sjbowlby

2010-02-12T13:10:00.000-06:00

We would love for you to still be a part of our little blog world,

please check out our new blog and change your bookmark or link to

http://adheringwords.blogspot.com

We hope to see you there!

Moving .com Addresses

2009-12-01T00:00:00.001-06:00

Today, I am launching a new blog, moving .com addresses. It will be there that I try to keep up with blogging, and balancing everyday life. Join us at

http://adheringwords.blogspot.com

I hope to see you there!

Only one more day....

2009-11-30T13:27:00.002-06:00

Finally something Twilight related, worth sharing

2009-11-23T23:12:00.002-06:00

Ok, AMY and JANINE, this is for all you ladies that are crazy about New Moon, or anything Twilight related. Everyone knows that I was not a big fan, in fact I only read the first book, and right when I thought that it was getting good...it was over. Maybe someday I will change my attitude and read the rest of them, but not today.

Anywhooo, this is the very first thing Twilight related that I thought was worth the time to share. A few years ago in Wisconsin, we had some missionaries in our branch that our family just fell in love with. Dug Brecheisen was one of those young men, always happy and always singing.

Here is his latest song...

Live from Peddler!

2009-11-20T15:28:00.004-06:00

So, we are coming to you from the Arlington Peddler Show.
Here are some quick snapshots of our booth.

This is a sign that I did to help people understand what we do. I like to have several of examples of previous jobs, but I think that some people think that is all I can do...and it's not!

For the first time we have a wall with things that you can buy and carry.
We have 7 pre-made hanging boards, a couple magnet boards, an advent calendar
and 2 different hanging picture frames.

I hope that we have a great weekend!

We have a Winner...

2009-11-17T07:46:00.002-06:00

We have a winner to annouce this morning.
Someone lucky has won the darling growth chart,
and that lucky girl is....

SHELLEY
from the Army Wife Quilter blog.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-17 13:38:23 UTC

And the winner is....Paula

2009-11-16T17:57:00.004-06:00

I am back from Abilene, and we had a great show. Now I am getting geared up for The Peddler Show, in Arlington this weekend. I am crazy busy, so it has literally taken all day to get to picking the winner. In the mix of everything I got to hear the heart beat again today, and I find out in three weeks what I am going to have. Now on to the giveaway...

Today's winner is Paula,
from TeamBracken

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-16 23:55:49 UTC

Anniversary Giveaway for 10 People

2009-11-12T09:41:00.003-06:00

Today, in Celebration of my 1 Year Anniversary, I am going to give away 10 of these trees. To the first 10 people who follow for the first time or add my button to their blog. Please make sure if your blog is private to leave me a way of contacting you in your comment.

My friends and family, you are more than welcome to go for this as well. I would not be where I am today without a lot of you and your help!

1 Year Anniversary and Giveaway Reminders

2009-11-12T09:00:00.002-06:00

I should be checking off a list, packing totes and putting together last minute things...but here I sit. I pick up the trailer in a couple hours, and would really like to have everything ready to put in it when Mike gets home. Do I think that is going to happen...most likely not, but it is a good goal. I plan to hit the road between 4 & 5...that is one thing that must happen. I do not want to drive hauling a trailer by myself in the dark to Abilene.

Tomorrow morning we set up for what I hope to be a fantastic show, Christmas in November at the Abilene Civic Center. This will mark my 1 year anniversary of doing vinyl lettering and shows. This show was great last year...I paid my plotter off in full. It would not have been possible though without my dear friends Emily and Teresa.

Do forget to enter in the 2 giveaways that are still open. You can find them here and here.

Advent Winner

2009-11-11T10:10:00.004-06:00

Wow, where does the time go in the day? I need my days to be longer...or things that I am doing to take less time out of my day. I think I try to take on to much, or underestimate how long something is really going to take. Anyone slese feel like that...I am sure that I am not the only one.

Ok, enough boo-hoo-ing for me that is not the reason for the post anyway. I am here to share the winner of this Advent Calendar.

And the winner today is...

GINNY ( post #7)

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-11 16:02:43 UTC

Giraffe Giveaway!!

2009-11-10T09:20:00.004-06:00

For today's giveaway...I am offering this adorable
5' Giraffe Growth Chart.
You can have it cut in any color you would like.
I really like him for a few different reasons, but more than anything I learned something new about my cutting program. I get really excited anytime that I learn/figure something new out in that program or Photoshop...
not really sure which is better.

So, here are the rules for winning this cute guy...
1 entry - leave a comment
2 extra entries - become a follower for the first time
5 extra entries - blog or fb a link to this giveaway
and for...
7 extra entries - add my button to your blog

*friends and family...you are welcome to enter, too*

This giveaway closes Monday, November 16, midnight central time

2009-11-10T09:01:00.003-06:00

We have a winner today! The first giveaway posted was a
$25 Gift Certificate to www.adheringwords.com

And the lucky lady is....

JEN

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-11-10 15:00:53 UTC

A Giveaway with a Little Extra

2009-11-09T09:34:00.005-06:00

So, today I am continuing with my third giveaway for the month, a $40 Gift Certificate to www.adheringwords.com. However, this one is coming with a little something extra. If you haven't tried the interchangeable watch bands, now is your chance.

In addition to the $40 gc, we are adding the Dark Blossom Interchangeable Watch Band, from www.watchexpressions.etsy.com

Janine at www.watchexpressions.etsy.com has lots of really cute things,
you should check her site out.

Today, we are going to make this simple...
1 entry - leave a comment
additional 3 entries - add one of our buttons to your blog

Don't miss out on our other 2 giveaways,
click here and here to see them

This giveaway ends Sunday, November 15, at midnight central time.

Adhering Words November Giveaways #2

2009-11-04T09:27:00.005-06:00

Today's Adhering Words Giveaway is this darling Advent Christmas Tree!
This one measures 22"h x 14"w. It is so fun for kids of all ages.

Here's how we are going to play this one...
1 entry - become a follower for the first time
add 2 entries - blog about this on your blog,
make sure to leave a link in your comment
add 3 entries - talk about this and put a link on facebook
add 5 entries - grab one of our new buttons,
and add it to the sidebar of your blog

Make sure that if you do just 1 or all 4 of these,
that you leave comments for each entry!

Good Luck! This giveaway ends Tuesday, November 10, midnight central time.

Her 2nd Haircut

2009-11-04T08:00:00.000-06:00

Much to my dismay...this is what my child's hair looks like, even after I have done it. She refuses to keep pony/pigtails in her hair. And we said good-bye to the bows months ago.

She has a beautiful little face and amazing eyes...but you would never know it.

She has causes so much damage and breakage to her hair, that I had no choice...

She got her second hair cut. I will admit I cried over cutting it above her shoulders. This is her first time with bangs, but you can see those eyes!

I am hoping that she out grows this stage by the time it is long enough to put up again.

Adhering Words November Giveaways

2009-11-03T06:00:00.001-06:00

I have been horrible about blogging...about anything. Life has been crazy with pregnancy, moving, craft shows, orders, a 2 yr old, more craft shows and more orders. Don't get me wrong, I am not complaining, something just had to go on stand by for a while...and the blogging won!

So, here is to keeping up with the blogging! And to kick this off I am going to do 4 days worth of giveaways, right here. One a day for 4 days, starting with a $25 Gift Certificate to www.adheringwords.com

How do you enter the drawing you ask?
one entry - blog about this 4 day giveaway on your blog,
come back and leave me a comment with a link
second entry - become a follower for the fist time, right here

Good luck to all of you! This giveaway ends Monday, Nov 9 @ mid-night, central time

Halloween 2009

2009-11-02T15:15:00.002-06:00

We had a fun evening with Fred and his little "Pink Poodle". I made this Fred Flintstone costume for Mike last year...and he will be Fred for a few more years to come.

Our little poodle was hating the hood on her costume, the nose of the dog hung in her face. She kept putting her bucket down to push the head out of her way.

Now...what is this?

Candy!!

We finished our night off with one last important stop...

Grammy & Granddad's

a new addition and a home

2009-10-22T09:32:00.002-05:00

Although I have not been doing such a good job of keeping things updated here on this little http, things are happening in our lives. Two big things have happened, first thing is we are expecting. I have to admit that I was not that excited, ok not excited at all. Pregnancy and I do not get along...at all. But we are adjusting and hoping for a better 9 months than last time.

I found out on my moms birthday, the day after Mikes,
so this is what Jordan wore to dinner.

And second, we moved into a house! Finally, it has been a long two years in that apartment. I am thankful for no longer having stairs to climb. This is the only picture that I took that day...it poured the entire time! I will share pictures of our cute little house later.

painting, painting and more painting...

2009-10-20T22:27:00.005-05:00

So, I can not let another Tuesday go by without blogging.
I need to get on the ball again. I have been so busy and sick.
I am finally feeling better, but the craziness has just gotten worse.
Since it is Tuesday and I should be blogging about work...I thought that I would share some painting pictures. Before each show I get at least 2-3, 4'x8' sheets of MDF cut into boards. and then the dreaded task of painting them begins. I used to paint them all by hand, but quickly decided that was for the birds. So, I went out and bought a professional paint sprayer...

check out the over spray...I painted everything that HOT day in July!

The spray tip was too wide of an angle, I must have wasted a gallon of paint that day. Not to mention my mom and I killed the grass on the side of her house...I tired to tell her that the plastic was the wrong way to go!

I love being back in a house! This is the paint booth that Mike put up for me in our garage. I have 3 shows this month and 2 for sure next month. I have been painting away, it is nice to clean the sprayer, close the garage and start all over again tomorrow. Not an option in the side yard at my parents. With a smaller paint tip, there was still over spray...but nothing like before!

Does anyone have any suggestions on how to limit the over spray?

Seriously Neglected

2009-09-05T23:27:00.003-05:00

I have seriously neglected my blog for the last two months. I always have the best of intentions for blogging, but I am just too tired these days. I keep up with everyone's blogs, and read them daily. The last little while has been a complete whirlwind. Changes are coming our way...lots of changes. So with that being said and a new look underway...stay tuned!

"Crib" Party and Hootanany Cake

2009-07-01T08:00:00.000-05:00

This past Saturday night I kept Shawn's 2 kids over night. They were really good, and all played well together. Jordan loves having other kids around. Jordan had her first "crib" party in her bedroom. We had Jordan's crib, a pack 'n play for Jonny and a blowup mattress for Brookelynn.
Sunday morning I wanted to make something different for breakfast, so I went to Amy's blog, where I found the recipe for "Hootanany Cake"...can you say yummy!

It is so easy to make...and so good!

It was a hit with the kids, they loved it and all wanted seconds.

Abilene Zoo

2009-06-29T08:00:00.001-05:00

While Lisa was in Abilene, we headed over for a few days. We had a really good time. The first night that we were there we went to the zoo. It is a small and quaint zoo. The giraffe exhibit is my favorite out of any zoo I have been to. The bridge goes right over the top, and you can feed those big guys.

Isn't he beautiful?

Look at that tongue. It is huge!

Landon and Brayla feeding on of the giraffes.

The Tuesday before we went the zoo got a White Tiger, and this was his first evening out.

His debut, if you will.

Jordan and Grammie

The zoo backs up to a lake a beautiful park. There is a small boardwalk that you can walk on out over the lake to feed the ducks, and see the turtles. We saw ducks and turtles, however, these fish stole the show. There were so many, I think every fish in the lake was there begging for food. I have never seen anything like it.

Lisa is home from Germany

2009-06-27T00:08:00.003-05:00

June 1st, I picked up my girlfriend Lisa and her two kids from DFW. They have been stationed in Germany for the last 4.5 years. I am so glad that she is back. Even though she isn't going to be in Abilene, St. Louis is a whole lot closer than Germany. We spent the afternoon together, and hung out in
Granbury with Lisa's family.

Lisa and I

Brayla, Lisa and Landon

Jordan and myself

At the end of our visit we went to Taco Bueno, a favorite of ours that you can't find in Germany. While we were there, we had a sudden thunderstorm. Lightening was striking all around the building, and at one point we joked about the fact that it sounded like the building had been hit. A couple minutes later an employee came and told us that they were shutting the power off for a few minutes, not to worry. The next thing we knew,
we were watching firemen enter the resturant...

first fireman in the building

the firetruck, that brought the nice firemen to Taco Bueno

our party watching the excitment

another fireman

even more firemen

We finished our meal, the power never did come back on so we couldn't refill our drinks. There never was any smoke, but the building was diffently struck by lightening. All in all, it made for an entertaining dinner
and something different to blog about.

I am really happy that Lisa and her family are state side again! Welcome Home!

Tuesday's with Adhering Words #7 (a day late)

2009-06-23T13:23:00.000-05:00

I have been having HUGE problems with my internet, and 9 times out of 10 when I try to log on I get nothing. I have much to post about, and no way of doing it. I am actually using my Sprint wireless in order to post...can you say expensive.

So this is my latest project, and I am loving it. I have created walls, that Shawn built, for craft shows. I saw a booth that looked like a room at a craft show last year, and I have wanted walls ever since. It was Mike's idea to go with the pegboard to hang things on, at first I wanted nothing to do with the idea. However, I came around and I am so glad that I did.

This is the wall that Jade's fiance Shawn built for me!! I used vinyl to make a simple damask pattern, and then I painted the pegboard taupe.

This is what it looks like after removing the vinyl, it left the dark brown of the pegboard for the damask pattern. I am loving it so much.

This is what the walls look like with display on them. For a craft show they will be straight and unangled, and there will be 9 panels, instead of 3, forming a "U".

Jade's office building has vendors come in and set up once in a while, and she signed me up for two different days, in two different buildings. It has been fun, and both days Jade has spent her lunch hour with me. I love listening to her sell me, she makes me sound amazing.

None of this would be possible without a few important people in my life.
My dad, who had the faith in me to put the money up to buy the plotter and laptop.
Shawn, who does a beautiful job with anything involving wood and Mike, my darling husband who never complains about how much this is costing him, he says we will get it back someday. Then there is Jade, who talks about this to anyone who will listen, and helps me out of my comfort zone. And last but not least, my mom, she is always so willing to watch Jordan when I need her to, and I come home to a clean house!

Tuesday's with Adhering Words #6

2009-06-09T10:52:00.002-05:00

Life has been so busy with family and friends that I have nothing special to share today. But I have been working on something...and I will share it with everyone next Tuesday, it should be finished on Saturday. But for now I have a winner to announce....

And the winner of the "Let Freedom Ring" board is...
Jade

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-06-09 15:52:22 UTC

Tuesday's with Adhering Words #5, and a {giveaway}

2009-06-02T11:27:00.004-05:00

I love this time of year, I just wish that it could come with the temperatures of spring. With today being the first Tuesday of June, it is time for another {giveaway}. June? Where has this year gone? I remember being younger, and it seemed like forever until summer. Now it seems like summer just happened last week.

With July 4th just around the corner, I wanted to giveaway something patriotic in time for the holiday. So, ladies (and gentlemen) this is it...

"Let Freedom Ring"

To enter for this month's giveaway, you must:

1. Leave me a comment
2. For a second chance to win, mention my blog on yours and leave me another comment that you did so. Please remember to leave me a link to yours if you are not using Blogger.
3. And for a third chance to win, follow this blog, for the first time.

Good Luck to All!
The deadline for this giveaway is Monday, June 8th @ 11:59 pm.
The winner will be posted Tuesday, June 9th.

YEAH...

2009-05-29T11:53:00.002-05:00

Mike is on his way home, and should be here before dinner!
I am going to have one happy little girl,
at least until she gets mad at him for being gone.
Maybe we will be lucky and she will stay happy.

Ok, while I was sitting here typing this, I heard a loud crash in my kitchen, but no tears. I quickly ran downstairs to find Jordan and my butter dish on the floor. I should have taken a picture, but the camera was up here on the desk. She was so proud of herself, and quickly showed me the butter all over her hands. Then she giggled and giggled as we used our friend "Dawn" to wash her hands. She is now tall enough to grab things off the counters....yikes!

Memorial Day Entertainment

2009-05-28T08:00:00.000-05:00

Jordan and I headed to my parents house for the day. Jordan was uncharacteristically grouchy all day, this seems to only be getting worse the longer Mike is gone with work. After lunch and a little shopping, we headed home for Jordan and Grammie to take a nap. Jordan woke up before she was ready with a dirty diaper, which made the rest of the afternoon even better! However, the silver lining of the day was watching her play in the fountain after dinner!

Splish, Splash!

I want a drink...

Yeah, that's it...I will fill the bottle...

Ahhh, that hits the spot!

A little party FUN!

2009-05-27T08:00:00.001-05:00

My cousin graduated from college this past month, and she had a party to celebrate. Mike and my dad were both out of town, so mom and I loaded up Jordan and went for a fun evening. I love being a mom, and the older Jordan gets I love watching her interact with other kids.

Liam, Amy & Ian"s little guy, tried to keep Jordan off the slide. However, by the end of the night she had climbed to the top...a proud, but scary mommy moment.

The kids disappeared...I found them on the side of the house. I didn't snap the picture fast enough, Liam had just kissed Jordan....so cute!

She gets on fine, but can't get off!

Amy made this beautiful cake for the party. I think I need a lesson or two from Amy.

Tuesday's with Adhering Words #4

2009-05-26T13:16:00.004-05:00

Going into summer, we are also going into one of the most patriotic times of the year. I love all the red, white and blue that you see everywhere. And of coarse, as I get older and have friends and family that are affected by the joys and sorrows that come with a military life, these holidays have a different meaning.

So, with patriotism in mind, I designed these two hanging boards.

Memorial Day

2009-05-25T06:00:00.001-05:00

Today, while we are celebrating the freedoms that we enjoy as a country,
may we all take a quiet or public moment and give thanks to all
of the men and women who have made this all possible.
Those that have given their lives so graciously for this great land.
Those that served yesterday, today and those that will choose to serve tomorrow.
Thank You!

Pictures say it ALL

2009-05-23T19:27:00.005-05:00

I am feeling the need to post, but I really don't have anything super fun or exciting to post about. Mike is still gone, and Jordan and I miss him. She expresses herself by yelling, no screaming at me most of the day. So, to share with you what we having been doing for the last couple of weeks I thought that pictures would be more fun, than blah, blah, blah...

South Dakota, where Mike is hanging out, literally.
He works a few days and then goes bowling and golfing
with the other drivers that are there from Texas.
He said he needed a vacation, well now he is getting one,
without using his vacation time and somewhere he doesn't want to be.
I guess be careful what you ask for!

Ruan, what Mike is doing in South Dakota,
when he isn't bowling or golfing.

Jordan loves Cherrios, and carries them around in
a bowl every morning...no milk.

Work has been good for me,
so we have been making several trips to the post office.

Jordan has been pitching one fit after another.

I do not love him,
and I really wish he would stop saying that I do!

Barbie has found her way into the DVD player in the back seat.
Jordan loves it so much that she doesn't fall asleep in the car anymore,
so I actually get to put her down for a nap.

My cousin Amory graduated from college and we went to her party.
It was fun, we got to see family that we hadn't
seen for years...more pictures of that later.

And last, but not least...McDonalds!

Tuesday's with Adhering Words #3

2009-05-19T01:51:00.009-05:00

I can't believe that this is my third "Adhering Words" post. I am so excited that I have something fun to post about today. We applied to be in a craft show in July. We had to literally wait while the jury was out to get our answer.
Well, we got it yesterday morning...we are in! I am beside myself
with joy/worry/excitement and fear all at one time.

Mike could hear the stress in my voice tonight, and he jokingly said,
"You aren't stressing about the show already, are you?
You haven't even known for 24 hours yet."
I started to list all the things that I need to get done.
He listened, and then he very calmly said,
"It will be fine, it will all come together. I know that you can do this."
I love having a sounding board, even though he is over a
thousand miles away right now.

So, we will have a booth at the Heart of Texas show in July. My sister-in-law will be flying in from Utah to share the booth with us. She makes amazing interchangeable beaded watch bands. And my girlfriend from Abilene is coming on board with Adhering Words for the show.

Ok, I am excited...

Angels and Demons

2009-05-17T23:49:00.005-05:00

Last night, after a dinner at the church and 20 minutes to get a sitter, get Jordan dressed for bed and get to the theater, 2 friends and I went to see "Angels and Demons". They had both read the book, but I haven't read any of these. Their opinions were mixed, but I really enjoyed it. I liked it just as much as I had liked "The Da Vinci Code". I have vowed not to see movies that I have read the book and vice versa. They are never one in the same, there isn't enough time in a movie for all the detail in a book, so naturally it can be disappointing.

I know that there has been an uproar among the LDS members due to Tom Hanks being the producer of "Big Love" and his political views, however he has always been my favorite actor. I don't have to agree with his views or be a supporter of "Big Love", but I do love him in the movies. He made this movie for me, I loved it.

I was thankful for the night out with friends. I have a new appreciation for single moms!! I really miss Mike being around and so does his baby. She cries for her daddy. Last week, I took her out of sacrament meeting for the first time...because she was screaming for her daddy.

1 week down, 2 to go!

Tuesday's with Adhering Words #2

2009-05-12T09:54:00.003-05:00

This has been an amazing start to what I hope is a great adventure. I am sorry that I don't have anything fun and exciting to post about. However, I have a giveaway to announce today from last week's "Tuesday's with Adhering Words". I have really enjoyed reading everyone's comments and blogs, but now on to the giveaway...

and the winner of the 12"x12" Monogram Tile is....
THE "AMAZING" AMY WILLIAMS

as crazy as this is Amy is the one that I designed this tile for in the first place,
and she already has one, so I am going to let her chose who it goes to and how she decides.

You should look at Amy's blog, I always feel enriched and draw lots of inspiration from her.

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-05-12 16:02:08 UTC

"Fabuluos 5 WINNER" #5

2009-05-09T00:06:00.004-05:00

Wow!! I am so sorry that I forgot to post Fridays "Fabulous 5 WINNER" this morning. My life was an unexpected whirlwind this past weekend. Mike called on Friday morning to tell me that his company was sending him to South Dakota to work for at least 3 weeks. I felt sorry for myself for a few minutes and then thought of dear friends/family members that are military and do this for a whole lot longer than 3 weeks, so I quickly pulled it together. We did laundry, packed food, celebrated my sisters birthday & Mothers' Day early, got the oil changed on our little car...and then he was gone. He will be missed, but between the great response I am getting on my website and my 20 month old, the time will fly by.

So, with all that being said our 5th winner is, BRYAN & LAUREN!

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-05-09 05:06:55 UTC

Ok, this is giving me a headache...I did not use this font, but I can't get it to change, my post didn't look like this while i was doing it!!

2009-05-08T01:37:00.000-05:00

Happy Birthday, little sister! I love you!

"Fabuluos 5 WINNER" #4

2009-05-08T00:05:00.005-05:00

And the lucky winner of the super cute jars,
was also chosen by the random number generator.

Thank you so much for all the yummy ideas for the Cinco de Mayo party.
I (I say I loosely, I helped my darling husband who did most of the work) ended up making
Honey Lime Chicken Enchiladas, that were to die for.
I found the recipe on Amy's blog, she does a "Fabulous Food Friday" every week.

(this picture is actually from Amy's blog, I always think about taking the picture to late)

So today the winner is:
KATIE

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-05-08 05:18:26 UTC

"Fabuluos 5 WINNER" #3

2009-05-07T00:10:00.000-05:00

Once again, the way that I chose the winner is probably no surprise to anyone,
but I don't know how else to do it and make it fair. So if anyone has any suggestions I will gladly take them. I have really enjoyed reading all the comments and looking at your blogs.

And now, on to the third winner of my "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS"...
this luck winner was also randomly chosen by a Random Number Generator.
The third item was the Welcome Sign.

And the winner today is:
KIMBER

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-05-07 04:59:56 UTC

Kimber, I have no way of contacting you.
Will you please leave an email address in a comment or email me at
adheringwords@gmail.com

"Fabuluos 5 WINNER" #2

2009-05-06T01:14:00.004-05:00

This is probably no surprise to anyone,
but the second winner of my "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS"
was also randomly chosen by a Random Number Generator.
The second item was the 12"x12" Monogram Tile.

And the winner today is:
THE ASHBY FAMILY

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-05-06 06:09:15 UTC

"Fabuluos 5 WINNER"

2009-05-05T00:27:00.003-05:00

So, the first winner of my "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS" has been randomly
chosen by a Random Number Generator. The first item was the name board...

And the winner is: CHERYL

Random Integer Generator

Here are your random numbers:

Timestamp: 2009-05-05 05:17:53 UTC

(For those of you that are asking what time zone is UTC, like I was...I googled it and it is, "The World Clock .... UTC is Coordinated Universal Time", I couln't get it to change.)

Tuesday's with Adhering Words

2009-05-05T00:03:00.001-05:00

Out of the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY" items, this was my favorite. I got a lot of positive feedback on this design as well. So, I thought that I would share a little of where the inspiration came from for this design.

My cousin and his wife have been a great sounding board for me through this whole process. It was actually while talking to Amy that the creation of "Tuesday's with Adhering Words" came about. And Ian has done an amazing job with pictures (at the last minute, I might add) and helping me learn how to work my website. I wanted to give them a token of appreciation, and knowing that they like/collect the letters A&W, I went to work.

I started with the monogram and established date, but it needed more. My favorite part of the entire tile is the circle, it is done in Amy's font, of her handwriting. I love this design!

So, with all of that being said today is the first Tuesday of the month, which means a GIVEAWAY! I am giving away another 12"x12" Monogram Tile. The quote in the circle reads: "a house is built with boards and beams, a home is built with love and dreams." The monogram would be for your last name, the established date represents the year that you were married, and then your last name is over the monogram.

1 entry - Leave a comment
2 {extra} entries - Become a "follower" of this blog
3 {extra} entries - Blog about Tuesday's with Adhering Words"
and/or AdheringWords.com

The deadline for this giveaway is Monday, May 11th @ 11:59 pm.
The winner will be posted Tuesday, May 12th.

{extra} chances...

2009-05-04T00:05:00.000-05:00

Yes, it is true...posting of the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY" is over,
but it is not to late to enter to win one of them.
You can get {extra} chances to win by doing the one/both following things,
until the deadline of each.

Blog about the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY" and/or
AdheringWords.com - get 2 {extra} entries

Become a "follower" of this blog - get 2 {extra} entries

And don't forget that this blog features
"Tuesday's with Adhering Words"

a booster and suction cup plate

2009-05-03T00:05:00.000-05:00

After not posting anything about the little girl that takes up 99.9% of my time and energy, I thought that I would share this little happening...

We decided to get rid of the highchair and get a booster so she can be at the table with us. I carefully thought about this and that it might make life a little easier on all of us. So, I bought special plates that have the suction cup ring on the bottom. I actually thought that this would help keep it on the table.

The first morning I made her oatmeal, and I made it a little thicker so it would be easier for her to get it on the spoon. She was doing really well...

getting it in her mouth. I needed to use the restroom, so I left her for
maybe 60 seconds.

And this is what I found...literally 60 seconds later. Plate no longer suction cupped to the table, or to the suction cup for that matter. There was oatmeal was everywhere...

even in her hair that I had just done. I just had to laugh...and straight to the bath we went.

the end of the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY"

2009-05-02T00:02:00.005-05:00

I am sad to say that the celebrating and my"Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY" is coming to an end. I have really enjoyed reading comments from all of you and looking at your blogs. Make sure to check back next week for all of the winners, and then every Tuesday for
"Tuesday's with Adhering Words".

Today's GIVEAWAY is a 10"x16 wall hanging, embellished with a metal scroll and the phrase: live, laugh, love. It is painted a deep red and the lettering is black. The plexiglas is held on with decorative nuts, and easily removed to put a picture under it. It will hold 2 5"x7" pictures.

All you have to do to enter for this giveaway is leave me a comment,
before Friday, May 8th, at midnight.
You can get 1 additional entry for being a follower of this blog.

However, the winner will not be posted until Monday, May 11th,
due to it being Mother's Day weekend.

Cinco de Mayo and a GIVEAWAY

2009-05-01T00:54:00.003-05:00

And a little more celebrating...I am really excited about the launch of AdheringWords.com I have been working on it for a long time. My home has suffered, and since Tuesday the piles of stuff are finally being tackled, and honestly not a moment to soon. We have a loft that is my workspace, but it has looked like a natural disaster of great proportion hit it. I abandoned the loft and desktop and moved my laptop to the kitchen table. Thank goodness I have a patient husband...sometimes to patient. I am embarrassed to say that it has taken the better part of two days to clean and reorganize it, but I am almost done. I will post pictures later of my clean space.

Now that I have vented and shared my deep dark secret, lets move on to the
fourth item to be included in the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS".

This is a fantastic set of 3 jars with chrome, screw tight lids. They read: flour, sugar and brown sugar. They would be perfect for any kitchen, in any home.

I am going to through a little twist in today's way for entering...I am going to a Cinco de Mayo party this weekend and I need to take a dish of some kind with us.
But I am at a loss for what to make...

So, to enter today's GIVEAWAY, please leave me a comment with your favorite Mexican dish, and if it is quick and easy, how to make it.

The chance to win these jars will end Thursday, May 7th, at midnight.
The winner will be posted here on Friday, May 8th.

More of the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS"

2009-04-30T01:12:00.005-05:00

Let the celebrating continue...I am so excited about the launch of AdheringWords.com that I just want to share with everyone. As I promised, this is the third item to be included in the
"Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS".

Today's giveaway is this amazing 6"x18" Welcome sign
that hangs from a metal "c" scroll.
The "o" has been replaced with a metal star,
and it reads "family & friends" across the bottom.

All you have to do to enter for this giveaway is leave me a comment with the name of your favorite movie, before Wednesday, May 6th, at midnight.

I haven't seen any really good movies for a long time, I could use some suggestions.

The winner will be posted here on Thursday, May 7th.

Still CELEBRATING

2009-04-29T00:53:00.003-05:00

We are still celebrating the launch of AdheringWords.com today with the second item to be included in the "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAYS".

Today's giveaway is this awesome 12"x12" Monogram Tile. The quote in the circle reads: "a house is built with boards and beams, a home is built with love and dreams." I love this tile, it is one of my favorite items.

All you have to do to enter for this giveaway is leave me a comment, before Tuesday, May 5th, at midnight.

The winner will be posted here on Wednesday, May 6th.

A launch and a GIVEAWAY

2009-04-28T02:32:00.005-05:00

Today is the day...I am launching my first ever website, www.adheringwords.com. I am so excited to share this with all of you. It has been in the works for a long time. My site is not 100% where I want it to be, but after already having pushed everything back a week, I am moving forward anyway.

Tuesday's on my blog are now going to be all about vinyl lettering, craft ideas and great finds. And in celebration of launching I am going to be doing a "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY"...that's right, one giveaway will post each day for the next 5 days. The winners will be posted on the same day, next week. Each one will be different, as well as the way to enter the drawing.

So, on to the giveaway...the first one is an 8"x24" family name board (with your name not mine).
To enter the drawing for this giveaway, you have to do 2 things:

1. Return to your own blog and post about my "Fabulous 5 GIVEAWAY",
and a link to my blog http://sjbowlby.blogspot.com
2. Come back and leave a comment by Monday, May 4th, midnight

While doing your daily blog reading, if you see one of your friends/readers has also posted about my GIVEAWAY, come back and leave another comment for another entry.

Good Luck! to all of you. I will post the winner here next Tuesday, May 5th.

Thanks to Ian, who did a beautiful job taking pictures of my items. If you are in the DFW are and are in need of a photograher...he is awesome.

This is the slideshow from the home page of Adhering Words.

Climbing...

2009-04-27T10:53:00.002-05:00

Jordan's climbing has gone to new heights. This little shelf/cabinet on the wall is where we keep diapers, wipes and a few other thing that I don't want her in.

I know, I should have immediately gotten her down, but I grabbed the camera instead. Jordan is so much like her aunt Jade. Jade was a climber and always into everything...in her own stealth like way, very much like my "little angel" is starting to do.

The diapers and wipes behind the chair, were in the cabinet just moments before...I had just put them there.

Donuts...

2009-04-25T09:50:00.002-05:00

I have been so busy that I haven't taken the time to blog lately. Jordan is really fun these days, I love the new adventures that have come with her now being 19 months...minus the screaming. Mike is the YM's president in our ward and has meetings that he sometimes holds at our house. A few Saturday's ago he had an early morning meeting with some of the older YM and went and got Krispy Kreme donuts. Thinking nothing of it, they were left on our countertop height table. Sometime went by and Jordan became really quiet....so I started to investigate and this is what I found...

Easter Sunday

2009-04-16T14:22:00.003-05:00

We had a great day with family and friends. I especially enjoyed church, I am loving that Jordan is now attending the nursery, and I get to actually to take something away from the lessons. Our sunday school teacher gave an amazing lesson on the Savior, and the last week of his life...did I say amazing? We then headed to my parents house where we hung out with family and friends, aunt Jade and Jordan had an easter egg hunt, and my dad topped it off with ribeye's on the grill.

This is Jordan's Easter basket, I did this for her last year and I think we are keeping this one to use every year, even though you can't really put much in it. The ribbon tied to the handle all have something to do with an event pertaining to Jordan, baby shower, birth announcements, blessing, bedding, hair bows, etc.

I can't believe how big she is getting...isn't she pretty?

Our little family,
the only thing that would have made the day better would have been to have Sarah and Alex with us, we miss them.

Ryan's Haircut

2009-04-10T17:54:00.002-05:00

Yesterday, I cut my friend Emily's little boy's hair. Things started off pretty good, we were bribing him with M&M's. He seemed ok with getting a big boy cut...

cheesey smile...

but then the tears came...

and more tears...

and then he was screaming, but he sure looked handsome when it was all over.

food storage made easy binder

2009-04-09T13:50:00.004-05:00

So, I was so excited about finding this site, thanks to Sarah, that I didn't enter the drawing for this binder. But this website is a must read for any of you that are spinning in circles over your food storage. I am loving it!!! They have taken all the hard work out of it for us...all we need to do is plan meals.

The Botanical Gardens

2009-04-09T12:19:00.006-05:00

Yesterday, Emily and I took the kids to the Botanical Gardens.
It was such a beautiful day, the weather was perfect.
Jordan and Ryan explored and ran around.
I wish my backyard looked like this...wait, I wish I had a backyard.

Food Storage

2009-04-08T15:37:00.004-05:00

My dear friend, Sarah, sent me a link to a website for food storage called
Food Storage Made Easy. I am not sure if she had read my last post, so if not she was inspired to do so. I checked it out and liked what I found so much that I added their button to my sidebar. They have some really good ideas...
you should check it out yourself.

YUMMY....warm bread

2009-04-05T22:24:00.005-05:00

Today's economy really scares me for several different reasons. But my biggest concern is that I don't feel prepared...honestly, for anything. So I have been building a stockpile through couponing, and I went to the cannery the other night with friends to work on our food storage. I don't really even know how to use some of my stuff....like the wheat. So I have made it a personal goal to get out of my comfort zone and try new things. Now, this recipe didn't use anything from my food storage, but I was surprised that I
had it all in my kitchen. I found this on my cousin Amy's blog, who does a "fabulous food friday", every friday. The recipes always look so good, but I never try them. I am not a baker by any stretch of the imagination, but I tried this one, Rosemary Focaccia bread....yummy. I did this today while listening to conference.

a new foreman...

2009-04-01T09:48:00.007-05:00

Our apartment complex was sold the first of the year, and the new owners are already making much needed updates to the exterior of the buildings. The parking lot was fixed, so you no longer fall to the center of the earth in the potholes.
Now, the balconies are all being replaced.

These guys had a new foreman on the job...
she watched all morning.

At the end of the day they put up plywood to keep us from walking out onto the framing,
and the next morning she was inspecting again...

from a different angle.

Let the countdown begin until...

2009-03-31T08:00:00.001-05:00

...starting 3 weeks from today!

Different storm clouds...

2009-03-30T10:20:00.001-05:00

that at first made me really uneasy,
but the more I looked at them the more I realized
that they were like nothing I had ever seen before.
These were taken at 1pm...they were amazing.

UNWANTED Tenant

2009-03-29T00:32:00.000-05:00

While I am still working on giving my small space an overhaul, there are some things that are blog worthy right now....like the fact that we have a large storage room off of our loft, and where I am so thankful for the extra space, I am not so thankful for the latest tenant...who was not paying rent. It was recently enclosed with sheet rock but a small hole was left that we thought nothing of.

Well, I wish that we had thought something of it. We think that we had a small squirrel bunking with us, and he left a big mess. He used my boxes for making a nest...

as well as the foot off of "Fluffy". Now Fluffy and I have a really long history, she was the very first stuffed animal that I was ever given. My aunt Analee gave her to me, and I have secretly toted my friend Fluffy with me since I left home 16 years ago. She was loved, in fact loved so much that she was missing her nose and an eye. I was sad, I think I might have even shed a tear...we threw her away.

This tenant of ours was not kidding around....it wanted in that box...

And then I realized, that the shredding of the box and Fluffy was maybe preventable. If you look at the corner of this nice little San Francisco street car tin, you can see the teeth and claw marks. In the first picture you might notice that the tin was in the bottom of the box...

any guesses on what was in that tin?

2009-03-25T18:11:00.000-05:00

Valentine's Day

2009-03-12T19:05:00.000-05:00

Our Valentine's Day was really busy and a lot of fun. I kicked off the morning with a shower for my girlfriend Emily, who had a beautiful little girl. While I was doing that Mike was in charge of an early morning fireside, with the BYU basketball assistant head coach, John Wardenburg. Mike knows John from early teenage years and contacted him to do a fireside while they were here in town to play TCU. Mike is the YM's president in our ward, and his guys loved it.

Then after lunch and a nap, Mike and I headed out to the BYU game with our friends Dallin & Paula. We met Jade & Shawn at the game. BYU smoked TCU, it was a good game. We had a great time and got to meet the coach and some players after the game. After the game we headed to Braums for ice cream, enjoyed more good conversation, and then called it a night.

I had a great time, I love you, Mike!!

Mike was so excited! BYU had just scored.

A little sisterly love!

Mike and Coach John Wardenburg

Shawn and Jade

Paula and Dallin
You would never know it by looking at this picture, but Paula is very pregnant
with thier third baby. She is actually going to be induced tonight.

My love for the GAME

2009-03-11T10:00:00.000-05:00

So for those that don't already know I started my own vinyl lettering business at the end of last year. I was blessed with being very busy, but extremly overwhelmed. During the last few months of the year lots of things got pushed to the side...and some of those things I will always regret. Like the fact that I put up our Christmas tree the week before christmas and then never put any ornaments on it....the tree was pre-strung with lights or it would have been really naked. I kept telling mysely that I just didn't want to fight with Jordan and ripping the tree apart, but honestly I just didn't have the time...or better yet I didn't take the time. I cried about it Christmas Eve and I made a vow that I would make it up in the years to come. The other thing that was put out to pasture was couponing, and other than a deal here and there I had lost hope. I had a mountain of inserts that needed to be cut and my binder needed to be cleaned out of all the outdated stuff...which left maybe 10 coupons.

Well, it has taken me two weeks to get organized again with couponing. But I did it. I worked at it a little each day. And last night I went shopping with my buddies, I had forgotten my love for the game, the awed customers and the nice and not so nice store employees.

I got all of this for $4.18 out of pocket. The store was going to owe me so to balance it out I bought a water bottle for walking.

8 plug-in/battery oper. air freshener
4 johnson's body wash
1 johnson's lotion
10 shampoo
5 gels
5 mousse
2 frizzy serem
& 13 excedrin

UTAH

2009-03-10T12:43:00.000-05:00

Jordan and I flew to Utah the end of January for Kennedy's 2nd birthday. It was a blast, we had such a good time just hanging out with family. We stayed at Jim and Analee's house, I had forgotten how much I really love being in thier home. We had the opportunity to attend the Draper Temple open house. I was really worried about taking Jordan to such a reverent place, at 16 months reverence is not something that she is so good at. However, I am so glad that I took her. She was so good, she jabbered quietly the whole way through, until we walked into the Celestrial room and she immiedatly went still and quiet. Then we moved into a sealing room and her and Kennedy sat and held hands, it was thier first experience in a temple together and as they grow up I hope that choose to stand in places like that together.

Kennedy had a great little party, Barney theme with all the purple and green. Janine swore that she would never watch Barney and that they would never have a Barney party. All I have to say about that one is never say "never". Grammy and Granddad (aka mom & dad) had also flown in from Texas for the party, it was fun to be together...but it would have been even better with Mike and Jade.

We were sad to leave and come home, but we had a great time there.

I thought that I was being smart and booked a 6:30am flight...I thought that Jordan will sleep on the plane....yeah, not so much!!

Kennedy and Jordan getting a little workout.

Kennedy and Jordan sitting on Leska, the small horse that my aunt and uncle call a dog. All kidding aside she is a beautiful and very loving Great Dane. And Jim was awesome with Kennedy, she wouldn't go near Leska, but he got her to sit on her.

Everytime we turned around Jordan had a pot a spoon, mixing her little heart out. I should have taken a picture of all the different ones.

The birthday girl, opening her gifts.

Kennedy, Hal & Janine.

New Year's Eve 2008

2009-03-07T10:00:00.000-06:00

A picture is worth a million words...at least.
Our next door neighbor and his friends started making all kinds of noise right before midnight, and woke Jordan up, so she welcomed in the New Year with Mike and I.
Could these pictures look scream "white trash" any louder?
And yes, we do normally drink out of glasses.

Jordan couldn't get enough of the sparkling grape juice that I had bought for Mike and I.

Mike looks like his sparkling grape juice was spiked.

Pay it Forward

2009-03-07T09:23:00.000-06:00

Assuming that some of you are still looking at my blog now and then, on March 23,
I will be making an announcement. An exciting announcement for me,
it has been a longtime in the making. And to coincide with my announcement I had found
a "Pay it Forward" post on my friend Stacy's blog, I thought that it was a great idea,
so I posted it here. However only 2 of you have actually commented on the post...and I know
that more of you have been here since (not to mention any names Sara and Alaina).
All of you are talented and could do something amazing on your own blogs...join the fun.

Christmas

2009-03-06T10:00:00.000-06:00

I won't bore you with all of our Christmas pictures, I just want to post a few. Now I can post some from New Year's Eve and I will be done with posting about 2008. Amongst all the stuff that she got for Christmas, she got this stroller for her babies...and loves it.

2 months later...

She now thinks that it is for her...personally. There isn't a day that goes by that she doesn't play with this stroller. Needless to say...it has seen better days.

So, I did have a few more pictures on here, but I somehow keep deleting them...and I am not going to redo it...at least I am trying to post....right?

A few moments...

2009-03-05T14:38:00.000-06:00

that I don't want to forget. A few pictures that when I look at these, they bring a smile to my face, even on the worst of days. I love being a mom, and I love Jordan more than

I thought it was possible to love someone.

This was during our spell, at 1 yr old, she thought we were done with naps. I however did not agree, and apparently neither did her little body.

I love her hair, even like this.

She was so quite, I knew there was something wrong....yep, she climbed the stairs. What you can't see are the stairs below her, she is on the landing. She was so proud of herself.

Spaghetti is her favorite...did I say FAVORITE? She loves it.

Evening of Excellence

2009-03-02T14:19:00.000-06:00

For the last 19 months I have served in the Young Women program. I was recently released and have really struggled with my new calling as a part of the enrichment committee. I loved every moment of being with the young women in our ward. I miss the friendships that were built there with those sweet girls and find myself feeling alone. Not that I don't see them but it is different now. Ok, I am done wallowing in my own self pity...at least for now.

I uploaded the pictures from my camera so I could post the pictures from our trip to Utah for Kennedy's birthday.....but to my horror, I had not uploaded anything since November. I don't know why this would surprise me...the last event I posted was Halloween.

So, I am going to start with the last event that I was in charge of in
YW...our Evening of Excellence

This was a display that we had of things pertaining to Personal Progress.
When the night started the lamp was not on...I'll come back to why??

We used the program written by Jenny Phillips, it was amazing and the music was beautiful. We talked about the girls being a light unto the world and standing for what they believe in. As each girl got up to do her part we had them turn a lamp on starting with the one on the display table. The lights were dimmed in the room, and I was amazed at the effect that was made by turning the lamps on separately. Our bishop concluded with comparing the light of just one lamp to that of all the lamps together.

The presidency did the food, it was so good. We had little plates already set instead of platters of treats. Each plate had a YUMMY cheesecake, chocolate strawberries and grapes.

These were my girls, I love each of then dearly. They are all so different, and all so talented.
It was a beautiful evening.

Pay it Forward

2009-03-01T22:14:00.000-06:00

Found this on my friends blog I want to switch it up a bit though. So this is how it works..... The 1st, 5th, and 10th person to leave a comment on this post will receive a hand made gift from me during this year. When and what will be a surprise. this means you might have to leave a few comments to be one of the three. :)

There's a small catch...You knew there would be didn't you? Post this on your blog then come back and leave a comment, telling me you're in. Fun, huh? I'm excited!

2009-02-14T15:23:00.000-06:00

Wow, how time flies. I have so much to blog about, but no time in which to do it. For now here is a picture of my beautiful little girl and her necklace. Jordan loves this necklace that my mom bought for Kennedy to play with several months ago, when they came to visit. Back then we would put it on Jordan and she would crawl around, but never take it off. Well, these days she goes into Grammy's house and goes right for the toys, but it is not the toys that she is after it is this necklace. She now puts it on herself, and will not let you take it off of her. She brought it home the other day, and last night she was playing with it in the car...and fell asleep. I love this girl.

Sorry that the picture is so blurry.....I took it with my phone.

2008-12-17T12:00:00.000-06:00

Yes, while others are posting about holiday goodies, trees and traditions...I am posting Halloween. I am trying to play catch up. I did not dress up for Halloween but Jordan and her Daddy did. I made Mike's costume with some help from Emily. Our little chick went with us to YM/YW to carve pumpkins, and then on Halloween we took her up to my parents. My mom quickly ran around the neighborhood with her to show all her friends. We had a good night, Jordan was a good sport about the whole thing....until she couldn't get the candy out of the wrapper.

Jordan and I went with Emily and Ryan to a Halloween party that Em's sister threw at a park. It was a beautful day. It was the first time that I had put Jordan in a swing...she loved it.

2008-12-17T01:09:00.000-06:00

This post dates way back to August. I was asked to be in charge of a Japanese themed dinner for youth conference. I had been told not to worry about decorations that there would be none any of the nights. It was a missionary themed conference and was run like the MTC. I got wind around 10am Saturday morning that the other nights had decor....well, that put the wheels in motion...I WOULD NOT BE OUT DONE! So, I got on the phone and called Jade whose whole apartment is Asian decor and asked to borrow her stuff. Without even hesitating she said yes, and then drove the 1+ hour to deliver it to the church. She single handed made the night come full circle, it would not have had the same feel without her things. There was so much that every table had a center piece...we all had to laugh when they asked the youth "not to touch anything that it was all from a private collection". She bought her Samari swords for show, one of the bishopric members from my ward sat by them all night. Sadly, the pictures of the tables did not turn out, the were fuzzy. So, all of the pictures are of the food that we made. It was a great night.

2008-11-08T11:55:00.000-06:00

While Hal, Janine and Kennedy were her for Jordan's birthday, we had Ian do family pictures again. I have so much stuff to blog about, but I am SO busy with my first craft show right around the corner. I will post other things like Halloween later, but for now these were a few of my favorite pictures from that day...

Me, Hal and Jade.....so does anyone else think that Hal look really uncomfortable?

So this is my sweet Jordan...who seems to make this face when things are not going her way. Ian did a great job capturing it.

This is my favorite picture of Mike and I...maybe even my favorite to date.

I love this one, the only things that would make this one perfect would be having Sarah and Alex in it...and me having a neck not hidden by fat!!

2008-10-09T17:42:00.000-05:00

While on our vacation to Wisconsin, the last night there we went for pizza, and had a blast. We gave the kids quarters to play games, and Connor came back with a handful of balls! When he saw that I had posted pictures from that night he asked where these pictures were, so...

Connor, this one is for you!

Love you Kiddo!

2008-10-09T17:25:00.000-05:00

So, I have been shamed into updating my blog. This morning while checking blogs, I noticed that Amy linked to Jordan's first birthday, except when you follow the link there was no posting of my baby's big day...so here it is. I can't believe it, she is one. It seems like just yesterday that I was miserable and pregnant. Now I have a little girl that is into everything. We had her party at my parents house, in the backyard. Sarah flew in a couple days before, and Hal, Janine and Kennedy flew in the day of the party. It was a lot of fun, and a lot of work. I could not have pulled it off without friends and family. So thank you to all that were involved.

Jordan in her pretty pink tutu that Emily made for her.

Everyone entered the backyard from the gate, so I lined the wall with these little paper lanterns, they would have been even cuter with lights...maybe next time.
The bounce house was a nice added touch for all the kids...thank you Bonnie.
Sarah and I came up with the idea for this cake, and then baked it and sugared the towers...but when it came to frosting it...Emily stepped in and saved the day!
My sweet baby was a little overwhelmed, and really never touched her cake that I spent hours on! If I could only have gotten her to understand the importance of a nap that day...maybe ahe would have been smiling!

2008-10-09T17:24:00.000-05:00

Dad has spent so much time on the back yard, it really is very pretty, and I was thankful for him hosting our party.

Food...what else can I say?
Hal was our hot dog grill master for the evening...although he chastised me for buying cheap hot dogs....he must not be into couponing!
Jordan LOVED the bounce house....NOT!

2008-08-11T12:09:00.000-05:00

These are a few of my latest finds, but I haven't figured out what my saving were...

2008-08-09T03:10:00.000-05:00

For those of you who say that I don't post enough of

the little princess

that lives in my house and calls me "mammam", here she is. I took these a couple days ago...she is getting so big!

This new grin is so cute...she scrunches up her little nose, and just grins from ear to ear. Today was a milestone for her. Instead of doing the army crawl, she was up on her knees...and getting around much faster. Then she pulled a table over and broke a lamp, but I think that Mike can fix it. She didn't hurt herself, it just scared her. And then last but not least, I was getting ready to go to a party and things got really quite, I was prompted to go check on her...where did I find her?

Yep, crawling up my stairs!!

And she was so proud of herself!

2008-08-07T00:25:00.000-05:00

The sunset was amazing our last night. I forget how beautiful it is there, but not beautiful enough to make me want to move back there...I wish that we could just transplant our kids and friends to Texas. That would make living in Texas, even more perfect.

Jackson Port, Wisconsin, lake Michigan

Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin

I love these last three pictures!

2008-08-07T00:05:00.000-05:00

The last night that we were in town we took our dear friends out to dinner for putting up with us for a week. It was a blast...and we had some major "gut laughing" going on at our table.

We were going to invite our family to go with us, but before we could there had to be good old fashioned drama (one of the main reasons that we are so happy to not live there!), because we hadn't spent any money on them...so we didn't invite them. I would have loved to have my nieces and nephews with us, but the adults would have thought that they were being invited out of guilt. I think that someone forgot that we had just bought her an airline ticket to come to Texas for 2 weeks!

Well, enough about that,

we had a awesome time with our friends!!

Chloe, she is 2 years and 1 day older than Jordan. I went into labor on her birthday.

Jordan eating her Costco animal crackers..she loves them.

Jordan, and her big sister Sarah...Jordan was ready for a bottle.

Alex, Oliver and Stuart

Mike and Alex

Sara and I, once again I looked like crap and I had Mount St. Helen's on my chin. Not to mention two mornings before vacation I woke up missing a contact...and it was my last pair. So boohoo, I had to wear my glasses on vacation...I always feel undressed when I have them on.

And last but not least, Dave making faces at Chloe!!

2008-08-06T23:54:00.000-05:00

Along with graduation came the "graduation party". We had a good time, with good company and food.

Me (why didn't someone tell me I looked so bad that day), Mike, Alex (our graduate),

Gabby, Mike's mom Barb, Joe, Jordan, Sarah, Sara and Chloe.

Mike and Alex

Sarah made this nice poster of her little brother for the party.

2008-08-06T12:05:00.000-05:00

While on vacation, we went to the Square Rigger for a fish boil with some of our dear friends. Fish boils are a huge thing in Wisconsin during the summer. We had such a good time.

Jack and Jesse, this is the couple that I lived with before Mike and I got married. They quickly became my family there, I miss them.

Ohhhhh, Dave and Sara, they were/are our best friends. They moved into the branch shortly after Mike and I got married. Sara was an answer to my prayers, I pleaded with my Heavenly Father to send me a friend and I couldn't have picked a better friend myself. I learned, and continue to learn so much from her. I often find myself really missing spending time with her.

The Fish Boil

It is done outside, and as it starts to really boil, they throw kerosene on the top of it to cause it to boil over, getting rid of the fat.

The boil over, it is a pretty cool thing to watch.

The fish is in the top basket and the potatoes, carrots and onions are in the bottom basket.

2008-08-01T02:35:00.001-05:00

Last month, Mike went to Oregon for a family reunion...of sorts. More than anything he went to spend time with his father. Jordan and I stayed home since we had just gone to Wisconsin for vacation. I tried to talk Mike into taking Jordan with him...she would fly free....but he looked at me as if I had turned into the green hulk, so I took that as a no! I wanted him to have something to show her off, so I surprised him with a brag book. I did a 10 page layout, with a kit that my friend Bonnie made, and then had it printed and hard bound at CVS...and with my couponing I got it free! I was so pleased with the way it turned out, and the response that I got, that I decided to take out Jordan's pictures and make it a digital freebie. So, the freebie is now on Jordan's Boutique. If you really want to see the pictures of Jordan, you might need to click on it to enlarge it.

2008-07-29T10:10:00.000-05:00

So, I have a lot of playing catch-up to do! We went to Wisconsin for family vacation in June, and we had a great time. Alex graduated while we were there, YEAH! We got to spend time with both of the older kids, we wish that they lived closer.

My cranky baby...we were holding out on the bottle until take off, and it made her mad.

Alex, with his diploma! We actually didn't get to attend graduation. The night that it was planned for, it got canceled due to bad weather and flooding. Then they rescheduled it for Sunday, but Mike had been asked to speak in our old branch, so we didn't drive the two hours back down to Fond du Lac.

Our kids!

Our family, I looked like a drowned rat from the rain, rain and more rain!

When the rain stopped we decided to take the kids to dinner, before driving the two hours back to Sturgeon Bay. This is what we found...we could only drive in a two block radius. So we went back to Mike's ex-wife's house and sat for a little while. Then Mike and Alex went to see if they could get to the highway, and they could...but by the time they got back to the house the rain started again....no!! We threw Jordan in her car seat kissed the kids good-bye and were gone! We got to the highway, only to find a highway patrolman who informed us that it was under water and closed...panic set in...now what? There was one more way out of town, but it required us to go back the way we had just come, the officer said that we should hurry because they were getting ready to close that road as well. As we drove the water continued to get deeper, and the wakes got bigger...we were in a line of cars, we moved slowly and stopped for no lights. The water was literally 1/3 the way up our doors, and there was trash floating by the car. I was terrified, this brought a whole new meaning to the word scared for me. I just kept praying that we would make it out, and we did thanks to Mike. He stayed so calm, he told me later that he had said a prayer and asked that he would remain calm, because he knew that I would fall apart having Jordan in the backseat.

Now, what I didn't tell you is that when we flew in and went to pick up our rental car, they were out of full sized cars....and they upgraded us to a SUV for free. We ended up getting a Dodge Journey. As terrifying as that whole experience was, I walked away with a stronger testimony of, the fact that our Heavenly Father truly is mindful of us and he has a hand in all that we do. We wouldn't have been able to safely leave town in a full sized car, and we would have had to stay at the ex-wife's house....thank goodness for everyday miracles!!

2008-07-29T01:47:00.000-05:00

I have a new hobby, or should I say game?

I started couponing...and I am loving it!! I buy 2 sets of doubled Sunday papers, all for the 4 sets of coupons. If I can get it for free, I want 4 of them not only 1. I have been doing this under the supervision of my friend Erica, she is teaching me the ropes. There is nothing more exciting than

the store owing me money!!

I have a freezer full of pork chops, steak, tilipia, shrimp....I have found some really good sales on meat. I am really wishing that I hadn't given away my upright freezer. I like the peaceful feeling of having storage again.

This picture was the stuff I got the first time I went with Erica, the 4 boxes of pizza rolls were free!

So, this is kind of a bad picture, my intentions were to take pictures as I get the deals. However, Mike was out of town and had the camera with him. Thanks to Proctor & Gamble, I got most of this stuff while Mike was gone.

And, this picture was from tonight! I am addicted.

In a months time, I have spent $135.48, and saved $345.44 plus I have $18 in CVS extra care bucks. I have lots in the fridge and freezer that are not in the pictures, and yes mom...I am spending wisely!!

2008-07-14T00:22:00.000-05:00

And, here I go again!! Another digital freebie made from the newest kit by Bonnie at SilverRocketScraps. This one is a 4x6 brag book.

I know...I have been horrible with posting the past couple of weeks...I am trying to make it a habit, of at least one time a week. I still need to post our vacation, 4th of July...Emily made Jordan the CUTEST outfit with matching bow, and then last night I was in charge of the dinner at youth conference...it was a Japanese theme...and it turned out better than I could have ever dreamed, thanks to all my support...and Jade's decorations.

I will post pictures by the end of the week...I promise!

To view this and more of my work, click here!

2008-06-30T01:18:00.001-05:00

So, life has been nuts since we came home from vacation. I spend a lot of time doing crafty things, and I love it. I have mentioned before that

I have been bitten by the digital bug,

and it keeps getting worse.

My friend Bonnie, who feeds my addiction, made her second free digital kit for scrapbooking, and then I made a free desktop to compliment the kit.

I started a blog for Jordan's Boutique, that is the name that I make cards under. The blog is intended to be a place for displaying previously made things, and hopefully getting some more custom jobs. A friend is coming on board my crafty train and we are going to try and make a little money. I am in the process of getting my ducks in a row for vinyl lettering....and I am really excited about it. We plan on doing the craft show circuit.

So, this is it what does everyone think?

2008-06-28T12:29:00.000-05:00

So I was tagged by Alaina, and this is a long one, I don't ever do these, so I won't be offened if you scroll past, but I am waiting for my dad to go to Ikea...so I have time, and Jordan is napping...

1. ARE YOU NAMED AFTER ANYONE? If I remember the story correctly my dad heard the name on his mission to Ireland and liked it.
2. WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME YOU CRIED? Come on now...I don't cry.
3. DO YOU LIKE YOUR HANDWRITING? Yes.
4. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE LUNCH MEAT? Roasted turkey.
5. DO YOU HAVE ANY KIDS? Yes, I have 3, Sarah (20), Alex (18) and Jordan (9 mo.). Sarah and Alex are Mike's from his first marriage.
6. IF YOU WERE ANOTHER PERSON WOULD YOU BE FRIENDS WITH YOU? Well heck yeah I would! I am always a joy to be around! ;)
7. DO YOU USE SARCASM A LOT? No, Never!
8. DO YOU STILL HAVE YOUR TONSILS? Yes, I plan on keeping all body parts and organs. I'll give birth but don't come near me with a knife.
9. WOULD YOU BUNGEE JUMP? I agree with Alaina, for some reason plummeting to the earth below held by only a single rope to save me from impending pain and death does not sound so appealing.
10. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE CEREAL? I love cereal, all cereal with really cold milk.
11. DO YOU UNTIE YOUR SHOES WHEN YOU TAKE THEM OFF? No, that requires me to use my hands and they are usually full.
12. DO YOU THINK YOU ARE STRONG? Mental, Emotional or Physical? Depends on the day.
13. WHAT IS YOUR FAVORITE ICE CREAM? Anything chocolate.
14. WHAT IS THE FIRST THING YOU NOTICE ABOUT PEOPLE? Hair and smile.
15. RED OR PINK? Pink of course, with a whole lot of brown.
16. WHAT IS YOUR LEAST FAVORITE THING ABOUT YOURSELF? My doulbe chin.
17. WHO DO YOU MISS THE MOST? Loved ones and friends.
18. DO YOU WANT EVERYONE TO POST THIS? Sure!
19. WHAT COLOR SHOES ARE YOU WEARING? No shoes. Anyone surprised?
20. WHAT WAS THE LAST THING YOU ATE? Mini biscuts from Chick-fil-a, Jade raves about them...I thought they were ok.
21. WHAT ARE YOU LISTENING TO RIGHT NOW? Alaina's playlist.
22. IF YOU WERE A CRAYON WHAT COLOR WOULD YOU BE? Again I agree with Alaina, I would wnat to be the whole box, all the colors! Haha who wants to be just one color?
23. FAVORITE SMELLS? Mike, Gain Apple Mango Tango, and the air after the rain.
24. WHO WAS THE LAST PERSON YOU TALKED TO ON THE PHONE? Mom
25. DO YOU LIKE THE PERSON THAT TAGGED YOU? Yes, it is always easy to love family out os state, ;) love you Alaina!
26. FAVORITE SPORTS TO WATCH? Any sporting event, but really none of it on TV.
27. HAIR COLOR? Auburn/Brown
28. EYE COLOR? Blue
29. DO YOU WERE CONTACTS? Yes, but I woke up two mornings before vacation missing one, it was my last pair...so I had to wear glasses on vacation....boohoo.
30. FAVORITE FOOD? Homemade and grilled hamburgers.
31. SCARY MOVIES OR HAPPY ENDINGS? Happy endings....I don't like to be scared.
32. LAST MOVIE WATCHED? Fools Gold, I liked it.
33. WHAT COLOR SHIRT ARE YOU WEARING? Brown
34. SUMMER OR WINTER? Spring or Fall.
35. HUGS or KISSES? That depends.
36. FAVORITE DESSERT? Good moist chocolate cake.
37. MOST LIKELY TO POST? Not really sure, it is a long one.
38. LEAST LIKELY TO POST? ME, but I am already doing it..
39. WHAT BOOK ARE YOU READING RIGHT NOW? I am trying to finish Twilight.
40. WHAT IS ON YOUR MOUSE PAD? I am at my mom's it is plain grey.
41. WHAT DID YOU WATCH ON TV LAST NIGHT? Nothing, Jade watched Jordan so Mike and I could go to dinner. I then I worked on the computer.
42. FAVORITE SOUND? Jordan's giggle.
43. ROLLING STONES OR THE BEATLES? The Beatles for sure!
44. WHAT IS THE FARTHEST YOU HAVE BEEN FROM HOME? Earth I suppose. That's pretty far from heaven.
45. DO YOU HAVE A SPECIAL TALENT? I like to make things pretty...at least I think they are.
46. WHERE WERE YOU BORN? Fort Worth, TEXAS.
47. IF YOU COULD GO ANYWHERE WHERE WOULD IT BE? Scotland, I want to see where my mom comes from. Or to heaven to see loved ones that have gone on, or into Oma's mind.

OK, I tag Jade and Emily.

2008-06-28T02:32:00.000-05:00

We are back from vacation,

we had a great time,it went way to fast

and Alex graduated!!

I will post more pictures later. However, this was may favorite scenery picture, I took it our last night there. I forgot how beautiful Wisconsin can be.

Now, back to work. I am working on a big project with my friend Bonnie, and I will post all about it when it is up and going.

2008-06-02T16:15:00.001-05:00

Ok, I jumped on the wagon...I am not really sure what I think yet, but I will let you know.

2008-06-02T15:41:00.000-05:00

My mom jokes about being a widow from the end of March until October, due to the car shows and my dads love for cars. Last summer I didn't do a lot of the car action because I was pregnant, but Mike went along and loved it. Well, in order for Jordan and I to spend time with Mike on Saturday nights, we meet up with Mike and my dad for dinner at the shows. Jordan loves it, she loves her Granddaddy and loves being outside. The night of this show dad was holding her when they called his name, so she got to go with to accept the trophy.

Jordan and her Granddaddy

All the winners from the show, dad is the second in from the left.

2008-05-28T13:51:00.000-05:00

Once again, I must brag about my husband. He is really taking this loosing weight thing seriouslly,

I should be just as serious about it but I'm not. Mike's company does a quarterly weight loss/healthy living contest...and Mike won it for the first quater of the year. They called and interviewed him, like he was a celebrity, and then they printed his interview in their company news. Then to top it off he won a $300 visa gift card...oh, but wait, what is it...another $50 check? That's right not only did he win the gift card, but he then got a $50 check in the mail, everyone that entered got a check.

So, he is now lighter on his feet and $350 richer.

I LOVE YOU, MIKEY!!

2008-05-27T22:26:00.000-05:00

My friend Emily has introduced me to a another potentially expensive hobby, I am not sure where I am going to find the time for this one with everything else...but I like it. I am learning to sew! I already have to stay away from Hobby Lobby, Micheal's, Jo Ann's...and the list goes on. But now I have been introduced to the Cabbage Rose, a quilter's store with designer fabric. I must admit I thought that it was nice when we got there, but then I found the Amy Butler fabric. Amy Butler is the reason I must stay out of those other stores...I love her stuff.

So, I indulged, I bought this cute fabric to make Jordan a dress. We only have one problem, she is to small. The pattern said 18-20 lbs, but this dress won't fit her until she is at least 18 mos. All I have left to do is put the little straps on it.

I am hoping to send this one to my sweet little niece Kennedy. So Janine, what do you think?

After the dress, I felt that I could sew anything, and fast...what was I thinking? I bit off more than I could chew...story of my life! A couple of Sundays ago I taught the Young Women a lesson about preparing now to attend the temple. I couldn't have asked for it to go better. President and Sister Besliever are in our ward, they were recently released from being the Dallas Temple president and matron, she joined us in YW. She had a beautiful conversation with the girls about the temple, preparing for it and what to expect. The packet was mentioned several times, which was perfect...Emily had helped me make these beautiful envelopes to give to the girls. I hope someday that everyone of those girls will choose to enter the temple.

2008-05-27T21:39:00.000-05:00

So, I mentioned that yesterday I helped Jade give her blog a new look, and today I helped Emily. I am trying really hard to keep my home clean, so when Jordan is napping I can play with PhotoShop Elements. I am loving it more everytime that I use it.

Well, I know that in the digital world of scrapbooking everyone likes to have credit where credit is due, but then again who doesn't. So, it is here that you can find the proper credit for my creations and links to some cool digital scrapbooking sites.

2008-05-27T00:15:00.000-05:00

Ok, so these next few posts are for all of those who have emailed me, commented on my blog, left comments on other blogs for others to give me a message, called me personally, stopped me at church, and my favorite...threatened to remove my link from their own blog (I won't mention any names, Ian) because of my lack in updating.

So, tonight the dishes are done, Mike and the baby are asleep and I have a little free time. Ok, lets be honest I should be doing laundry but I would rather do anything than laundry. Plus I got the "Blog Bug" today helping Jade to update her blog and make it a little more fun.

I also must admit that I am horrible about commenting as well. Although I look at everyone's blog at least once a day, I don't always have the time to comment. But I love all of you and I truly enjoy reading your blogs...even when it involves tears, lots of tears.

And Linnlee, if you are reading this I LOVE those pictures of Oma's birthday, thank you for posting them. It has been a really long time since I saw a picture of her with a twinkle in her eye.

Jordan's 1st car show...

2008-05-26T23:41:00.001-05:00

For those of you who don't already know this I grew up around men that have a LOVE for cars. As a little girl I can remember going on Sunday afternoon drives with dad while mom took a nap. Without fail we always ended up in front of car lots looking at cars. To this day I enjoy looking at cars, and I enjoy the smile that they bring to my dads face.

Jeff flew in for business, but anytime dad and Jeff are together there are always car shows involved. Mike loves going along to, and comes home with ideas of what he is going to get. But he hasn't come home talking about a '67 Camero SS, which is what I want, so we still haven't bought anything.

Mike was going to meet up with the guys and at the last minute Jordan and I decieded to tag along. We met for dinner and then off to the show.

She loved it! She loves being outside and she loves her granddaddy! Dad won again that night, and was happy to explain all about it to Jordan.

WOW! What a day...

2008-05-26T22:37:00.001-05:00

May 3rd was a busy day for us as a family. We started out the morning early, I dropped Mike and Jordan off at Grammy's house and headed off to Amory's for a birthday carnival for Sydney where I wore a red nose and was named twinkle toes. When I was done running my booth I was off and running back to get Mike and Jordan and then to lunch to celebrate Jade's 27th birthday with mom and dad, before they left for Scotland. When we were done there we went out to the airport to meet our friends Jeff and Sarah, from Arizona, who had a layover at DFW. It was great to see them. Then we off and running again, this time to the Fort Worth Stock Yards, where we met Emily and Ryan, Jared had to work, and Brian and Rodonna. We had a great day with our friends and family, and we were glad to fall into bed that night.

Scrap for HIRE....

2008-05-26T22:10:00.001-05:00

So, a few years I made a little scrapbook for Jade, for Christmas. I must say that it was really cute, and only about the two of us. Well, a few weeks ago one of Jade's friends ask me to make one for her sisters birthday. I was really excited, I have never done something like this for someone else before. I must admit, it was kind of hard....I don't know the other sister or her personality...but I was happy with the turn out anyway. There are two layouts that don't have pictures in them, I took the pictures before those were finished. The two pages that have ribbon tied to them were pull outs where she could write personal notes.