished product, but I am scared to take the next step, so I just start more, because we need MORE. I want to have one of every one that we create, they are so great! I know selfish me. So then we have to make MORE because obviously others will love the same one. I will laugh heartedly if my sister & I end up with a ton of these and we give 5 away. Oh well, no one will know. I am sure you won't tell.

Because my hope is that they won't end up sitting in my craft closet with the rest of the unfinished projects. If only I had a craft room, maybe they would get done. But really that is just an excuse. I will fess up, I am chicken. I am not that crafty and I have a stinking perfectionist streak that makes me afraid I won't love the end product. My Mom wasn't really much of a Crafter, so I didn't learn how to do it at home. At YWs I always hated my crafts bcuz I didn't know how to do them well. Super Saturdays make me itch to start a craft, but those are many of my unfinished, wish I would have done them crafts.

I am hoping that next week after a much needed vacation I will get up the nerve to finish these beauties and make something Absolutely Fantastic for lots of Lovely Ladies.

If not you will find me at the CSA meeting. I will be starting Craft Starters Anonymous if I can't find one anywhere. We will have cute crafty party favors each week and learn how to finish a craft even if it kills us. I am sure it will be a good thing. Because this is probably the thing that drives some people to join AA. I know my husband gets this wild look in his eye every time I open my craft closet. I think he is on the brink. ;)

Modest is Hottest

Modest clothing is really the most flattering and beautiful clothing you can buy. I love being covered where I should be, so bending over is the least of my worries.

You learn better if you are taught while you are young. So that is when I began to teach my kids about modesty. This is a personal decision, but I chose not to buy Faith sundresses with cute thin straps. I want her to look back and see that she always dressed the way I expect her to when she is older. If we find a sundress or a dress with straps that we love, we add a T-shirt beneath. She always looks wonderful! It makes me feel good when I hear her say she doesn't like something because it isn't modest. Hopefully this will save us a few arguments when she is a teenager. :-D

It is easy to teach modesty in the home, but the world is always giving them a different message. It starts so young with the movies they watch and the dolls they play with. Faith just found a cute Barbie she wanted to buy with birthday money. She came with two dogs. Faith wanted a doll or a toy pet. We found this and she could get both. What is there not to like?

Well that dress is definitely shorter than I would want Faith to wear. Poor Barbie, when she bends those knees to sit down she must get a terrible draft. I thought we could make some improvements to make her more comfortable.

Add some ribbon for about 30 cents and I felt like we had a winner. This dress looks so cute, you would have no idea I made any adjustments. Except it looks a lot better than their version. She looks sophisticated, smart, fun and sexy. Instead of cheap.

Faith loves what I have done. She patiently waited while I made the adjustments. Then she really started the praise "Wow Mom, that is Gorgeous! Oh Mom, you are Awesome! I love you!" What better pay is there for a Mom? I hope she learned some valuable lessons from this. Don't be afraid to be different. All of the other barbies may wear the same dress, but you don't have to. That Modest is Hottest. And that you can solve many problems if you put in some effort & creativity.

Look how great it looks in the packaging. Maybe I should contact Mattel with these pictures. Wouldn't it be great if they would put some clothing on that portrays good values instead of teaching girls that life is really just about our body and how we show it off?