Harvest.

I love this time of the year for so many reasons..

There is this, cool, fresh crispness to the air.  There is a definite smell to fall.

Flannel becomes a part of the daily wardrobe, sometimes 24 hours of it.

Fall pumpkiny, spicy scents for the warmer.

Warm hearty dinners.

Soup for lunch.

In the mood to bake (even more).

I like how it gets dark sooner.  It does get old when we start to crave summer, but I love having the family gathered in, spending the evening together.

I also love the abundance of the harvest, especially tomatoes.

I picked all of these off of one plant in one day.

We are in heaven, for a couple of days at least.

(We pray that we will still get more.)

Our last zucchini, but at this size, and how many we got, I think we (and our freezer) will be okay.

The latest obsession.

Being a Pitcher, comes with a few pre-requisites.
(Kind of like being a mother has the pre-requisite of being a female.)
- You have to patiently deal with punctuality issues.
- Be tolerant of flannel sheets year-round.
- Be okay with sharing items (i.e. the community cup, the community chapstick..  etc.)
- Loving Reese’s.
The first two have been trying at times, the last two, not that hard.
Especially the last one.
Loving Reese’s has come easily to those who live in our home.
Loving dark chocolate, however, is an art.
So I believed, that when someone who knows of my love for dark chocolate brought me a new-fangled treat, that the treats would be safe from other Reese’s lovers in the house.
This kind heart brought them to me in the check-stand form, the larger cups in the pack of two.  Two of those check-stand packs, to be exact.
So I had no problems, in theory, of sharing one of those with Merrill, who can appreciate dark chocolate from time to time.
Then the plans changed one day.
I have been doing pretty well cutting back on sugar, but this one particular day, around five o’clock, right during dinner preparations, I NEEDED sugar.  Thankfully, I had something three times as good.  (12 times if I am doing the math right, there were four cups..)
It was heavenly.
Peyton found her way to me, she probably heard the rustling of the wrapper, smelled the scent of something better than just good.
Being the kind mother I am, I gave her one of the cups that I had only taken one bite of.
In that moment, it was decided that there would be no package of two saved for Merrill.  I enjoyed every bite, every bite with the exception of the last two bites.  Peyton wanted more too.
Enter some awesome coupons I clipped in May.
I found the miniatures, purchased them and some of the regular miniature Reese’s intended for the consumption of others in the house, only to have the bag of dark chocolate ones practically inhaled in less than one day.
By Merrill and myself.
Yup.  He likes ‘em too.
So as I had to go to the bank to make the deposit yesterday, I found the perfect excuse to buy another bag.
(The bank is so conveniently located within the walls of our local grocery store.)
I don’t call it a total failure in my war on sugar.  Dark chocolate is so good for you!  As is the protein in the peanut butter.
How’s that for looking on the bright side? ;)

Latest loves..

I said I have been loving the digital lately..
And I am not kidding!
Here are some of my latest favorites:

fonts:
Times and Times Again

Andalusian

templates:
Chrissy W. I love ALL of her stuff, and this one is FREE!!!

Not free but delicious none the less:
- love the colors in these elements!
- a fun alphabet
- cute Halloween paper
- frames from Orchard & Broome (and these are only $1 today!!)

Tainted Memories..

It hasn't been the funnest Sunday, I'll quickly admit...
Peyton and Ashley did not sleep well last night, which is directly linked to the groggy state I functioned in the entire day today.
Peyton's so called contribution of crabbiness, non nap taking, and the desire for me to constantly hold her so she could subsequently shove her fingers into her mouth, and then the other hand down my shirt (this is the epitome of comfort to her..), did not help either.
Peyton and I missed church in the interest that other worshipers might possibly enjoy it.
She hasn't been her happiest today.
I have played countless games of Freecell, because I can do that one-handed..
I even got a digital scrapbook page done; that too, is a one-handed task..
Not much time for me to do what I wanted to do to relax today, until...
Everyone, but Peyton of course, slowly drifted upstairs, I found myself in control of the remote.
One of my favorite movies of all time was on.
I have loved "Dirty Dancing" since I was a kid. It was on HBO at my friend's house, my parents didn't know I saw it. Needless to say, I never saw it again, and I didn't quite understand why.. until I saw it as an adult.
Wow.
So, I was excited to watch it tonight as it was on ABC Family :)
I was having fond memories, remembering the Christmas I got the soundtrack (on tape, and I now own it on CD) and the poster of Patrick Swayze as Johnny Castle. He lived on the back of my bedroom door for years and was moved to the wall only when I discovered New Kids On The Block, and got a 6 foot tall door poster.
He is still so hot!
Lynn came downstairs just in time for the closing dance number and song.
I was rather enjoying my little reverie, when she suddenly piped-up: "Hey! I remember this!! This is from 'Family Guy'.. remember that old guy sings this song?"
I had started out chuckling at her perception that this was from "Family Guy", and ended-up laughing so hard that I was crying, visualizing Herbert singing, "The Time of My Life" while Storm Troopers danced...
Now my sweet memories are tainted. ;)

Me...

This was a poster I did as my spotlight when I was Primary President... thought I would share before I toss it!
- that darling chubbs is me.. :)
- I love to camp! (especially the marshmallow over the fire thing is THE best part..)
- I love ANYTHING sweet or chocolatey.
- My favorite Hymn is, "How Great Thou Art"...
- When I grow up, I want to be a mom ;) and yes, I do want that many kids!
- At the time we had "Punk Kitty" (one name among MANY).. he was just that, a punk, and he found a new home!

6 things that make me happy...

Aartee tagged me.. so here goes!
(I could have easily made this 6,000,000 things that make me happy.. and somehow chocolate isn't on my list..?)
#6- Fun, new, colorful scrapbooking goodies to play with..
#5- Darling new ribbons to make many things with...
#4- Yummy new fabric...
#3- LOVE LOVE LOVE these stamps!! They are used much.. loved well and never neglected..
#2- My girls! They are my muses and inspiration to all things creative and crafty...
#1- My honey.. "Merrill Hottie-Body", sometimes goes as "Punkley Pitcher".. he supports all that is crafty and fun to me :)
I tag: Paper Cakes, Cutie Pie, Ally, and Crafting Memories crew...

Gotta give some love..

..to Christie and her Sizzix die..
These flowers are to die for!! (No pun intended this time :)!)
She borrowed my Sizzix, and purchased some new dies to use with it.. since the Sizzix resides in my home, she so generously suggested that we keep the dies with the machine...
LOVE IT!!!
You will notice, I have used them on many of my most recent projects.. they are perfect in every way possible! Plus, you get three with every cut, and if you turn your paper/felt/chipboard, just right, you can get a bonus small flower!
Thanks Christie!

Music...

So I stole this idea from an interview in SPIN magazine.. they keep sending us free, or like they call them "trial issues", to con us into subscribing.. you know, they are the issues that the cover pic was cropped funny.. all the mistakes.. etc.
Our family is totally about music... it helps that that is Merrill's addiction/obsession. He introduces us to new, underground indie bands.. I am proud to say that we were into many bands before they were really known... Merrill has me under a vow of strict secrecy when it comes to good, new music. Sometimes he won't tell me a band's name...
I had to add a few questions that I thought would be fun, and omit one about smoking pot, since it simply doesn't apply to me.. hope you want to play along!
So here goes..
What band are you embarrassed to admit that you used to like?
Milli Vanilli- can you say fraud? I remember being mad that they would do such a thing, so I took my tape, pulled out the tape part, hooked it to a link on the fence and roller-skated away, letting it unravel behind me... "Ooo, oo, ooohhooo.. I love you.." NOT!!
Name the last song you downloaded illegally.
I have NEVER downloaded a song, period. I have Merrill do it all! He'd do better in the clink than I would anyway..
Who comes after Radiohead on you iPod? (If you don't have any Radiohead, who is your second "R" artist.. but face it, everyone has Radiohead..)
It is actually a Zen, that I love to death... and that artist would be:
Rage Against the Machine
What's yor favorite film soundtrack?
Hmmm... that's a hard one... I guess I would have to say.. Cruel Intentions. It's dark, and sometimes, a lot of times, that fits my mood perfectly. Plus the base in it is amazing... I miss the speaker box in the Civic...
What song was playing during your first slow dance?
While I cannot accurately remember the exact song, I am sure I can say it was Boyz II Men.. 90's... it had to be them or Vanessa Williams, or Mariah Carey...
Do you ever pretend to like a band more than you really do?
Yes.. Coldplay.. they are alright. I like a few songs.. but I won't buy a CD.. even though I have.. once.
What would people be surprised to find in your collection of music?
A lot of classic rock. Eagles, Fleetwood Mac, Led Zepplin, STYX, Bob Seger, Harry Chapin... and my Carpenters, Air Supply, and Bread.. all next to my country, rock, hip-hop, R&B... and a few pop bands (blush). I think I am very well-rounded musically.
Do you and your mate have a song?
Yup.. many. One of which is Tears For Fears, Head Over Heels.

Winter Hand Woes...

I LOVE Utah winters!!! I love the snow, the chill to the air, the coziness of being home, cocoa, a good quilt, the adventure of getting home on snow covered roads, not being able to see your neighbors house because the snow is too blindingly thick...
I do not love what the cold, sometimes dry and harsh conditions, and the sickness and then subsequent hand washing, the winter season brings... to my hands..
My chapped hands..
It really sucks.
It seems that every season, after the hunt for the perfect Christmas gift is complete, the hunt for the perfect lotion, moisturizer, or protectant begins.
A couple years ago I found the Gold Bond medicated which seemed to help, but this year, oh no... a different story.
It was the biggest pain EVER while I was crocheting and knitting with soft and luxurious yarns and fibers, and it kept snagging on my chapped fingers (and that is even with three girls taking my skein of yarn and running with it, tangling it up, tying it all in knots while I am working as comparison..). Sewing wasn't as relaxing as it could have been, the same thing would happen. I hate that feeling!
I knew I needed to find a healer when my index finger split on the side, the side I use for everything it seems, and had to live with a "Hello Kitty" band aid and the antiseptic Neosporin on the affected area for almost a week.. try that on for a conversation starter.. "So.. Hello Kitty, eh?.."
I hunted.
I bought.
I tested.
And I tried.
A lot...
I told Mer to just count it as my Christmas and birthday ;) I spent more than I thought.. Burt's Bees is not cheap!
Two winners.. two that helped me the best.
#1- The new Dawn hand renewal dish soap.. I do have a dishwasher, but I was dirty-ing cookie sheets and other "too large for the dishwasher" sized pans just so I could wash something with that soap. I wash my hands with it too.. I have been doing a lot of that with Peyton's "funky poo teething diapers" (and yes, that is an exact term..)..
#2- Vaseline Clinical Therapy lotion... oooohhhh!! It is SOOOO nice! It has even helped with the girls' eczema.. I ran out of their prescription cream.. ooops. I am too cheap to pay to go see a doctor to get the prescription re-filled.. 7-ish bucks for the Vaseline lotion or $85+ to see a doctor and then PAY for the prescription on top of that?! I think not!
I love each of the items pictured for their own qualities and areas of expertise.. none of them have healed my hands the way these two have.. I am ready..
Ahhh... let winter rage on!

First tag of 2009!!

I know, kinda lame... but, I LOVE TAGS!!
I was tagged by Kaycee...
5 things I like...
1- Merrill :)
2- playing with my girls (heart)
3- Scrapbooking
4- cocoa (in my new cocoa maker... yum!)
5- Being all cozy with the family, playing a game or watching a good movie..
I tag 5: Jaclyn, Em, Ally, Tiffany Z., and Casey... do it!

Shield Series Finale... (sniff)

Here we are...
This show has been going on since I was preggers with Lynn... and we have watched, faithfully (all except for the past few weeks... we had to catch up.)
Now, I can live with a clear conscience knowing that I am not rooting for "the bad guy" anymore.
I think it ended well. Still has us thinking though...
One thing we have always done while watching, eat. Ben & Jerry's has been an all time fav... but there have been many other delicious accompaniments.

8's tag...

8 places I like to eat...
-El Matador
-Chili's
-Tony's
-Texas Roadhouse
-Olive Garden
-McGrath's
-Arctic Circle
-Sandy's

8 shows I like to watch on TV...
-Shield
-CSI
-First 48
-Baby Story (but I try no to watch it...)
-M*A*S*H
-Office
-Word Girl
-Word World

8 things that happened yesterday...
-sewed about 9 pillow case dresses with Darlene :)
-made a huge pot of homemade chicken noodle soup.
-cried
-ate jellybeans
-prayed for my friends
-read to my girls
-held Peyton on my lap while Merrill gave her a blessing
-bought 3 Christmas presents

8 things I love about fall...
-smells
-comfort food
-dark earlier
-cool weather
-all the colors on the mountain
-getting new family pics
-memories... reminds me of having newborns in the house... Lynn and Ash were both fall babies.
-um.. birthday cakes, to go with those fall birthdays!

8 things on my wish list (no order here)...
-find time to scrap
-family's happiness and well-being
-friends happiness and well-being
-snow!!! (yes, I said it... bring it on!)
-more time!!!
-laundry would fold itself.
-my savings account to grow overnight...
-to have photoshop...

8 people I am tagging...
-Jaclyn
-Brookers
-Dani
-Sarah (it can double as grateful too..)
-Promise
-Randee
-Rachael
-Nathan (DO IT!!!)

Hopefully the music doesn't start playing...

Really, there are so many people to thank!
Well, first, Heavenly Father who has given me all of my gifts and talents...
Then next would be Cutie Pie Hair Creations, for the nod...
My mom, for teaching me my skillz...
My Grandmother's, well, for the genetics, but for teaching my mom, and me...
My Great-Grandmothers... for starting it all...
My mother-in-law, for bestowing upon me cool new gadgetry of various mediums.. and most recently, her Cricut ;)
JoAnn's, Robert's, Michael's, Ben Franklin's, many inspiring web sites... Creating Keepsakes...
Sleepless nights...
My shower, for it is the best thinking place EVER!!!
Other talented people who often plant the seed of an idea... until it rolls like a snowball down a mountainside...
Oh, and my hard-working husband, who funds all of my exploratory crafting efforts!
Okay... I'll get on with it...
Here's the rules:
Nominate at least 3 more blogs (It used to be 10, but come on, lets save some for the others... and notice I said AT LEAST 3... feel free to do more!) of any kind that you love to read. Write a post about the blogs you picked, linking back to me and to them. Once you’ve posted, return here to let me know your post is done and be sure to let them know, too!! So here are my picks for the award - no particular favorite listed first, or last...
1- Babbling Blather... because sometimes, you just need it... okay, more than just sometimes... A LOT OF THE TIME!!! I just wish the posts were in conjunction with my daily struggles and the exact time they take place... and a little alarm would "ding!" to let me know there was some comic relief.... plus this guy is just plain cute!
2- Mr. & Mrs. Pockets... because I love to hear about how awesome and loved my little bro is... yes, he is the superhero in just about every tale told... and she's a girl after my own heart! Crafty, all mom-ish... that's why I am leaving my kiddos to her in case anything tragic should befall me... and no, there is no family style favoritism going on here...
3- Just Us... or as I like to call her, "E-Kartch"... now she knows! Eeekk!... but I love the woman! She is incredibly talented... she has two girls, I have two girls (+1 ;)...). She loves to scrap, I love to scrap! She is witty and fun, I try to be... She's always trying something new, and I wanna too. She bears her testimony like it's nothin', and I love that! She loves give aways, as do I! Basically I love to read her blog and I try not to constantly leave comments like I am stalking her...
So there it is.. I feel kinda naked now:-0... and I hear the strings beginning to play.. here comes that girl to escort me off of the stage...

Happy Birthday Ash!!!

Happy birthday to my most favorite 4 year old... and she does have some pretty stiff competition out there... (Nathan, Brandon... you know who you are...)
4 of my favorite pictures...
From the first of her 4 years...
And 4 random things about my chick-e-dee...
Ashley was a compromise name... I wanted Roxy (short for Roxanne..) and Merrill wanted Whitney...
She recently acquired the ability to properly say words that begin with an "f" or "v"sound...
I miss the "bamily", "bood", "lub", and "bunny" -s...
She gets the giggles during Sacrament meeting, and she really can't stop, no matter the threat.
She is the most hyperactive, dramatic, fun, sweet, darling, expressive little girl in the house and I love it!!!

My kids say some funny things...

The girls have been cracking us up, as always.
When we were watching Evan when Brooke had her last appointment, Lynn woke up and asked what was going on. I explained to her that Brooke and Austin had a doctor's appointment, they were hopefully going to find out if they were having a girl, or another boy. Lynn said, "I think they are going to have a sister, just like we had Pey... but I think it would be fun to have a brother. Do you know what kind of brother I would like to have?... a Jonas Brother!!!"
(Thanks Jaclyn and Sophie for that party favor, by the way... she's now Jonas Brother crazy...)
Ashley now picks what she wears by it's "rock star-ness". She'll tell me that she wants to wear a particular shirt because it looks like the kind of shirt a rock star would wear. She'll then tell me, "Mom, I need to wear this shirt, because I'm a rock star."
While in the car yesterday, Ashley said that she was going to still be a rock star when she gets old. Lynn said that she wanted to be a stay at home mom, "Just like you are, huh mom?"
The other day, I spanked Ash (and I've been trying not to...). She cried about it for quite a while. After most of her tears and sniffles were over, she came to me to tell me something she thought was very important...
"When I get to be big and be a mom just like you, I'm not gonna spank my kids' butts... I'm gonna be a nice mom."
I told her to be sure to call me when she ends up spanking her kids' butts because they won't listen, just like she doesn't listen to me.
And while we're on the subject of butts...
While at a new park last weekend, Ash had to use the restroom. I held the door shut while she went, (it was a classy joint, no latches to shut the doors, no toilet paper either...) and then thought I had better go while we were there. As I sat down, Ash remarked, "Whoa! You have a big butt! When I'm a mom like you, will my butt grow that big too?"
She makes me feel so good about myself. ;)

My monthly allowance...

I've already spent August's allowance...
Let me explain:
I love to scrapbook (and craft)...
Mer loves music..
We needed to put a limit so we both don't go crazy, or one go crazy and the other one resent it, so we introduced the "spousal allowance program" in our home. Seems silly since he earns just about all of it... ;)
$50.00 that's enough...
I've spent mine, on the first day of the month...But I did it for a bargain... Retail price: $119.00.
Robert's coupon for 50% off one item (Xyron NOT being an exclusion...)
I got it for $60.00... the sales women was quite certain that I couldn't do it... but I could!
Not bad!

ANOTHER Tag...

So Dani tagged me... "these are a few of my favorite things..." all guaranteed to put a smile on my face... make me feel happy!
1 - Our new sheets that we got for Christmas from Mer's mom and dad... freshly washed with Downy "clean breeze" fabric softener, and dried with a fabric softener sheet too...
2 - Floats, Sunkist or A&W... doesn't matter, one or the other with vanilla ice cream! That'll put a smile on my face!
3 - Going in to either of the girls bedrooms... I love my whole house, but I am really happy with the way the paint turned out in the girls room and the nursery... it was fun to do!
4 - Cadbury eggs... original creme, orange creme, or carmel... yum...
5 - Merrill's music finding skills... we are always listening to something new, fresh, and unique. It's funny that music I have been listening to and loving for months, shows up on commercials now, and people are talking about how good it is, wondering who it is, and I know, because I am so cool... because of my Mer-Bear...
6 - Pod-Casts... Mer and I have had this "thing" lately. We put the girls to bed, cuddle up in our bed and listen to a pod cast together, we are usually laughing. We always have such fun conversations afterwards.
7 - Snuggling up with Peyton... especially after she's had a bath, but anytime will do.
8 - The smell of "Tinactin"... I know, this one is weirder than breast-fed baby poop... but it always means that Mer is home, and I love when Mer is home...
9 - The phrase "Giggidy-Giggidy"... makes me smile and makes me giggle!
10 - Living where we do... our families are so close.
11 - Hearing the girls sing. Lately it's been one of Mer's new bands... (imagine music notes here...) "Park that car, drop that phone, sleep on the floor, dream about meeee!" I love hearing their voices. It makes me even happier to see them singing in Primary... which Lynn does more now...
12 - Pizza & Movie night. The whole family is involved. We make home-made dough and sauce, top them ourselves, and eat them while we watch a family flick... sometimes we even make strawberry daiquiris...
13 - Making cookie dough and eating it then baking the cookies and eating them too... always as a family, and always listening to music, and dancing, but please don't come watch us through the window...
14 - Jumping on the trampoline with the girls.
15 - Going on walks.
16 - Lake Powell... mmm... summer, warmth, red-rock, the smell of gasoline and water, jet skiing, water-skiing, barbecuing on the water, sand in my swimsuit (hehehe...), exploring on the rocks and hunting for seashells with the kids... I could go on and on and on... even the drive is fun!
17 - Scrapbooking, of course... although you wouldn't be able to tell lately... refer to #
7...
That's what I can think of now... what are your favorite things...
Christie...... Summer... Jaclyn

Momnesia... Sorry Nat!

I feel like such a dork.
My brain is still not functioning, functioning better, but not fully functioning.
I agreed to help my dear friend with a skit for Relief Society. I thought that it was TOMORROW. TONIGHT, we had a birthday party for my nephew, which my sis-in-law changed from TOMORROW to TODAY, because me and my other sis-in-law had RS TOMORROW...
Got home from the party tonight to have a message on my answering machine...
Um.. it was really TONIGHT... I am so sorry Nat! I am a dork! I even had it on my calendar for TOMORROW. What was I thinking???
Grandma isn't doing too well. I haven't heard all of the details, mom has been kinda busy, too busy to call and chat. Apparently, she has been searching out a nursing home and planning a funeral. Everything that has been going on is end-of-life stuff. That's just what Brooke told me on the phone yesterday during our 4 hour 10 minute and 56 second phone conversation. So glad she knows what I am going through. Christie had an interesting point of view on the length of that conversation... that's a part time job!!!
I got tagged by Dani, a "Favorite Things" tag... I'll have to sleep on it. Right now my favorite things aren't too exciting: Mylicon drops, my pillow, Lynn will be going to Kindergarten (she has given me one of "those days"...), and of course, floats...