why do it...

I'm attempting to be a good mom and part of that is providing healthy snacks and things to eat to my children. Which I do - we have go-gurts, string cheeses, and sliced apples galore. So, when my cute little boy asks for homemade cookies, what am I suppose to do? I haven't made cookies in probably close to a year - unfortuneately, that doesn't stop one from buying them... so when those cute baby blues are looking at me with all the sincerity and puppy dog pity a seven year old can muster - how can I say no?

Hence - a bunch of cookies hanging around the house - which I am in by myself right now and which I swear are calling. Little cookie voices are wafting in from the garage's freezer where I'm keepin' them. I figure they take longer to eat and expend more energy when they are frozen and 15 to 20 more steps to the secret location. Eat me, eat me they say.

So, does anyone want a frozen cookie, or 10? I can't give them all away because that same little guy will come home from school, looking for the promise of chocolate chips wrapped in a flavorful cookie coating along with a cup of milk for dipping. Hey - they can't all be the most nutritious of snacks...where's the fun in that?

what was i thinking...

Okay, so in an effort to get healthy and save a few bucks, I decided to no longer buy cans (sometimes cases) of diet pepsi and other tasty, non sugar, caffienated drinks for my house. I don't really know what possessed me at the time, but the decision is made and I'm stickin' to it. Righhht.

It's not a big deal. I didn't say I can't EVER have this; the drink of the gods, it's just no longer available for me to consume whenever the whim arises while I'm at home - which was way too often. Plus it's helping my kids get out of the habit too... right? They got it into their heads that if mommy can have one, so can they. Wrong.

I also heard somewhere that massive consumption of the stuff can cause your head to loose thoughts easily, forget appointments and small things like picking up the kids from school, putting on a bra, and in rare cases - short term memory loss. So, I've noticed I have trouble remembering how to spell sometimes and the more I look at the word in quesiton, the more it looks wrong. Maybe this is related, maybe not, but I'm trying to do something about it.

So, sometime soon that craving for the crisp, light, refreshing drink will diminish to the point where I no long miss having an open can within arms reach and I'll stop standing in front of my fridge with the door wide open, waiting for the diet coke fairy to visit and leave a little present in there. Man, am I pathetic or what? At least it's not crack.

a new year...

Can't really ring in the new year without a party. We got together with our long-time friends who are at this point, really more like family. I could ask any of these guys for any favor and I know they would help me out however they could. That right there in itself is such a wonderful gift - we truly feel blessed by those we can call friend!



Aren't they just the cutest girls you've ever seen?

Oh, and I'm not sure what was in the water - or Coke Zero in this case, but Scott (my Scott) and Anthony giggled like school girls most of the night. It was one of those types of things where they continued to egg each other on, one-uping each joke to ridiculous levels and for me anyway, was almost as entertaining as being able to understand the joke.

We've been rockin' out a lot this past week or so, we got Rock Band 2 and a new mike and foot pedal from Santa. The drum foot pedal is a real one, made of metal and modified for the game. Yeah, we feel like real rockers!

I'm totally lovin' this new band - well, they aren't new, but they're new to me. Chloe got their CD for Christmas and I've seen a few of their videos on TV and u-tube. Tokio Hotel is the name and they're from Germany - when you see some interviews, they have translators, but they recently released their first english album in the US. They are HUGE in Europe and starting to emerge here, and, they have a decent and catchy sound. One of their songs is even on Guitar Hero - World Tour! Good stuff.

Scott told me for my (yes Mine) New Years resolution, I should try to update the blog more than once a month. He should be careful with such requests because I just might follow up and embarass him with giddy guy giggling pictures! But I really will try - and to prove it, I'm posting a picture or two of my darling kidlets. Here is the freezing family visiting the lights a few weeks ago. And the girls Christmas morning in their new PJ's, experiencing the winter's magesty and bounty of the Clause. Whoa, sounds like something I heard on a movie. Five points if you know which one!

scott sandwich...

Okay, it's been waaaay too long since I last posted here and I've made an executive decision. I'm going to move the focus of this blog more to family and friends, and not so much scrapbooking as it has been. I have a lot more family things I'd like to share where my scrapbooking focus is growing smaller. I'll still post pages and projects that I'm particularly excited about - but it'll be more about my fab fam and friends.

With that being said... I HAD to post this picture I took of our awsome friends - the Robbins. Here Kersten is sitting between our Scotts (hers and mine) in a darling "scott sandwich". We love having them as our neighbors and feel even more blessed that they have become such good friends!

another song...

It's time to get it off my chest - my dirty little secret. Well - that's what I wanted to scrap about anyway! Another page inspired by another song!

Also, check out the new me... decided to go dark. I like it but sometimes when I see my reflection, I wonder "who is that?".

Did you know I have two different colors of eyes? The darker hair brings it out - a lot.

good things utah...

Thought I would post a picture from the Good Things Utah spot I did yesterday. It was so much fun to meet Marti, but a surprise host helped out as well - Frankie Muniz. He added a whole new level of fun to the experience!

I had the privilege to help out my friends at 3 Bugs In A Rug and teach a cute little easel album. Such a fun project using some really nice papers!

popping princesses...

I had to post this fun page that's up at the Making Memories Blog right now. It's the third of four in my designer challenge "music" series and I think the picture is just so funny.

Everytime these cute little darlings come over to play, they head straight for the dress-up bin in Jilly's room. Here they combined two pieces of fun: dress-up and trampoline jumping. Check out the shoes - talk about hard core; they're jumping in the shoes!

it's all about feelings...

Well, here we are at the final week on our senses and it's all about the feelings. You can check out my post about this layout at the Making Memories Blog. I have absolutely loved doing these designer challenges for the MM blog this past month and will have another month long series of challenges next month - focusing on music as an inspirational resource!

I love this layout though... I always seem to get that patriotic feeling when I see the flag and wanted to capture those feelings in a scrapbook page. This one's of Oaken holding onto the flag our Ward youth brings around and posts in our yard every holiday. I love the movement of the flag and needed to capture some of those feelings this sight invoked.

This layout makes me realize again that we don't necessarily need to scrapbook what is happening in the photo. We can journal about our feelings and thoughts on matters that are sometimes only slightly related to the picture; capturing what is in our hearts and sharing more of ourselves.