FHE Pumkin Carving

The aroma of fresh cut pumpkins... such a nice Autumn scent. We cranked some creepy tunes & went to work.

Roasted pumpkin seeds
For the first time, the kids picked out templates to carve their pumpkins. We found these here, on eHow. Actually, they were quite easy {although we did break out some scrapbook tools & a pocketknife}
Cute & Spooky!

Return of the Nap

Aahhh.... yes. After ages of having church from 2:00-5:00 p.m., {with meetings and choir before then} we finally got to switch to 9:00 a.m! Not that it bothered me before, but it sure was nice to take a Sunday afternoon nap today:)

In the Doghouse

For the last month, Darren has been mentoring a team of students from Carl Hayden High School in Phoenix. Their project focused on green building and implementing ideas for a "desert doghouse." Darren was impressed at the time & resourcefulness these students put into their project. The presentation/competition was held @ ASU.
While there, Alexander & I ventured over to the Music Building {affectionately referred to as the "Birthday Cake"}. I'm getting excited to go back to school...

Old is New

Today I made this fun project with Alexander's class. I found the idea here, on the Family Fun website. It's a wallet to keep lunch money, terrific tickets, or goodies in. The kids were so happy to make something cool out of their old recycled juice/milk cartons.
Alexander is already thinking of more uses so he can make more wallets!

As Promised...

Pics of baby Courtney. I could have sworn I had a CD of pics from her 1st photo shoot {by Natalie Wright, the Magnificent} but I guess I don't. Courtney @ 5 months {what did parents do before binkees?}
One hour old
Kennebunkport, Maine {this girl ALWAYS had her little pink tongue out}

Sweet newborn babe and puffy post-delivery Momma:)

PettiTutu

I am too much of a chicken to attempt a REAL pettiskirt {although I LOVE them}, so I improvised. Just made a tutu, then knotted a 6 x 6 inch piece of tulle at the end of each strand {so the edges are twice as full}. It's tough to see from the picture, but the tutu is white and the fluffy edges are baby pink. Anyone else making Halloween costumes?

Thank You, IKEA!

Seriously the best kid's toy. Ever. My kids have played school, done their spelling lists, written letters, drawn pictures, made up games... for literally hours in the 1st week we've had it. {Plus, I think we've saved at least three trees... much less paper consumption going on around here!}

Spooky Banner

Ummm... anyone else craving some creative time? Our ward isn't having Super Saturday this year & I'm really wanting to learn or make something new. Glass etching? More hair bows? Sew an apron? Any fun ideas? This little project was so simple and took about an hour to make.

Happy Haunting!

Re-Trenching

We spent a small fortune & lots of time putting in a sprinkler system, lush grass & landscaping a few years ago. As you can see, our grass has all dried up {despite being fertilized, thatched, and watered daily} So we're trying again. More sprinklers, a different kind that will hopefully be able to sink into this Arizona dirt {I mean clay}. Think green thoughts!

P.S. This is our 300th post!

Stomp out Bullying!

That was the theme this week @ the kids' school. Each student wrote something they could do to help.

Courtney's statement was chosen from her class. It's difficult to hear, but this is what she said: "I can stomp out bullying by telling a teacher and saying 'Can you please stop.'"

On a side note, I've gotten a few questions about an answer she gave in Primary last Sunday... let me explain.

The teacher asked, "What are some of the rules you have in your house?" The typical answers were given, like, "No jumping on the bed," and "No running in the house." When it was Courtney's turn, she confidently said, "No squeezing the cat, because they have fragile little bones."

Here's the story behind that. A few days before, Courtney had asked why, when her cousin {in Idaho} squeezed their cat, it made a weird yowling sound. I told her that was the kitty's way of saying, "Ouch! That hurts!" because they have very fragile, little bones. That's the story:)

Courtney's Sad Song

Right before bedtime, Courtney came upstairs and told me she'd written a song {in the last 2 minutes}. I asked her to sing it to me. She held up her paper {lyrics} and used her music box as accompaniment. Here it is:

"I remember her.
She was a kitten.
I miss her.
She was my best friend.
She allways snugled in my arms.
She was gray and black.
I miss and love her."

"Love Song."

So sad and yet too precious! She said it was a pretend song about her toy kitten.

Hooray for Scouts!

It is soooo nice to have our scout program up and running again! It is such a fantastic program for boys this age. We seriously appreciate these awesome leaders {including Grandma Kathie!}for the time and energy they spend making it so great! Check out that uniform! He was so excited to get this Century of Scouting badge last pack meeting.

Somebody Please Stop Me...

I can't seem to stop making hairbows & clippies to match Courtney's school uniforms {as if I didn't make enough last year!}

Fabric, felt, flowers, tulle, ribbons and rhinestones-- I can't resist.

Paper Beware...

I've been on a quest to find the perfect paper trimmer for years. I've been using the old Fiskars grey & orange one for too long! My friend bought this intimidating, industrial size thing, and I laughed... until I tried it. LOVE it! Making Memories 12 x 12 trimmer. I waited for a 50% coupon {since it is a little pricey}, but it has a self-sharpening blade, so totally worth the investment. {No blade refills!}

Happy Birthday, Baby Girl!

Our sweet babe turned 6 today! We remember her pregnancy & birth like it was yesterday, and yet can't imagine life without our little Courtney. {Newborn pics to come later}Up first: Presents, of course! She told us, "All my wishes came true!" She played with her new toys & whiteboard most of the day.

We went to Rainforest Cafe & the mall for lunch. {forgot my camera, dang it!}

Sweet sis. She is on a homemade bean & cheese burrito kick lately. That's what she requested for dinner-- I know! No glam here:)
She asked me to make "a white kitty cake with a pink bow."
We love you, Courtney! We adore your oodles of spunk, your desire to learn about everything, your tender heart, your funny & honest personality. You are so beautiful and we are so blessed to have you in our family.

Hey, Cupcake!

I found this fabulously tall cupcake pan @ Michaels & couldn't wait to try it out. I felt so domestic spending half the day baking in the kitchen {but didn't fix dinner for my family, believe it or not--Taco Bell takeout to the rescue!} It just so happens that two of my friends had birthdays this week. Tried out a new cake recipe from Bakerella. Love her!
What giant cupcake would be complete without a fun card to go with it? {And a tall glass of milk!}

Politics

Alexander got his first taste of politics this past week. Monday he came home and told me he was running for school treasurer. {Is this last minute notice just a part of being 10?} He designed these posters & gave the most awesome speech. We are so proud of him! The incumbent won, so he was a sad boy {for about an hour}. We love you, XMan!

Boy Pages

While Darren was in Seattle, I got 15 scrapbook pages done! It's amazing what you can get accomplished when you don't have to fix dinner:) I need to retake these pictures. It was a little dark outside. Sorry. I scraplifted this from a sketch in Creating Keepsakes.
I loved that title so much, that I carried it over for this Easter page.
Been hoarding this Rusty Pickle paper for a year...

All right. So I had to slip a pink page in. Seriously, I am using Page Maps like crazy lately.

New Strings Attached

We finally bit the bullet and bought Alexander a cello {last year we just rented}. It arrived today and it is sooo beautiful. Spent most of the day setting it up and tuning... and tuning... and tuning.
Alexander couldn't be more thrilled with it. We'll see if the promise of daily practicing holds up:) Hope so!

I Do NOT Heart Viruses!

So I've been out of commission in the cyber world because we've had these nasty computer viruses. Think I'm convinced to buy a Mac:[

Going Green... In a Pinkish Sort of Way

All right, so I'm trying to be more environmentally friendly. However, I was so embarrassed to bring my ugly collection of mismatched bags with me to the grocery store. {For those of you who know of my matching obsession, you'll understand}. I've been eyeing these darling pink eco-friendly bags forever, and today they were on sale!
Just had to take a pic of all the pink cuteness! {Poor Darren will have to keep the ugly stash.}

Oops.

I would expect this kind of behavior from a 2 or 3 year old.I made the mistake of cutting my own bangs. Now you know why I'll be sporting a clippie for the next week or two.

Catch of the Year!

Alexander & his best bud, Cole, had a super fun time at the Diamondbacks baseball clinic. They look like twins, huh? This is the mascot of the college where the training was held.
The boys came home with all sorts of new moves and exciting ideas from the clinic.One activity they participated in was fielding. Alexander dove way out for this ball and caught it! He got a high five and praise from one of the DBacks trainers, so he was pretty stoked. Way to go, bud!

Science Guy

So tonight Alexander let me know that he had a science project due tomorrow. He wanted to compare and test chemical reactions {volcano style}. We ran all over town looking for Mentos mints {FYI, Circle K has them if you find yourself in this dilemma} to combine with Diet Coke. Other concoctions included the traditional baking soda & vinegar, hydrogen peroxide & yeast. This was his favorite...

Masks

The other night we had some friends over & decided to get a little creative. I cut some masks out on my Silhouette and let the kids go to town decorating. Oh my. Cracks me up that he gave himself a Nacho double chin.
Miss Courtney, who pretends to be an animal almost every day. She & Grandma Kathie sewed this awesome cape & hat.

ASU vs. ISU

Some friends invited the boys to the first Sun Devils home game.

As luck would have it, they were playing Idaho State University. Alexander was the only Idaho fan in the crowd. He kept cheering, "Let's GO, Ida-HO!" Sun Devils smoked them, 50-3:(

What Am I Up To?

I've had several people ask what I'm doing now that both my kiddos are in school. Sitting around, watching soaps & eating bon-bons? Yeah right! Actually, I'm very busy preparing to audition for Graduate School!

To be accepted to the Master's Program, I need to perform one hour of memorized music in January. So... if I don't answer my phone or am unavailable, please don't take it personally:) To be ready, I need to be practicing upwards of 4-7 hours a day, plus studying my textbooks and literature. It's a full time job!

It's been 10 {wonderful} years since I've been on a college campus, so I'm a bit overwhelmed, but really excited.

I Heart Page Maps!

I haven't posted anything scrappy in awhile, so here are a few of my latest girly layouts: I really love working with vellum {Silhouette cuts it beautifully} but I have the hardest time adhering it. Any suggestions? I attempted staples on this one.
Just some leftover Basic Grey scraps. Lovin' this QK tree branch.
My friend Karen introduced me to http://www.pagemaps.com/ and I LOVE it. Becky Fleck has darling sketches that are SO my style. Great for inspiration!
Now off to do some BOY pages:)

Moustachio

One of Alexander's many talents is not being able to eat anything chocolate without getting it all over his face. Still true at 10. Another talent he possesses is compassion & kindness. The other day, he was feeling sorry for a little boy in our ward. Shaking his head, he replied, "Poor little guy... Bless his little heart.... I don't even know what that means."